Latest News from Greece
EU-Turkey meeting: Ankara is not holding us hostage, say Europeans
The EU summit on the refugee crisis begins in a reluctant atmosphere, with President of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė saying that the agreement to be reached with Turkey would be “complex and at the limits of international law”.
Arriving at the meeting, Mrs. Grybauskaitė told reporters that “we will agree on something. We will negotiate with the same conditions agreed last week”.
Bulgaria, Macedonia to Hold Joint Border Policing Operations amid Migration Crisis
Balkan neighbours Bulgaria and Macedonia have agreed to conduct joint air and land operations for border control and protection in the context of the migration crisis in the coming days, the government in Sofia announced on Thursday.
The agreement was reached in a telephone conversation between Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov.
PM Tsipras meets with Merkel – Hollande before EU summit
The two-day EU Summit begins today without European having agreed during preliminary discussions on a definitive approach with Turkey on refugee issue.
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who hopes getting the support of socialists, met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande.
UNESCO proclaims 2016 ‘Year of Aristotle’
In celebration of 2,400 years since the birth of the great Greek thinker of antiquity and one of the fathers of western philosophy, Aristotle, UNESCO proclaimed 2016 the ‘Year of Aristotle’. A series of events to honour Aristotle have been scheduled throughout the year, with the most prestigious one planned to take place in Paris in November.
EU-Turkey Summit to Seek Finalization of Migrant Crisis Deal
Prime Ministers of EU member states and Turkey are gathering for a two-day summit bringing together the European Council and Turkey.
The summit is set to take place Thursday and Friday, with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu to join the second day.
Last week EU leaders and Turkey agreed on the broad principles of a deal aimed at curbing the migrant inflow into Europe.
Kammenos backs down on resignation of Immigration Minister Mouzalas
President of the right populist party Independent Greeks (ANEL) Panos Kammenos, told media, Thursday that he still offered his support to Greek PM Alexis Tsipras and his government.
Greece drops as tourist preference for Russians to 5th spot
According to data presented by the Russian statistics services, Greece has fallen to fifth spot as a tourism destination for Russian nationals. Compared to the 2014 Russian travelers choosing Greece as their holiday destination fell by 48 per cent in 2015, while Russian holiday travels abroad in general declined by 31.3 per cent, with a total of 12.1 million trips.
EU28-Turkey Summit on refugee to try to forge a final agreement on matter
In the wake of concerns that the refugee crisis could turn into a full blown humanitarian one in Greece, the 2-day EU28 Summit on the matter is scheduled to convene Thursday, March 17 in Brussels.
Official data says 43,000 refugees in Greece currently
According to sources from Greek police, the refugees that managed to cross the borders into FYROM from a point along the borderlines between Greece and FYROM, where being led by an organised group of activists promoting the policy of open borders.
Document shows Tsipras signed statement in France with name ‘Macedonia’ on it (photo of French document)
A document reveals that Greek PM Alexis Tsipras had signed a joint statement with the President of France, Francois Hollande in Paris during the meeting of socialist leaders on March 12, where FYROM was referred to as ‘Macedonia’.
The morality of attacking the Turkey-EU's refugee deal's morality
The deal hammered out between Turkey and the European Union to stem the flow of refugees is under severe criticism.
While the deal awaits approval from EU leaders in a summit scheduled this week, opinion leaders from politicians to think tank experts have rushed to criticize it.
Greek government crumbling over the name of ‘Macedonia’?
The relationship between the two coalition partners, left SYRIZA and populist right ANEL, is currently on thin ice. Greek PM Alexis Tsipras lifted the gauntlet thrown down earlier by his junior government partner, Panos Kammenos during their meeting at Maximos Hall, who threatened to leave the government, if Immigration Minister George Mouzalas would not step down.
Austria Offers Help to Macedonia to Keep Balkans Migrant Route Shut
The EU must help Macedonia bolster security at its border with Greece in order to keep the Western Balkans route shut to migrants, Austrian Defence Minister Hans Peter Doskozil has said.
IMF wants to leave negotiations, while Greek side scrambling to keep the group in Greece until deal reached
According to sources close to the negotiations between Greece and its lenders (Quartet), the IMF has expressed the desire to leave the negotiating table within the next 2 to 3 days. The Greek side on its part is desperately trying to salvage a deal on the tax threshold within the next 48-72 hours.
Piraeus Bank head cautiously optimistic about economy
Talking to German newspaper ‘Borsen Zeitung’, Greek banker Michalis Salas expressed his optimism that Greece was now in a better position to pay off its debts to the ECB.