Athens News Agency: News in English, 06-11-19

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

CONTENTS

[01] Minister briefed on Evros anti-flooding works

[02] Information SG on Greece's image in the US

[01] Minister briefed on Evros anti-flooding works

Pavlopoulos, who was accompanied by civil protection secretary general Panagiotis Fourlas and Eastern Macedonia-Thrace Periphery secretary general Michalis Angelopoulos, visited the Evros areas of Tycheros and Kornofolia.

"We know that there were many problems, which are currently being restored in such a way so as to avoid a repetition, to the degree possible, of such diaststrs, which harm the people and create feelings of insecurity. That is why our actions are two-fold: Immediate actions for restoring the rifts, which we see here today, and which I b elieve will be completed by end-November to mid-December at the latest, as well as long-term measures, being taken by the government for the first time, in cooperation with the nighbouring countries, so as to avert such phenomenon in the future".

He said the issue regarding Evros was not only the anti-flooding projects and embankments, but aos that of cooperation with the neighbouring countries, especially Bulgaria, in order to eliminate the problem, which he explained was created from the waters floowing to Greece and also due to the management of crises in general.

Pavlopoulos stressed the actions being taken for the anti-flooding shielding of Evros, noting that additional measures were being introduced, including the operation of an automatic water level measuring system, jointly with Bulgaria, which he said would formally join the EU on January 1.

He said collaboration had commenced on automatic warning of rising water levels, as well as on satellite minotiring, and other joint actions that had not existed in the past.

[02] Information SG on Greece's image in the US

Livadas said that, from within the Capital Link forum, which he said was evolving into an institution, Greece had the opportunity to send a message to the US, too, that no one should see Greece as simply a market of 11 million people, but as a gateway, an entryway, to a wider region of the 160 million citivens of SE Europe, which was speedily growing.

Livadas said that Greece has "structured the venture for all sectors of the economy, energy, tourism, exports, etc.".

The results, as presented also by the government's economic staff, "prove that the American public opinion recognises our country's progress in the past years".

To a question on Greece's present-day image, Livadas said that for many years, in the past, Greece had been sending a message of disgruntlement to the American public opinion. The economic problems, the clashes and arguments over specific matters that concerned Greece's interests, were not sending an optimistic message, even to the younger generations of the Greek American community. "But many of those things have changed now," he added.

More specifically, Livadas pointed out, "our economy is penetrating other countries daily, and the extroversion of our country's orientation is a very important development".

"Our comparative advantages are what we rely one, and what we are penetrating increasingly more foreign markets with," he continued.

Reiterating economic figures cited by the economic staff, Livadas stressed that tourish this your had increased by 12 percent, for the second consecutive year, while exports had risen by 22 percent.

On Greek foreign policy and its role in the creation of an auspicious climate for Greece, Livadas said that Greece's foreign policy confronts the outstanding affairs in the region in a new, modern way. "We have, for example, important outstanding matters with Turkey, which, however, do not hinder us from supporting that country's European orientation, provided, of course, that our neighbour first fulfills tis oblitations to the European Union".

"In this creative way, we are tackling the various outstanding matters, withut their hindering us from cooperating in various economic sectors with Turkey," Livadas said, citing the National Bank of Greece's acquistion of Turkey's FinansBank as an example.

On the FYROM name issue, he said that "we are working in a creative way, within the framework of the UN, to solve this specific issue", adding that "this does not, however, obstruct us from being the tope investor in FYROM".

Naturally, he added, as soon as the process aimed at resolution of the name issue was completed and a mutually acceptable settlement was found, "it will be our pleasure to also support FYROM's accession to NATO, something that we desire".

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