The Hellenic Navy (HN) (Greek: Πολεμικό Ναυτικό, Polemikó Naftikó, abbreviated ΠΝ) is the naval force of Greece, part of the Greek Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy has its roots in the naval forces of various Aegean Islands, which fought in the Greek War of Independence. During the periods of monarchy (1833–1924 and 1936–1973) it was known as the Royal Navy (Βασιλικόν Ναυτικόν, Vasilikón Naftikón, abbreviated ΒΝ).The total displacement of all the navy's vessels is approximately 150,000 tons.The motto of the Hellenic Navy is "Μέγα το της Θαλάσσης Κράτος" from Thucydides' account of Pericles' oration on the eve of the Peloponnesian War. This has been roughly translated as "Great is the country that controls the sea". The Hellenic Navy's emblem consists of an anchor in front of a crossed Christian cross and trident, with the cross symbolizing Greek Orthodoxy, and the trident symbolizing Poseidon, the god of the sea in Greek mythology. Pericles' words are written across the top of the emblem. "The navy, as it represents a necessary weapon for Greece, should only be created for war and aim to victory."...............The Hellenic Merchant Marine refers to the Merchant Marine of Greece, engaged in commerce and transportation of goods and services universally. It consists of the merchant vessels owned by Greek civilians, flying either the Greek flag or a flag of convenience. Greece is a maritime nation by tradition, as shipping is arguably the oldest form of occupation of the Greeks and a key element of Greek economic activity since the ancient times. Nowadays, Greece has the largest merchant fleet in the world, which is the second largest contributor to the national economy after tourism and forms the backbone of world shipping. The Greek fleet flies a variety of flags, however some Greek shipowners gradually return to Greece following the changes to the legislative framework governing their operations and the improvement of infrastructure.

Blogger Tips and Tricks

This is a bilingual blog in English and / or Greek and you can translate any post to any language by pressing on the appropriate flag....Note that there is provided below a scrolling text with the 30 recent posts...Αυτό είναι ένα δίγλωσσο blog στα Αγγλικά η/και στα Ελληνικά και μπορείτε να μεταφράσετε οποιοδήποτε ποστ σε οποιαδήποτε γλώσσα κάνοντας κλικ στη σχετική σημαία. Σημειωτέον ότι παρακάτω παρέχεται και ένα κινούμενο κείμενο με τα 30 πρόσφατα ποστς....This is a bilingual blog in English and / or Greek and you can translate any post to any language by pressing on the appropriate flag....Note that there is provided below a scrolling text with the 30 recent posts...Αυτό είναι ένα δίγλωσσο blog στα Αγγλικά η/και στα Ελληνικά και μπορείτε να μεταφράσετε οποιοδήποτε ποστ σε οποιαδήποτε γλώσσα κάνοντας κλικ στη σχετική σημαία. Σημειωτέον ότι παρακάτω παρέχεται και ένα κινούμενο κείμενο με τα 30 πρόσφατα ποστς.........

Saturday, August 14, 2010

The Palestinians direct talks ..[ 1640 [

Palestinians to decide on direct talks in two days, PA official says

Abbas had indicated he could go to direct talks, provided they were based on a March 19 statement by the Quartet, which demands the halt of Israeli settlement construction.

By Jack Khoury / Haaretz Service -14-8-2010

Turkey did not sign a pact with Iran ensuring the continued transferal of weapons to Hezbollah, the Turkish daily Hürriyet quoted an official in the country's foreign ministry late Friday.

	Young Hezbollah supporters holding mock ups of Katyusha rockets in front of a portrait of group leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah.
	Photo by: AP

The denial comes in the wake of a report by Italian daily Corriere della Sera earlier this week, which claimed that senior Iranian and Turkey security officials have recently met to sign a deal which would allegedly see Turkey aiding Iran in transferring its arms shipments to Hezbollah.

“These claims are baseless and should not be taken seriously,” the senior Turkish Foreign Ministry official said.

Earlier this month, Turkish authorities expressed their displeasure at comments made by Defense Minister Ehud Barak concerning Ankara's new head of intelligence and his alleged ties with Iran.

Barak made the comments at a closed-door briefing to party activists on July 25, reflecting the climate of mistrust between Israel and its once close ally.

The defense minister described Hakan Fidan, who was appointed head of Turkey's National Intelligence Organisation (MIT) in May, as a "friend of Iran."

In part of his speech broadcast by Israeli Army Radio, Barak expressed concern that secrets shared with Turkey "could become open to Iran over the next several months".

In response, the Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned Israeli envoy Gaby Levy to protest over Barak's remarks.

"We expressed our discomfort and dissatisfaction with Barak's statement," a Turkish foreign ministry official, who declined to be named, told Reuters.

-

No comments:

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)