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Sunday, 22 December 2024
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Athens News Agency: News in English, 07-06-02Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>CONTENTS
[01] PM Costas Karamanlis visits International University installationsPrime Minister Costas Karamanlis on Saturday visited installations that will host the International University in Thessaloniki, Macedonia, saying that Thessaloniki, Macedonia and Greece are gradually developing into centres of education, culture, research and innovation. Karamanlis visited the installations accompanied by Education Minister Marietta Yiannakou, immediately after arriving in the city at noon on Saturday. He was welcomed there by Minister of Macedonia and Thrace George Kalantzis, deputies, Thessaloniki Prefect Panayiotis Psomiadis and Thessaloniki Mayor Vassilis Papageorgopoulos. The prime minister met with the members of the International University's Administrative Council and was given a guided tour of the installations, that are being rented by the PASEGES union in the region of Thermi and will be temporary until the new ones are created in the municipality of Mihaniona.Speaking to reporters after the tour, Karamanlis said "the International University will begin to operate here in Thessaloniki in early 2008. This workable building we are visiting will cover the tutorial needs of postgraduate students from countries of southeastern Europe and from Greece for the years to come in economic sciences, humanitarian studies and new technologies." The prime minister added that "the International University, with integrated pre-graduate and postgraduate study programmes will be finally established on its own premises in the new university city of Mihaniona." Caption: ANA-MPA file photo of Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis. [02] Mediterranean Forum ends in RethimnoThe 14th Ministerial Session of the Mediterranean Forum, focusing mainly on energy and immigration, came to an end in Rethimno, on the island of Crete, on Saturday with Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis terming it "very successful."The 11 foreign and deputy foreign ministers expressed grave concern over the worsening of the situation in the Middle East and stressed the need for the European Union's role for peace in the region to be noted, while agreeing to the need for wider Euro-Mediterranean cooperation with energy and immigration being the initial sectors. The Mediterranean Forum adopted a joint announcement for the first time in years. Speaking at a press conference at the end of the session, Bakoyannis termed it "a political document that covers with clarity and fullness all the issues we discussed." Bakoyannis "analytically briefed" her counterpartrs on the aims of her visit to the Middle East in the coming days and on Greek foreign policy in general, according to which "Greece must be present in the region as a member-state of the European Union, as a country with great knowledge of the wider region and as a country that is acceptable as an honest and equal interlocutor." The foreign minister pointed out that "we must intensify our efforts in the Middle East. Europe has a role to play and it must play it effectively." Bakoyannis also held bilateral talks with French Deputy Minister for European Affairs Jean-Pierre Jouyet, focusing on the proposal made by newly-elected French President Nicolas Sarkozy on the creation of a Mediterranean Union. Caption: ANA-MPA file photo of Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis. [03] President Karolos Papoulias ends Russia visitPresident Karolos Papoulias on Saturday laid a wreath at the Monument erected to commemorate those who fell during the 1941-1944 seige of Leningrad, present day Saint Petersburg, ending his official visit to the Russian Federation.President Papoulias wrote in the visitors' book "never again war, never again barbarism. This is the call of all who fell and who suffered in this heroic city." Earlier in the day, President Papoulias attended an avent at the State Saint Petersburg University, where the president of the Modern Greek Studies Faculty, Fatima Yeloeva, spoke of Greece's history, using as an example the work of Kavafi in an extremely moving speech about the "soul" and the "voyage" of Greece that brought tears to the eyes of the Greek President. President Papoulias, who met President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov and other officials during his visit to Moscow and Saint Petersburg, is returning to Athens at the end of his visit. Caption: ANA-MPA file photo of President Karolos Papoulias. [04] Transport minister addresses broadband conferenceTransport and Communications Minister Mihalis Liapis on Saturday addressed the 2nd international conference on "Global Dynamics of the Broadband Internet", organised by the National Telecommunications and Post Commission (EETT), referring to initiatives taken by his ministry in this respect.Commenting further on the broadband issue, Liapis said it is a basic element of development policy for the government that has termed 2007 broadband year, reiterating that the citizen is always the focal point of efforts. The minister also stressed the positive repercussions created for the national economy, education, health and employment and pointed out that the government is aiming at speeding up the rate of broadband access to the Internet and the balanced distribution of benefits and the avoidance of phenomena of digital exclusion, particularly for remote regions in the country. Lastly, Liapis conceded that despite progress achieved by the country over the past two years in broadband dissemination, the distance separating the country from the European average is still great and more intensive and focused action is required. Caption: ANA-MPA file photo of Transport and Communications Minister Mihalis Liapis. Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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