Why Greece isn't sweating the U.S. anymore.

[zefs]

Sergei Ilnitsky/AP
Karamanlis and Putin speaking to reporters after Tuesday's talks. Putin used underpants and his tie to try to sell gas.
Greece Signs On to South Stream
30 April 2008
By Anna Smolchenko / Staff Writer
Greece on Tuesday signed a deal to join Gazprom's South Stream gas pipeline in a move that Russian and Greek leaders said would strengthen energy security in Europe.

Welcoming Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis to the Kremlin, President Vladimir Putin praised Greece's decision to join the 10 billion euro pipeline, which will carry 30 billion cubic meters of Russian gas per year to southern Europe, and said European resistance was the reason why another key project, a trans-Balkan oil pipeline, took so long to take off.

In what was scheduled to be his last meeting with a foreign leader as president, Putin used his own tie as a prop and turned to watches and underpants to argue that few countries could rival Russia on gas deliveries.

"The realization of the South Stream project doesn't mean that we are fighting with alternative projects," Putin said.

South Stream is seen as a rival to the European-backed Nabucco pipeline, and some European countries fear it might undermine the continent's drive to diversify its energy supplies.

"If Greece needed some ordinary goods — watches, underpants or a tie — they could buy them wherever they wanted. You could buy them in China, Switzerland …" Putin said and paused. He turned over his dark blue tie and briefly inspected its label as several aides and guests smiled. Serious-faced, Putin continued: "… or in Italy, for example. But you can count on a single hand the countries that are able to be the primary supplier of energy at the necessary volumes and at competitive prices for Europe."

In January, Putin traveled to Sofia, where he enlisted Bulgaria's support for South Stream. Russia also signed an agreement with Serbia that month and with Hungary in February. Construction of the pipeline is expected to start this year or in 2009, with first deliveries scheduled for 2013.

Karamanlis, who last came to Moscow for talks in December, said Greece wanted to participate in the pipeline because its needs for natural gas were expected to double in the coming years.

Speaking to reporters after the signing, Industry and Energy Minister Viktor Khristenko said Greece would receive 10 billion cubic meters of gas a year from Russia. Tuesday's framework agreement laid out a series of conditions on taxes and other issues, and now it will be up to the companies involved in the project to take it further, Khristenko said.

In March 2007, Putin traveled to Athens to sign, together with Greece and Bulgaria, a deal for the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline, putting an end to 14 years of delays and haggling over the project, estimated to cost $1 billion. On Tuesday, Putin said a feasibility study for the pipeline should be prepared in the near future. Responding to a question from a Greek reporter about why the pipeline was taking so long to start, Putin said key projects always had a "political connotation," meaning competitors "have always made and will make energetic efforts to either torpedo or delay them."

On other issues, Putin and Karamanlis criticized Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence, and Putin reiterated his criticism of NATO's eastward expansion.

The leaders agreed to host a Year of Russia in Greece and a Year of Greece in Russia in 2013, as part of preparations for the 2014 Olympics in Sochi.

Russian and Greek officials also discussed military cooperation, primarily details on the delivery to Greece of Russian-made infantry combat vehicles, Sergei Chemezov, general director of Russian Technologies, which includes the state arms exporter, said on the sidelines of the Kremlin talks.

Karamanlis said in December that Greece was looking to buy 400 infantry combat vehicles from Russia. The contract is estimated to be worth 1.2 billion euros, a Russian Technologies spokesman said.

Chemezov said no new arms deliveries were discussed Tuesday.

Karamanlis held a separate meeting with President-elect Dmitry Medvedev after the talks with Putin.

Putin's meeting with Karamanlis was scheduled to be his last with a foreign leader before Medvedev's inauguration on May 7, and the president looked visibly relaxed throughout the day. He surprised foreign tourists milling around the Kremlin buildings by walking across a courtyard from an awards ceremony to his talks with Karamanlis. The tourists froze as Putin, surrounded by bodyguards and with his spokesman, Alexei Gromov, at his side, nodded and smiled at them as he passed by.
themoscowtimes.com

[gmellos]

Originally Posted by zefs

Dude, I'm Greek American and they have never been our true allies. The junta in Greece, the Cyprus situation, the Skopje situation????Are these the action of allies? Anytime they can they screw us over to help their lapdogs..the Turks they do.

I argee with you UNLESS the US gets what they want to don't give a shit about you!! The US govrnment is the BIGGEST user's in the world

[zefs]

Boy It's heating up between the Russians and Americans.... I hear Ivan Draga, I will break you

Russia has ordered the expulsion of two military attaches from the American embassy in Moscow, US officials say.

The US state department said it would comply with the order although it objected to it.

Two Russians have been expelled from Washington in recent months, one in November and the second on 22 April.

The news comes as Russia conducts a transition of power with Vladimir Putin becoming prime minister and Dmitry Medvedev president.

'Separate incidents'

The expulsion order was given some days ago but was only revealed by the state department on Thursday.

An official there confirmed to Reuters news agency the pair had been asked to leave but declined to say what reasons had been given for the expulsion.

It is not known whether the pair have left Moscow yet.

"They have not been declared persona non grata but they have been asked to leave," the official said.

Another US official said Washington regarded the expulsions as "separate incidents" from those of the Russian envoys.

The Russian foreign ministry said it had "no comment at the moment".
bbc.com

[Ariadni_Nefeli]

Usa was never a true ally to anyone but to the allies they really need and afraid.

Don't forget that the Kurds fully supported them in everything with the promise to help them create Kurdistan, and not only the did nothing, but also let Turks suppress them even more.

The only way to make an equal game with Usa is to play rough and keep things they really need to your expense, and not bending like a whore to what ever they want...

[Truth Bearer]

Fuk the yanks to them it's only dollars and cents.They believe everyone can be bought for the right price.

[johnalexis]

Nasty llittle article in the New York Times. Apparently anything and everything to do with Greece and its tremendous history is anathema to these clowns.

"April 13, 2008
When Strings Are Attached, Quirky Gifts Can Limit Universities
By KAREN W. ARENSON


When Stanley J. Seeger gave Princeton $2 million for Hellenic studies nearly three decades ago, the gift’s income paid for two courses in modern Greek and trips to Greece for five.

But the Seeger money, which must be spent only on matters Greek, is now worth $33 million, multiplying through aggressive investing like the rest of Princeton’s endowment. So the university offers Greek, Greek and more Greek — 13 courses this semester, including “The Image of Greece in European Cinema” and “Problems in Greek History: Greek Democracy,” as well as trips to Greece and nearby areas for more than 90 students and faculty members last year. The history department recently hired its second Byzantine specialist. And the fund paid half the cost of a collection of 800 rare coins from medieval Greece.

“Institutions do get shaped by the interests of donors,” said Robert K. Durkee, vice president and secretary of Princeton.

As the nation’s wealthiest colleges and universities report on their finances to Congress, seeking to head off federal requirements that they spend at least 5 percent of their endowment assets each year, new attention is being paid to how endowments are structured, and on the restrictions imposed by donors.
..."

Full article : http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/13/ed...gewanted=print

They apparently have no idea how many of their founding fathers were Greek scholars.

[johnalexis]

I got the above link from

http://maillists.uci.edu/mailman/pub...il/009404.html

[zefs]

The US-Russian gas argument
Thessaloniki meeting hears different approaches to Greece’s diversification of energy sources


ANA
US Ambassador Daniel Speckhard said Greece gets 80 percent of its gas from Gazprom.

The rivalry between the US and Russia over European energy supplies continued in Thessaloniki yesterday, centering on the issue of diversification in energy sources and supply and its impact on sufficiency.

Addressing the 2nd International Meeting for Energy Dialogue in Southeastern Europe in Greece’s second biggest city, the counselor of the Russian Embassy in Greece, Michail Sava, said that the US is the biggest importer of natural gas worldwide, satisfying 85.8 percent of its needs thanks to Canada. Greece, on the other hand, has seen its efforts toward diversification bear fruit, as it imports 78 percent from Russia, 19 percent from Algeria and 3 percent from Turkey.

Over 55 percent of global natural gas reserves are in Russia (26.6 percent), Qatar (14.3 percent) and Iran (14.9 percent), “but the geopolitical situation of Iran limits Greece’s diversification options,” said Sava.

Expressing a different view, US Ambassador to Greece Daniel Speckhard said Greece depended on a monopoly for its natural gas needs, saying that 80 percent of the country’s requirements are covered by Russian firm Gazprom. He stressed that this monopoly jeopardizes both energy supply and the price of gas as market competition cannot function.

He suggested that the answer to this problem is Azerbaijan, which, through the Greek-Turkish pipeline and the Nabucco pipeline that begins in Turkey and ends in Central Europe, will supply the continent with 45 billion cubic meters of natural gas, which corresponds to 20 percent of Europe’s current gas imports.

However, the construction of the South Stream pipeline – in which Greece is also participating – is competing with Nabucco, its sole aim being to increase Gazprom’s influence on the market, Speckhard argued.

Responding to the statements of the Russian diplomat, the US ambassador said his country’s needs in natural gas are met by independent American companies (85 percent), by independent producers in Canada (12 percent) and by liquefied natural gas (3 percent).

ekathimerini.com

[zefs]

European leaders hope to start afresh with Russia's new president
The European Union has given the go-ahead for the start of talks with Russia on a new partnership agreement, following about 18 months of delays.

The bloc's foreign ministers approved a mandate for the talks at their meeting in Brussels.

The new partnership agreement would cover political and economic ties, including energy and trade.

The breakthrough came after objections were dropped by former communist members of the EU, including Lithuania.

Lithuania was the last member state blocking the talks, but gave way after being assured that its grievances over Russian energy supplies and tensions between Russia and Georgia would be addressed.

Poland had previously blocked the talks, demanding that Russia lift an embargo on its meat exports.

The EU hopes formally to launch the talks at an EU-Russia summit in Siberia next month.

Strained relations

While the EU is hoping to make a fresh start with Russia under its new President, Dmitry Medvedev, the talks are likely to be long and difficult, says the BBC's Oana Lungescu in Brussels.

Although trade between Russia and EU states has boomed in recent years, the political relationship has become increasingly strained.

The talks are likely to address issues such as security of energy supplies and human rights.

"Negotiations will certainly not be easy. They will be complex negotiations. I don't want to speculate at this moment, but I think they will take quite some time," said the EU's External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner.


bbc.com

[Boreas]

Russia-Greece trade grows by 40 per cent a year

02.06.2008, 16.18

MOSCOW, June 2 (Itar-Tass) -- Trade turnover between Russia and Greece “is growing steadily, and the increment amounts to 40 per cent annually,” Russian Minister of Agriculture Alexei Gordeyev, who is co-chairman of the Russian-Greek intergovernmental commission, said at the third Russian-Greek business forum on Monday.

“Russia is working to change the character of its economy, which is based mainly on raw materials. We are willing to export to other countries not only oil, but also machinery and equipment for mills and factories, we are ready to introduce novel technologies,” he said.

“A new period is coming in Russia for stepping up cooperation with foreign partners on a long-term basis, specifically, with Greece. Our two countries are friends and partners of long standing. Russia and Greece drew up a plan of actions for 2007-2008. There is only one more EU member country – Holland – with which Russia has a similar plan,” Gordeyev continued.

Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Petros Doukas, who is Greek co-chairman of the intergovernmental commission, described Russia as “a great and friendly country.” “Greece exports goods and services to Russia worth 300.5 million dollars a year, and its imports from Russia are worth 2.5 billion dollars,” he said.

According to Doukas, “Greece is creating most favourable conditions for investments.” “We have a very low inflation rate and low interest rates, while our banking sector is very strong,” he stressed.

http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2....8519&PageNum=0