New OSCE PA President: Petros Efthymiou

Ruling PASOK party deputy Petros Efthymiou was elected as the new president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), during the forum’s 19th annual session.
Efthymiou, who was a Vice-President in the Assembly, was elected with 130 votes, against 64 of Senator Consiglio Di Nino (Canada).
Participants at the 19th session discussed a wide range of issues, amongst which the situation in Kyrgyzstan, the Parliamentary Assembly’s involvement in the Corfu process, the peace process in the Middle East, nuclear security, cyber-crime.
(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)

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International Poetry Award to a Greek

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)  Journalist and poet Petros Kassimatis (in Greek) has been awarded the Argentine writers’ association (SADE) first international literature prize which was established together with the Greek cultural organization “Nostos.”  Petros Kassimatis received the top prize in poetry for his work “Samarkand, at the Ancient Observatory,” and a distinction for another of his works. The award will be handed out in special ceremonies in Buenos Aires and Athens.  Writers and poets from Greece, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Uruguay, Cyprus, Italy, Russia, Germany, the United States, Mexico and Spain competed in the international competition on “Hellenism and Alexander the Great.”

Bilateral Relations Greece – Vietnam

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   Deputy Foreign Minister Petros Doukas signed three Greek-Vietnamese bilateral cooperation agreements yesterday in Hanoi, Vietnam, specifically: an agreement on the promotion and mutual protection of investments; a memorandum of understanding furthering consultations between the foreign ministries of the two countries on the information exchange and international cooperation, and a memorandum of understanding in the energy sector, favouring joint ventures and investment promotion. Finally, other sectors discussed include ship-building, agricultural product processing, fish farming, construction materials, and tourism. Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Greece-Vietnam Bilateral Relations

Economic Cooperation Greece – Serbia

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)      Ushering a new period of economic cooperation between Greece and Serbia, Foreign Affairs and Economy and Finance Ministries have agreed that Greece should contribute to the financing of the “Corridor 10” (as part of the Pan European Corridors) linking Thessaloniki to Belgrade and Salzburg. The estimated cost of the Corridor’s part in Serbia is €475 million, and Greece’s participation amounts to €100 million. The visit’s itinerary included a business meeting hosted by the Greek Serbian Business Council on October 9, during which, Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Petros Doukas noted that Greek investments in Serbia have exceeded €2.5 billion to date and that more than 27,000 Serbians are employed in Greek enterprises. The project for Greece’s participation in the Corridor 10’s construction is financed by the Hellenic Plan for the Economic Reconstruction of the Balkans (HiPERB). European Economic and Social Committee: Pan European Corridors (2003); Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Greece-Serbia Bilateral Relations (Economic and trade relations/development cooperation) & Economic Diplomacy

Theo Angelopoulos Retrospective / Eleni Karaindrou Concert / International Film Festival in Wroclaw (17-27/7/2008)

Theo Angelopoulos Retrospective was included in the 8^th edition of Wroclaw’s International Film Festival, a prominent film event which took place from the 17 ^th through the 27^th of July.

The screening of Greek director’s masterpieces was followed by Eleni Karaindrou concert (on 26^th of July, at the Wroclaw Opera House), with compositions for Angelopoulos’ films.

The concert was attended by the Greek Ambassador in Warsaw Pantelis Carcabassis, Theo Angelopoulos, Petros Markaris, writer -who collaborated with Angelopoulos on many screenplays- Festival director Roman Gutek and the film critic Michel Dimopoulos.

After the concert, a reception honoring Theo Angelopoulos and Eleni Karaindrou was held by the Greek Embassy and the Press and Communication Office in Warsaw.

As part of the event, photographer Dimitris Sofikitis exhibited his work documenting Angelopoulos film “The Weeping Meadow”.