Saturday, January 31, 2015

smana

Greece on collision course with Brussels after Merkel backs hardline debt stance

Germany will resist Greek efforts to do deals with individual creditor nations, even as Syriza finance minister heads to meet French counterpart
greece finance minister Yanis Varoufakis dutch eroen Dijsselbloem eurogroup
 Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis, right, had talks with his Dutch counterpart Jeroen Dijsselbloem, who chairs the Eurogroup of finance ministers, in Athens last week. Photograph: Simela Pantzartzi/EPA
Angela Merkel has ruled out the prospect of Greece securing further debt cuts from its creditor nations, potentially putting the country’s new leftist government on a collision course with Brussels. The German chancellor’s uncompromising stance will not be welcomed in Athens, where the new ruling party, Syriza, insists that it will make good on its promises to halve the country’s €320bn (£240bn) debt obligations and scrap a range of swingeing budget measures that were imposed in exchange for the loans.
Athens is refusing to cooperate with the European Commission, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund – the troika of institutions overseeing the loans, which total about 175% of Greece’s gross domestic product. Instead its new government is looking to meet with individual creditor nations as it seeks concessions that it claims are vital if Greece is to emerge from years of austerity.
However, such unilateral measures will be fiercely resisted by Germany, which is adamant that eurozone creditor nations must hold the line on Greece’s debt. When asked in a newspaper interview published yesterday whether there could be further concessions for Greece, Merkel said Athens had already been forgiven billions of euros by private creditors. “I don’t see a further debt haircut,” she said.
Her comments echoed those made the previous day by the German finance minister, Wolfgang Schäuble, who told Die Welt: “If I were a responsible Greek politician, I wouldn’t lead any debates over a debt haircut.”
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However, Merkel stressed that Berlin still wanted Greece to remain in the eurozone. She told the Berliner Morgenpost thatEurope will continue to show solidarity with Greece and other struggling nations “if these countries undertake their own reform and saving efforts”.
Germany is clearly worried that if concessions were granted to Greece, other struggling EU member states would make similar demands. Yesterday tens of thousands of people marched through Madrid’s streets in a show of strength by Spain’s fledgling radical leftist party Podemos, which hopes to emulate the success of the Syriza party in elections later this year.
However, Germany will be buoyed by the fact that its tough line on debt relief appears to have been endorsed by France. On Friday night a source close to the French president’s office told Reuters that president François Hollande and Merkel were agreed “that it is important to respect the choices of the Greek people and for Greece to respect its commitments” to the holders of its debt. “There is a need for dialogue and exchange to better understand the intentions of the Greek government,” the source said after Hollande and Merkel had met over dinner in Strasbourg.
In an attempt to break the consensus among eurozone nations, the new Greek finance minister, Yanis Varoufakis, is meeting with his French counterpart, Michel Sapin, in Paris. Varoufakis appeared to rule out the prospect of ceding to the wishes of eurozone creditors. “We are not prepared to carry on pretending and extending, trying to enforce an unenforceable programme which for five years now has steadfastly refused to produce any tangible benefits,” he told the BBC’s Newsnight.
“The disease that we’re facing in Greece at the moment is that a problem of insolvency for five years has been dealt with as a problem of liquidity.”
lysis

Friday, January 30, 2015

Greek Foreign Minister: ‘I’m Not a Russian Puppet’


kotzias



by Philip Chrysopoulos - Jan 30, 2015


kotziasEuropean Union foreign ministers approved the extension of existing sanctions against Russia on Thursday, winning the support of the new leftist government of Greece, whose position had been in doubt.

The ministers agreed to extend sanctions imposed last year that had been due to expire. They also agreed to list the names of additional people who could be targeted with sanctions when they meet again in February.

In Brussels, EU officials were worried about the stance of Greece, whose new Prime Minister, Alexis Tsipras, took power on Monday and complained that his government had not been consulted before tighter sanctions were threatened.

However, the new Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias immediately dispelled concerns that Greece would boycott the sanctions.

According to Italy’s foreign minister, Kotzias announced to the meeting: “I am not a Russian puppet.”

Kotzias signed up to a sharply worded statement that declared Moscow responsible for the violence in eastern Ukraine, and demanded Russia stops backing separatists.

“We are not against every sanction,” Kotzias said later. “We are in the mainstream, we are not the bad boys.”

Greece, however, asked for a delay of tighter sanctions, along with countries such as Italy and Austria. Great Britain and the Baltic states asked for new sanctions to be imposed quickly.

Thursday’s emergency meeting had been called after rebels started an attack last week, disavowing a five-month-old ceasefire. On Saturday, suspected rebel forces shelled the major port city of Mariupol, killing 30 people. Since then, there have been intense battles along the frontline, although the rebels appear to have held back from an all-out assault on Mariupol.

Greek foreign minister refutes allegations that he supports Russian nationalist who favors “Ukrainian genocide”
Nikos Kotzias, left, and Aleksandr Dugin, third from left, outside University of PiraeusNikos Kotzias, left, and Aleksandr Dugin, third from left, outside University of Piraeus

According to a recent Financial Times report, the Greek Foreign Minister espouses the fascist views of Russian philosopher and political scientist Aleksandr Dugin. The report says that in April 2013, Nikos Kotzias, who was teaching at the University of Piraeus at the time, had invited Dugin to give a lecture on the political situation in Europe and Russia’s position and role in the region.

“Mr Kotzias — a former Piraeus university professor — has espoused increasingly nationalist positions, developing a relationship with Alexander Dugin, the Russian nationalist philosopher, during several visits to Moscow, according to a colleague who declined to be identified,” the Financial Times report says. And continues:

“Mr. Dugin, who is close to several figures in the Moscow security establishment and last August called for a “genocide” of Ukrainians, was invited by Mr. Kotzias to speak at an event in the Piraeus campus in 2013, where he extolled the role of Orthodox Christianity in uniting Greeks and Russians.”

On his part, Kotzias denied that he invited Dugin to speak at the university and said he was merely the coordinator of the lecture. He also denied all other allegations about his relationship with the Russian nationalist.

The foreign minister’s official reply was:



Nikos Kotzias, left, and Aleksandr Dugin, third from left, outside University of Piraeus

“In an article in the Financial Times published on January 28, there are unsubstantiated claims of a link between Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias and Russian professor Aleksandr Dugin. The Article has the bogus claim that Mr. Kotzias had invited Mr. Dugin at an event at the University of Piraeus. As the Piraeus University itself has denied in a separate announcement, Mr. Kotzias never invited Mr. Dugin for the lecture in question and never, as falsely stated in the article, went to Moscow to meet him.

The article states falsely that Mr. Kotzias was asked to comment and he did not respond. Elementary journalistic ethics on the part of the authors of the article requires cross-checking and verification before publication of any unsubstantiated information which, reproduced on the internet and other media, create false impressions.”

Angelos Kotios of the University of Piraeus also issued the following pertaining statement:

With relation to the negative reports referred to a lecture by Professor Aleksandr Dugin at the University of Piraeus and in particular the Department of International and European Studies, as Dean of the Faculty of Economics, Business and International Studies, I would like to clarify the following:

The lecture by Professor Dugin held on 12 April 2013 as part of the course “The Foreign Policy of Russia” with tutor Professor N. Kotzias, and it took place after a proposal of Mr. Dugin himself, via his collaborators, and, therefore, in no case was he invited by Professor Kotzias.
- See more at: http://greece.greekreporter.com/2015/01/30/greek-foreign-minister-im-not-a-russian-puppet/#sthash.XHC2c7pI.dpuf
Cyprus: "Kosovo, we will not recognize, it is common with the unilateral proclamation of the pseudo-state in Occupied part of Cyprus."






 

The position of Albania on the Cyprus issue is consistent and clear respect for the principles of international law and Security Council resolutions, said Albanian Foreign Minister Ditmir Bushati, after a meeting in Nicosia with Cypriot Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides.

For his part, Cypriot Minister said the two countries have agreed to find ways for further development of bilateral relations and cooperation.

Before the statements, the two ministers signed a bilateral agreement in the field of Health.

Albanian Minister said that his country "is encouraged by the recent movements and positions of Cyprus for Kosovo, as the result of the dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo." "We would love to encourage Cyprus to have a more flexible approach for Kosovo," he said.

The Cyprus as does Greece have not recognized the unilateral declaration of independence of Kosovo, considering that there are a lot in common with the unilateral proclamation of the pseudo-state in Cyprus.

Wolfgang Schäuble: Europe will not be blackmailed by Greece

First entry: 30 January 2015 - 15:49 Athens, 13:49 GMT
Last update: 15:49 Athens, 13:49 GMTPolitics
Wolfgang Schäuble: Europe will not be blackmailed by Greece
The German finance minister Wolfgang Schäuble said Germany is open for talks with the new Greek government – but won’t be blackmailed.
He also said the Greek government knows it has to take action quickly. Noting that Europe had already pushed its generosity to Greece to the absolute limit, Schäuble told representatives of the insurance industry in a speech in Berlin.
We need solidarity in Europe, and besides we cannot be blackmailed, he said.
He said Germany is ready to talk with Greece about its debt problems but the basis for these discussions cannot be changed. He added that agreements in Europe only make sense if they can be relied on.

Τα Τίρανα ετοιμάζονται για σύγκρουση με την Ελλάδα για " το θέμα της Χιμάρας"....

Σταύρος Μάρκος   

SManalysis




Η νέα διοικητική διαίρεση σε αντίθεση με την βούληση του πληθυσμού της Χιμάρας ετοιμάζει συγκρούσεις με εθνικές συνέπειες και λόγω της έναρξης των εργασιών για την κατασκευή τουριστικών χωριών που ενέκρινε η Aλβανική κυβέρνηση.

Ανώτεροι αξιωματούχοι του Αλβανικού κράτους εμπλέκοντε με κατασκευαστικές εταιρείες, ενώ οι νόμοι που ψηφίστηκαν πρόσφατα δίνουν το δικαίωμα στην Aλβανική κυβέρνηση να λάβει αποφάσεις σε αντίθεση με τον Χάρτη της Τοπικής Αυτονομίας, για τον έλεγχο των δημοτικών εδαφών και περιουσιών.

Τα κτήματα όπου θα κατασκευαστούν αυτά τα τουριστικά χωριά δεν έχουν τίτλους ιδιοκτησίας λόγω της ολιγωρίας του ΟΑΣΕ η οποίο δεν ολοκλήρωσε το προγραμα «καταγραφής των τίτλων ιδιοκτησίας στη περιοχή μας», ένα έργο που χρηματοδοτείται από την Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση που απέτυχε.

Η πειοχή όπου θα κατασκεβαστούν τουλάχιστον δύο τουριστικά χωριά στο Δραλέω υπήρξε στο πρόσφατο παρελθόν η αιτία των εθνοτικών συγκρούσεων μεταξύ της νέας (τότε) Αλβανιακής κυβέρνησης το 1912 και του τοπικού Eλληνικού πληθυσμού με αποτέλεσμα να ξεκίνησε η εξέγερση που έφερε την κήρυξη της αυτονομίας που Βορείου Ηπείρου που αργότερα έφερε την διεθνή αναγνώριση του Πρωτοκόλλου της Κέρκυρας το 1914.

 

Ενώ τον τοπικό πληθυσμό της Χιμάρας εγκατέλειψε τα χωριά τα Χριστούγενα για να φύγει στην Ελλάδα λόγω τον συχνών διακοπών του ρεβματος, οι εργασίες στο δρόμο του Δραλέω συνεχίζανε με γοργούς ρυθμούς για να άνοιξη αρχίσουν την κατασκεβι την νέων οικιζμών που έχουν αδιοδοτήθη εκη.

Ο δρόμος αυτός μέχρι πρόσφατα εξυπηρετούσε τα λύγα τροχόσπιτα τον ξένων που κατεβενανε στην παραλία του Δραλέω από περιέργια και για μοναξιά, τώρα χτίζετε για να εξυπηρετήσει τα βαρέα οχήματα που θα μεταφέρουν τo σκυρόδεμα και τα οικοδομικά υλικά που θα χρειαστούν για την κατακσεβι τον δύο νέων οικιζμών.

Οι δύο νέοι οικιζμοί, το Palsa Village και το Green Coast Village έχουν συνολική εκτάσει 287.000 τετραγωνικά μέτρα και θα έχουν εκτός από ξενοδοχεία και πάνω από 200 διώροφες βίλες και αμέτρητες πολυκατικιές που θα μπορούν να φιλοξενήσουν ευα μεγόλο πληθιζμό μέχρι 5.000 κατικούς που στην ουσία δύχνη ότι προκεται για απίκια με νεοφερόμενο πληθιζμό που ενώνετε χωρίς την θέληση του τοπικού πληθιζμού με το λαό της Χιμάρας, σαν να μην έφτανε η ένωση με το Βράνηστη χωρίς την θέληση του λαού της Χιμάρας.

Οι αδιές αυτές δόθηκαν με την δικεολογία της ανάπτυξης του τουριζμού αλλά αν κάνουμε μια απλή αναλησα προκύπτη ότι αυτές οι αδιές είνε σε αντιθέσει με το Σύνταγμα της Αλβανίας το οποίο προστατεβή την ιδιωτική περιουσία που στην συγγεκριμένη τοποθεσία ανοίκει σε δεκάδες οικογένιες Χιμαριωτών και θα φέρουν σε συγγρουσι το αφθοκτόνο πληθιζμό της Χιμάρας με της δύο μεγάλες εταιρίες που στηρίζοντε από την Αλβανική Κυβέρνηση.

Και οι δύο ετερίες έχουν επωφεληθή από την κρίση και την διαφθορά που υπάρχει στην Αλβανία στο χώρο της περιουσίας και ηδικα στην περιοχή της Χιμάρας όπου λόγω της απουσίας του κτηματολογίου και χάρη στηνs προηγούμενες δοίκησης του Δημαρχείου έχου καρπωθεί πλαστογραφημένους τίτλους ιδιοκτησίας που αν και έχουν κατανγκέλθει στον εισαγγελέα, έχουν γείνη δεκτά από την Αλβανική κυβέρνηση και πάνω σε αυτά εκδίδουν αδιές.

Η ανάλυση σε φέρνη σε ένα απλό συμπέρασμα: ότι το όλο ενχηρημα θα έχει οδυνηρές συνέπιες για την Αλβανική Κυβέρνηση. Παρά την δραστηριότητα και την προσπάθια της κοινότητας της Χιμάρας στην Διασόρα και της επεβάσεις της Αμερικανικής διπλωματίας και εκπροσώπων του Αμερικανικού Κονγρέσου που αναφέρουν την παραβίαση τον αντροπινών δικεοματων του λαού της Χιμάρας ειδικά στο θέμα της ιδιωτικής και δημοτικής περιουσίαs, η Κυβέρνηση της Αλβανίας φέρετε αποφασιζμένη να προχωρηση στα σχέδια της.

Η Κυβέρνηση της Αλβανία έχει παραβιάσει πολλές φορές το σύνταγμα της Αλβανίας όσον αφορά τα ανθρώπινα δικεοματα του λαού της Χιμάρας. Όπως:
Έχει παραβίαση το Χάρτη των Ηνωμένων Εθνών για της μιονότητες με την άρνηση της να αποκαλύ το λαό της Χιμάρας Ελληνική Εθνική μιονότητα και ως έκτου του έχει αρνηθεί το δικεομα της εκπεδευσης και εκφράσεις της Εθνικής της ταυτότητας.
Έχει παραβιάσει το δικεομα της ιδιοκτησίας και της κληρονομιάς της περιουσίας μέσω της μη εγραφής τον περιουσιών του στο Εθνικό Κτηματολόγιο.
Έχει αρνηθεί το δικεομα της Αυτοδιοίκησης και επιλογής το εκπροσώπων της μέσα της νέας Δοικητικής διερεσις που ενόνη την Χιμάρα με το Βρανιστή.
Έτσι η Κυβέρνηση της Αλβανίας ερχετε σε μετωπική συγγρουσι με το λαό της Χιμάρας για τα Συνταγματικά ανθρώπινα δικεοματα. .

Με αυθέρετο τρόπο και αλαζονία η κυβέρνηση της Αλβανίας, που με βάση ότι λένε τα μέδια που δεν ελέγχει είναι εμπλεγμένη σε ύποπτες συναλαγές με της εταιρίες που αδιοδοτούντε στο Δραλέω, και υπό την επιροή τον νεοολιγαρκων της Αλβανίας, δεν διστάζουν να έρθουν σε συγγρουσι με το λαό της Χιμάρας θέτοντας σε κίνδυνο την σταθερότητα του κράτος και το μελών της Αλβανίας.

Οργανιζμοί και όργανα διεθνούς κύρους όπως ΟΑΣΕ, ΝΑΤΟ και Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση θα πρέπει να επενβουν για να μην αφήσουν αυτή η συμπεριφορά και συγγρουσι να φέρει επικίνδυνες συνέπιες για το μελών στις σχέσης τον δύο χώρων που είναι μελοι του ΝΑΤΟ, Αλβανία και Ελλάδα.

EU Commissioner Avramopoulos Govt Candidate for the Greek Presidency?


News from Greece

tsipras-avramopoulos

by Aggelos Skordas - Jan 29, 2015


The European Commissioner for Immigration, Citizenship and Internal Affairs, and New Democracy (ND) member, Dimitris Avramopoulos, is rumored to be the SYRIZA-led coalition government nominee for the upcoming Presidential election in Greece. According to Greek newspaper “To Vima,” the first ballot for the election of the new President of the Hellenic Republic will take place on Friday 13.

As the newspaper wrote, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and National Defense Minister and Independent Greeks (ANEL) leader Panos Kammenos agreed that Avramopoulos is the most suitable to succeed Karolos Papoulias in the Greek Presidency, as he enjoys the respect of both political allies and other parties. This development, though, is expected to deepen the crisis in ND as Avramopoulos remains popular amongst the party members. 


So far, there has not been any official response by former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and it is unknown if he will continue to support the candidacy of Stavros Dimas, who was nominated by ND during December’s unsuccessful Presidential vote. At the same time, sources close to the main opposition party underline that Samaras is caught in a deadlock by the new Greek Premier and a possible challenge of Avramopoulos’ candidacy would be unwise, as Tsipras’ decision to nominate a politician originating from the central-right wing is seen as a historic compromise.

ND MP Nikitas Kaklamanis reportedly stated that his party should be the first to support Avramopoulos’ candidacy, while another prominent party member, Evangelos Meimarakis, is also said to have supported this view during his latest meeting with Samaras.

At the same time, the European Peoples’ Party (EPP), a member of which is ND, is discontent with such a development, as it could result in losing a valuable officer, who may be replaced in the Commission by a leftist SYRIZA official with a different portfolio.

Moreover, until today, government spokesperson Gabriel Sakellaridis has not confirmed any agreement for Avramopoulos’ candidacy in the upcoming Presidential elections.


- See more at: http://greece.greekreporter.com/2015/01/29/eu-commissioner-avramopoulos-govt-candidate-for-the-greek-presidency/#sthash.UaOHh7zO.dpuf

Anti-war protesters attempt to 'arrest' Henry Kissinger at Senate hearing

Διαδηλωτές ζήτησαν τη σύλληψη του Κίσινγκερ για εγκλήματα πολέμου

John McCain calls protesters against 91-year-old former secretary of state "low-life scum"

When Henry Kissinger entered a Senate hearing on Thursday, he was accosted by a hostile group of anti-war demonstrators. 
The 91-year-old former secretary of state sat silently while protesters from the group Code Pink chanted, "Arrest Henry Kissinger for war crimes!"
The display prompted Senator John Mc

Cain to call for the police. He ordered one protester to "get out of here you low-life scum."
The chants continued for roughly two minutes while another protester read war crimes “charges” on behalf of the people of Chile, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and East Timor.
Dr Kissinger was on Capitol Hill to testify before a Senate Armed Services committee hearing on US national security strategy. He was accompanied by former secretaries of state Madeleine Albright and George Shultz.
Mr McCain, the chairman of the committee, apologised profusely to Dr Kissinger.
“I've been a member of this committee for many years" said Mr McCain, "and I have never seen anything as disgraceful and outrageous and despicable as the last demonstration that just took place.”
Dr Kissinger, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973 for his role in ending the Vietnam War, was also famously accused of war crimes by British writer Christopher Hitchens.

US Ambassador intensify meetings in Tirana



foto e U.S. Embassy-Tirana

foto e U.S. Embassy-Tirana




















Ambassador Lu continued his introductory meetings today and first met with former Prime Minister Berisha and then with former President Moisiu. The Ambassador affirmed the excellent state of U.S.-Albania relations and assured both of the continued support of the United States for Albania's further Euro-Atlantic integration. The Ambassador also asked about Mr. Berisha’s and Mr. Moisiu's views on Albania's achievements, challenges and ways to improve bipartisan cooperation for the good of the country's progress.


Russia asks Bosnia to stop sending arms to Ukraine

MOSCOW -- The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has appealed on Bosnia-Herzegovina to stop arms shipments to the Ukrainian military.
(freeimages.com, stock)
(freeimages.com, stock)
The ministry's website said Moscow was reacting to statements that ammunition made in Bosnia was used in the war in Ukraine.
"We are concerned that these are used by the Ukranian security forces to bombard cities and kill civilians. The results of such inhumane moves are seen in many cities and villages in southeastern Ukraine," a statement said.

Besides this, the ministry appealed on the authorities of Bosnia-Herzegovina to abandon their intention to send weapons to Kiev.

"Such plans are contrary to international standards and obligations of OSCE member-states. Such a move, especially at this time when violence has escalated in southeastern Ukraine, will not help find a peaceful solution but will lead to new civilian victims," the Russian MFA said.

Earlier this month, Bosnian Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations Boris Tucic - who comes from the country's Serb entity - announced he was resigning in protest over Sarajevo's decision to send four shipments of ammunition to Ukraine.

New Greek government puts ministerial cars up for sale

First entry: 30 January 2015 - 12:50 Athens

New Greek government puts ministerial cars up for sale
The new Greek government has decided to sell most ministerial cars in order to save money for the debt-stricken country.
According to a press report, one of the first official cars to go under the hammer is the car, an expensive BMW, used by former Deputy PM and leader of Pasok Evangelos Venizelos.
To Vima quotes the Minister of Administrative Reform Giorgos Katrougalos saying that the government «intends to collect money by selling the ministerial cars».
The report says that ministers do not require official cars, as most of them use private transport means.
Minister of Finance Yanis Varoufakis, for example, is using taxis or his own motorbike and PM Alexis Tsipras is using a black Audi with Thessaloniki plates. 
 Source: tovima.gr

Ukraine battle rages for key town in eastern Ukraine

First entry: 30 January 2015 - 14:59 Athens

Ukraine battle rages for key town in eastern Ukraine
Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian rebels are exchanging heavy tank and artillery fire in and around Debaltseve, a strategic town in eastern Ukraine.
Many civilians remain trapped in Debaltseve, while others - including people with shrapnel wounds - have managed to reach the town of Artemivsk.
Russia's Vesti TV news programme says some 8,000 Ukrainian troops are surrounded in Debaltseve.
It also quotes the rebels as saying they have pushed Ukrainian troops out of Vuhlehirsk, though rebel positions in the village are still being shelled.
An Ukrainian MP in the conflict zone, Semen Semenchenko, reports that the rebels now control part of Vuhlehirsk, but that Ukrainian troops are still holding out there amid heavy shelling.
Source: BBC

Germany: Greek aid extension only if Athens upholds reforms

First entry: 30 January 2015 - 14:06 Athens

Germany: Greek aid extension only if Athens upholds reforms
Discussion about a debt reduction for Greece is not in tune with reality and Greece can only get an extension of its aid programme if it is prepared to uphold the promised reforms, a spokesman for the German finance ministry said on Friday.

"The reality is simple - at the end of February an aid programme expires which in order to have an orderly ending, needs extra efforts by Greece," Martin Jaeger said at a government news conference.
He added that it was up to the 'troika' of international lenders to decide whether Greece had achieved that.
"If some of the new measures announced by the new Greek government are put into practice, then we need to ask if the programme is being substantially put into question, and is irrelevant," he said.
"We are prepared to work further with Greece ... But we will not force our help onto Athens," Jaeger said, adding an extension would only be possible if Greece carried out reforms.
"Announcements so far from Athens appear to go in the other direction," he added.
Reuters

Russia might bailout Greece – finance minister

Published time: January 30, 2015 10:15
Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov. (RIA Novosti/Vitaliy Belousov)
Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov. (RIA Novosti/Vitaliy Belousov)
5691
Greece hasn’t outright asked Russia for a loan, but Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said Moscow wouldn't rule it out. His statement comes days after Greece openly opposed further economic sanctions against Russia.
"Well, we can imagine any situation, so if such [a] petition is submitted to the Russian government, we will definitely consider it, but we will take into account all the factors of our bilateral relationships between Russia and Greece, so that is all I can say. If it is submitted we will consider it," Siluanov told CNBC in an interview in Moscow on Thursday.
READ MORE- Russia seeks to privatize its suffering ‘friend’ Greece
The new left-wing Syriza government in Greece won a majority at last Sunday’s election on the promise to renegotiate the country’s €317 billion debt and end austerity.
Greece needs to negotiate with EU policymakers by February 28 in order to receive the next tranche of bailout funds. If Athens doesn’t get the money it will have difficulty servicing its debt. Two bailouts were paid in 2010 and 2014 totaling €240 billion.
The new government was quick to show support for Moscow, and has openly called for an end to Russian sanctions, and may veto any future sanctions.
Siluanov applauded Greece’s stance on sanctions as “pragmatic” and “economically justified.”
On Thursday the European Commission decided to extend sanctions against Russia through September 2015, but did not add any broader economic measures. A spokesperson for the new PM Alexis Tsipras said Greece didn’t approve of any further restrictive measures.
READ MORE: EU foreign ministers extend sanctions against Russian officials, E. Ukraine rebels

Between announcing it doesn’t intend to pay off its €317 billion debt in full and blocking Russia sanctions, Greece has emerged as a wild card among the 29 countries of the EU.

Russia-Greece deals

Russia gave Greece a very valuable card to play in the EU when it announced its South Stream pipeline will be re-routed through Turkey, with a gas hub expected to be built on the border between Turkey and Greece.
READ MORE: Putin: Russia forced to withdraw from South Stream project due to EU stance

Russian investors have been watching Greece closely since the economy went bust in the 2008 credit crisis, which sent it looking for financial assistance from the EU to pay its creditors.
The crisis, as well as the EU bailout policy, has sent the economy into a six-year recession, forcing the government to dismantle and privatize state assets to meet austerity targets under its EU bailout plan.
State-owned Russian Railways and Gazprom have been eyeing stakes in Greek assets. Russian Railways has held talks with TrainOSE, Greece’s state-owned passenger and cargo rail operator. In 2013, Gazprom made a €900 million bid for Greece’s state gas company DEPA, but backed out of negotiations at the last minute, citing concerns over the company’s financial stability.
Russian investment in Greek railways is estimated at up to $3 billion per year.
Traditionally, the two countries have very strong tourist ties, with more than 1 million Russians visiting Greece each year. This number has been trimmed since the ruble crisis and slowed growth have forced many Russian to forgo foreign travel.
Greece is home to a robust Russian diaspora - nearly 300,000 Russian nationals live 1,400 miles south of Moscow, largely a result of emigration