Athens News Agency: News in English, 06-03-22

Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Stylianidis to visit Armenia

[02] Unions, employees to resume pay talks next week

[03] US Secretary of State Rice 'looks forward' to meeting Bakoyannis

[01] Stylianidis to visit Armenia

The minister's visit to Erevan follows up a visit by Armenian President Robert Kocharyan to Athens last November.

"There is an order and commitment from Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis that I will convey during my visit, that Armenia takes priority in Greece's developmental policy and that there is a desire to boost bilateral economic ties," Styliandis said, noting that this desire would "sealed" with the first Mixed Ministerial Committee that will take place after four years.

The minister will be accompanied on the trip by members of the Armenian community in Greece.

The Armenian side, meanwhile, has prepared a list of priority projects for funding by Hellenic Aid, which Greece will assess based on the possibility of providing funding, to what extent they interest Greece and their added value to Greece's developmental presence in the area.

Both Greece and Armenia are member-states of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation pact, while Greece is the only BSEC member that is also a member of the EU and would like to activate action mechanisms and initiatives for rapprochement between Black Sea countries and the EU.

ANA-MPA Copyright © 2004-2005 All rights reserved.

[02] Unions, employees to resume pay talks next week

On the same day, the union negotiator - the General Confederation of Employees of Greece (GSEE) - is to meet to ratify a possible agreement or decide to resume strike action staged earlier this month.

"We are one step before an intense clash," GSEE president Christos Polyzogopoulos told reporters.

"Workers are being strung along," he added.

A meeting between GSEE and the Federation of Greek Industry (SEB) on Wednesday again ended in deadlock.

Unions asked for a wage rise divided into two installments payable at the beginning of the year and mid-year of 4.0% and then 3.5% that would lead to an above-inflation increase of two percentage points, the GSEE leader noted.

SEB president Odysseas Kyriakopoulos stated that finding a solution was difficult. Employers had proposed a rise of 3.8% that would maintain purchasing power at 2005 levels and top inflation.

Unions had rejected the proposals, and failed to comprehend the problems of companies, Kyriakopoulos added.

The head of the ESEE commerce trade group said that he had proposed rises of 8.0% for 2006 and 2007.

ANA-MPA Copyright © 2004-2005 All rights reserved.

[03] US Secretary of State Rice 'looks forward' to meeting Bakoyannis

Speaking to reporters at the State Department, Burns noted that "all those of us who work with Greece believe that our relations at this moment are stronger than at any other time."

Burns added that "we have respect for Prime Minister (Costas) Karamanlis, as well as for Foreign Minister Bakoyannis, and I believe that given the fact the cooperation that Greece has shown in Afghanistan and in Kosovo, it concerns a particularly exceptional relation."

ANA-MPA Copyright © 2004-2005 All rights reserved.

Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article