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The EU announced a new round of sanctions on Russia this week, which are set to hit Moscow with trade bans and technology export controls worth €11 billion in response to its invasion of Ukraine. With the EU unveiling its 10th sanctions package, we head to Brussels for a discussion between expert Maria Demertzis and Thanos Davelis to look at what additional measures are being added to the...

13 λεπτά

The Financial Times recently published a report documenting the secret meetings between Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and British Museum chair George Osborne, as they explore ways to end the long-standing dispute over the Parthenon Marbles. While observers note that the climate is better than it has been for 200 years to resolve this issue, key challenges remain. Eleni Varvitsioti,...

9 λεπτά

Greece is heading to elections this spring, where the economy will naturally take center stage. While the world is taking note of the clear progress being made in Greece since the dark days of the financial crisis, putting the economy on a long-term path of strong and steady growth that will also generate higher incomes remains a central challenge and raises the stakes in these elections. Nikos...

12 λεπτά

It’s been over a week since a devastating earthquake struck Turkey and Syria, and it's increasingly clear that this is a humanitarian catastrophe on a scale that many of us can’t imagine. With the rescue phase of operations coming to a close, the challenges facing the Turkish government and its people remain immense. In the meantime, the Turkish government has put a priority on public...

9 λεπτά

This weekend Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias visited the earthquake stricken areas of Turkey to show Greece’s full solidarity with the Turkish people. Dendias also pledged that beyond sending rescue teams to Turkey, Greece will continue to support its neighbor, either bilaterally or as a member of the EU. The scene has revived memories of the 1999 earthquake diplomacy between Greece and...

11 λεπτά

Leading experts, analysts, and elected officials put the spotlight on Greece and the region in Washington, DC this week, as HALC, the Delphi Economic Forum, and Kathimerini hosted the 4th Southeast Europe and East Med conference. Endy Zemenides, HALC’s Executive Director, joins Thanos Davelis to look at how this conference has grown over the years to play a key role in setting the agenda on the...

12 λεπτά

On Wednesday Greece’s parliament banned a far-right political party led by a jailed former member of the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party, which was designated a criminal organization by a Greek court, from participating in the general election later this year. The bill bars parties from the legislature whose leaders have been convicted of serious crimes and are deemed a potential threat to...

13 λεπτά

Turkey is facing a major turning point this year as the country heads to elections in May. As President Erdogan faces his toughest electoral challenge yet, the question being asked by leading experts like Prof. Henri Barkey is: what will Erdogan do to stay in power? The earthquake that struck Turkey on Monday and the ensuing tragedy is undoubtedly going to put a new spotlight on Turkey’s...

16 λεπτά

Former Cypriot Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides led the first round of voting for Cyprus’s presidency on Sunday, and will face a runoff next week against second-place finisher Andreas Mavroyiannis. The winner will succeed outgoing conservative President Nicos Anastasiades, who has been at the helm of Cyprus for a decade, and will be called to address key issues like migration, growing...

10 λεπτά

January was a month in which Greece’s economic performance was in the spotlight. Whether it was at the World Economic Forum in Davos, during a high profile visit by Prime Minister Mitsotakis to Japan, or Fitch’s upgrade of Greece to one step below investment grade, the message is clear: all eyes are on Greece. Alex Patelis, the chief economic adviser to Greece’s Prime Minister, joins Thanos...

11 λεπτά

Over the last years housing costs - particularly rents - have shot up across the Athens area, with some rents jumping as high as 55% since 2017. The share of people in Greece who are overburdened with housing costs is rising, and nearly three quarters of tenants in Greece now spend over 40% of their monthly income on rent. This is quickly becoming a top priority for the government as well,...

13 λεπτά

After The Economist listed Greece as the unlikely economic winner of 2022, the Economist Intelligence Unit has now highlighted the country as one of the best performers on its Democracy Index for 2022, with Greece registering the fifth-biggest increase in score of all the countries covered by the index. Nikos Efstathiou, the deputy editor in chief at the weekly magazine LiFO and a former...

18 λεπτά

January 30th marked the 100 year anniversary of the signing of the Lausanne Convention, which led to the forced expulsion of 1.2 million Greek Orthodox Christians from Turkey and 400,000 Muslims from Greece. This traumatic moment in history fundamentally changed Greece and Hellenism, and its memory is still very much alive and well in Greece. Professor Alexander Kitroeff, a Professor of History...

16 λεπτά

27 years ago the Imia crisis brought Greece and Turkey to the brink of war. Almost three decades later, a lot has changed in terms of Greece’s defense doctrine. Today, as Turkey’s President Erdogan brings tensions in the Aegean to a boiling point, the lessons from this crisis are more important than ever. Vassilis Nedos, Kathimerini’s diplomatic and defense editor, joins Thanos Davelis to...

11 λεπτά

The UN Security Council just renewed the mandate for UNFICYP – the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus - for another year instead of for six months. The renewal comes amid controversy over the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative in Cyprus, and is also occurring less than a week before the first round of presidential elections in Cyprus. Endy Zemenides, HALC’s Executive...

12 λεπτά

Never Give An Inch - the new book by Former CIA Director and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo - was recently released. Aside from recounting his tactics in the Trump administration, the former Secretary also sheds light on key foreign policy priorities under his tenure. These include his dealings with Turkey and President Erdogan, his visit to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, his views on the...

10 λεπτά

Every year on January 27 we commemorate Holocaust Remembrance Day. While this is a story of great pain and sorrow, as the Greek experience shows us, it’s also an opportunity to remember the brave individuals who decided to stand up to hate no matter the consequences - the Righteous Among The Nations. David Harris, a lifelong friend of Greece and the previous CEO of the American Jewish...

16 λεπτά

Greece is known for its historic ties to the sea - from the Battle of Salamis to its merchant shipping fleet today. As of last year, the Union of Greek Shipowners noted that Greece remains the top shipowning nation in the world with approximately 21 percent of the global fleet in terms of capacity. When breaking down the story of Greek shipping, two islands stand out today - Chios and...

16 λεπτά

Turkey’s president has announced May 14 as the date for the country’s next parliamentary and presidential elections. These elections are drawing the attention of the world, and many - including The Economist - are describing them as the country’s last chance for democracy. Steven Cook, the Eni Enrico Mattei senior fellow for Middle East and Africa studies at the Council on Foreign Relations...

16 λεπτά

This past week Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis traveled to Davos to participate in the World Economic Forum. Aside from a number of key meetings with leading business personalities, Mitsotakis also spoke to Fareed Zakaria in a wide ranging interview that covered Greece’s economic transformation, upcoming elections, and tensions with Turkey. The overall message was clear: Greece is back, and...

14 λεπτά