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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

Sunday, March 1, 2015

Greece Not Such a Drag for Eurozone

After weeks of brinkmanship between Greece and the eurozone, one might think the outlook for Europe was bleak. Since the election of a radical leftist-led government in Athens in January, a breakup of the supposedly irreversible single currency has looked ...


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Greece is being forced into purgatory to save the euro

With the Budget just over two weeks away, my thoughts will soon be turning to matters fiscal here in the UK. But this week I find myself compelled to write about Greece. This is not only because the situation remains fascinating, but also because the ...


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World Press View: Greece Broken, But Can It Be Fixed Yet?

The world media continues to be fixated on Greece, especially whether it can be salvaged even with a four-month bailout extension from international lenders. The post World Press View: Greece Broken, But Can It Be Fixed Yet? appeared first on The National Herald.


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Greek debt becoming less sustainable

The agreement between the Greek government and its lenders, which was sanctioned by the Eurogroup last Tuesday, appears to be more of a respite ...


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Estonians vote under shadow of resurgent Russia

Tallinn (AFP) - Estonians voted Sunday in an election marked by jitters over a militarily resurgent Russia and a popular pro-Kremlin party, with the security-focused centre-left coalition tipped for another term.  Moscow's annexation of Crimea last year and its meddling in eastern Ukraine have galvanised the European Union, including this eurozone member of 1.3 million people, a quarter of whom are ethnic Russian.Military manoeuvres by Moscow on Estonia's border just days ahead of the vote further stoked deep concerns in Europe that the Kremlin could attempt to destabilise countries that were in its orbit during Soviet times.NATO is countering the moves by boosting defences on Europe's eastern flank with a spearhead force of 5,000 troops and command centres in six formerly communist members of the alliance, including one in Estonia."If they (the Russians) come in here, Estonia can't do anything... I'm not sure NATO will help us out," Pyotr Sirotkin, a 25-year-old student at Tallinn University, told AFP as he cast his ballot in the capital."Let's hope that it will not go that far. But the situation between the USA and Russia will change totally if the USA comes here and defends us from Russia."Fresh-faced Prime Minister Taavi Roivas, at 35 the EU's youngest head of government, is expected to hold onto power.He has joined a chorus of Baltic leaders demanding more NATO troops, hardware and air patrols to counter Moscow's heightened military moves.Analysts expect Roivas's centrist Reform party to renew its coalition with the Social Democrats, buttressed in the 101-seat parliament by a smaller conservative party.A TNS Emori opinion poll released Saturday showed Reform leading with 26 percent support, ahead of the pro-Kremlin opposition Centre party with 22 percent and the Social Democrats with 19 percent.The conservative IRL commanded 16 percent, with six smaller parties also running.Earlier opinion polls had shown Centre, backed mainly by ethnic Russians, narrowly ahead, but without obvious coalition partners it would be unlikely to govern. Centre leader Edgar Savisaar, 64, lost the trust of many Estonians last year when he backed Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.A former Communist Party member, the current Tallinn mayor was Estonia's first premier after independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. - 'Climate change' - For Roivas, "the current security situation will stay with us for a long period of time.""This is not just bad weather, this is climate change." Roivas has said about Europe's worst standoff with Russia since the Cold War.But some voters are less concerned about the threat posed by Moscow and more focused on bread-and-butter issues.Hot election topics included proposals to triple the monthly minimum wage to 1,000 euros ($1,131) and lower social security premiums among other measures."I believe there are much more important things than worrying about Russia," 18-year-old student Eve Tonisson told AFP as she voted in Viimsi, a town just north of Tallinn."Many young people are moving abroad because of higher wages there.... I personally don't think I'm going to stay in Estonia," she said, reflecting a troubling demographic trend in the tiny nation as Estonians leave to search for a better life.Long a paragon of fiscal responsibility in the EU, which it joined in 2004, Estonia posted 1.8 percent economic growth in 2014, with 2.5 percent expansion expected this year. Joblessness hovered around seven percent last year. Deep reforms and years of painful austerity paved the way to Estonia's 2011 eurozone entry and few here believe their comparatively poor country should pump out more money to save indebted Greece."Greece should be able to handle things themselves now," said Martin Kallikivi, a 29-year-old media employee from Viimsi.However, like many Estonians, he understands the social toll that austerity can take and the fact that it will be felt for generations."For many years government has not been giving enough support for families with children and Estonia's population is decreasing because of that," Kallikivi said.A record third of the electorate have already voted online and by noon Sunday total turnout tallied at 42 percent.Polling stations will close at 1800 GMT, with results expected around 2200 GMT. Join the conversation about this story »


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Spain rejects Greece accusation of anti-Athens 'axis'

Rajoy said Tsipras's Syriza Party had tried to blame Spain and Portugal in a bid to cover up Greece's financial difficulties, adding, "Looking for an ...


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Greek PM accused Portugal of trying to scupper his plans

The Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has accused Portugal and Spain of leading a conspiracy to overthrow his government. In a speech to members of his party, Tsipras accused the two countries of trying to torpedo the testy negotiations with the European Union which finally led to the extension of the Greek bailout programme for another four months.


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Alexis Tsipras comes under fire from Spanish prime minister

Mariano Rajoy hits back over accusation that Spain and Portugal deliberately tried to topple Syriza administration in AthensGreece’s anti-austerity government has denied that it sees Europe through the prism of “hostile and friendly countries” as the Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy hit back at accusations that Spain and Portugal had deliberately tried to topple the new leftist-led administration.The war of words erupted when Greek premier Alexis Tsipras attacked the sabotage tactics that had, he said, been employed by Lisbon and Madrid in an effort to scupper the chances of a successful end to the negotiations over the eurozone’s extension of the Greek bailout programme. We are not responsible for the frustration generated by the radical Greek left Continue reading...


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Germany's Schaeuble urges Greece to implement reforms during extension

Last week Greece sent a list of reforms it plans to implement by the end of June to the Eurogroup of euro zone finance ministers, which then approved ...


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Three suspected members of Greek radical group arrested: Police

Athens: Three suspected members of a radical Greek anarchist group known as "Conspiracy of Cells of Fire" were arrested outside of Athens, police ...


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Speak Greek in March Kicks Off to a Great Start

The “Speak Greek in March” campaign kicked off to an impressive start on Sunday, March 1 in Australia. The campaign aims to raise awareness ...


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Germany Changes Stance on Greek Bailout Program

Wolfgang Schaeuble, German Finance Minister, expressed confidence that the Greek government will fulfill the conditions of EU's bailout program.


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Schaeuble: Not interested in what Greeks say, but in what they do

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble told Germany's ZDF public television he has "little interest in what the Greeks say in interviews. I am interested in whether they will fulfill their commitments”.  “If they will not fulfill their commitments, then ...


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Germany Trusts Greece, But Warns

Germany's Finance Minister said he trusts Greece to fulfill conditions for the bailout deal, but said it won't get any money if it doesn't. The post Germany Trusts Greece, But Warns appeared first on The National Herald.


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Spanish PM hits back at Greek accusation of conspiracy to topple government

… by the radical Greek left that promised the Greeks something it couldn … away from austerity as in Greece.                Portugal had to take its … , giving back 6 billion euros.                Greece remains in its EU/IMF …


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Greece warned to start reforms to gain cash

Negotiator Dijsselbloem lays out conditions for emergency funds


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German finance chief Wolfgang Schaeuble softens tough tone against Greece

German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble has softened his hard-line attitude towards Greece, saying its new Left-wing Syriza government needs “a bit of time” but appears to be able to work towards resolving its debt crisis. "The new Greek government ...


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Another One of Xeros’ Alleged Associates Arrested

Greek police have arrested another person involved with Christodoulos Xeros and the “Gorgopotamos” operation that was being organized by Greek terrorist organization Conspiracy of Fire Nuclei members in collaboration with criminal prisoners. The operation involved an attack in Koryadallos prison. The arrested person is a 36-year-old woman who acted as a liaison between Chirstodoulos Xeros and other people involved in the case, as well as between imprisoned Conspiracy of Fire Nuclei members and their comrades outside of prison. According to Greek police, the 36-year-old woman met with leading members of the terrorist group in prison and carried letters, as well as other packages, for example, she allegedly transferred a large amount of money to Xeros’ associate Angeliki Spyropoulou. The woman will be led before the public prosecutor later today, March 1, 2015. Furthermore, according to Hellenic Police Chief Lieutenant Dimitris Tsaknakis, Greek authorities also arrested a 39-year-old man from Galatsi, Athens and a 36-year-old man from Agios Dimitrios, Athens. Both men had managed to stay under the radar and they had never bothered the Greek authorities, however, they had close relations and frequent contact with imprisoned Conspiracy of Fire Nuclei members. The Greek police anti-terrorist unit is conducting an investigation which brought to surface new information regarding the terrorist group. Conspiracy of Fire Nuclei had turned Korydallos prison into their new headquarters, where they would organize terrorist attacks, while they dealt electronic equipment and money to their free accomplices. The 32-year-old man who was arrested by Greek police officers appears to have played a key role in handling and transferring the equipment, while his 39-year-old accomplice is considered to be one of the terrorist organization’s oldest members.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

Spanish PM Responds to ‘Greek Government Overthrow’ Claim

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras accused the Spanish government of attempting to overthrow the Greek government, in the Sunday edition of the Spanish newspaper La Razon (March 1). The article focused on Tsipras’ speech during a party meeting, where he claimed that certain people around Europe and Greece are trying to trap the Greek government and eventually cause its downfall. Spain’s Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy responded angrily to Tsipras’ claims pointing out that Spain and Portugal have not formed an “axis of forces” in order to harm the Greek government. Rajoy was most annoyed by the fact that Tsipras claimed that Rajoy’s reaction against Greece was related to the upcoming election and the looming electoral rise of Podemos. “Neither Spain nor Portugal are responsible for the frustration that Greece’s new government led by the SYRIZA party has generated,” he said, adding that the party “promised the Greeks something they knew that would not be able to deliver.” Meanwhile, Spain’s Minister for European Affairs Inigo Manuel de Vigo noted that Greece’s economic problems cannot be solved with statements, but with reforms, adding that “we ask the new Greek government to show responsibility.” Furthermore, he added that Span had aided Greece, despite facing its own financial crisis, providing more than 26 billion euros. A mere hour after the Spanish Prime Minister’s response, Alexis Tsipras made an official announcement saying that the new Greek government does not wish to accuse the countries and residents of Europe and create enemies. On the contrary, the government only seeks solutions on a European level, through the cooperation and the dialogue between people and their governments, adding that any misinterpretation of his speech does not help towards building a healthy dialogue.


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Amphipolis Tomb Archaeologist ‘Doesn’t Care About the Skeletons’

The head archaeologists in Amphipolis, Katerina Peristeri has finally spoken after months of silence, giving a new twist to the case that piqued the international community’s interest. “We need to focus on the monument, not the bones, which for me are not that important. You cannot receive accurate dating from a skeleton. For me the skeletons are meaningless. They are misleading our research,” said Katerina Peristeri, head of the archaeological excavation team in Amphipolis. Furthermore, she noted that when they opened the tomb, the space was so messy that the archaeologists could not come to any conclusions. “The tomb looters had ravaged everything. You see, they were looking for the great treasures in the burial chamber, causing enormous damage.” Regarding the skeletons that were found, the Greek archaeologist notes that several hypothesis have been made. “The skeleton may be sacrificial remnants, or even looters. Besides, we found skeletal material in more than one place.” Referring to the tomb owner Peristeri noted that they found skeletal material belonging to the person who was first buried in the tomb, very close to the floor. The body belonged to a short man who stood at 1.60 meters in height, whose bones had been shuffled by looters. However, Peristeri believes that if the original tomb owner was a very important person, then his bones may have been stolen.


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German tourists hold back on making reservations in Greece

Traveltainment indicates that January’s reservations on Crete and Rhodes hardly increased


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EU hard ball: Germany won, Greece nil

Technically, everybody just kicked the can down the road four months by extending the existing bail out arrangements for Greece, but what was really ...


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Rajoy Denies Tsipras Claim That Spain Sought to Undermine Greece

Spain is committed to help Greece, as the 26 billion euros ($29 billion) of loans and guarantees already provided to the Greek bailout show, said ...


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Greek FinMin: Citizens Can Now Live Without the Fear of Layoffs and Overtaxation

Varoufakis “Our commitment on the extension of the loan agreement, with the specific reforms program that we have agreed to removes even the last ...


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Varoufakis: Like 'troika' for Greece, 'haircut is a dirty word' for EU

Greece's finance minister has said in a newspaper interview that even though Greece will need a "new arrangement" on its debt in the summer, he understood that international creditors would not entertain a debt haircut.


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How Jeroen Dijsselbloem did the deal to extend the Greece bailout

It was an agreement to extend the Greek bailout beyond its February 28 ... with Mr Varoufakis, his freewheeling and iconoclastic Greek counterpart.


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Euro's Hope Lies in ECB's Economic Projections, Not in Greece

At least two-thirds of the Troika don't seem convinced that Greece has a detailed path forward (we realize that the Troika – the ECB, the EC, and the ...


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Is Greece right to ask EU for more relief? YES

In Greece it has been six years, with a loss of a quarter of its national income, and more than 25 percent unemployment _ and twice that for youth.


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Europe's ageing population means negative interest rates are here to stay

A spectre is haunting Europe — the spectre of negative rates. The bad news for investors is that Europe is going to have to get used to them. Today Germany sold five-year bonds at a negative yield (meaning that investors were paying the German government to borrow) for the first time in history. And they are not alone. Across Europe the five-year government debt of Finland, the Netherlands and Austria is also trading at negative yields, according to the Financial Times. If that seems unusual, it should. It is indicative primarily of the mess that Europe has got itself into with investors desperate to pile their money into "safe assets" where they can limit their losses in case of an economic setback. Another motivating factor is that the average yield on the Germany five-year bonds was -0.08%, which is still a premium to the European Central Bank's interest rate that it pays on deposits held at the central bank (-0.2%). Much of the current discussion on the theme of negative rates revolves around short-term factors, such as the ongoing negotiations over extending the Greek bailout programme and the threat of deflation in the Eurozone. These undoubtedly have had an impact on sentiment and helped to drive borrowing costs for governments down over the past few years. Yet the trend of falling interest rates significantly pre-dates the current crisis, and indeed the global financial crises that preceded it. The chart below from the Federal Reserve's economic database (FRED) shows the 10 year borrowing costs of Germany, France, Italy and Spain from 1990 to 2014. Part of this reflects the success of central banks in taming inflation after introducing inflation targets. As the IMF's 2005 World Economic Outlook stated, "inflation targeting appears to have been associated with lower inflation, lower inflation expectations and lower inflation volatility relative to countries that have not adopted it". Lower inflation expectations mean that investors demand less of an interest rate premium to protect them from the possible impact of prices rising faster than their returns. This meant that governments could offer lower interest rates on their debt and still remain an attractive prospect for investors. However, falling rates can also indicate something more worrying — lower growth expectations. If investors believe that economic growth will be lower in future then they are more willing to accept lower interest rates on government debt as the returns on investment generally are likely to be lower and inflation even more restrained. That is, low rates can also be a signal of bad times ahead. Why should growth be lower in future? One possible answer is the impact of ageing in the West. There is no doubt that developed economies are seeing demographic decline, with the average age of the populations creeping ever upwards. In Europe and Japan, this trend is perhaps most advanced. Below are the European Commission's projections for population development in Europe between 2010 and 2030. Each of the rectangular blocks represent an age cohort and, as you can see, even over the next 20 years the share of cohorts aged 60+ increases substantially. Another point of note is that, as societies age the share of the population that remains in the workforce also falls. That means that there will be fewer workers to support a rising number of pensioners. It also suggests that, absent very large gains in worker productivity (the ability of workers to produce more goods and services for the same cost), it is going to have a substantial impact on economic growth. Some of the projection for just how big this hit to GDP could be are downright frightening. For example, a 1999 paper by economists in the Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs (ECFIN) of the European Commission estimated that "ageing is expected to reduce the annual average rate of growth, relative to the baseline, by close to ½ a percentage point in the case of the EU and Japan and around a ¼ of a percentage point in the US". That would mean that the base line rate of growth in Europe would fall from around 2.25% per year to 1.75% between 2000 and 2050. And this is what that would mean — the level of GDP over that period would be 18% lower relative to what it would have been if growth had continued at its trend rate of over 2%. This has potential implications for how much debt a government can service in future, limiting its ability to borrow today. It also suggests that living standards might be squeezed in a way that Western societies have not had to face for generations. To some extent ageing societies offer their own solutions to the problems that they create. Older societies tend to save a greater share of their income (although, perhaps surprisingly, this can manifest itself as corporate saving rather than household saving as companies adapt to a lower growth environment) much of which goes into "safe" government bonds, which helps lower long-term interest rates.  This means that although the government might have to spend more supporting an older population, that population is more willing to contribute to that effort than they are at present. Moreover, due to people's increased propensity to save rather than spend central banks are likely to have to undertake more unorthodox policy in order to keep inflation near to target. This could include large scale purchases of government bonds, providing an even lower interest rate environment and greater flexibility for governments to support their people. (If this sounds like monetisation of debt, whereby two different arms of the state effectively exchange debt for freshly printed cash, it should. But if you think it means hyperinflation or a fiscal crisis, I refer you to Japan's experience) What this suggests is that, in future, people will be happy holding bonds at negative rates (at least, negative real rates if not negative nominal rates). We might not be there just yet — Europe's current round of negative rates owes much more to massive policy failure than it does the slow grind of demographics — but the longer term trend is becoming harder and harder to ignore. Of course, this is not necessarily an insurmountable problem. Governments and corporates that are willing to take advantage of low rates in order to invest in labour-saving, productivity-boosting equipment and technology may be able to lessen or even entirely avoid the prospect of worsening demographics lowering people's living standards. To date, however, their record for doing so is poor (and getting worse). If negative rates are the product of the failure of policy to deal with changing circumstances, the upcoming demographic shock may mean we have to get used to them.Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: This Video Of The Largest Breakage Of Ice From A Glacier Ever Filmed Is Absolutely Frightening


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Cyprus – Russian Link and IS Extremism

The geopolitical changes in the Eastern Mediterranean have become like shifting sand; land is gained and lands are lost; souls vanquish and lives perish at each day’s passing. With the Assad “regime change” and Jihad atrocities in Syria and Iraq, stability is shaky to say the least. Evidently, accordingly to military experts the greatest danger of all is the war against “Islamic State” extremism. It is envisioned that it will take a generation to eradicate it. Such assertions announced by the U.S. and EU governments offer reasons for serious concerns about world safety and stability. The latest mass beheadings of twenty-one innocent Egyptian Christians by IS on a Libyan beach – orchestrated like a movie – makes one’s skin crawl over by such carnage committed at the hands of those murderers who show no mercy for human lives. The sea turned red with the blood of the slaughtered. Add the recent attacks in the heart of Europe and the IS threat becomes so obvious they prescribe that there are homegrown Jihadist “sleeper” cells in dormancy and ready to unleash havoc in their own countries at a time and place of their own choosing. This terror recognizes neither borders nor nationality. Actually, Jihadists have rediscovered an old magic formula to attract new recruits and gain notoriety; religion. They misuse the Muslim faith to justify their actions but no religion is responsible for committing such brutalities; deranged people are! Unfortunately, this is what the world is dealing with today; an archaic form of modern barbarism gone berserk. Cyprus is smack in the eye of the storm and in close proximity to those horrors. If IS terrorists successfully gain control and formulate a corridor through Syria to reach the Mediterranean coastline, nobody would feel safe in the region. One can be sure Cyprus would become a target of conquest. Those black reapers of death on the loose, killing in the name of Allah would then seek out new trophies soaked in blood. Each day passing, they spin a web of brutality never seen before. As a Christian nation, Cyprus is quite vulnerable with the presence of 400,000 Anatolian Turks imported by Turkey to change the demographic character of the island. The threat becomes real by Ankara’s admittance that 10% of IS terrorists are considered to be Turkish Sunni nationals. Under those terms, if a tiny 3% of those settlers are radically brainwashed for Jihad, then a disturbing picture emerges; one that could transform the island forever. Should Cyprus worry? Definitely. And there are a number of factors and reasons that put Cyprus directly in harm’s way: First and foremost, the island was once a part of the Ottoman Caliphate, which IS wants to recapture; geographically Cyprus offers a good base for expansion; it has natural gas; the British use the Akrotiri military bases for air attacks against IS targets in Syria and Iraq; Turkey under “Sultan Erdogan” Buyuk Usta “Great Master” is sympathetic to the “Islamic State”; an Islamic Sunni Study Centre (the largest in the world) is being set up on the island; the British military base at Dhekelia offers good land and sea access for cross-border incursions; Turkish nationals come and go freely between the crossings and fanatics could easily cause havoc against civilians. Under the IS threat, keeping those crossings open, making it questionable whether to maintain them open or shut until a solution to reunite the island has been reached between the Greek and Turkish Cypriots. It is encouraging however, to note that the government has recently recognized the IS threat Cyprus is facing. The prospects that some Jihadist “sleeper” cells are lurking in the Turkish occupied area are not too far-fetched. Mr. Kasoulides, the Foreign Minister admitted that Cyprus is susceptible to the dangers of IS and that his government is taking steps to deal with the threat. In fact, there are signs to validate Mr. Kasoulides’ warnings. The Cyprus Intelligence Service (KYP) commander Mr. Andreas Pentaras has admitted that since 2013, there is a movement for Cypriot-registered double-cabin vehicles crossing to the north, shipped to Turkey and then across the border to Syria. Those pickups are modified with weapons and are used by IS fighters while still displaying Cypriot car licensed plates. Also recently, two Syrian-Jihadists with Kalashnikovs, knives and other weaponry as well as a stash of cash were apprehended at Larnaca airport, European Muslims were stopped from entering the occupied area en-route to join Jihadist training camps. Those signs may seem insignificant at the moment but disturbing nevertheless. As an independent nation Cyprus needs to forge strong relations with other powers to defend the country and its citizens. Since nothing is for nothing, Cyprus has to decide how much it’s prepared to give up in exchange for a strong alliance; an alliance that its own existence may depend on. President Anastasiade’s recent visit to Russia was seen as a breakthrough in a new foreign policy; from years of passiveness, to one of an offensive and a defensive policy. Foremost, Cyprus has finally put its own interests first above others. He did well by securing important bilateral agreements in finance, culture, tourism and trade but the most important of them all is the agreement that would allow Russian military ships to use the Cyprus ports and waters when necessary for peaceful purposes. The next likely initiative is to see a permanent Russian Naval Base on the island. If so, it would transform the entire geopolitical environment of the Eastern Mediterranean and Cyprus would no longer feel alone nor a sitting target at the mercy of its enemy. That political move by Cyprus did not go down well with its western “allies” and “friends.” The UK wasted no time questioning the President’s agreement while France did not object — since it also uses its ports and waters for its navy and military maneuvers — but the EU was not pleased at all. The Cyprus/Russian co-operation agreement took everyone by surprise but more so by the fact that it was initiated by a right-wing conservative government. Recognizing how unfairly western allies and the EU behaved politically towards Cyprus all the parties in Cyprus unanimously welcome the agreement. Insofar as foreign policy is concerned, the Cyprus government has now moved in a new direction. Like all other countries, the government has the right to make alliances and agreements with anyone it chooses that would best serve its own interests. Seeking to make new agreements in a wider political spectrum and abandoning the 40-year old failed foreign policy of the past is a wise move and well overdue in most people’s minds. There is now a strong triangle, formulated by agreements between Cyprus with Egypt, Lebanon, Israel, Syria and Greece. That triangle offers a good protection umbrella for Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean waters against provocateurs and opportunists such as Turkey. With Russia on board, Cyprus has now secured a powerful ally where others botched. Establishing a Russia naval base, would not only encourage greater Russian investments to help kick-start the economy but also and most importantly, it would act as a deterrent to those who plan the destruction of Cyprus, namely: Turkey or the Islamic State terrorists. They would think twice before attempting to make their next aggressive move for the Islamization of the island. That’s what the Republic of Cyprus desperately needs; a strong ally so all people — both Greek and Turkish Cypriots — would start to feel safe and secure again in a democracy as one unified country. They can then look forward to a brighter future without been intimidated by Turkey’s constant provocations because of its military might; for might is not right!


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

Mariano Rajoy Rejects Claims Spain Seeking to Topple Greek Syriza Party

MADRID (Sputnik) – Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on Sunday dismissed the claims of his Greek counterpart Alexis Tsipras that Madrid and ...


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Germany trusts Greece to fulfill terms of bailout deal, finance minister says

Germany's finance minister says he trusts Greece's current government to fulfill the conditions for the bailout deal, but also made clear the country would not receive any further money if it didn't.


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Athens asks Russia to lift import ban on strawberries, oranges and peaches

Greece is worried most of all about the harvest of peaches, since this sector was created in Greece especially for the Russian market


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UPDATE 1-Spanish PM hits back at Greek accusation of anti-Athens "axis"

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said Spain and Portugal had taken a hard line in talks on the euro zone extending the Greek bailout programme ...


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Greece: Climbing out of debilitating private debt

Athens, Greece - The Bay of Eleusis, half an hour west of Athens, was once a powerhouse of the Greek economy. Smokestacks, concrete kilns, and ...


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Greek odyssey for Sophia and animals

A woman who labelled herself a "Nanny McPhee" for animals took an intrepid six-day journey to bring four dogs and three cats back to England.


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The Absence Of Grexit Strengthens, Not Weakens, The Euro Long Term

There's an interesting argument to be had about whether having Greece within the euro strengthens the currency or whether allowing it (or forcing it) to leave would do so. This depends upon two things, firstly what we mean by strength and secondly our views about what would happen to Greece [...]


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Gentler Schaeuble Backs Greece

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, who brought Greece to its knees with austerity in return for bailouts his country backed, says it needs time to recover. The post Gentler Schaeuble Backs Greece appeared first on The National Herald.


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Greek Alt. Social Insurance Minister on Christmas Bonus

The government's commitment to give the Christmas bonus to 1,262,920 pensioners will be applied, said Greek Alternate Insurance Minister Dimitris ...


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Spain's PM denies Greek counterpart's claim that Spain, Portugal are out to "overthrow" govt

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras had singled out the Iberian countries as "aggressive European conservative forces" whose plan was "the wear ...


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Spanish PM Mariano Rajoy hits back at Greece's Tsipras in austerity row

MADRID: Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy today called on his Greek counterpart to be "serious" about his country's debt-wracked economy after ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT economictimes.indiatimes.com

More ruins than Greece and Italy

As our guide said, Turkey has more Greek ruins than Greece and more Roman ruins than Italy. We went with Grand Circle Travel, a longtime tour ...


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Greece Asks Russia to Partially Lift Food Embargo

He would take a stand for excluding three Greece products from the list of banned food which was imposed in August 2014 in response to the EU ...


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Greece will 'squeeze blood out of stone' to pay IMF

Greece faces a series of large debt repayments in the coming weeks and months - including about 2bn euros to the IMF in March. And some 6.7bn in ...


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Reuters: The Eurozone moves on despite the Greek issue

A last-ditch deal to extend Greece's bailout for four months after many clashes between Athens and Berlin did little to ease fears in the Eurozone, states Reuters


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Tsipras furious with his MPs

Careful we don’t end up like the others, said the Greek Prime Minster to those demanding cars


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Survey: SYRIZA 42.1%, ND 18.3%; 7:10 Greeks agree with Eurogroup agreement

At least two in three Greeks are satisfied with the way Greek government negotiated with the EU partners and seven in ten agree with the Eurogroup agreement. 76% are positive about the government’s overall performance, and 42% would vote for SYRIZA if elections were to be held on Sunday. In […]


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German finance minister says Greece needs time

Mr Schaeuble also insisted that his Greek counterpart Yanis Varoufakis, despite their policy differences, had "behaved most properly with me" and had ...


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Greek Former FM: Signing an Extension is the Same as Signing a Memorandum

Greek Former Minister of Finance Gikas Hardouvelis criticized the government's actions so far stressing that the bills announced to be tabled next ...


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Greek PM warns of tough talking ahead

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has hailed the 'important success' of Greece's loan negotiations.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT wap.thenews.bigpond.com