Author: Despoina Calatou

Spain has put pressure on Austria to unlock the full accession of Romania to the Schengen Zone after some authorities in Austria continue to think that the Balkan country is still not ready to join in the borderless area. According to a press release provided by the Spanish Government, Spain’s Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, held a meeting on Thursday in Austria’s capital with his counterpart from Austria, Gerhard Karner, during which they talked about the priorities of the future Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union that will begin in the second half of this year.…

The Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs defined as “interference in the internal affairs of our country” the statement of the ambassador of Russia to Bulgaria, Eleonora Mitrofanova. Last week, before the journalist Martin Karbovski, Mitrofanova stated that, if she could, she would vote for the “Vazrazhdane” party. In his position, the spokesperson of the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry defines as inappropriate the statement made by Eleonora Mitrofanova. The Bulgarian side defines what the Russian ambassador said as an attempt to interfere in the internal affairs of the country and in this sense contradicts the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nikolay Milkov, had a conversation with Ambassador Mitrofanova, said the ministry.…

ATHENS – Greece’s economy will grow by 2.3% in 2023, Finance Minister Christos Staikouras said on Wednesday, revising an earlier government estimate on economic expansion this year. “Growth will be much higher than estimated six months ago,” he said during the Delphi Economic Forum. His latest growth projection upwardly revises an earlier estimate for economic expansion of about 2.0% this year. Staikouras added that inflation will fall to 4.4% in 2023, from about 9.7% last year. Source : Zawya

The way is now open to accept the Greek request for additional loans of 5 billion euros from the Recovery Fund, within the framework of REPowerEU, for Europe’s energy autonomy, thus increasing the fund’s loan budget by 40%. The European Commission notified the member-states of the requests it has received for related loans and these amount to €148 billion, while there are still unallocated resources of about €80 billion. This means that the available resources are more than enough to cover all requests, even if some new ones are submitted in the coming months. Therefore, according to sources in Athens,…

NGO workers denounce Greek’s ‘criminalisation’ of advocacy for refugees, warning it could lead to more deaths and deter others from carrying out humanitarian work When refugee rights activist Panayote Dimitras learned that he was being charged in connection with his work, he knew the authorities “wanted to shut me down as quickly as possible”. The director of Greek Helsinki Monitor, Dimitras had been advocating for refugees and migrants making the risky journey from Turkey. Part of that advocacy meant documenting arrivals on Greek islands and reporting their locations to police so that they couldn’t be pushed back, or illegally expelled…

Greece will support Cyprus’s candidacy for re-election to the Council of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) for the 2024-2025 term, diplomatic sources said on Saturday. Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias informed Cypriot Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos about this decision of the Greek government during their bilateral meeting in Nicosia on Friday. “This decision of the Greek government is part of, among other things, the exceptional level of maritime cooperation between Greece and Cyprus, both bilaterally and within the framework of the European Union,” the same sources said. Cyprus seeks re-election in category “C” where 20 countries are elected, among 25 other…

With 332 million, the United States of America presents an important market with many opportunities for the Slovenian economy and tourism. It can take several years for companies to successfully penetrate the US market, and Slovenia as a country can open doors through increased promotion. This is why, for the second year in a row, Slovenia will hold the Business Investment Conference in Dallas and the Slovenian Tourism Workshop, where economy, tourism and investment opportunities on both sides will be presented in a comprehensive manner. Dallas can be an excellent springboard for Slovenian companies thanks to the visibility and popularity…

United States Senator Bob Menendez, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Senator John Barrasso introduced a bipartisan Senate resolution commemorating the anniversary of Greek Independence Day, March 25. The bipartisan resolution celebrates Greece’s historic role as the cradle of democracy and its huge contribution to the global community, it said, while it also recognizes the dynamic of the consistent partnership and friendship between Greece and the United States. The resolution is signed by 43 senators. Source : Greek City Times

Russian forces strengthen their defense lines in northern Luhansk Oblast (eastern Ukraine) anticipating Ukraine’s major offensive operations in this area. Since the beginning of March 2023, heavy fighting has continued around the cities of Svatove and Kremina in northern Luhansk Oblast, according to British Intel. Currently, both of the cities are under Russian control. Ukrainian forces exert pressure on Svatove and Kreminna, which are important transportation hubs for the Russian army in Luhansk Oblast, eastern Ukraine. Russian forces have managed to partially regain control over the immediate approaches to Kremina city, which was under immediate Ukrainian threat earlier in the…

Reflecting the new mood pervading Greek-Turkish relations in the wake of the devastating earthquakes in Turkey, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu made reference on Tuesday to a “new page” in relations between Athens and Ankara. Speaking during a press conference in Ankara with visiting Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen, Cavusoglu sent a message of normalization of Turkey’s relations with the countries of the Eastern Mediterranean, including Israel and Greece. “We want stability and peace in our region. The steps we have taken to normalize our relations with the countries of the region, especially with Israel, are obvious. I hope that our solidarity…