Tom Hanks has been awarded Greek citizenship as Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos signed an honorary naturalization order allowing the actor to claim citizenship, his office told The Associated Press on Friday.

Tom Hanks and his wife, actress and producer Rita Wilson, often spend their summer vacations in the house they own on the Greek island of Antiparos. The couple have also produced several films in Greece; In 2002 they produced the hit "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" and its sequel that was released in 2016. Hanks was also the executive producer of the 2008 musical "Mamma Mia!" and the 2009 comedy "My Life in Ruins."

In Greece, honorary naturalization is granted to people “who have provided exceptional services to the country or whose naturalization serves the public interest.”


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Pelion today is a perfect tourist destination for all seasons and tastes, as it combines mountain and sea beauties in a unique way. Its tourist infrastructure is constantly growing whereas there’s marvelous nature and picturesque villages.

Eastern Pelion is the part of Pelion facing the Aegean Sea, a place where nature is ‘wild’, rough and the vegetation is so lush that it slopes down to the sea

Information:

• Eastern Pelion embraces villages both on the mountain, like Zagora or Tsangarada, and near the sea like Horefto or Agios Giannis.
• Visitors can access the area through Western Pelion, and, depending on where they want to go they have to pass by Chania, Milies, Argalasti or Lafkos.
• The climate is influenced by the Aegean Sea, so it is cooler in summer and colder in winter than the one in Western Pelion.

Infrastructure:

• There are lots of big and small hotels, guesthouses and let rooms. There are also tourist camps.
• There are small marinas for sailboats and yachts to dock
• There is a bus service connecting the area with the rest of Magnisia prefecture.

Eastern Pelion offers:

• A unique combination of mountain and sea settings, in a most beautiful landscape all year round.
• A wide network of marked trails, ideal for all those who love hiking, at any age.
• Exceptional beaches in the waters of the Aegean Sea, organized ones for the many, and secluded for the few.
• Possibilities for alternative tourism activities.
• A variety of choices regarding accommodation, dining and entertainment.
• Lots of traditional villages built in the traditional architectural style of Pelion.

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"We discussed the possibility of an extension. For some that is clear that is preferred option but we haven't come to that conclusion as yet. We will need a little more time."

It appears that the two sides had agreed to release a joint statement but that last minute objections from the Greek delegations, which was led by Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis and Deputy Prime Minister Yiannis Dragasakis, led to the process being abandoned.

Dijsselbloem said that the all the eurozone finance ministers would reconvene on Monday, which is the last planned Eurogroup meeting of the month, to reassess the situation but there would be no discussion between experts or visits to Athens in the meantime.

Varoufakis made a brief statement to reporters after the meeting and played down a failure to reach a common position. He said he believed a "healing deal" could be reached on Monday.

He denied that the sticking point had been an insistence from Greece's eurozone partners to extend the existing bailout and said there were no threats towards Greece during the meeting.

"We explained whey this bailout is not working," he said. "We want a new contract with Europe."

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