πριν περίπου 12 ώρες Elections in North Macedonia put EU and ties with Greece, Bulgaria in the spotlight Voters in North Macedonia went to the polls on Wednesday for the first round of presidential elections in a vote widely seen as a litmus test for upcoming parliamentary elections. There are some concerns the election outcome could affect North Macedonia’s relations with Greece and Bulgaria - given references to the Prespa Agreement and constitutional changes Sofia is calling for - and further... 10 λεπτά
πριν περίπου 22 ώρες Has Erdogan canceled his White House visit? Claims that Turkish President Erdogan has canceled an upcoming meeting at the White House have been circulating in Turkish media. With neither Washington nor Ankara formally denying the rumors, it is raising more questions about whether they are true or not. In the meantime, it seems Ankara is once again putting up hurdles with regard to NATO, this time over the approval of former Dutch Prime... 11 λεπτά
πριν 2 ημέρες 109 years since the Armenian Genocide: Is history repeating itself? Today marks 109 years since the Armenian genocide began. With commemorations taking place across the world, there is a renewed fear that the lessons of “Never Again” have been forgotten following Azerbaijan’s attack on Nagorno Karabakh and the subsequent mass exodus of over 100,000 Armenians from the region in what has been described as ethnic cleansing. Aram Hamparian, the Executive Director... 13 λεπτά
πριν 3 ημέρες Changes to Greece’s Golden Visa scheme Changes to Greece’s Golden Visa scheme are set to kick in at the end of the summer. This will see increases in the minimum amount needed to invest in order to secure a residence permit in an effort to tackle the country’s housing crisis. This move comes as golden visa programs are being phased out or shut down around Europe, and as housing has become a hot political issue. Nikos Roussanoglou, a... 10 λεπτά
πριν 4 ημέρες The 'spectacular turnaround' in investments in Greece Investments in Greece have shot up over the past years, with the country outperforming its Eurozone partners when it comes to the pace with which it is attracting and increasing investments. Despite this positive picture, there are a number of myths around investments in Greece, especially when it comes to real estate and the Golden Visa scheme. Michael Arghyrou, the head of the Council of... 15 λεπτά
19 Απρ Greece's economic rebound and the challenges ahead Since emerging from its international bailouts and a decade-long economic crisis, the Greek economy is now surging, outperforming its eurozone partners with its economy expected to grow nearly 3% this year. Despite this positive outlook, there are key challenges ahead, as some economies in the eurozone have slowed down, and many Greeks hurt by the crisis are still struggling. Nikos Vettas, the... 12 λεπτά
19 Απρ Greece plans defense system like Israel’s Iron Dome Following Iran’s latest attack on Israel over the weekend Defense Minister Nikos Dendias said that Greece plans to develop a defense system similar to Israel’s Iron Dome aimed at safeguarding the country against airborne threats. Meanwhile, while Iran was also the focus of a summit in Brussels, EU leaders also highlighted relations with Turkey, linking them to progress on the Cyprus issue.... 12 λεπτά
17 Απρ From California to Mount Olympus and Greece's seas Back in February, the readout from the 5th US-Greece strategic dialogue saw the US and Greece stress the importance of integrating youth in climate change mitigation and resilience, including through a youth corps exchange program that links the California Conservation Corps with Ecogenia in Greece. Thanos Davelis caught up with Larry Notheis, the Chief Deputy Director at the California... 10 λεπτά
17 Απρ Looking at the Greek financial crisis through Schäuble’s memoirs The memoirs of former German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble were recently released in Germany. As expected, Greece features heavily. All the key moments of the crisis and its main actors are sketched in his memoirs, from the times Grexit was genuinely on the table, to his dealings with prime ministers Papandreou, Samaras, and Tsipras, and finance ministers Papaconstantinou, Venizelos, and... 12 λεπτά
16 Απρ Visiting the oracle: Delphi Economic Forum IX Last week thought leaders, politicians, experts and the business community gathered in Delphi in Greece for the 9th Delphi Economic Forum. The Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC) had an important presence there as well, leading discussions on the role of the diaspora, the importance of Cyprus, the Middle East post October 7th, and the future direction of American foreign policy given US... 13 λεπτά
12 Απρ Planned flotilla from Turkey to Gaza could spark a new crisis Reports indicate that a new flotilla to Gaza is being prepared out of Turkey. 14 years ago we saw a similar move take place, when the attempt to send the Mavi Marmara flotilla to Gaza led to a diplomatic crisis. Rich Goldberg, a senior advisor at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies with a deep expertise in sanctions policy who previously served on the White House National Security... 13 λεπτά
11 Απρ The ISIS resurgence in Syria and Turkey's role in it Years after its collapse in Iraq and Syria at the hands of a US-led coalition, it looks like ISIS is making a comeback. As reports indicate, ISIS has been expanding its presence in Syria, attacking regime soldiers, civilians, and the US-backed Kurdish-led SDF. An underreported element of this story is Turkey’s role in the revival of the Islamic State. Nadine Maenza joins Thanos Davelis to look... 11 λεπτά
10 Απρ Greece to protect its seas with two new marine parks Greece’s government just announced the creation of two new marine parks – in the Ionian and Aegean seas. The move comes a week before Athens is set to host the 9th Our Ocean Conference on April 16 and 17, which will see key stakeholders not only put a spotlight on issues related to the protection of the seas, but also present a series of concrete proposals. Giorgos Lialios, a journalist at... 10 λεπτά
10 Απρ Turkey, Israel, and Erdogan's post-election challenges Turkey announced it was restricting exports on a wide range of products to Israel on Tuesday, in Ankara's first significant measure against Israel after six months of war. The decision comes after Turkish President Erdogan’s party suffered a historic defeat in the municipal elections, a result which experts Sinan Ciddi and Steven Cook argued in Foreign Policy could provide a first glimpse into... 13 λεπτά
9 Απρ Thucydides, NATO, and the new era of great power politics The last decade Thucydides has moved to the center of the discussion, with concepts like the “Thucydides trap” debated in policy circles in Washington, DC when looking at how to navigate US relations with a rising China in what appears to be a new era of great power competition. So what can Thucydides tell us about our world today? This was the focus of a recent event in Athens at the Institute... 10 λεπτά
6 Απρ Cyprus calls for EU help amid migration crisis Migration is top of the agenda this week in Cyprus, with President Nikos Christodoulides calling for the EU to step in to help Cyprus deal with a surge in arrivals on its shores. Cyprus is pressing Brussels to designate parts of Syria as safe for returns of migrants, and also to condition EU aid to Lebanon on its preventing migrants from departing. Nektaria Stamouli, the deputy editor in chief... 10 λεπτά
5 Απρ How Greece is overhauling its wildfire response plans ahead of the summer Greece is ramping up its firefighting efforts, with authorities betting on a host of preventive measures - from the deployment of firefighting aircraft to increased staffing in specialized forest firefighting units - as temperatures touched 30 degrees Celsius in late March and wildfires already broke out weeks earlier than expected. On top of multi-agency exercises and drills, Greece is also... 10 λεπτά
4 Απρ The far-right in Greece - A rising threat ahead of EU elections? With the EU elections on the horizon, one party in Greece, Greek Solution, is seeing a notable surge in support. The rise of this far right nationalist party also mirrors broader trends in the far right across Europe, and many are beginning to ask whether this resurgent far-right is here to stay. Dr. Georgios Samaras, an assistant professor of public policy at King’s College London, joins... 14 λεπτά
3 Απρ Greece's visa program for Turkish visitors and the ongoing efforts to maintain calm in the Aegean Greece has just opened a new vacation visa terminal for Turkish visitors this week as part of a diplomatic effort to ease long-standing tensions between the two countries. The move follows the signing of a series of agreements between Greece and Turkey during President Erdogan’s meeting with Prime Minister Mitsotakis in Athens in December, most notably the Athens Declaration. Vassilis Nedos,... 13 λεπτά
2 Απρ Turkey's opposition stuns Erdogan with historic win in local elections Less than a year after securing another term, Turkish President Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party suffered its worst defeat in its 22-year history in Sunday’s municipal elections. All eyes were on Istanbul, where Ekrem Imamoglu easily won reelection and is increasingly cementing his place as Erdogan’s political challenger. Amberin Zaman, Al-Monitor’s chief correspondent covering major... 15 λεπτά