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Welcome, 77 artists, 40 different points of Attica welcomes you by singing Erotokritos an epic romance written at 1713 by Vitsentzos Kornaros

Tuesday, January 9, 2018

Protesters in Greece Assault Ministry of Labor Headquarters

09 de enero de 2018, 16:23Athens, Jan 9 (Prensa Latina) A group of protesters related to the group Militant Front of All Workers (PAME) assaulted today the headquarters of the Greek Ministry of Labor, in protest against new labor reforms claimed by ...


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GREEK traditional custom of Oranges Blessing in Argos, Peloponnese

The custom of the blessing of the oranges was observed again this year in the southern GREEK city of Argos in Peloponnese, along with the tradition of the blessing of the waters at Epiphany. The blessing of the oranges is an old tradition of Argos, a prominent orange production region. In the Holy ...


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GREEK opposition blasts government over handling of Turkish officer's asylum

GREEK main opposition New Democracy criticized the government on Monday over the developments with the Turkish officer whose asylum was temporarily suspended by a GREEK court at the government's request, ANA reports. "The government must finally realize that Greece upholds the rule of law ...


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GREEK opposition blasts government over handling of Turkish officer's asylum

GREEK main opposition New Democracy criticized the government on Monday over the developments with the Turkish officer whose asylum was temporarily suspended by a GREEK court at the government's request, ANA reports. "The government must finally realize that Greece upholds the rule of law ...


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Using GREEK yogurt as a replacement for sour cream or mayonnaise

Start 2018 in a healthy way and use GREEK yogurt as a replacement for sour cream or mayonnaise. Here's some idea how from registered dietitian Diana Steele. Tandoori chicken. 4 Tbsp Tandoori paste; ¾ cup plain yogurt; 4 skinless chicken legs and 4 skinless thighs. Mix tandoori paste with yogurt, roll ...


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Savvy Fare: E.A.T. Foundation to host dinner at VBC; Greek food find

Inside this week's Savvy Fare: E.A.T. Foundation will host fermentation-themed dinner at Virginia Beer Company; HIP cafe opens in Port Warwick and this week's food find takes us to Jimmy da Greek's in Yorktown.


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Savvy Fare: E.A.T. Foundation to host dinner at VBC; Greek food find

Inside this week's Savvy Fare: E.A.T. Foundation will host fermentation-themed dinner at Virginia Beer Company; HIP cafe opens in Port Warwick and this week's food find takes us to Jimmy da Greek's in Yorktown.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.dailypress.com

Former Alfred Angelo gowns up for sale in Greece

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHAM) - It's something beautiful coming out of something terrible. More than 500 bridal gowns will be on sale at the former Alfred Angelo Bridal store on Ridgeway Avenue later this month. The Fairy Godmothers of Greater Rochester (FGGR ...


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Greece Curbs Sway of Shariah Law

ATHENS—Greece’s parliament overwhelmingly voted on Tuesday to limit the power of laws grounded in the Islamic faith, which are still enforced for Muslim citizens in a region bordering Turkey. The legislation gives Greek courts priority in all cases and ...


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Alien’s bureau: Turkish officer’s freedom triggers threat to Greek national security from Turkey

The decision of the Attica Aliens’ Bureau to once again remand in custody for three months the Turkish officer whose asylum status was suspended, after a petition of Greek Migration Minister Nikos Mouzalas, has caused a tremendous backlash from rights ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.tanea.gr

Macedonian Deputy PM In Athens For Talks On Name Dispute

Macedonian Deputy Prime Minister Bujar Osmani has met with GREEK government officials in Athens in an effort to settle a decades-old dispute over the name Macedonia. "We are committed to finding a solution in this six months," said Osmani after the talks on January 9. He added that "2018 is the ...


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GREECE and Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in renewed bid to resolve name dispute

A renewed push is underway to resolve a 25-year-old dispute between GREECE and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) over the latter's name. After a meeting in Athens, the Greek foreign minister and FYROM's deputy prime minister for European Affairs said both sides were ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.euronews.com

Offices of anti-auction activists’ party to be auctioned

The offices of Popular Unity (LAE) party, a left-wing party devoted to protest auctions, are to be auctioned on Wednesday. The officer the party of former SYRIZA heavyweight and ex Energy Minister Panagiotis Lafazanis, are to be auctioned due to outstanding debts of the property owner. According to LAE, the owner’s creditors, one of Greece’s … The post Offices of anti-auction activists’ party to be auctioned appeared first on Keep Talking Greece.


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Greek TV licensing tender set to enter next phase

The deadline for the expression of interest in seven nationwide television broadcasting licenses expires on Thursday 11 JanuaryAccording to latest information so far there ar


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT balkaneu.com

Those who bet on the reduction of the Greek spread now justified

The forecast for a narrowing of the spread of the 10year Greek bond to as little as 250 basis points was reported by the London hedge fund and the rally in Greek bonds continued


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Greek protesters storm into labor ministry

… International Monetary Fund have bailed Greece out from becoming bankrupt due … the damaged entrance of the Greek Labor Ministry after protesters from … busy street in central Athens. Greece's leftist-led government was …


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT world.einnews.com

Greek govt presents new creditor-demanded reform package

ATHENS, Greece — Greece's government has presented to Parliament for ratification a new batch of creditor-demanded reforms, including measures that will make it harder for labor unions to call strikes. The draft law made public late Tuesday is the last ...


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Interview of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nikos Kotzias, on ANT1 TV's prime time newscast, with journalist Nikos Hatzinikolaou (8 January 2018)

JOURNALIST: We will now be talking to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nikos Kotzias.Good evening, Mr. Minister.N. KOTZIAS: Good evening, Mr. Hatzinikolaou, and good evening to everyone watching us.JOURNALIST: I’ll start our conversation with the Skopje issue, which is currently the hot topic, asking whether – in case of the two countries failing once again, after 24 or 25 years, to reach an agreement –Skopje will join NATO anyway, under its provisional name according to the Interim Accord, in other words, under the name fYROM? Or, in such a case, will Greece again exercise its veto, as the Karamanlis government did in Bucharest? I’m getting right to the heart of the matter, as you see.N. KOTZIAS: Mr. Hatzinikolaou, our northern neighbours, Skopje, the leadership of this friendly country, are aware that they cannot join international organizations such as those you mentioned, without a solution on the name issue.JOURNALIST: Mr. Minister, does your response mean that, in such a case, we will repeat what we did in Bucharest? In other words, will we again veto Skopje’s bid for membership in NATO?N. KOTZIAS: Skopje will not be admitted to NATO if it doesn’t reach an agreement on the name issue.JOURNALIST: That is a clear statement. I won’t pursue that any further, as I respect the fact that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the government are responsible for handling the matter, and they have to reveal their stance in the right way and at the right time.Right now in fYROM, in Skopje, there is talk of holding a referendum on the issue. In other words, they’re saying that the political forces made a commitment, in the election campaign, that any agreement reached with Greece would be put to a popular vote.Do you think they will go through with this, and do you think an agreement reached between Athens and Skopje would survive a referendum in our neighbouring country? And how do you respond to those who suggest we do the same thing in Greece – hold a referendum on the issue?N. KOTZIAS: This commitment is mentioned in the platform statements of the two Slavomacedonian parties. It isn’t in the platform positions of the Albanian parties. Mr. Osmani, who we are pleased to be expecting tomorrow – the Deputy Prime Minister of the government, hailing from the largest Albanian party – has stated that it isn’t very clever for one to use the referendum, but I can’t express an opinion, because that is a domestic policy issue. If an agreement is reached and then rejected in a referendum, I think the cost for fYROM itself will be higher than anyone can imagine today.Regarding a referendum in Greece, there is no reason – there is a responsible government, there is a majority in the Hellenic Parliament, and the agreement will come before Parliament, as provided for. I remind those who are currently talking about a referendum that the Interim Accord of 1995, which provided the compound name that includes the term “Macedonia”, that is, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia – and I think it was a mistake to put “former Yugoslav” before “Republic”, qualifying the form of government instead of putting another word before the term “Macedonia” – that this word was accepted by the majority of people without referendums and without even going through Parliament.JOURNALIST: Mr. Minister, I heard you mention a parliamentary majority. So I want to ask whether, first of all, the governing majority – and I’ll move on to the opposition later – is unified in its stance on the name issue. And I ask because, at some point, your partner in the government and Minister of Defence, Panos Kammenos, expressed a stance on the non-use of the term “Macedonia” or a derivative of “Macedonia” in the name that will result from the negotiations.N. KOTZIAS: I think a mistake is being made, and the wrong question will get the wrong answer. The real question, and not the one being asked by New Democracy, is: Do we want to resolve this problem? Do we want our country to stop being a prisoner of history – because, as I often say, history must not be a prison, but a school – and be the leading factor that provides stability and security to the whole region, reopening social and economic relations with the region to the greatest possible extent and giving the region the potential for greater membership in international organizations? That is the question. Everything else is petty politicking. We are a government that – providing the other side acts rationally – will dare to resolve the problem of the name, which is a waste of energy in Greece and in the Balkans as a whole. We dare to resolve the issue, and we have no problem taking on historical responsibilities. The problem is, the current main opposition party created the problem – it was already here, we didn’t create it – and proved incapable of resolving it when it was in office. So I’m not interested in its big or small talk. Besides, it is also proving to be incapable, as the opposition, of having a unified outlook and thinking, and we aren't asking it for suggestions on how to solve the problem or anything else. It should just let the country and its responsible government resolve the issue.JOURNALIST: But now I ask you to please respond to my question. As you saw, I let you set out your stance.JOURNALIST: Mr. Minister, I could interrupt you and remind you that my question was ...N. KOTZIAS: Your question is wrong. It is New Democracy’s question. What I’m saying is that the question the country is facing is whether we will resolve the name issue, and not New Democracy’s problems.JOURNALIST: Mr. Minister may I ask my question, call it what you will? So my question is – and what New Democracy or any other party says doesn’t concern me – my personal question for Nikos Kotzias, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, is whether he knows what the governing partner’s position is in the end.Because I heard him say, “no to the use of the name, of the derivative of the name ‘Macedonia’”, and then, as he was coming out of the Prime Minister’s office, I heard him say that he puts his trust in you. So I want to hear whether you will come to an agreement.N. KOTZIAS: First of all, I express the policy of the Greek government, and differing opinions have the right to exist in every government. And it is the government’s obligation to find a solution internally and to secure a majority in Parliament in order to implement its policy. It isn’t obliged to say what ‘a’ or ‘b’ will do.I just want to note that Mr. Kammenos didn’t say that he disagrees with the use of the term “Macedonia”. He said he doesn't agree with the use of the term “Macedonia” in Greek. This is very important, and we will have to see how this plays out in the negotiations themselves.Again, what the country should be discussing – rather than Mr. Kammenos, because it seems that New Democracy wants to impute to him a leading role in the Popular Right – is whether this issue needs to be resolved. My answer is yes, it needs to be resolved. Is it good for the country? It is. They left it unresolved for 25 years, Mr. Hatzinikolaou, and those who today are wagging their finger at us and telling us what to do were in government.We have no hesitation about resolving the problem to the benefit of our people and the region.JOURNALIST: If you had heard my comments on the radio this morning, you would know that I essentially agree with the stance that it is a problem that must be resolved and that there is an opportunity to resolve it now.N. KOTZIAS: What the government needs to do is ensure its rational and just resolution.JOURNALIST: But I want to remind you – you know this better than I – for the sake of the discussion, that we are talking about a geographical qualifier before the word “Macedonia”. And I want to ask whether this is the case or whether we are looking at other qualifiers. For example, earlier I heard you call the political parties in fYROM “Slavomacedonian”, and I remembered, because I, too, am an “ancient Greek” and experienced the issue first hand back in the 1990s, I remembered that the late Konstantinos Mitsotakis talked about the name “Slavomacedonia”. I also hear that the name “Nova Makedonija” is on the table. So, a simple and clear question: Are we discussing only a geographical qualifier, or others kinds qualifiers as well?N. KOTZIAS: The government has stated that it is discussing a compound name for all uses. The name “Slavomacedonia” referred to the Slavs, who are one of the components of the state we today call “fYROM”. The Albanians are directly opposed to any name like “Slavomacedonia”, because they believe it excludes them as a component of this state. There are also a number of proposals that were put forward by either the Foreign Minister of Portugal at the time, in 1992, or by Vance and Owen, who proposed “Nova Makedonija” – some proposing it as two words and others as one. All these proposals have been set down and we will put forward our choices – and, as the Ministerial Council, we have settled on our choices – in the talks we will have with the officials from our neighbouring country. I don’t think we should go into a discussion right now of one name or another. I repeat, a compound name for all uses.JOURNALIST: Mr. Minister, I will now ask a question regarding what New Democracy has been saying: Some people in New Democracy are saying that the Skopje issue could bring down the government. In other words, they are saying that if Panos Kammenos and ANEL do not adopt the proposal you settle on, the “declared confidence of the Parliament” to the government will be lost. I'd like your comment on that.N. KOTZIAS: First of all, the Hellenic Constitution says nothing like that. As you know, a “declared confidence of the Parliament” is determined in various ways, and not by whether someone agrees on one specific issue or another. Second, you can be sure there will be a parliamentary majority to approve a good and creative agreement we will bring to the Parliament, and I hope the other side reacts as well. And third, I want to say that New Democracy’s opposition begins and ends with one demand: For the government to step down and bow to New Democracy’s suggestion that the Syriza government is a brief historical interlude. They expected us to last only two months, and we are coming up on three years since our first electoral victory. In my opinion, this shows a deficiency – and I’m sorry to say this – a deficiency within the opposition, which, unable to come together and find a position on the Skopje issue, is trying to raise the issue of elections again. In other words, we have a debate over economic policies and they want elections. We have a debate over what the social state will be like, and they say, “you are transitory, you’ll soon be out of government.” We have a debate about national issues, they say, “you will step down.” I just want to say one simple thing: These forces of the main opposition party created the problem. They were incapable of solving it. Today they don’t want to discuss the substance of the issue, just the formalities/procedural issues, and as a result they won’t do as a future government of this country, because they won’t solve any problems.JOURNALIST: Mr. Minister, some people are saying and writing – I read a number of such articles, and I have to say I was concerned when I read them – that the process of finding a solution on the Skopje issue might make room for a new party to appear to the right of New Democracy. A nationalist party – let me put it that way – a “northern league” on the old Italian model.I want to ask what you think of these recent scenarios.N. KOTZIAS: From the analyses we have carried out to date, we don’t see such a party being created. But I do see that this fear expresses an internal conflict in New Democracy between the forces that, in their way, wanted at times to contribute to the resolution of this problem – and I welcome those forces – and the forces whose positions are closer to those of the extreme right and fear that, if the Skopje issue is opened up, there may be an internal conflict that acts as an avalanche and creates rifts within New Democracy. That is why I understand and characterized as I did the questions as to whether Kammenos agrees or disagrees – because these are really questions aimed more at rallying forces within New Democracy and suppressing the question. Let me say, personally, that I really do understand this conflict.JOURNALIST: Mr. Minister, you are a frank person. It is clear that certain parties are gambling politically on the Skopje issue.N. KOTZIAS: They lack leadership.JOURNALIST: Mr. Kammenos, for example, is clearly gambling politically on the Skopje issue, as Mr. Leventis has also been doing in recent days.N. KOTZIAS: We were talking about New Democracy, and I don’t think Mr. Kammenos or Mr. Leventis are in New Democracy.JOURNALIST: As you mentioned him.N. KOTZIAS: I say again that New Democracy has an internal problem. I sympathise, but I shouldn’t be responding to questions that derive from their internal problem. With regard to the political parties manoeuvring around this issue, I want to make two observations, if I may. One is that it is perfectly logical for there to be different views on the Skopje issue. It is an issue that has troubled the country. It is an issue of great importance. It is an issue of identity, of historical heritage. In other words, every viewpoint that argues for a different name isn’t necessarily extreme rightist. But this viewpoint makes the following error: It regards us as attending the Baptism today – the child was just born and we are going to baptise it. Unfortunately, the “child” is twenty-five years old, it has already been baptised. It is now a young...JOURNALIST: It has been recognized as “Macedonia” by 130 countries.N. KOTZIAS: That’s exactly right. It is now a young lady and wants to look at whether it will take her own name and her husband’s name as well; in other words, a compound name. The compound name was already given in 1995, not by us as the government, not by me personally, but by Greece: the “former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”. This was the compromise we made. As a result, every day I receive – this is interesting – 100 to 200 emails and SMSs that say, “Niko, Mr. Kotzias, my dear man or my not-so-dear man, don’t give the name “Macedonia”. If it were 1992, one could really discuss this. In the year 2018, with the realities as they are, we aren’t baptising something that hasn’t yet been named. We have a country with a very specific name – a name with very specific international recognition – and we want to give it a compound name that clearly distinguishes it from Greek Macedonia.JOURNALIST: You put it very clearly. Thank you very much, Mr. Minister.N. KOTZIAS: Thank you, Mr. Hatzinikolaou. If we were in ancient Athens, you would certainly be a great teacher of rhetoric.JOURNALIST: Your humour is always excellent. Thank you.N. KOTZIAS: I believe it – that’s why I say it.JOURNALIST: Thank you very much, Mr. Minister.


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Interview of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nikos Kotzias, on ANT1 TV's prime time newscast, with journalist Nikos Hatzinikolaou (8 January 2018)

JOURNALIST: We will now be talking to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nikos Kotzias.Good evening, Mr. Minister.N. KOTZIAS: Good evening, Mr. Hatzinikolaou, and good evening to everyone watching us.JOURNALIST: I’ll start our conversation with the Skopje issue, which is currently the hot topic, asking whether – in case of the two countries failing once again, after 24 or 25 years, to reach an agreement –Skopje will join NATO anyway, under its provisional name according to the Interim Accord, in other words, under the name fYROM? Or, in such a case, will Greece again exercise its veto, as the Karamanlis government did in Bucharest? I’m getting right to the heart of the matter, as you see.N. KOTZIAS: Mr. Hatzinikolaou, our northern neighbours, Skopje, the leadership of this friendly country, are aware that they cannot join international organizations such as those you mentioned, without a solution on the name issue.JOURNALIST: Mr. Minister, does your response mean that, in such a case, we will repeat what we did in Bucharest? In other words, will we again veto Skopje’s bid for membership in NATO?N. KOTZIAS: Skopje will not be admitted to NATO if it doesn’t reach an agreement on the name issue.JOURNALIST: That is a clear statement. I won’t pursue that any further, as I respect the fact that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the government are responsible for handling the matter, and they have to reveal their stance in the right way and at the right time.Right now in fYROM, in Skopje, there is talk of holding a referendum on the issue. In other words, they’re saying that the political forces made a commitment, in the election campaign, that any agreement reached with Greece would be put to a popular vote.Do you think they will go through with this, and do you think an agreement reached between Athens and Skopje would survive a referendum in our neighbouring country? And how do you respond to those who suggest we do the same thing in Greece – hold a referendum on the issue?N. KOTZIAS: This commitment is mentioned in the platform statements of the two Slavomacedonian parties. It isn’t in the platform positions of the Albanian parties. Mr. Osmani, who we are pleased to be expecting tomorrow – the Deputy Prime Minister of the government, hailing from the largest Albanian party – has stated that it isn’t very clever for one to use the referendum, but I can’t express an opinion, because that is a domestic policy issue. If an agreement is reached and then rejected in a referendum, I think the cost for fYROM itself will be higher than anyone can imagine today.Regarding a referendum in Greece, there is no reason – there is a responsible government, there is a majority in the Hellenic Parliament, and the agreement will come before Parliament, as provided for. I remind those who are currently talking about a referendum that the Interim Accord of 1995, which provided the compound name that includes the term “Macedonia”, that is, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia – and I think it was a mistake to put “former Yugoslav” before “Republic”, qualifying the form of government instead of putting another word before the term “Macedonia” – that this word was accepted by the majority of people without referendums and without even going through Parliament.JOURNALIST: Mr. Minister, I heard you mention a parliamentary majority. So I want to ask whether, first of all, the governing majority – and I’ll move on to the opposition later – is unified in its stance on the name issue. And I ask because, at some point, your partner in the government and Minister of Defence, Panos Kammenos, expressed a stance on the non-use of the term “Macedonia” or a derivative of “Macedonia” in the name that will result from the negotiations.N. KOTZIAS: I think a mistake is being made, and the wrong question will get the wrong answer. The real question, and not the one being asked by New Democracy, is: Do we want to resolve this problem? Do we want our country to stop being a prisoner of history – because, as I often say, history must not be a prison, but a school – and be the leading factor that provides stability and security to the whole region, reopening social and economic relations with the region to the greatest possible extent and giving the region the potential for greater membership in international organizations? That is the question. Everything else is petty politicking. We are a government that – providing the other side acts rationally – will dare to resolve the problem of the name, which is a waste of energy in Greece and in the Balkans as a whole. We dare to resolve the issue, and we have no problem taking on historical responsibilities. The problem is, the current main opposition party created the problem – it was already here, we didn’t create it – and proved incapable of resolving it when it was in office. So I’m not interested in its big or small talk. Besides, it is also proving to be incapable, as the opposition, of having a unified outlook and thinking, and we aren't asking it for suggestions on how to solve the problem or anything else. It should just let the country and its responsible government resolve the issue.JOURNALIST: But now I ask you to please respond to my question. As you saw, I let you set out your stance.JOURNALIST: Mr. Minister, I could interrupt you and remind you that my question was ...N. KOTZIAS: Your question is wrong. It is New Democracy’s question. What I’m saying is that the question the country is facing is whether we will resolve the name issue, and not New Democracy’s problems.JOURNALIST: Mr. Minister may I ask my question, call it what you will? So my question is – and what New Democracy or any other party says doesn’t concern me – my personal question for Nikos Kotzias, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, is whether he knows what the governing partner’s position is in the end.Because I heard him say, “no to the use of the name, of the derivative of the name ‘Macedonia’”, and then, as he was coming out of the Prime Minister’s office, I heard him say that he puts his trust in you. So I want to hear whether you will come to an agreement.N. KOTZIAS: First of all, I express the policy of the Greek government, and differing opinions have the right to exist in every government. And it is the government’s obligation to find a solution internally and to secure a majority in Parliament in order to implement its policy. It isn’t obliged to say what ‘a’ or ‘b’ will do.I just want to note that Mr. Kammenos didn’t say that he disagrees with the use of the term “Macedonia”. He said he doesn't agree with the use of the term “Macedonia” in Greek. This is very important, and we will have to see how this plays out in the negotiations themselves.Again, what the country should be discussing – rather than Mr. Kammenos, because it seems that New Democracy wants to impute to him a leading role in the Popular Right – is whether this issue needs to be resolved. My answer is yes, it needs to be resolved. Is it good for the country? It is. They left it unresolved for 25 years, Mr. Hatzinikolaou, and those who today are wagging their finger at us and telling us what to do were in government.We have no hesitation about resolving the problem to the benefit of our people and the region.JOURNALIST: If you had heard my comments on the radio this morning, you would know that I essentially agree with the stance that it is a problem that must be resolved and that there is an opportunity to resolve it now.N. KOTZIAS: What the government needs to do is ensure its rational and just resolution.JOURNALIST: But I want to remind you – you know this better than I – for the sake of the discussion, that we are talking about a geographical qualifier before the word “Macedonia”. And I want to ask whether this is the case or whether we are looking at other qualifiers. For example, earlier I heard you call the political parties in fYROM “Slavomacedonian”, and I remembered, because I, too, am an “ancient Greek” and experienced the issue first hand back in the 1990s, I remembered that the late Konstantinos Mitsotakis talked about the name “Slavomacedonia”. I also hear that the name “Nova Makedonija” is on the table. So, a simple and clear question: Are we discussing only a geographical qualifier, or others kinds qualifiers as well?N. KOTZIAS: The government has stated that it is discussing a compound name for all uses. The name “Slavomacedonia” referred to the Slavs, who are one of the components of the state we today call “fYROM”. The Albanians are directly opposed to any name like “Slavomacedonia”, because they believe it excludes them as a component of this state. There are also a number of proposals that were put forward by either the Foreign Minister of Portugal at the time, in 1992, or by Vance and Owen, who proposed “Nova Makedonija” – some proposing it as two words and others as one. All these proposals have been set down and we will put forward our choices – and, as the Ministerial Council, we have settled on our choices – in the talks we will have with the officials from our neighbouring country. I don’t think we should go into a discussion right now of one name or another. I repeat, a compound name for all uses.JOURNALIST: Mr. Minister, I will now ask a question regarding what New Democracy has been saying: Some people in New Democracy are saying that the Skopje issue could bring down the government. In other words, they are saying that if Panos Kammenos and ANEL do not adopt the proposal you settle on, the “declared confidence of the Parliament” to the government will be lost. I'd like your comment on that.N. KOTZIAS: First of all, the Hellenic Constitution says nothing like that. As you know, a “declared confidence of the Parliament” is determined in various ways, and not by whether someone agrees on one specific issue or another. Second, you can be sure there will be a parliamentary majority to approve a good and creative agreement we will bring to the Parliament, and I hope the other side reacts as well. And third, I want to say that New Democracy’s opposition begins and ends with one demand: For the government to step down and bow to New Democracy’s suggestion that the Syriza government is a brief historical interlude. They expected us to last only two months, and we are coming up on three years since our first electoral victory. In my opinion, this shows a deficiency – and I’m sorry to say this – a deficiency within the opposition, which, unable to come together and find a position on the Skopje issue, is trying to raise the issue of elections again. In other words, we have a debate over economic policies and they want elections. We have a debate over what the social state will be like, and they say, “you are transitory, you’ll soon be out of government.” We have a debate about national issues, they say, “you will step down.” I just want to say one simple thing: These forces of the main opposition party created the problem. They were incapable of solving it. Today they don’t want to discuss the substance of the issue, just the formalities/procedural issues, and as a result they won’t do as a future government of this country, because they won’t solve any problems.JOURNALIST: Mr. Minister, some people are saying and writing – I read a number of such articles, and I have to say I was concerned when I read them – that the process of finding a solution on the Skopje issue might make room for a new party to appear to the right of New Democracy. A nationalist party – let me put it that way – a “northern league” on the old Italian model.I want to ask what you think of these recent scenarios.N. KOTZIAS: From the analyses we have carried out to date, we don’t see such a party being created. But I do see that this fear expresses an internal conflict in New Democracy between the forces that, in their way, wanted at times to contribute to the resolution of this problem – and I welcome those forces – and the forces whose positions are closer to those of the extreme right and fear that, if the Skopje issue is opened up, there may be an internal conflict that acts as an avalanche and creates rifts within New Democracy. That is why I understand and characterized as I did the questions as to whether Kammenos agrees or disagrees – because these are really questions aimed more at rallying forces within New Democracy and suppressing the question. Let me say, personally, that I really do understand this conflict.JOURNALIST: Mr. Minister, you are a frank person. It is clear that certain parties are gambling politically on the Skopje issue.N. KOTZIAS: They lack leadership.JOURNALIST: Mr. Kammenos, for example, is clearly gambling politically on the Skopje issue, as Mr. Leventis has also been doing in recent days.N. KOTZIAS: We were talking about New Democracy, and I don’t think Mr. Kammenos or Mr. Leventis are in New Democracy.JOURNALIST: As you mentioned him.N. KOTZIAS: I say again that New Democracy has an internal problem. I sympathise, but I shouldn’t be responding to questions that derive from their internal problem. With regard to the political parties manoeuvring around this issue, I want to make two observations, if I may. One is that it is perfectly logical for there to be different views on the Skopje issue. It is an issue that has troubled the country. It is an issue of great importance. It is an issue of identity, of historical heritage. In other words, every viewpoint that argues for a different name isn’t necessarily extreme rightist. But this viewpoint makes the following error: It regards us as attending the Baptism today – the child was just born and we are going to baptise it. Unfortunately, the “child” is twenty-five years old, it has already been baptised. It is now a young...JOURNALIST: It has been recognized as “Macedonia” by 130 countries.N. KOTZIAS: That’s exactly right. It is now a young lady and wants to look at whether it will take her own name and her husband’s name as well; in other words, a compound name. The compound name was already given in 1995, not by us as the government, not by me personally, but by Greece: the “former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”. This was the compromise we made. As a result, every day I receive – this is interesting – 100 to 200 emails and SMSs that say, “Niko, Mr. Kotzias, my dear man or my not-so-dear man, don’t give the name “Macedonia”. If it were 1992, one could really discuss this. In the year 2018, with the realities as they are, we aren’t baptising something that hasn’t yet been named. We have a country with a very specific name – a name with very specific international recognition – and we want to give it a compound name that clearly distinguishes it from Greek Macedonia.JOURNALIST: You put it very clearly. Thank you very much, Mr. Minister.N. KOTZIAS: Thank you, Mr. Hatzinikolaou. If we were in ancient Athens, you would certainly be a great teacher of rhetoric.JOURNALIST: Your humour is always excellent. Thank you.N. KOTZIAS: I believe it – that’s why I say it.JOURNALIST: Thank you very much, Mr. Minister.


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Greece makes sharia law optional for Muslim minority

The Greek parliament on Tuesday made the practice of Islamic sharia law in family disputes optional for the country's Muslim minority, changing a century-old legacy. Greece's leftist Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras immediately called the vote an "historic ...


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GREECE and Macedonia to restart name dispute talks

GREECE and Macedonia agreed Tuesday to renew talks on a decades-old dispute that has kept the latter from joining NATO and the EU, according to Reuters. The former Yugoslav republic (whose U.N.-recognized name is the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia — FYROM), which borders GREECE ...


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Turkish aircraft swoops over GREEK islet

A Turkish CN-235 transport airplane entered the Athens Flight Information Region (FIR) on Tuesday and conducted an overflight 30 meters above the uninhabited islet of Zourafa, east of the island of Samothrace in the northern Aegean. Turkish military forces are currently conducting training exercises in ...


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Kotzias: GREECE will propose compound name

GREECE will propose a composite name for all uses in its negotiations with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (fYROM) on the name issue, which will differentiate it from the Greek Macedonia with geographic qualifiers, Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias said in a televised interview with ANT1 on ...


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BMT, MSI to analyze GREECE FSRU metocean conditions

These will assist design of the moored floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) Alexandroupolis in the northern Aegean Sea offshore GREECE, in around 40 m (131 ft) water depth and connected to the shore via a 24-km (15-mi) subsea pipeline. The FSRU is part of the Alexandroupolis independent ...


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Unionists storm Labor Ministry in GREECE

Unionists storm Labor Ministry in GREECE ... archive. Greek Labor Minister Efi Achtsioglou (L) speaks with All Workers Militant Front (PAME) members after they occupied the Greek Labor Ministry to protest the proposed law limiting the labourers' strike rights in Athens, GREECE on January 9, 2018. By Tony ...


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Eurostat: Greece still have highest unemployment rate in EU

Jobless number fell from September 2016 to 2017


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Greek PM says sharia law legislation a historic moment

Tsipras says it redressed injustices of past


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Greek Anonymous present Erdogan as Gay on Turkish town’s website (photos)

Greek members attack town website


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Germans remind the ECB that it urgently needs to change

With this and that on the festive days we forgot European institutions that urgently need to reform. At least, the Germans did not forget the issue and for one more time the criticized the European Central Bank. Even though the former German finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble remains quiet awaiting the new coalition government to be … The post Germans remind the ECB that it urgently needs to change appeared first on Keep Talking Greece.


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Greece among Top 10 Countries worldwide with most expensive gasoline

The average price of gasoline around the world on January 8, 2018  is 1.13 U.S. Dollar per liter. However, there is substantial difference in these prices among countries. As a general rule, richer countries have higher prices while poorer countries and the countries that produce and export oil have significantly lower prices. The differences in … The post Greece among Top 10 Countries worldwide with most expensive gasoline appeared first on Keep Talking Greece.


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Arsenal EXCLUSIVE: Greek footy expert gives exciting insight into Konstantinos Mavropanos

… got in touch with top Greek journalist Dimitris Samolis from Sport24 … the young defender. Samolis said: “Greece is not used to transfers … one. “Of course, there are Greek players who play in top … of games abroad. “Of course Greece has great defenders and we …


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'Vulnerable' Afghans should be part of EU relocation plan: Greece

Athens (AFP) - Greece and refugee agencies on Tuesday called for the European Union to include "vulnerable" Afghans and unaccompanied minors in the EU's relocation programme. Under the scheme some 30,000 refugees, mainly Syrian, have been moved from Greece ...


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Sexy Fish Bar Popping up at Athens’ The Clumsies, the 6th Best Bar in the World

ATHENS – On Wednesday, January 24, Asian seafood restaurant and bar, Sexy Fish will be travelling to Athens, Greece to take over one of the World’s […] The post Sexy Fish Bar Popping up at Athens’ The Clumsies, the 6th Best Bar in the World appeared first on The National Herald.


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Fr. Evangelatos Appointed at St. Athanasius in Arlington, MA

BROOKLINE, MA – The Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Boston announced the appointment of the Rev. Fr. Anthony S. Evangelatos as the new Parish Priest (Proistamenos) […] The post Fr. Evangelatos Appointed at St. Athanasius in Arlington, MA appeared first on The National Herald.


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Macedonia says new push underway to resolve naming dispute with Greece

The Republic of Macedonia’s deputy prime minister for European affairs said on Tuesday that a new push was underway to settle a 25-year-old dispute with Greece over the country’s name. After a meeting with Greek foreign minister Nikos Kotzias in Athens ...


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Rekindling family history can trigger empathy for refugees, study shows

The survey was carried out in GREECE'S northern Macedonia region, which received the largest numbers of Greek Orthodox refugees from Asia Minor after the defeat of Greek troops in August 1922 and the compulsory exchange of populations between GREECE and Turkey. About 1.3 million displaced ...


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Digital Radio Debuts in GREECE

Digital radio arrived in GREECE this week, with a first pilot broadcast coming from public broadcaster ERT's facilities on Ymittos mountain overlooking Athens. Unlike many European countries, GREECE has no definitive road map towards a switch-off from analog FM radio transmission to digital audio ...


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Bloomberg touts TAP gas pipeline’s benefits to Greece

In an article entitled “Greece Reaps Benefits From This Underground Pipe”, Bloomberg reports today that the demands of the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) have led to a major surge in Greek basic metals production in 2017. While the Greek manufacturing ...


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B. GREEK Kitchen opens in Lynbrook

A chic, casual GREEK restaurant has opened in the northern reaches of Lynbrook's business district. B. GREEK Kitchen takes over the vacant space that was most recently the Peruvian restaurant Pollos Cuzco. The restaurant is a family affair, owned by Pete Belesis and run by sons Ioannis and George.


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Demand from TAP leads to metal production growth in GREECE

Demand from the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) drove a surge in Greek metal production in 2017. Basic metals production in GREECE grew more than 21 percent, according to industrial production data covering the January-November period in 2017, Bloomberg reported. Reportedly, behind the surge is ...


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Frédéric Boissonnas: The Photographer Who Fell in Love with GREECE

The Swiss philhellene Frédéric Boissonnas was the first foreign photographer who extensively toured GREECE for about 30 years to photograph the landscapes and people of the country. His adventures included the first known ascent of Mount Olympus in 1913 and he visited many regions on the Greek ...


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Christian Tour: GREECE and Turkey are the main holiday destinations chosen in 2018 by Romanian ...

GREECE and Turkey are the main holiday destinations chosen in 2018 by Romanian families with children. Photographies from holidays in Africa, South America or Asia, posted on internet determine more and more Romanians to choose exotic destinations, says Cristian Pandel, president of the Christian ...


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Olympic Peace Dreams, From Ancient GREECE To The Korean Peninsula

The idea that peace might be achieved through sporting is an old paradox. Pitting athletes and countries against each other in a non-lethal — and cathartic — demonstration of skills, is at the very core of the Olympic ideal, going all the way back to ancient GREECE. The timing and location of the upcoming ...


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Fertility & wine god festival kicks off in GREECE

A three-day festival known as 'Babougera' began in the town of Kali Vrisi in northern GREECE on Monday. The celebration honored Dionysus, the Ancient Greek god of fertility and wine. Locals paraded through the streets dressed up as goats in a symbol of perseverance, also carrying bells, dancing and ...


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GREECE, FYROM Commit To Solving Name Dispute

Senior figures from GREECE and FYROM on Tuesday pledged to renew efforts to resolve the countries' ongoing name dispute, amid earlier rejections by Athens of foreign media reports claiming a breakthrough had been made. FYROM Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs Bujar Osmani spoke to ...


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BMT Group, Metocean Services Land Joint FSRU Terminal Project Contract Offshore GREECE

The Alexandroupolis FSRU will be located offshore GREECE in the northern Aegean Sea in approximately 131 ft (40 m) water depth and will connect to shore via a 14-mile (24 km) subsea pipeline. The FSRU is part of the Alexandroupolis Independent Natural Gas System which aims to create a new ...


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Greek Communist anti-austerity protesters storm labour ministry

ATHENS, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Demonstrators with Greek Communist-affiliated group PAME stormed into the labour ministry on Tuesday protesting over new labour reforms demanded by the country's foreign creditors. They made it to the eighth floor of the building ...


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The Greek phoenix: how tourists are bringing the Athens real estate market back to life.

Lead: Greece is gradually recovering from the economic crisis that devastated the country. It is once again attracting investors, including those who want to profit from the burgeoning tourist market. The Greek phoenix: how tourists are bringing the Athens real estate market back to life. The weakening of the Greek economy, which began in 2009, […] The post The Greek phoenix: how tourists are bringing the Athens real estate market back to life. appeared first on Hellenic News of America.


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Greek Multi-instrumentalist Exposes Depression in Greece as a Fatal Choice

ATHENS - January 10, 2018: Progressive art rock multi-instrumentalist Oh.'s new single, "Deserted Eyes" reveals the consequences of modern depression as a fatal choice and a means to an end. Oh.'s award winning music video for the song, "Trials - A Song ...


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Greek, Iranian theater experts to hold panel discussion on female characters

The panel discussion will be organized at the Amirkhani Hall of the Iranshahr Theater Complex on January 22 as part of the various programs arranged by the 36th Fajr International Theater Festival, the organizers announced on Tuesday. Female characters in ...


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