Turkish FM Visits Athens

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• Turkish FM Visits Athens
• PM Meets Opposition Leaders
• T-Bill Auction
• Economic Diplomacy in North Africa
• Philhellenes Stamp Collection
• The Azoria Project

Turkish FM Visits Athens Posted: 09 Mar 2011 02:07 AM PST Prime Minister George Papandreou and Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas held meetings yesterday with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who is on an official three-day visit in Greece. Talks focused on bilateral and EU- related issues, while developments in the Southern Mediterranean were also discussed. In statements following the meeting of the two FMs, Droutsas appraised Greek-Turkish cooperation and the role of the High-Level Cooperation Council, stressing that the results are satisfying and stating Greece's commitment to this effort. He also referred to the exploratory contacts aimed at the delimitation of the continental shelf, stressing that their framework is clearly "respect for international law, sovereignty and territorial integrity." Regarding the EU-Turkey readmission agreement, Droutsas expressed hope that it will soon be implemented by Turkey. On his part, Davutoglu said he is bringing "a message of friendship, good neighbourliness and common fate," adding that "in the very near future everyone will be able to see proof of the excellent cooperation between Greece and Turkey." Referring to EU-Turkey relations, Droutsas reiterated Greek support for Turkey's full admission, which presupposes Turkey's meeting its obligations to the European Union and its member states. Davutoglu thanked Greece for its "clear support for Turkey's accession efforts," and its stand on the visa waiver issue. Both ministers emphasised the positive developments in bilateral economic relations that spearhead cooperation efforts. They also agreed on cooperation in providing humanitarian aid to strife-torn Libya.

PM Meets Opposition Leaders Posted: 09 Mar 2011 02:11 AM PST Prime Minister George Papandreou held meetings yesterday with opposition party leaders to establish a broader consensus ahead of the upcoming EU Summits on March 11 and 25. In statements after the meetings, Papandreou said that the Greek government will pursue a comprehensive solution that will safeguard the future and stability of the euro zone. The premier referred to the issues that are open to negotiation within the EU, including the support mechanism and the competitiveness pact, as well as the Eurobond and the tax on fiscal transactions, issues that European Parliament voted in favour of, yesterday.

T-Bill Auction Posted: 09 Mar 2011 02:05 AM PST Greece yesterday raised € 1,625 million in an auction of 26-week T-bills, at an interest rate of 4,75%. According to an announcement issued by the Public Debt Management Agency, the auction was 3.58 times oversubscribed, with total bids reaching € 4,485 million.

Economic Diplomacy in North Africa Posted: 09 Mar 2011 02:05 AM PST Greece's economic diplomacy is not "stepping back" as a result of upheavals in the Mediterranean region, Deputy Foreign Minister Spyros Kouvelis said, on March 3, at a meeting with Greek business people whose companies are active in North African countries, especially Egypt and Libya. Kouvelis underlined the government's willingness to support a Greek presence in Egypt and to contribute to a positive business and investment climate in the Arab country but stressed that the Egyptian side must also acknowledge Greece's contribution and respond to demands for easier procedures and uphold the terms of contracts with Greek businesses.

Philhellenes Stamp Collection Posted: 09 Mar 2011 02:05 AM PST A collection of stamps dedicated to American Philhellenes will be issued by the United States Postal Service to honour the Americans who struggled and sacrificed themselves for the liberation of Greece. The stamp series, titled Association of American Philhellenes 1810-1840, will feature the grave of George Jarvis, the portrait of Dr. Samuel Gridley Howe, as well as the emblem of the American Philhellenes Society (APS). The decision to issue the collection was initiated by the APS, an association established to identify the Americans who, under the leadership of President James Monroe, supported or fought for the independence of Greece during the years 1810-1840. According to APS chairman Panagiotis Nikolopoulos, the stamps have already been approved by the postal services management and will probably begin to circulate on April 19, a date established by the Hellenic Parliament as Philhellenism and International Solidarity Day. This is only the second time such an honour is bestowed upon a foreign country by the Postal Service, as a series of stamps honouring the state of Israel preceded the upcoming Greek collection. [Photo: A portrait of Dr. Samuel Gridley Howe by Frederiki Pappas]

The Azoria Project Posted: 09 Mar 2011 02:05 AM PST Azoria is a double-peaked hill overlooking the gulf of Mirabello in Eastern Crete, located at about 3km from the sea, but also the site of an important excavation project bearing the same name. The Azoria project traces the growth of the Azoria settlement from the Bronze Age until its establishment as a regional center in the Early Iron Age. The project is unique in that it shifts the emphasis from historical analyses of large-scale cities or palace-centred states to social processes involved in the formation of small-scale polities in the eastern Mediterranean during the first millennium B.C. The location was originally explored by the American archaeologist Harriet Boyd-Hawes in 1900. Current excavations began in 2002 and are conducted by archaeologists from University of North Carolina and Iowa State University, under the auspices of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens and the 24th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities of the Hellenic Archaeological Service.

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