Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 13-07-01

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

CONTENTS

[01] ND's 9th party congress ends with a view towards 'a New Greece'

[01] ND's 9th party congress ends with a view towards 'a New Greece'

"The new Greece we are building fits everyone, except those stuck in the past," Samaras said in his Sunday address. "There are two paths, you either leap into the future or stay stuck in the past. There is no place in the national effort for those stuck in the past and for populists."

Addressing the last day of the congress that began on Friday, when he also delivered the opening remarks, the prime minister said that the battle for a new Greece "has started, we will win it, and all Greeks support us."

"ND stood tall when everything fell apart, and this is because our ideas express Greeks. Our party is expanding, it is assuming the frontline to change everything in a country that needs to leave its past behind," the premier said.

He added that "we have a national obligation to fight for New Greece, it is a national necessity, and that is why I addressed an invitation to all two days ago. We must welcome everyone wishing to fight with us and still hesitate to join us. Nobody is a spare."

Samaras' address was preceded by those of ministers affiliated with ND whose messages focused on progress made by Samaras' current and previous coalition governments - especially on the Cosco agreement in Piraeus and the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) - and made frequent references to overcoming the austerity obligations of the memorandums Greece has signed with its lenders by exiting the crisis and improving the economy.

Frequent mention was also made of the necessity of remaining in the eurozone, and of the European Union in particular supporting Greek efforts to overcome the crisis.

Speakers included Ministers Nikos Dendias (Public Order and Citizen Protection), Panos Panagiotopoulos (Culture) and Theodoros Karaoglou (Macedonia-Thrace), among others.

ND secretary general Manolis Kefalogiannis reviewed the party's history and said changes that need to be made in Greece include the process of presidential elections and issues concerning transparency for deputies, ministers and mass media.

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