Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 16-02-25

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] PM Tsipras 'disappointed' by Europe's management of refugee crisis

[02] Greek PM phones Merkel over EU failure to meet agreements on refugee crisis

[03] PM Tsipras: 'Greece will not accept unilateral actions from anyone'

[04] UN envoy on refugees 'worried' about border closures

[05] NATO's Stoltenberg: Refugees who have sailed from Turkey, will be returned there

[06] NATO mission in Aegean may begin on Friday, German defence ministry spox says

[07] German FM to Kotzias: '[Greece] cannot be excluded from negotiations that concern it'

[08] 'Vienna meeting' ends with declaration for 'close alliance' to restrict refugee flows along Balkan Route

[09] FM spokesman on Austria: 'Repeating a mistake does not make it right'

[10] FYROM authorities slow passage of refugees at Greek border to 50 per hour

[11] EU's Dombrovskis: First program review must be completed soon

[12] PM Tsipras, ND leader Mitsotakis discuss refugee crisis

[13] PM Tsipras to meet protesting farmers on Thursday

[14] Top court prosecutor orders farmers' roadblocks to open, calls for charges

[15] Head of Supreme Court sues lawyer for criticizing her in personal blog

[16] Gazprom, Edison and DEPA sign memorandum for ITGI project

[17] Greek government and Philip Morris sign 3-year cooperation agreement

[18] Greek authorities impose fines for illegal short selling

[19] Greek stocks end 3.99 pct lower

[20] Greek bond market closing report

[21] ADEX closing report Politics

[01] PM Tsipras 'disappointed' by Europe's management of refugee crisis

"Some don't realize that the common rules either apply to all or they don't exist," he said. "Also, agreements are either implemented by all or they don't exist. It's shameful for the decisions taken by the EU heads of state to be annulled by some sub-gatherings," he added, noting Greece will demand from its partners to act responsibly. "We will not allow Greece to become a warehouse of souls," he said.

He then warned that Greece will no longer agree to any deals of our member-states do not commit to speeding up relocation and resettlement. "I want to clarify today from parliament that Greece will no longer concede to any agreements if the obligatory distribution of burdens and responsibilities proporti-onally among member-states is not guaranteed," he stated.

He also announced that he will ask for a of political leaders council meeting before the EU-Turkey summit on March 7, to form a common base on which Greece will request the obligatory implementation of relocation and resettlement from member-states. "If some people think they can raise fences and throw the burden on a country whose geographical position has led it to an objective weakness, they should know that this will not be tolerated and Greece will react," he said, adding that the country is not isolated, and that there are governments who are supporting it in this just request.

Commenting on the decision by chief Supreme Court prosecutor, Efterpi Koutzamani on Wednesday to request the opening of roadblocks set up by protesting farmers and to press charges for obstructing transportation, Tsipras said that while he defends the right of citizens to protest, problems are better resolved through dialog.

He also said Koutzamani's motives concerned compliance with the law and noted that when some countries are threatening to close the borders "we shouldn't do it ourselves," like in the case of Promahonas border crossing, near Bulgaria.

Tsipras also announced he will meet with representatives of the farmers' roadblock in Nikaia.

[02] Greek PM phones Merkel over EU failure to meet agreements on refugee crisis

They agreed, in response to Tsipras' request, on the need for support to Greece and to intensify the effort to implement all the agreements, as well as the immediate start of the NATO mission aiming to dismantle the human trafficking rings and reduce refugee flows.

[03] PM Tsipras: 'Greece will not accept unilateral actions from anyone'

In the brief dialog they had in front of the cameras, Tsipras highlighted the difficult times Greece is facing and noted that it must be made clear that the refugee crisis is an international issue, not just a problem of the region. He also stated that unilateral actions by countries are not acceptable. "If we want to solve the problem, we have to cooperate closely, coordinate more," he told Grandi.

Tsipras also expressed his belief that the cooperation and efforts by the UN High Commissioner are crucial in finding a solution and in providing the necessary help to those who arrive in Greece.

During their meeting, the two officials discussed all the developments on the issue and the Greek side noted that non-coordinated efforts do not contribute in managing an international problem. Their talk also focused on providing support for the management of the refugee flows through the UN, on several aspects of the NATO operation in the Aegean and on reviving the relocation and resettlement process in EU member-states.

On his side, the UN's envoy for Refugees said he disagreed with the border restrictions imposed by some countries, noting it's the wrong form of action and reiterated his call for cooperation among countries.

Grandi, who will be in Brussels on Thursday, also commented on his visit to Lesvos, saying he saw for himself the disembar-kations of refugees who had just been rescued and congra-tulated the prime minister for the work being done. He also said the management of the refugee crisis in Lesvos is good.

[04] UN envoy on refugees 'worried' about border closures

"Our other worry is that closing the borders in the Balkans could create a dead end for Greece," he said, noting the need to form an alternative plan for the refugees who may need to remain in Greece.

"I hope all these people don't remain in Greece, but if this happens, we are ready to manage it and this was my message to the Greek government," he added.

[05] NATO's Stoltenberg: Refugees who have sailed from Turkey, will be returned there

NATO's General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg clarified on Tuesday that refugees who have sailed from Turkey will be returned to the Turkish coast once rescued, according to the agreement signed between the two sides.

He also said its role in the refugee crisis does not consist of arresting people and stopping ships, but of assisting the work of the Greek and Turkish coast guards, as well as Frontex.

Speaking at the European Parliament, Stoltenberg said it is primarily about sharing information relating to the identification and monitoring of vessels sailing in the region. He noted however, that if NATO ships locate people at sea who are in peril, they will be rescued, in accordance with international law.

Continuing, the NATO chief said the success of the operation depends on Greece, Turkey and Frontex. Considering that Greece is a member of the EU and Turkey isn't, NATO's role also consists on bridging that gap, he added, and said the organization will participate with 2 to 5 ships.

Stoltenberg said NATO does not intend to police the Aegean and that the aim must be to help Turkish authorities tackle refugee flows at the borders with Greece, as well as Syria, when these open.

[06] NATO mission in Aegean may begin on Friday, German defence ministry spox says

The NATO mission to control migrant traffickers in the Aegean could begin on Friday after planning now underway at NATO is complete, German defence ministry spokesman Michael Henjes said on Wednesday.

"The NATO mission is already in the Aegean but NATO's action with respect to this unit has not yet begun because planning is still underway..." Henjes explained. He clarified that it would be a reconnaissance and surveillance mission monitoring international waters in the area "in the sense that no executive measures are foreseen."

"I believe that the results of this planning may possibly be presented to the NATO council tonight...," the spokesman added.

He said the unit will operate under Germany's command and that the flagship "Bonn" was now at Souda port in Crete.

On the return of refugees to Turkey, Henjes noted that the use of this action unit in the Aegean was an "initiative of Germany, Turkey and Greece", in the framework of which Turkey had expressed willingness to take back refugees coming from Turkey.

"NATO is now working out all the legal details but it is important to repeat that this is a mission for reconnaissance and to send information to the appropriate organisations of Greece and Turkey, simply to give information. If there is any kind of reception (of refugees) then that could only - and this is entirely hypothetical - occur in the framework of an emergency rescue at sea," he said.

[07] German FM to Kotzias: '[Greece] cannot be excluded from negotiations that concern it'

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier repeated that "a state cannot be excluded from negotiations that concern it," during a telephone conversation with Greece's Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias, German foreign ministry spokesperson Sawsan Chebli said on Wednesday.

"We underlined once again that in the refugee crisis only a European solution can lead to the goal. The minister has often pointed out that a state cannot be excluded from negotiations that concern it and said this again to his Greek counterpart yesterday," Chebli said.

"We will not make progress if everyone seeks to bring about solutions alone on their own account," she added, noting that everyone agreed on the need to better guard external borders and none disputed this.

"The minister has said that we must have better control in terms of the internal borders. And we support this. However, on all these issues we will make progress only if we all stand together as Europeans, as the European Union, and find a common solution. And this, of course, includes Greece," Chebli concluded.

[08] 'Vienna meeting' ends with declaration for 'close alliance' to restrict refugee flows along Balkan Route

The foreign and interior ministers of nine countries along the so-called "Balkan Route" - excluding Greece - have agreed to forge a "close alliance" to drastically reduce refugee flows, Austria's conservative Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner said here on Wednesday.

Speaking during a joint press conference after the Vienna conference on migration - to which Athens was not invited - Mikl-Leitner talked about "stopping" migration flows. She said the countries at the meeting had agreed to coordinate their actions on refugee policy and adopt a common stance from here on, including fully supporting the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and joining to exert pressure for a European solution at the EU interior ministers' council on Thursday.

The meeting, which has drawn criticism from the European Commission and Germany, as well as Athens, was called by Mikl-Leitner and Austria's Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz. Both are from the right-wing Austrian People's Party that is currently a member of Austria's coalition government.

The meeting ended with a 19-point declaration stating that "the migration flow along the Western Balkans route needs to be substantially reduced," and an agreement that all nations at the conference will refuse entry to all "without travel documents, with forged or falsified documents or migrants making wrongful statements about their nationality or identity.

Mikl-Leitner said that the journey through the Balkans will only be made possible for those needing protection and that the decision about who falls into this category will be up to the individual countries. The participants also agreed on common rules for registering refugees.

The countries at the meeting, apart from Austria, included EU members Bulgaria, Croatia and Slovenia and their western Balkan neighbours Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM).

Kurz again stressed that the countries at the Vienna meeting would prefer a common European solution but, since this was lacking, were forced to find solutions on a national level.

[09] FM spokesman on Austria: 'Repeating a mistake does not make it right'

"Repeating a mistake does not make it right, particularly at a critical time like this for the whole of Europe," he told journalists, responding to a question on a statement made earlier by the spokesperson for the Austrian Ministry of the Interior that "the meetings of the countries of the western Balkans, which are being carried out within a framework and with designated participants, are a stable configuration."

[10] FYROM authorities slow passage of refugees at Greek border to 50 per hour

Some 2,500 people had accumulated at the temporary camp at Idomeni, on the Greek side of the border, and another 300 at the petrol station at Polykastro.

Meanwhile, busloads of refugees and migrants were arriving at the relocation centre at Diavata, Thessaloniki, where the interior ministry plans to house up to 1,600 by the end of the day.

[11] EU's Dombrovskis: First program review must be completed soon

The refugee crisis facing Greece makes it all the more important to complete the first program review soon, European Commission Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis said in a press conference on Wednesday.

Dombrovskis noted that because Greece is facing difficulties with the refugee issue, it would be good to have some results in the implementation of the bailout program, to complete the first review soon, to continue with the funding of the program and end uncertainty.

He also said the first program review is underway and that work is continuing on all aspects, noting that Greece must meet the fiscal targets agreed, reform its pension system and its public administration and operate its privatization fund.

Finally he said technical teams are already in Athens and are preparing the ground for the return of the heads of the institutions.

[12] PM Tsipras, ND leader Mitsotakis discuss refugee crisis

They also discussed the possibility of holding a political leaders council meeting on the same issue ahead of the EU-Turkey summit on March 7.

[13] PM Tsipras to meet protesting farmers on Thursday

[14] Top court prosecutor orders farmers' roadblocks to open, calls for charges

Koutzamani told her colleagues to intervene with the assistance of police to confirm that "transportations are being obstructed and inspect if any other crimes are being committed, as well as identify and prosecute the suspects".

In her letter, the top prosecutor also said that the closing of motorways from participants in the farmers' protests "firstly constitutes the crime of obstructing transportations."

[15] Head of Supreme Court sues lawyer for criticizing her in personal blog

In the post, Stavros Tsakyrakis also called on her to resign, saying that her position demands that she abstains from political comments.

According to Thanou, the comments made by, showed "a disregard and a decrease of my honour and reputation, but also a decrease in the prestige of the office of the President of the Supreme Court, which the State has trusted me with and I'm entitled to enjoy."

In a new blog post published today, Tsakyrakis said that Thanou's law suit concerns the word "na?ve" he used to described her action, as well as his view that the "speaks like a petty politician".

"The President of the Supreme Court is confusing criticism, which is every citizen's right, especially when public figures are concerned, with insult and defamation." He also noted that "a law suit by the President of the Supreme Court against a lawyer for his criticism is institutionally dangerous because it has an intimidating effect."

The law suit is being examined by a prosecutor.

Financial News

[16] Gazprom, Edison and DEPA sign memorandum for ITGI project

The memorandum was signed by Gazprom's chief executive Alexei Miller, Edison's chief executive Marc Benayoun and DEPA's chief executive Theodore Kitsakos.

The agreement reflects the interest of all three parties to transport natural gas from Russia - through the Black Sea and third countries - to Greece and to Italy.

DEPA and Edison have formed a joint company, Poseidon, with the aim to build an underwater pipeline linking Greece and Italy. With the agreement signed on Wednesdsay, the two companies declared they intended to take advantage and to exploit the project already been made by DEPA and Edison in the framework of the ITGI Poseidon project.

Alexei Miller, commenting on the agreement said that the development of intra-European lines to transport natural gas was a significant factor to safeguard credible supplies of natural gas.

Marc Benayoun said that a possible development of this new supply corridor, which will be implemented according to EU regulations, will enhance the energy supply of Italy and strengthen the country's role as a major natural gas hub in south Europe.

Theodore Kitsakos said that the revival of the ITGI-Poseidon project was enhancing Europe's energy security with an additional supply corridor and significantly upgraded Greece's role as a significant entry gate for natural gas through different sources and supply lines.

George Tsipras, the foreign ministry's general secretary of international economic relations, commenting on the agreement said it was a significant development for Greece in the energy field. Speaking to ANA-MPA, Tsipras said the agreement was enhancing Greece's prospects as an energy hub in southeastern Europe and contributed to the diversification of supply routes both for Europe and Greece. He added that the memorandum of understanding signed in Rome strengthened the cooperation of south European countries and noted it was a cooperation of companies fully compatible with the regulation of a third EU energy package.

[17] Greek government and Philip Morris sign 3-year cooperation agreement

Tsipras said the agreement signalled a very important dual message, both that investments were coming to Greece in spite of the crisis and a message of support to the government's efforts to stamp out contraband trade and tax evasion.

He also pointed out that this investment was "useful and crucial" in that it was being made in the production sector, where it was needed perhaps more than anywhere else. "If we do not start to produce, we will never emerge from the crisis and especially the farming world today has a great need of investments, so that there are jobs and as production increases, income increases," Tsipras said.

Apostolou noted that the agreement also sealed the ministry's intent to implement all the policies that will make the production of Greek eastern-type tobacco competitive.

"It is a classic case of public and private-sector partnership, which will bring significant benefits to all the parties involved, favours the collective activity and representation of the farmers but chiefly adds value to the toil of the Greek tobacco grower," he said.

The minister noted that a similar agreement in 2013-2015 had been instrumental in ensuring the tobacco farming sector's sustainability in Greece.

Calantzopoulos said Philip Morris was "unswerving in its commitment to support the country's economy and exploit further business opportunities," and noted that the deal guaranteed the constant improvement of Greek production of eastern tobaccos, which currently cover 15,000 hectares in Greece and generate roughly 28,000 jobs.

[18] Greek authorities impose fines for illegal short selling

The market watchdog imposed fines worth 10,000 euros each on five investment funds: DSAM CAYMAN FUND LIMITED, DSAM LONG/SHORT EQUITY MASTER FUND, DSAM+ MASTER FUND, LMA SPC-MAP 112 SEGREGATED PORTFOLIO and LMAP ALPHA LIMITED.

[19] Greek stocks end 3.99 pct lower

The composite index fell 3.99 pct to end at 474.28 points, off the day's lows of 471.85 points. The Large Cap index fell 4.98 pct and the Mid Cap index ended 3.17 pct lower. Turnover improved to 53.599 million euros in volume of 111,720,986.

Grivalia Properties (0.97 pct) and Terna Energy (0.48 pct) were the only blue chip stocks to end higher, while Eurobank (12.36 pct), National Bank (10.47 pct), Piraeus Bank (9.63 pct), Viohalco (9.27 pct) and PPC (8.81 pct) suffered the heaviest percentage losses of the day.

Piraeus Bank and National Bank were the most heavily traded securities of the day. Among market sectors, Chemicals (0.72 pct) was the only index to move up, while Raw Materials (8.51 pct), Banks (7.78 pct) and Utiilties (5.60 pct) suffered heavy losses.

Broadly, decliners led advancers by 73 to 31 with another 11 issues unchanged. Nafpaktos Spin Mills (22.88 pct), Sidma (19.67 pct) and National Pangaea (14.29 pct) were top gainers, while Sfakianakis (19.92 pct), Attica Bank (16.47 pct) and Vioter (16.36 pct) were top losers.

[20] Greek bond market closing report

In interbank markets, interest rates were mixed. The 12-month rate rose to -0.015 pct from -0.016 pct, the nine-month rate fell to -0.072 pct from -0.071 pct, the six-month rate fell to -0.128 pct from -0.125 pct, the three-month eased to -0.201 pct from -0.198 pct and the one-month rate was -0.262 pct.

[21] ADEX closing report

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