The National Herald 1/14/2021 Athens News Agency
LISBON Talks in Lisbon between Foreign Affairs Minister Nikos Dendias and his Portuguese counterpart Augusto Santos Silva focused on the priorities of the Portuguese European Union Council Presidency, developments in the Eastern Mediterranean, the migration crisis, and the European Union enlargement process, Dendias said in his statement after their meeting on Wednesday.
The two ministers meeting was held two days after the Lisbon visit of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who met with Prime Minister Antonio Costa, noted Dendias.
The Greek minister said he was briefed extensively on the priorities of the Portuguese Presidency by Silva, and added Greece fully supports the key issues that will be addressed in this context.
On the latest developments in the Eastern Mediterranean, Dendias declared that 'despite the relative calm in the past few weeks, the situation remains very volatile'.
Αssociated Press
Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias wearing face mask is seen before a press conference after a meeting with his Cyprus counterpart Nicos Christodoulides at the foreign ministry house in divided capital Nicosia, Cyprus, Dec. 4, 2020. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias, Pool) 12/19/2020 Athens News Agency
ATHENS - The European Union s power of resolution is slow-moving, said Foreign Affairs Minister Nikos Dendias on the conclusions of the most recent European Council summit in Brussels, speaking to Parapolitika newspaper on Saturday.
The European Council referred to specific sanctions against Turkey s economy and trade sectors, a fact which also points to a potential re-evaluation of the EU-Turkey customs agreement, said the minister. The European Council also mentioned a potential expansion of said sanctions to additional persons and entities, he added.
Greeks in Australia will be able to enjoy the digital upgraded service.
Dimitris Michalopoulos, Consul General of Greece in Melbourne, said “complaints about the operation of the Greek consular authorities in various countries are, unfortunately, not a rare phenomenon and Australia is no exception”. Speaking with Neos Kosmos he said that the Consulate General of Melbourne has undergone a drastic reduction of staff. “From the double-digit number of employees before the financial crisis of 2010, our staff has been reduced to just five, who are called to serve a community of 150,000, which has requirements for fast and adequate service. As the current staff numbers stand, it is true, is not enough, as shown by the increase in requests to the registry office in 2019,” he said, adding that by the end of the year, two additional staff members would join the registrar and notary departments to offer faster processing of cases.