Antonis Samaras

Greece and China agreed to strengthen their strategic partnership during a meeting between Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Rhodes on Sunday.

"The Chinese side will continue to support Greece on sovereign debt issues and efforts to promote economic recovery,» said the Chinese president.

Troika officials met with representatives of the Labor and Health ministries on Thursday as Deputy Prime Minister Evangelos Venizelos emerged from a meeting with Premier Antonis Samaras and insisted that the government intends to keep to its pledge to relax its austerity policies and not request a third bailout.

As troika envoys held talks with a series of ministers on Friday to assess Greece's progress in enforcing economic reforms, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras called a meeting at the Maximos Mansion with his coalition partner Evangelos Venizelos as well as Finance Minister Gikas Hardouvelis and the latter's predecessor Yannis Stournaras who is now Governor of the Bank of Greece.

A discussion in Parliament on whether proposals by opposition parties for a debate on a referendum about the partial privatization of the Public Power Corporation can be approved began in the House on Friday but leftist SYRIZA, Independent Greeks and Communist Party (KKE) MPs did not attend the session.

By Alexander Kritikos *

Although Prime Minister Antonis Samaras has shuffled his cabinet – changing the ministers of development and education, among others – this is not the moment to take one’s eye off the ball. Greece is still facing the same problems, with a stagnating economy and unemployed citizens.

By Jonathan Stearns

Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras said his country will avoid Argentina’s fate of staying mired in economic troubles more than a decade after defaulting on debt.

Most parts of the country are expected to be without power at various points during the day on Thursday as Public Power Corporation (PPC) workers begin rolling strikes in protest at the government’s privatization plans, which Prime Minister Antonis Samaras insisted he has no intention of abandoning.

The European Union is now better equipped and better prepared to face crises if they happen compared to 2010, Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras told a plenary European Parliament session in Strasbourg on Wednesday in his opening remarks regarding the conclusion of Greece’s six-month rotating presidency.

An attack against University of Macedonia professor Nikos Marantzidis in a Thessaloniki café late on Tuesday was carried out in the presence of Michalis Peglis, an advisor to Prime Minister Antonis Samaras.

By Ilias Bellos

Jamie Dimon, the chairman and chief executive officer of JPMorgan Chase, is expected to arrive in Athens on Wednesday for a two-day visit and will likely meet with Prime Minister Antonis Samaras in the afternoon. He will also hold meetings with a number of Greek bankers, entrepreneurs and shipowners.