Xydakis

The event was long overdue, even by the lethargic standards of the Greek state.

Following reports that parliamentary elections would likely be held on June 30, the government is now considered holding the general election one week later, on 7 July.

Interior Minister Panos Skourletis says that the decision to sell missiles and bombs to Saudi Arabia was not a good idea as they may be used in Yemen, echoing sentiments expressed by other lawmakers of the ruling party.

The recent oil spill in the Saronic Gulf continues to hamper Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras's attempts to shift focus back onto growth. Conflicting views emerged from his government regarding the environmental disaster off the southern coast of Athens, while experts warned its effects would linger for several years.

SYRIZA parliamentary spokesman and lawmaker Nikos Xydakis on Monday admitted to having exaggerated when he said that the state-run ERT broadcaster is "tragic."

"I respect and honor ERT," Xydakis said on a Monday morning television talk show responding to criticism of his comments, made on Sunday at the Delphi Economic Forum.

Parliament speaker Nikos Voutsis has doused renewed speculation about a Greek exit from the euro area in the wake of comments by SYRIZA's parliamentary spokesman Nikos Xydakis that MPs should hold a debate about the crisis-hit country's membership of Europe's single currency.

Opposition parties reacted with alarm on Tuesday to comments by SYRIZA parliamentary spokesman Nikos Xydakis that MPs should hold a debate about Greece's membership of the euro.

Speaking on Skai TV in the morning, Xydakis argued that "there should be no taboos when we are talking about people's fate."

Opposition parties on Tuesday slammed the SYRIZA-Independent Greeks coalition government after a leftist lawmaker said a discussion on a Greek exit from the euro should not be considered "taboo."

Speaking on Skai TV earlier in the day, SYRIZA MP Nikos Xydakis said that Parliament should be open to a discussion on Greece's prospects outside the eurozone.

Alternate Foreign Minister Nikos Xydakis is promoting the speedier issue of visas by Greek consular services in the 10 most important markets for Greek tourism where such paperwork is required.

This follows the improvement in the time taken for visas to be issued this year in Russia, with the use of biometric data.

Nikos Xydakis, junior foreign minister for European affairs, has indicated that most of the refugees on Greece's Aegean islands will be transferred to the mainland.

"We will start the transfer of a large number of refugees to ease the pressure on the islands," Xydakis told Die Welt in an interview published Wednesday.