Greek Community of Alexandria

Tag: Greece

  • Greece plays a mediator between Libya and Egypt

    Greece plays a mediator between Libya and Egypt

    ΠολιτικήThe Greek Foreign Minister, Nikos Kotzias, said his country is trying to obtain the role of a mediator between Libya and Egypt and help in the implementation of the Skhirat-signed political agreement.

    In a joint presser Monday with the Foreign Minister of the Government of National Accord (GNA) Mohammed Sayala, Kotzias said Greece’s interest lies in the stability of the relations among all the countries of the Mediterranean, including Libya and Egypt. 

    “By the beginning of 2017, Greece is cherishing the reopening of the embassy in Tripoli and is looking forward to forming a joint establishment of universities.

    Sayala told the Greek FM that both countries share the dilemma of illegal immigration through the Mediterranean and the economic crisis.

    Greece’s Foreign Minister, Nikos Kotzias, arrived in Tripoli on Monday and met with GNA officials.

    (www.libyanexpress.com)

  • Early Learning Languages Australia to Kick-off Preschool Program Teaching Modern Greek

    Early Learning Languages Australia to Kick-off Preschool Program Teaching Modern Greek

    ΓενικάOn Monday the Early Learning Languages Australia (ELLA) program announced open applications for its educational program which uses the application called Polyglots to help teach foreign languages.

    The announcement comes as the Australian government has committed itself to upping funding in promoting foreign languages in education programs, including an outreach to preschool-aged students.

    Only 12 percent of children in Australia currently study a secondary language at school, government officials reported.

    So far there are over 10,000 children who take part in the language program, utilizing the app to learn Chinese, Japanese, French, Indonesian and Arabic.

    ELLA also announced that along with Modern Greek, Hindi will also be available to youngsters in 2018, while other new languages to kick-off in 2017 include Italian and Spanish.

    “Seeing and hearing young children counting, following recipes and singing in a language that isn’t their native tongue, you understand how engaging this app is and why it has had such positive feedback from kids, educators and families,” Minister for Education and Training Simon Birmingham commented to neoskosmos.com.

    Applications are now open for all Australian childcare centers and preschools at www.ella.edu.au

    (au.greekreporter.com)

  • Foreign Minister Kotzias’ statements at a joint press conference with the Foreign Ministers of Lebanon and Cyprus (Beirut, 9 November 2016)

    Foreign Minister Kotzias’ statements at a joint press conference with the Foreign Ministers of Lebanon and Cyprus (Beirut, 9 November 2016)

    ΚοτζιάςN. KOTZIAS: It is a great pleasure to be here in Lebanon, which I am visiting for the first time. We have fine weather. The country has a new President. We are moving ahead together in a friendly atmosphere, contemplating the future of our three countries.

    This past September, in Rhodes, we created a positive agenda for the relations among Cyprus, Lebanon and Greece and we are continuing down this path. We believe that Lebanon is the country that is showing everyone in Europe the way to solve all the problems of the Middle East. It’s a country where different religions collaborate and coexist. Diversity imparts a positive impetus to this country, which faithfully follows the path of tolerance and respect. We are proud to be sharing a common course and be working together with the government of the friendly country of Lebanon. We will continue throughout the day to exchange views and seek new forms of collaboration. Thank you.

    JOURNALIST: What is the Greek government’s reaction to the election of Donald Trump as the new President of the United States?

    N. KOTZIAS: We would like to congratulate the new President of the United States of America, Mr. Trump. As the Greek government, we have systematically developed relations with both the Democratic and Republican parties. We had frequent talks – quite a while before the elections – with the Trump team on issues concerning the region, with the latest talks taking place in late September.

    The Greek government, like every Greek government, has always had good relations with the American state and the American people. We continue to work in order to further advance our stable, good and creative relations with the American political system and the American people. As you know, we are expecting President Obama in Athens in a few days, and, as the exit polls showed, he continues to enjoy great popularity. His meetings with the Greek Prime Minister and with the Greek government, in general, will be positive and creative.

    (www.mfa.gr)

  • World Travel Market: Tourism in Egypt, Greece, Turkey ‘Getting Back on Track’

    World Travel Market: Tourism in Egypt, Greece, Turkey ‘Getting Back on Track’

    ΠυραμίδεςTourism “could be getting back on track” in Egypt, Turkey and Greece, according to an industry report released by the World Travel Market on Monday.

    “After a difficult couple of years, the signs are that Egypt, Greece and Turkey are back on the agenda, while Tunisia is starting to turn the corner,” said Simon Press, the Senior Director of World Travel Market. “The WTM Industry Report talks to people who have the power to sign deals and the high proportion of potential buyers interested in having conversations with suppliers from these destinations is a great positive.”

    The report is based on a poll that included input from 2,000 buyers at the World Travel Market, which kicked off in London on Monday.

    According to the report, more than half the buyers at the market said they were looking to discuss deals with Egyptian, Turkish and Greek suppliers.

    However, Egypt seemed to be the least popular among the three, “with 37% of the total sample looking to talk to Greek businesses, 29% looking to talk to Turkish suppliers and 17% heading toward the Egypt stands.”

    Egyptian tourism minister Yehia Rashid traveled to London on Monday to attend the World Travel Market and promote tourism in Egypt through the “This is Egypt” campaign.

    Egypt’s tourism industry, once the flagship of the economy and the second most important earner of hard currency, has been struggling greatly since the 2011 uprising that ousted longtime dictator Hosni Mubarak from power.

    Several incidents, including the accidental killing of eight Mexican tourists and the downing of a Russian passenger plane last year, in addition to the brutal murder of Italian PhD student Giulio Regeni in January, have taken their toll on the country’s tourism flow.

    More than 14.7 million tourists traveled to Egypt in 2010, with that number falling to 9.8 million in 2011. Tourist arrivals have largely failed to pick up during the course of 2016; according to statistics from the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS), the number of tourists traveling to Egypt in June dropped by nearly 60 percent year-on-year to reach a meager 320,000.

    According to a report from Egypt’s Ministry of Planning, the tourism trade in the country shrank by 34 percent during the first nine months of the 2015/2016 fiscal year.

    The falling tourism revenues have been amplified by the dwindling foreign currency reserves that negatively affected the budget deficit.

    However, some hope that the recent steps taken by Egyptian authorities, including the Central Bank of Egypt’s surprise move to devalue the Egyptian pound and the expected USD 12 million loan from the International Monetary Fund, will help set the country on the right track and bring back foreign investments and tourists.

    Despite Egypt’s dwindling tourism revenues, which have played a part in triggering the country’s ongoing foreign currency crisis, Egypt aims to attract 12 million tourists by the end of 2017 by way of implementing an ambitious six-point plan, which will include increasing the presence of the national airline EgyptAir abroad, cooperating with low-cost airlines and improving services.

    (egyptianstreets.com)