In an interview to newspaper “Izvestia,” Peskov highlighted that under the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Moscow is not entitled to completely exempt an EU member-state from sanctions against the bloc.

“There are quite straightforward rules at the World Trade Organization, and Russia, as a WTO member, cannot choose. We cannot impose sanctions against EU member-states and selectively lift sanctions on one of the countries,” the Kremlin representative said. However, as he added, the direct deliveries of agricultural products can be substituted by “imports of raw materials with an investment in Russian-based food processing facilities.”

It should be noted that earlier on February, the Russian President has declared that Moscow would be able to cooperate with Hungarian agriculture despite Western sanctions and Russian counter sanctions.

To read more, please visit greekreporter.com

By Aggelos Skordas
 

Cinema buffs have a chance to escape the barrage of tough reality in Greece and seek comfort in fiction at the upcoming Syros International Film Festival (SIFF).

The brainchild of three American 20-somethings with a dream, the festival, inaugurated three years ago, showcases 30 features and 40 shorts, as well as 14 documentary films. This includes 10 Greek works as well as films from 17 other countries around the world.

Among this year’s highlights is a tribute to Romanian film director and screenwriter Corneliu Porumboiu, recipient of the Golden Camera prize for his satirical comedy “12:08: East of Bucharest” at the Cannes Film Festival in 2006.

Organizers have also planned an extensive program on the theme of place in cinema, featuring rare, new, classic and diverse films. A drive-in venue is expected to take the cinema experience to a whole new level.

Meanwhile, organizers have planned a series of lectures on the impact of technological progress on cinema production and distribution by distinguished guests including British film director Peter Greenaway.

The festival will open with a multimedia show by the Grenoble-based performance collective Maki. The act brings together 16 mm film projection, shadow play, music and dance – all specially designed for a remote field on the island.

In an interview with Kathimerini English Edition, Jacob Moe, the festival’s managing director, spoke about this summer’s offerings, the island and the trio’s battle with the host country’s financial woes.

To read more, please visit: ekathimerini

Christmas is the most joyful period. So to everyone near & far, XpatAthens wishes you a very Merry Christmas!

Christina Flampouri is the first Greek woman to reach the top of the ‘7 summits’. Facing low temperatures and strong winds, she accomplished one of her biggest goals on January 6 by climbing Mount Vinson, the highest peak in Antarctica, an altitude of 4,892 meters.

After conquering the peak, she enthusiastically stated: “Seven Summits was much more than a mountaineering project for me, it was a dream come true, and this confirms my belief that nothing is impossible. Five years ago, I was scared to step on the edge of a slope, and today I have managed to reach the highest peaks in the 7 continents.” 

The ‘7 Summits’ is the quest of climbing the highest peak in each of the seven continents; to date, approximately 400 people in total have undertaken the challenge.

Last May, Flampouri became the first Greek woman to climb the highest peak in the world, Mt Everest, at an altitude of 8,848 meters.

To read this article in full, please visit: Greek City Times