I n t e r n a t i o n a l FRIDAY, AUGUST 28, 2015 NATO opens training centre in Georgia amid Russia tensions TBILISI: NATO yesterday opened a training centre in Georgia as the ex-Soviet country eyes closer partnership with the Western military alliance amid tensions with Russia. The establishment of the NATO-Georgian Joint Training and Evaluation Center, to be based just outside the capital Tbilisi, is aimed at buttressing the small ex-Soviet country which fought a five-day war with Russia in 2008. “There is more Georgia in NATO and more NATO in Georgia,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at a joint news conference alongside Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili before the opening ceremony. Stoltenberg, who arrived in Tbilisi on Wednesday, said the centre would train both Georgian and NATO troops. “This centre will help Georgia to continue making its armed forces more modern and more capable of meeting 21st century challenges,” Stontelberg said at the opening ceremony in the Krtsanisi National Training Center outside Tbilisi. “It will be equally important in training Allied and partner troops,” he said in the presence of Georgia’s prime minister, pres- ident and top officials. Georgian Prime Minister Garibashvili stressed for his part that the centre would increase regional sta- bility and was not directed “against any neighbouring countries.” ATHENS: leader Panagiotis Lafazanis (left) gestures during a meeting with Greek President Prokopis Georgia has long sought full NATO membership and hopes to Pavlopoulos (center) at the Presidential Palace in Athens yesterday. — AFP be invited to join a Membership Action Plan (MAP), a formal step towards membership, at a NATO summit in Warsaw next year. But analysts doubt that NATO will grant Georgia MAP mem- bership next year for fear of infuriating Russia amid heightened names top judge as tensions over the Ukraine crisis. Stontelberg on Thursday sound- ed non-committal when asked about Georgia’s chances to get the NATO membership plan at the Warsaw summit. caretaker PM ahead of vote He said that he “cannot prejudge the conclusions and the decisions which are going to be taken at the NATO summit next year.” “What I can say is that Georgia already has the necessary Crisis-hit country faces fifth election in 6 years tools to make progress towards membership,” he said. “I see that there is more work to do, but I am very inspired and ATHENS: Greece yesterday named its top judge as caretaker prime not become a prime minister who cooperates with New Democracy, encouraged by the progress we have seen.” “All the commit- minister to organize early elections expected next month, the fifth in Pasok or Potami,” Tsipras said in an interview with the Alpha TV chan- ments we have made together are on track and on time and all the crisis-hit country in six years. nel, his first since resigning. “If we do not have a majority, I will not these efforts help Georgia to move closer to your aspiration of President Prokopis Pavlopoulos said he had chosen Vassiliki cooperate with (the parties that ran) previous governments.” NATO membership”, he said. —AFP Thanou, the head of Greece’s Supreme Court and the first woman to assume the post. Mother-of-three Thanou, 65, is known for firing off Bitterly divided an emotional letter to European Commission chairman Jean-Claude stormed to election victory in January on a wave of popular Juncker in February, protesting that austerity cuts were “annihilating” anger over tough austerity measures demanded by Greece’s creditors the Greek people. in exchange for two previous bailouts since 2010. But the party has “The people are not responsible for the waste of public money by been bitterly divided over Tsipras’ decision to accept more tough past governments and for mistakes in tax policy,” she wrote, adding reforms in exchange for a new 86 billion euro ($96 billion) rescue that the austerity measures “have failed as the recession continues as package, with hard-left rebels accusing him of capitulating to “black- the rich continue to evade taxes”. Thanou, who holds a degree in mail” by the creditors. European law from France’s Sorbonne university, will take her oath of On August 21, 25 Syriza rebels announced the formation of a new office later yesterday and her administration will be sworn in on political grouping, Popular Unity, led by Panagiotis Lafazanis, a for- Friday, the president’s office said. mer senior Communist who has argued that Greece can happily exist The date for Greece’s general election is to be officially announced without the euro. “We are the true continuation of Syriza and its elec- by the end of the week, but it is likely to be scheduled for September toral pledges,” Lafazanis said yesterday. Tsipras remains popular, 20. Outgoing Prime Minister has ruled out forming a although in the absence of recent opinion polls it is difficult to know national unity government should he fail to win a outright majority in whether he could win an absolute majority in the forthcoming poll. the snap elections triggered after he resigned last week. The 41-year-old leader’s opponents had sought to delay the election, Tsipras called for the fresh vote on August 20 after suffering a hoping that voters will be less likely to vote for Syriza once the new major rebellion in his hard-left Syriza party over Greece’s huge new austerity measures begin to bite in the autumn. international bailout, its third in five years. The EU has taken the snap ballot decision in its stride, and debt But on Wednesday, he dismissed suggestions he could work with rating agency Moody’s has even called Tsipras’ resignation “credit TBILISI: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks the conservative opposition New Democracy, the Pasok socialists or positive,” arguing that it could well create a more cohesive govern- at the opening of a joint NATO-Georgia training center the centre-right Potami if the election results were inconclusive. “I will ment. — AFP outside Tbilisi yesterday. — AP UK immigration hits record high, causing headache for Cameron LONDON: Long-term net migration to Official data yesterday showed a net said the latest data was “deeply disappoint- tighter border controls with the EU. The Britain has hit a record high, underscoring 330,000 people moved to Britain in the year ing”. “While these figures underline the chal- debate has intensified in recent months, with the challenge Prime Minister David Cameron to March 2015, up 40 percent on the same lenges we need to meet to reduce net migra- the huge influx into EU of migrants and faces to dispel voter fears that immigrants period a year ago. A net 183,000 came from tion, they should also act as a further wake- refugees fleeing poverty and war in the are straining public services such as housing, within the EU, up by 53,000. up call for the EU. Current flows of people Middle East, Africa and elsewhere. hospitals and schools. As an island nation off The quarterly figures have become a reg- across Europe are on a scale we haven’t seen Images of thousands of migrants camped northwest Europe, Britain is far from the ular source of political embarrassment for since the end of the Second World War,” he in the French port of Calais seeking illegal pas- frontline of the EU-wide crisis that has seen Cameron, who has insisted he is still working said in a statement sage to Britain on board trains and lorries have hundreds of thousands of migrants and towards a declared overall target of less than led news bulletins for much of the summer. refugees pour into the bloc this year via 100,000. Curbing migrants’ access to welfare ‘BORDERLESS BRITAIN’ The data showed that asylum applica- countries like Italy, Greece and Hungary. benefits in order to deter them from coming Rising immigration has fuelled support for tions had risen by 10 percent but, at 25,771 The bigger problem for Cameron is his to Britain is a key objective for the the UK Independence Party (UKIP) which in the year ending June 2015, remained low inability to limit immigration by European Conservative prime minister as he renegoti- wants to sever ties with the EU and impose in comparison to other channels of migra- Union passport-holders, as freedom of ates the country’s relationship with the EU much tighter entry rules. “These figures tion and well below their 2002 peak of movement is enshrined in the EU’s founding before putting its continued membership to reflect Borderless Britain and total impotence 84,132. A total of 11,600 people were treaties. Arrivals from countries like India and a public vote by the end of 2017. of the British government,” UKIP leader Nigel granted asylum or an alternative form of China are also on the rise. Immigration minister James Brokenshire Farage said, calling for Cameron to negotiate protection. —Reuters