Venizelos

Government officials on Monday defended the decision by Prime Minister Antonis Samaras to herald tax breaks at the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) over the weekend as the first tangible move toward offering relief after years of austerity and indicated that the pledges could be supported by the budget.

Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras will meet with his coalition partner, PASOK leader Evangelos Venizelos, and Finance Minister Gikas Hardouvelis on Monday ahead of crucial two-day talks with representatives of the country's lenders set to begin in Paris Tuesday.

A parliamentary group comprising 15 independent lawmakers asked member Nikos Nikolopoulos to resign Friday over his homophobic tweet concerning the Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel.

The Greek Consulate General in Ukraine has been temporarily relocated from the southeastern city of Mariupol to Dnepropetrovsk in the central part of the country due to security concerns, the Greek Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday.

Ukrainian forces on Thursday regrouped to defend Mariupol against Russian-backed separatists, Reuters reported.

PASOK leader Evangelos Venizelos has extended an invitation to former party chiefs Costas Simitis and George Papandreou to take part in an event to mark the party’s 40th anniversary on September 3.

According to sources, Venizelos e-mailed both ex-prime ministers to inform them that they would be welcome at the event, to be held at the Zappeio Hall.

Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and his coalition partner, PASOK leader Evangelos Venizelos, on Wednesday met with Finance Minister Gikas Hardouvelis and other key cabinet members to finalize Greece’s strategy for a crucial meeting with troika officials in Paris next week.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos on Wednesday hailed the announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinians brokered in Cairo, Egypt, late on Tuesday following a seven-week conflict.

The deadline for paying the first installment of the new single property tax, known as ENFIA, has been extended by one month, deputy Prime Minister Evangelos Venizelos said Thursday.

The original deadline was August 29.

A day after visiting the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) where he called for a swift solution to the lingering name dispute with Greece, United Nations’ special mediator Matthew Nimetz arrives in Athens on Wednesday for talks at 1p.m. with Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos is expected to meet with Matthew Nimetz, the United Nations mediator in a dispute between Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) in Athens on Wednesday, the Greek Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday.