Saturday 30th of March 2024

наступление очарованием ...

 

putin's charm offensive...

Mr. Putin has methodically targeted, through charm and cash and by fanning historical and ideological embers, the European Union’s weakest links in a campaign to assert influence in some of Europe’s most troubled corners. One clear goal is to break fragile Western unity over the conflict in Ukraine.


On Wednesday, Greece’s new left-wing prime minister, Alexis Tsipras, is the next to visit Moscow. Ahead of the trip, Mr. Tsipras declared himself opposed to sanctions on Russia, describing them as a “dead-end policy.”

On Sunday, Mr. Putin’s efforts to peel away supporters from the European Union opened a new rift, after the United States ambassador in Prague criticized a decision by the Czech president, Milos Zeman, to attend a military parade in Moscow on May 9. And in February, Mr. Putin visited Hungary, the European Union’s autocratic backslider, peddling economic deals.

Russia has so far been unable to turn such hand-holding into something more concrete against sanctions that require the approval of all 28 European Union members. But pressure for a rupture is building.

Speaking in an interview last week here in Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus, Mr. Anastasiades said Cyprus had grave doubts about Europe’s policy toward Russia and was part of a “group of member states who have the same reservations.”

read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/07/world/europe/using-cash-and-charm-putin-targets-europes-weakest-links.html

 

"germany owes greece nearly 279 billion euros..."

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece's deputy finance minister said on Monday Germany owes Greece nearly 279 billion euros ($305.17 billion) in reparations for the Nazi occupation of the country.

Greek governments and also private citizens have pushed for war damages from Germany for decades but the Greek government has never officially quantified its reparation claims.

A parliamentary panel set up by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras's government started work last week, seeking to claim German debts, including war reparations, as well as the repayment of a so-called occupation loan that Nazi Germany forced the Bank of Greece to make and the return of stolen archaeological treasures.

Speaking at parliamentary committee, Deputy Finance Minister Dimitris Mardas said Berlin owed Athens 278.7 billion euros, according to calculations by the country's General Accounting Office. The occupation loan amounts to 10.3 billion euros.

The campaign for compensation has gained momentum in the past few years as Greeks have suffered hardship under austerity measures imposed by the European Union and International Monetary Fund in exchange for bailouts totaling 240 billion euros to save Greece from bankruptcy.

read more: http://news.yahoo.com/greece-puts-figure-world-war-two-reparation-claims-203533568--business.html

a broader context...

Russia's president Vladimir Putin says his country would consider making loans to Greece if the two countries move forward on joint energy projects.

During what was seen by some as a provocative visit by Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras to Moscow, the two leaders discussed working together on a planned gas pipeline through Turkey into southern Europe.

Mr Putin said in the context of that kind of project, Russia could make loans to Greece.

"We discussed cooperation in various sectors of the economy including the possibility of implementing major energy projects and the situation may arise which would enable us not only to provide loans for some of the plans we discussed today, but also to deal with credit issues in a broader context," Mr Putin said.

read more: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-04-09/russia-will-consider-making-loans-to-greece-president-putin-say/6380964