News in brief

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Vice President Mike Pence hosted a reception in honor of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the Department of State, marking the end of his 4day official visit to the United States.

Mitsotakis will meet Greece’s political party leaders in Athens on Friday and Monday, to brief them on the outcome of his visit.

Focusing on the economy, Mr. Pence praised Greece’s efforts to sustain economic recovery, reduce red tape, make the State more effective and boost employment.

On his part, Mr. Pompeo stressed the importance that Greece-US ties extend to energy, adding that Washington supports the Mediterranean country as a “pillar of security” in the region.

Greek and Turkish foreign ministry delegations will meet in Ankara on Friday for a new round of political consultations, amid a spike in tensions between the two countries over sovereignty rights in the Eastern Mediterranean.  Talks will focus on issues of regional and international interest.

The Foreign Ministers of Greece, Cyprus, France and Egypt rejected on Wednesday two deals signed between Turkey and Libya’s UN-recognised government in Tripoli, saying they further undermine regional stability and are both “null and void.”

The announcement was made during a joint press conference following the meeting of the ministers of Foreign Affairs of Greece, Egypt, Cyprus, France, and Italy.

Notaries abstain from their duties until February 2nd.

Turnover at stores in Greece improved somewhat over the holiday period compared to last year but remains a long way from satisfactory, according to retail experts.

Estimates say that stores in the center of Athens and big shopping malls recorded an increase in both trading and volume, while their counterparts in the suburbs and in the rest of Greece saw a reduction compared to Christmas 2018.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have called for a ceasefire to end the conflict in Libya.

The presidents of Turkey and Russia on Wednesday formally launched the TurkStream pipeline which will carry Russian natural gas to southern Europe through Turkey.

And the weather forecast…

Partly cloudy in Attica today. The temperature will reach a maximum of 12 degrees Celsius.

More news in brief tomorrow morning at 9.