Subject: Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 17-01-24 From: "HR-Net News Distribution Manager" CONTENTS [01] Moscovici welcomes ESM approval of short-term debt relief for Greece in Twitter post [02] Number of non-performing loans in Greek bank portfolios declining, Econ. minister tells Parliament [03] No firm commitment on decongesting islands at PM's meeting with island mayors on refugee crisis --------------------------------------------------------------------------- [01] Moscovici welcomes ESM approval of short-term debt relief for Greece in Twitter post In a tweet posted late on Monday, European Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs Pierre Moscovici expressed his satisfaction with a decision to unblock short-term debt relief measures for Greece, which the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) announced earlier in the day. "The Eurozone is unlocking the short-term measures for Greek debt. I am glad because the relief we have been expecting can now begin," Moscovici said, writing in French. Moreover, sources in Brussels told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA) on Monday that the letter sent by Greece's Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos is a "good starting point for an agreement between the four institutions." They noted that the letter was "well written" but noted that additional negotiations will be needed for a final agreement to be reached. Commenting on the results of a meeting between International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde and Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble in Davos, the sources said these confirmed the necessity of the IMF's participation in the Greek programme. [02] Number of non-performing loans in Greek bank portfolios declining, Econ. minister tells Parliament The number of non-performing loans (NPLs) held by Greek banks is starting to decline, Economy and Development Minister Dimitri B. Papadimitriou asserted in Parliament on Monday, citing figures from a central bank report. The minister refuted claims made by Democratic Alliance MP Vasilis Kegeroglou that NPLs were rising, saying that this was not the case and that NPLs were tending to decline. [03] No firm commitment on decongesting islands at PM's meeting with island mayors on refugee crisis Emerging from a meeting with Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Monday, the mayors of Lesvos, Chios, Samos, Kos and Leros said they received no firm commitments about decongesting islands with hotspots of refugees and migrants. The prime minister had confirmed the government's intention to prepare a plan for a developmental and social programme to support the islands worst hit by the migrant crisis, they added. Chios Mayor Manolis Vournous stressed decongesting the islands was "the number one demand" since the excess population of migrants and refugees made daily life on the islands extremely difficult and gave rise to social problems. He stressed the need for a "stable approach" and to reinforce basic services, as well as security and policing on the islands. The five mayors said they had presented the problems faced by their communities, while noting that there was no discussion about possible new hotspots during the meeting. The five mayors are also scheduled to have meetings with representatives of the political parties on Tuesday and to meet with the Island Policy Minister on Wednesday to discuss tourism promotion.