International

The UN envoy says that the government of Zoran Zaev has made the name issue a priority of the utmost importance, and that Skopje maintains that it is determined to break the impasse with Greece.

The problem is not only the prime minister’s accent and delivery, but the exceptionally poor English in texts that have been prepared by associates and that he reads from a teleprompter.

Opposition parties maintain that as long as Defense Minister Panos Kammenos refuses to respond to revelations, there can be no trust on any arms deal that the minister tables in parliament.

Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos noted a rise in consumer and business trust and stressed that the drop in unemployment is evidence of an improved growth trend.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras' most recent public remarks on the subject were in late November, when he blamed climate change for the disastrous flooding in Mandra, Western Attica, which claimed over 20 lives.

A large part of the EU-Turkey agreement on readmission remains unenforced, and EU countries have not assumed their share of the burden of resettling refugees.

One must admit that Greece does not have the best investment reputation. The political and public administration environment is almost hostile to investment, especially foreign.

A lengthy expose about former Trump national security team member George Papadopoulos in the Washington Post, details how he 30-year old Greek-American used his perceived position to have the doors of power swing right open, from defense minister Panos Kammenos to President Pavlopoulos and prominent businessmen.

The Deutsche Bank analysis says that after eight years of crisis, the management of Greece’s return to the markets will be crucial for the country’s future and that of the eurozone.

Charles Seville, Senior Director at Fitch Ratings, North America Sovereign Ratings, said that, ‘’We see encouraging signs that Greece can secure access to the markets.’’

Those in power, including the prime minister, have of late taken to charging newspapers and other publications of

The president of the Council of State, Nikos Sakellariou, has publicly accused Justice Minister Stavros Kontonis of meddling in the work of the judiciary when he criticised the high court’s recent ruling regarding the income and assets declaration of judicial functionaries.

A majority in the parliamentary committee on armaments decided today to revoke the decisions it took to sell shells and bombs to Saudi Arabia. The move is a political annulment of the deal, but the Government Council on Foreign Affairs and Defense must formally approve for it to be canceled officially.

The richest couple in Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’ cabinet is Economy and Development Minister Dimitris Papadimitriou, a Greek-American economist and president of the Levy Economics Institute of Bard College, and his wife, Alternate Labour Minister Rania Antonopoulos, an assistant professor of economics at Bard.

“The EU continues to implement what has been agreed upon, and will continue to cooperate with and support Turkey in hosting over three million refugees,” European Commissioner for Migration Dimitris Avramopoulos said.

Defense Minister Panos Kammenos was summoned to testify today before a closed session of the parliamentary committee on armaments regarding the notorious, abortive munitions sale to Saudi Arabia.

A large percentage of Greeks is barely able to make ends meet and cannot pay their bills, according to a recent survey. Seventy percent of those who are delinquent do not pay simply because they do not have the money.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived by Thrace this morning for meetings with members of the Muslim minority in Komotini and prayers at a local mosque.

Judging by the results, the foreign ministry, the prime minister’s office, and the office of the presidency failed to gauge properly the facts, the domestic and international ulterior motives of Erdogan, and the explosive character of the Turkish president.

Erdogan asserted that it safe to extradite the officers accused of participating in the coup against him, because Turkey has abolished capital punishment and 'does not implement torture'. “I think the Greek justice system will hear this call for the extradition of the 10 officers,” he declared.