Greek Farmers Reject Talks As Protests Escalate Into Third Week

Athens: Greek farmers have rejected a government invitation for talks, vowing to escalate protests that have disrupted traffic across the country for a third week.

The decision was made during a nationwide meeting of farmer representatives on Saturday (local time), who stated they would first submit a list of demands and only engage in dialogue after receiving concrete government responses.

The protests, involving blockades of highways, border crossings and ports, were triggered by delays in EU subsidy payments following a corruption investigation into Greece’s agricultural payments agency. Farmers are also demanding state support for rising production costs, livestock disease losses, weather damage, and long-standing structural problems, reports Xinhua news agency.

Experts note Greek