Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 16-09-24

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

CONTENTS

[01] PM Tsipras: Migration and refugees issue should be approached with solidarity

[02] President Pavlopoulos: Repatriation of Parthenon Marbles a fair request

[03] FMs of Greece, Cyprus and Egypt hold trilateral meeting in New York

[04] Icons from Tretyakov Gallery at the Byzantine and Christian Museum

[01] PM Tsipras: Migration and refugees issue should be approached with solidarity

The Greek premier called on the countries that have objections and believe that the refugees should be sent back to the sea "to state it openly to the European bodies and to Frontex"

According to government sources during his intervention Tsipras noted that "Greece comes to the Summit to table its own positions as a country that bears a very heavy burden on the management of the refugees and migration crisis".

Tsipras underlined that the "refugees issue should not be considered a problem of the first reception countries or the countries of the Balkan route which has closed with some countries' unilateral actions" adding that it must be dealt with respect to the international law".

He referred to the implementation of EU-Turkey agreement underlining that it is of huge importance and pointed out that it is necessary for Turkey to intensify its actions to limit down the flows and said that the Greek side is satisfied with its cooperation with Turkey.

Europe, said the Greek prime minister, must speed up the procedures on the visa; Turkey in parallel must follow the roadmap, and must offer the financial support to Turkey for the management of the refugees' issue. The relocation process must be accelerated, a procedure that is carried out at a very slow rate (only 4,000 of 66,000) as well as the resettlement rate by Turkey.

Moreover, Tsirpas said that "Greece's borders are also EU borders" adding that "we follow the European rules on the borders protection issue" adding that if there are countries that believe that the refugees should be send back to the water, to state it openly and clearly to the European bodies and to Frontex".

The Greek prime minister asked for support on the asylum requests underlining that the Asylum Service in Greece was founded three years ago and today it has to deal with a huge number of applications. He said that the European Asylum Support Office has committed to send 400 experts to the Greek islands and only 19 have arrived.

Finally, Tsipras said that a European Readmission Mechanism between the European Union and the countries of origin must be established for the readmission of those not entitled asylum. "It is unacceptable the burden to fall on the first reception countries" he said.

[02] President Pavlopoulos: Repatriation of Parthenon Marbles a fair request

Pavlopoulos underlined that the return of the Parthenon marbles is mandatory because "without them the Parthenon, wounded by a sacrilegious act of vandalism and looting that is being covered for over two centuries and wounds the World Cultural Heritage can't symbolise or send to humanity the eternal and unique message that it deserves".

Pavlopoulos praised the work of the International Committees that support the repatriation of the Parthenon marbles and underlined that it is a battle for a fair request to which we must continue to serve regardless of nationality.

Finally, he reassured that the reason for our struggle is institutionally right and ethical on the name of the World Cultural Heritage and dedicated his speech to the memory of Melina Merkouri who, as he said, was and will be the priestess in our battle for the repatriation of the Parthenon Marbles and the hostess of the Acropolis Museum in which takes place this event.

[03] FMs of Greece, Cyprus and Egypt hold trilateral meeting in New York

"Today we held, yet again, a trilateral meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Egypt, Cyprus and Greece, said Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias after the end of the trilateral meeting.

"It is a tradition to meet here in New York. We prepared for the upcoming trilateral Summit of the Heads of State/Government, which is to be held in Cairo on the 11-12 of October. We discussed the implementation of projects agreed upon in previous meetings ahead of October 11 as well as potential ones to be launched during the Trilateral Summit. Moreover, we had an exchange of views on developments in the region, especially in Syria, and expressed our solidarity and support" said Kotzias.

[04] Icons from Tretyakov Gallery at the Byzantine and Christian Museum

The exhibition is held in the framework of the cultural events of the Russia-Greece 2016 and follows the exhibition of Andrei Rublev's icon of the Ascension that is hosted at the Byzantine Museum which was inaugurated by Russian president Vladimir Putin and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in May 2016.

The new works that arrived from the Tretyakov State Gallery include 14 icons, two woodcarvings and pair of sanctuary gates and a composition of part of an altarpiece, all works representatives of the trends and of the workshops of the Russian religious painting from mid 15th century until the 19th century.

The exhibition will run until October 25.

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