International

The UN's special representative will outline Athens' proposals for a comprehensive accord, as well as alternatives to some of Nimetz's ideas, which Athens views as problematic.

At the current juncture, the entire organisation of the demonstrations is different and alien to the entire institution of the Church. Its coordination moves in a blurry terrain, of the exploitation of the indisputable and unswerving opposition of the Greek people to the use of the name Macedonia by Skopje.

In a comprehensive interview with Greek SKAI television, US Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt said he fears a “horrible incident” between Greece and Turkey in the Aegean, where “lethal, complicated military systems” are facing off. Asked if Washington would step in, in the event of such a military clash, Pyatt’s response appeared to suggest Athens will not […]

'We must confront national populism with political will, responsibility, and conscientious patriotism,' the former prime minister said in a statement,

The trip comes on the heels of the recent meeting between Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and FYROM PM Zoran Zaev, and after Kotzias unveiled a Greek proposal for an international accord settling all bilateral disputes.

Delinquent debtors will be able to relieve themselves of the greater part of their debt, which is usually the interest paid on the loan, and they can pay off the rest with smaller installments.

Kotzias says a comprehensive settlement will include the name issue, the eradication of irredentist claims, the issue of ethnicity and nationality and how they will be called, what the language of FYROM will be called, and how names will be abbreviated.

In an interview with Greek Skai television that will air this evening, when asked about the prospect of a clash in the Aegean, Pyatt said that his concern and fear is the possibility of an accident.

From the Cyprus problem to the Macedonian naming issue, we have only managed to perpetuate the problems and to rush to catch up with situations that have been created at our expense.

‘’As far as the issue of our participation in the government, we Independent Greeks made an agreement of honour with Syriza and Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, and we shall serve that honourable agreement until the end, until the end of the popular mandate, the end of the four-year term,’’ Kammenos said.

‘’Because the common denominator in our relationship is full respect for international law in its entirety, we ask of your friendly country its support in the pursuit of Greek national issues, which are also European Union issues", Pavlopoulos said.

In a field of nine candidates, Anastasiadis placed first, as expected, with 35.51 percent of the vote, and Malas second, with 30.24 percent of the vote, a smaller margin than many expected, suggesting that the second round may be a real derby.

The first half of 2018 is crucial because an extremely tight timetable has been devised by the key international players, not least because of the issue of energy security and the aim of limiting Russian influence.

Greece has many reasons to support the unity of FYROM, so that it will not be an arena for conflicts and competitions, or for the rekindling of Balkan passions.

The positions and proposals presented by Zaev will be the focus of the meeting, as will efforts to bridge the divide between Syriza and the Independent Greeks.

Movement for Change is lambasting the Syriza-Independent Greeks government’s handling of the affair, characterising Alexis Tsipras’ moves as irresponsible, amateurish and rife with double talk, referring to the diametrically opposed views of the ruling coalition partners.

That directly contradicts Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’ stance, which includes acceptance of the name Macedonia, with a geographic or temporal (e.g. New Macedonia) qualifier.

Velculescu will be replaced by Peter Dolman, who has worked on IMF programmes in Belarus, Ireland, Russia, and Ukraine.

The PM is expected to brief President Prokopis Pavlopoulos today on the proposals of UN mediator Matthew Nimetz, and on the positions of FYROM Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, with whom the PM held talks at Davos, Switzerland.

Suddenly, all the country’s other problems receded, and the only issue dominating public discourse is the limits of the negotiations with the government in Skopje.