KARAMANLIS MAKES HISTORY IN TURKEY

"It’s Time to Turn a New Page"

Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis arrived in Turkey on Wednesday for the first official visit by a Greek Prime Minister in nearly half a century. The last Greek PM to visit Turkey was his uncle, Konstantinos Karamanlis, in May 1959.

Karamanlis met with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. During a joint news conference, the Greek Prime Minister spoke of his determination to work towards resolving long-standing disputes and improve bilateral relations. "It is time to turn a new page," he said, calling for the full normalization of Greek-Turkish relations. "This is the only road towards essential progress that will allow us to exploit future opportunities within a European framework," he stressed.  

Greece’s PM urged Turkey to respect its commitments as candidate member of the European Union and normalize relations with Cyprus. He reaffirmed Greece’s support for Turkey’s EU accession "provided Turkey continues on the reform path and meets EU criteria. Europe must accept it as a full member of the European family." "Full compliance, full membership," he emphasized. 

As far as the core difference between the two countries is concerned, the delineation of the continental shelf in the Aegean Sea, Karamanlis reiterated Greece’s position that the dispute should be settled through the International Court of Justice in The Hague. 

On Cyprus, Karamanlis said once more that time has come to reunify the island, which was divided due to the invasion of the Turkish army in 1974. "Now, a last opportunity lies ahead to tear down the last wall in Europe," he said. "We have to make an effort on that."

Karamanlis also urged  Erdoğan to improve rights for Greek minority living in Turkey, primarily by reopening the Theological School of Chalki, based on an island near Istanbul. "Protection of minority rights is among the most important criteria for joining the EU," he stressed. The School, which trained generations of Orthodox leaders, including current Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, was closed to new students in 1971 by Turkish authorities and its doors in 1985. Turkey has come under intense pressure from the United States and the European Union to reopen the School. 

The Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul (www.ec-patr.org) dates from the 1,100-year-old Greek Orthodox Byzantine Empire. Turkey does not recognize Bartholomew’s international role as spiritual leader of hundreds of millions of Christian Orthodox worldwide and rejects his use of the title Ecumenical (Universal). 

Relations between the two countries have improved dramatically over the past decade through a series of confidence-building measures, not least a recent agreement to expand military ties with high-level visits, joint missions in NATO and overseas peacekeeping duties. A hotline between air forces and armies has been set up.

Ties have also improved in trade, energy and tourism. Bilateral trade’s volume reached $2.8 billion in 2007, up from $223 million in 1990. Last November, Karamanlis and Erdoğan inaugurated a pipeline project to transport natural gas between the two countries and eventually link Caspian Sea gas supplies through Greece to EU countries. “Our systematic efforts have had the first tangible results and great opportunities appear in the future,” Karamanlis said. 

Today, Karamanlis visited the mausoleum of the founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, and met President Abdullah Gül, as well as the main opposition leader Deniz Baykal. He  then gave a lecture at Ankara’s Bilkent University, before flying to Istanbul to meet with the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I. Later on today, both leaders and their wives will seat at a private dinner at the invitation of Erdoğan. Tomorrow, Karamanlis will conclude his landmark visit to Turkey by addressing a business forum together with Erdoğan.

ECONOMY: STAY ALERT AND BOOST INVESTMENTS

Attending an ECOFIN meeting early this week, Economy and Finance Minister George Alogoskoufis reaffirmed Greece’s need for fiscal consolidation in 2008, in keeping with the European guidelines that refer in particular to the updated Stability and Growth Pact, which helps immunize the European economy. However, the Minister urged for caution because the risk of imported inflation could create problems to both European and Greek economy.

Furthermore, addressing an event at the Hellenic Center for Investment, Alogoskoufis stressed that, despite the volatile global economy, 2008 presents a lot of opportunities for Greece's investment record. The Minister highlighted the results anticipated by the reform work undertaken in the past, particularly in the field of taxes, the investment incentives law, as well as public-private partnerships and the provisions made for small and medium-sized enterprises.

Kathimerini daily: Alogoskoufis sees need to keep fiscal vigilance; Ministry of Economy and Finance: Major Investments on the Horizon; The 2008 Budget at a Glance 

ELIAMEP PARTNERSHIP WITH BILGI UNIVERSITY

As part of its extensive institutional networking, the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy Foundation (ELIAMEP) has established a new partnership with the Bilgi University in Istanbul. ELIAMEP has assumed the recruiting of Greek students interested in attending the Master’s Programme in International Relations with a focus on Greek-Turkish Relations at the Turkish University. The programme aims at combining a solid foundation in the discipline of International Relations, placing emphasis on Greek-Turkish relations. Deadline for applications is May 2008.

Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy: Networks and Partnerships; Kathimerini daily: Sharing desks at Bilgi

INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

The launching of Institute of International Relations (IRR) new website (www.idis.gr) will see the light today. IRR is a research institute specializing in Greek foreign policy and Security in Europe, the Balkans and the Middle East. The Institute was founded in 1989 and is affiliated with the Athens-based Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences.

GRECE JE T’AIME

The Greek Embassy’s Press Office in Paris (www.amb-grece.fr) is organising together with FNAC-Ternes store in Paris, a cultural week dedicated to Greece’s contemporary photoart, dance, music, Acropolis' new museum, culinary tradition and tourism. The cultural event entitled "La Grèce éternelle et merveilleuse" will conclude on January 26. 

INTERNATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY AWARD

CEDEFOP, the European Agency for the Development of Vocational Education and Training in the European Union, and the Thessaloniki Museum of Photography, both seated in Thessaloniki, Greece, invite photographers to participate in the competition for the 2nd CEDEFOP Photo Museum Award. The prize donated by CEDEFOP and the Thessaloniki Museum of Photography will be awarded during the Photobiennale of Thessaloniki (April - May 2008). The theme of the competition is "People in work, people in training." Submissions (portfolios) should be sent until 31st January 2008.

TALENTED GREEKS

Dimitris Papaioannou’s ground-breaking creative direction of the Athens Olympics 2004 Opening Ceremony - hailed a "triumph" by Time magazine and The Times of London - is widely considered a high-water mark of large scale spectacle.

Co-founder of Edafos Dance Theatre in 1986, he conceived, directed and choreographed all of the company's productions. Edafos radically reshaped the Greek performing arts landscape over its 16 years and 17 works. L’Unità described the company as "a revelation." "Greece Rediscovered" headlined Le Figaro’s review of Medea, while the New York Times praised the piece for its "striking intensity" and "extraordinary passion."

Papaioannou’s work is presented in his new website at: www.dimitrispapaioannou.com