Athens News Agency: News in English, 08-05-20

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

CONTENTS

[01] PASOK leader to visit Cyprus in near future

[02] Athens Mayor in Moscow

[01] PASOK leader to visit Cyprus in near future

This was announced here on Monday by PASOK's foreign policy rapporteur and deputy Andreas Loverdos, who is currently in Nicosia for talks with Cypriot parliamentary parties' leaderships.

"The importance and emphasis we attribute to developments and to the Cyprus issue in general, will be confirmed in the strongest possible manner by PASOK through our president's visit to the island in the coming weeks," Loverdos noted.

PASOK party officials on issue of OTE

Main opposition PASOK party Parliamentary representative Christos Papoutsis, speaking during a press conference organised on Monday by party officials on the issue of the Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation (OTE), said that "nobody will muzzle PASOK and George Papandreopu, (and) nobody will get in the way of the effort to protect public interest and the autonomy of politics."

The comments come on the heels of a lawsuit filed by Marfin Investment Group (MIG) executive vice-president Andreas Vgenopoulos against main opposition PASOK party leader George Papandreou. The libel suit against Papandreou comes after a similar lawsuit was filed against Coalition of the Left (Synaspismos) leader Alexis Tsipras. Both men, Papandreou and Tsipras, had sharply criticised MIG's decision to sell some 20 percent of Hellenic Telecommunication Organization's (OTE) equity shares to Deutsche Telekom (DT) -- an apparent prelude to DT's assumption of OTE's management following an agreement with the government last week.

Papoutsis spoke of an "extremely morbid climate that has been created in the country at the government's responsibility" in which "the act by Mr. Vgenopoulos, that constitutes a show of audacity, finds suitable ground."

The Parliamentary spokesman further said that "some are rubbing their hands with the initiastives by Vgenopoulos, because it appears that they are also preparing themselves in other areas in the wider public sector for backstage dealings, agreements and sellouts (and) I am referring to the energy sector. These plans shall not pass."

Papoutsis accused Finance Minister George Alogoskoufis of using "as an alibi and for a high fee the three banks with regard to the floating of public corporations, but he ultimately selected Mr. Vgenopoulos as a strategic partner, functioning as a guarantor of the excess value for assigning the administrative rights of OTE to Deutsche Telekom."

He went on to say that in the country "we are watching a shadow theatre with the aim of disorientating public opinion from the scandal that the sellout of OTE is."

Also referring to the same issue, PASOK's economy rapporteur Louka Katseli spoke of a "huge untransparency issue", since the full text of the agreement has not been publicised.

Caption: ANA- MPA file photo of main opposition PASOK party leader George Papandreou

[02] Athens Mayor in Moscow

"I believe that friendship is something that is being cultivated with consistency and continuity. I personally would like to contribute to the promotion of Athenians' intentions regarding even stronger links with Moscow," he said.

Kaklamanis is scheduled to meet with Moscow Mayor Yuri M. Luzhkov on Wednesday, with whom he will sign a Memorandum of Cooperation concerning five areas: the environment, culture, sport, tourism and mass media. A press conference will follow the signing of the agreement.

On Monday evening, the Athens mayor attended a te deum service in memory of victims of the Pontian Greek genocide in Turkey.

Caption: ANA-MPA file photo of Athens Mayor Nikitas Kaklamanis

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