Athens News Agency: News in English, 08-06-16

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

CONTENTS

[01] EU facing a problem

[01] EU facing a problem

Speaking to reporters after a General Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg, she said: "The general assessment is that we are undoubtedly being faced with a problem and a situation that we must respect, since the people of Ireland have expressed their view."

Bakoyannis stressed that Europe must forge ahead in the direction of a strong political Europe that can be able to provide answers for people's problems.

According to the foreign minister, this option is "the only reply to collateral problems arising from globalisation" and further underlined that "sometimes we are building this Europe with slow steps, but we are certainly building it and it shall move forward."

Bakoyannis mentioned that during the discussion at the Council Irish Foreign Minister Michael Martin made a presentation of the situation as it has been shaped in the wake of the Irish "no", noting that during the upcoming European Union summit proposals must be expected from Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen on finding a solution.

The foreign minister expressed satisfaction over the paragraph which was included in the Council's conclusions concerning the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM).

"Despite the fact that we had a difficult Slovenian presidency, the goal was achieved and the paragraph is satisfactory for all," she said.

The paragraph in question condemns the incidents that occurred during the recent elections in FYROM and calls for substantive progress to reforms.

The Council also called on all FYROM political parties to promote and to participate in a creative and substantive dialogue and to proceed with the implementation of the priorities that are contained in the EU-FYROM partnership relation.

CAPTION: Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis conversing with her French counterpart Bernard Kouchner during an EU General Affiars Council meeting in Luxembourg on Monday. (Photo: ANA-MPA)

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