Greece preparing next big step and opening wider for tourism on July 1, Petsas says

A direct, constant and effective promotion of Greek tourism in foreign markets. Source AMNA




Government spokesperson Stelios Petsas outlined the government’s international initiatives, the steps taken to tackle isolated pockets of coronavirus in Greece and the government’s economic decisions, at a press briefing on Friday.

He said that the government and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis are launching initiatives on an international level that aim to train a spotlight on Turkey’s ongoing provocative actions and protect Greece’s sovereign rights, as well as to attract investments.

Referring to the prime minister’s recent trip to Israel, he said that important bilateral agreements on tourism, cybersecurity and agriculture were signed during Mitsotakis’ visit, while issues relating to defence and energy were discussed.

In addition, very important talks were held on the “Turkish activities that consitute a threat to the stability and security of the region” and specifically “on the recent incident of illegal and provocative Turkish behaviour at Greece’s sea, land and air borders,” Petsas said.

The two sides also discussed Turkey’s destabilising actions in terms of Libya and the “null and void” agreement between Turkey and Libya’s government for the delimitation of maritime zones, he added.

Petsas said the talks reaffirmed the two sides’ shared belief in the geostrategic importance of the EastMed pipeline and their common volition to promote the related projects.

He noted that Mitsotakis held meetings with the heads of top defence industry and investment capital firms, inviting the latter to invest in Greece.

On Mitsotakis’ participation in the European Peoples’ Party Summit, he said that the prime minister referred to the opening of Greece to tourism and repeated an invitation to organise the next Summit in Greece. Regarding Turkish provocativeness, the prime minister said that Greece will not accept a violation of its sovereignty while pointing out that EU reactions should not be confined to the level of statements only.

Commenting on the progress toward post-lockdown normality, Petsas said that the government is preparing for the next big step in the process on July 1, “the day that the country’s gates will open wider for tourism.” Petsas reiterated that the government’s top priority is the safety of those working in the sector, of the islanders and of the visitors, adding that all necessary measures are being taken for the swift detection and tracking of possible coronavirus cases and the isolation of the areas where they are found.

Finally, he said that Mitsotakis was taking part in Friday’s EU Summit on the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027 and the proposals for the EU Recovery Fund.

According to Petsas, Greece’s positions are that the recovery fund should be big and ambitious, flexible and based more on subsidies than loans, while it should be be financed through a common loan.

“It is a historic opportunity,” added Petsas, stating that the “member-state leaders understand how historic this opportunity is and are called upon to meet the expectations of European citizens”.

Source: ANA-MPA

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