“ Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis met yesterday in Benghazi with Field Marshal Haftar,” stated government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis on Monday, at the start of the daily briefing. “ The Minister emphasised that Libya and Greece are connected by shared traditions and roots, as well as by our commitment to international law and to the vision of a Mediterranean of peace and prosperity for its peoples,” he noted.
"We will continue our undisturbed relations in this framework and hope that in the near future we will also see tangible results for the advancement of our bilateral relations," he added, pointing out that Gerapetritis is due to visit the Libyan city of Tripoli on July 15.
Marinakis also referred to the ministerial meeting chaired by Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Yiannis Kefalogiannis on the preparations for the heatwave that is forecast to affect Greece until Wednesday. He said that all the fire department and other emergency services will be on standby to deal with problems that may arise, while the armed forces will carry out patrols and be ready to assist with earth-moving machinery if it is needed.
In addition, he said, the labour ministry has issued a circular outlining emergency measures to protect private-sector staff against heat stress.
Marinakis then reported on the trial at the weekend of the 24-hour operation of public transport in Athens. "For the first time after 20 years, all means of public transport continued to operate all night. There were 70 buses running on 490 routes, while 26 journeys were added to the metro and 30 to the tram. The number of passengers exceeded 50,000. The trial was carried out at the initiative of Alternate Infrastructure and Transport Minister Konstantinos Kyranakis, so that we can see in practice what needs improving. The results will be assessed in detail and the aim is that, starting in September, that 24-hour operation every Saturday will become the new rule," he said.
The spokesperson additionally referred to projects underway to upgrade and maintain state university buildings and a programme to enhance digital skills among people aged over 65 and people with disabilities.