Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited the Portuguese Coast Guard today as he is in Lisbon.
Mitsotakis was received by Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa, the Chief of the Navy Antonio António Maria Mendes Calado and the Commander of the Coast Guard Luis Carreza.
The Portuguese naval service has been participating since 2014 in Frontex’s “Poseidon” operation in the Eastern Aegean region, where it has saved more than 7,000 lives, contributing to the work of guarding Greek and European borders.
Frontex is the European Border and Coast Guard Agency.
The coordinator of the operations room presented the work of the Coast Guard to the Prime Minister, and informed him about the actions of the service.
Portugal will try to conclude a free-trade agreement between the EU and the South American trade bloc Mercosur during its six-month EU presidency, and attempt to expand Europe’s ties with other potential trade partners, the country’s foreign minister said on Thursday (7 January).
Augusto Santos Silva said Portugal, which took over the EU’s rotating presidency on 1 January, needed to make progress on the deal because failure would damage the reputation of the bloc.
“Portugal thinks that trade and trade agreements are, right now, the best way to improve the relationship between Europe and Latin America,” Santos Silva told reporters.
Published December 17. 2020 7:37PM
James McAuley and Michael Birnbaum, The Washington Post
PARIS French President Emmanuel Macron tested positive for the coronavirus after exhibiting a cough, fever and fatigue, the country s presidential palace announced Thursday.
The 42-year-old president would isolate for seven days but continue to work, the Élysée Palace said.
Hours after his diagnosis was announced, the Élysée released a video of Macron presiding over a meeting on development via videoconference, though a spokesperson told Reuters that all of the president s upcoming trips including a visit to Lebanon that was scheduled for next week had been canceled.
Macron is the latest world leader to be infected by the virus, after President Donald Trump, Britain s Boris Johnson and Brazil s Jair Bolsonaro all of whom have recovered. In contrast with those leaders, who at least initially played down the threat of the virus, Macron was one of the first heads of state in the
December 17, 2020 · 0 Comments
Written by GWYNNE DYER
In Brussels this week, the English-speaking journalists are all speculating about which way British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will jump.
He’s there now, dithering over whether to cave in to the European Union’s terms for a post-Brexit free trade deal. Most people reckon it’s his last face-saving show of defiance before he surrenders to the bitter truth that Brexit with no deal would be brutal for Britain. But he might jump the other way.
If Johnson thinks that surrendering to reality would infuriate the fanatical Brexiters in his own Conservative Party so much that it endangers his job as prime minister, he will bluster some more about “sovereignty” and lead Britain out into the cold and the dark. His own future is all that matters, ever.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has tested negative for Covid-19.
It comes after he had been restricting his movements while awaiting the results of the test, following news that French President Emmanuel Macron has tested positive for the virus.
Mr Martin met Mr Macron at last week s marathon European Council summit in Brussels. The Taoiseach tested negative upon his return from the Belgian capital last Friday.
News of Mr Macron s positive test prompted the Taoiseach to take a series of precautionary measures.
A spokesman for the Taoiseach earlier confirmed: As a precaution, the Taoiseach has been limiting his movements and contacts. He s got a test and it should be turned around in the next couple of hours. We ll know the status by mid-to-late afternoon.