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A Turkish court has sentenced Istanbul’s popular mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu - who could potentially face off against Erdogan in the upcoming elections - to more than two years in prison and barred him from politics. This has been described as a “major setback for democracy” in Turkey as the country prepares for elections next year. It also follows a trend of democratic backsliding that has seen the...

9 λεπτά

Today we’re going from the halls of Congress to the European Parliament to Turkey, in an all encompassing episode with HALC’s Executive Director Endy Zemenides, who joins Thanos Davelis to look at a number of key developments that have dominated the headlines. We breaking down the significance of the final text of the National Defense Authorization Act that Congress unveiled - which did not...

11 λεπτά

Greek-US ties are at an all-time high, and those reading the headlines will surely be aware of the strong defense ties between the two countries. While US-Greek defense ties are crucial, American investments are also a significant part of this equation. Over the last years major US companies - including a number of giants in the tech sector - have given Greece a vote of confidence, boosting...

12 λεπτά

Turkey has been bombing northeast Syria and the SDF - America’s indispensable allies in the fight against the Islamic State - since November, and it appears that Ankara is massing more troops on the Syrian border, threatening a cross-border ground operation. Expert David Phillips joins Thanos Davelis to look at whether a Turkish ground operation in Syria is on the horizon, why Turkey’s...

12 λεπτά

The Biden administration imposed sanctions on Thursday on prominent Turkish businessman Sitki Ayan and his network of firms, accusing him of acting as a facilitator for oil sales and money laundering on behalf of Iran. The move only came after an in-depth report in Politico which highlighted how Ayan, who has close ties to Turkish President Erdogan, helped Tehran dodge US sanctions. Expert...

13 λεπτά

EU and Western Balkans leaders met in Albania this week for a summit meant to reassure the region of its future in the EU. For the six Western Balkans countries gaining full EU membership still remains a distant goal, but Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has pushed EU leaders to focus on bringing the region closer to the bloc. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was also in Albania for the...

16 λεπτά

Over a decade after the abandonment of a pipeline project designed to take Russian crude through Bulgarian territory to Greece, Athens and Sophia are now reviving the project - this time without Moscow’s participation. Talks are centered on reversing the direction of the original pipeline, instead bringing oil from Alexandroupoli on the Aegean coast to Bulgaria and possibly Romania. John...

15 λεπτά

A new government program in Greece is looking to give young Greeks a shot at becoming homeowners, offering mortgages for as little as 1% to address an affordability crisis. The move comes as many young Greeks are being priced out of the property market and forced to cover the cost of soaring rents despite little rise in their real incomes. Eleni Varvitsioti, the Financial Times correspondent...

11 λεπτά

On Friday Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias hosted his Albanian counterpart in Athens in a visit that comes ahead of a trip next week by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to Albania. This has put Greece’s relationship with its northern neighbor and its broader diplomatic approach to the Western Balkans into focus. A key issue on the table will be moving forward with referring the...

11 λεπτά

As Turkey threatens to mount a fresh ground assault against the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces in northeast Syria, America’s Syrian Kurdish allies are warning that Washington and the Kremlin need to take a much firmer stance to prevent a Turkish offensive that will further undermine the battle against the Islamic State. While Washington has expressed “strong opposition” to a new Turkish...

13 λεπτά

With time running out ahead of a Monday deadline for implementing a G7 price cap on Russian oil designed to hit Vladimir Putin's war fund, the pressure is on the EU to reach an agreement. Despite several rounds of negotiations and US pressure, the EU remains in a deadlock. Efi Koutsokosta, the EU Correspondent for Euronews and Skai TV, joins Thanos Davelis from Brussels to discuss the G7 plan...

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The last week has seen Greece take important steps in exercising its rights in its maritime space south and southwest of Crete. First, Athens and Cairo signed a deal on search and rescue missions across the Mediterranean - a move that follows up on their 2020 deal to delimit their exclusive economic zones. It also strikes at the heart of Turkey’s Blue Homeland doctrine. Second, Greece is...

12 λεπτά

After years of tension between Turkey and Egypt, Turkish President Erdogan and his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi shook hands at the opening of the World Cup in Qatar in what Cairo described as a new start in bilateral relations. Despite this meeting, there are still a number of unresolved issues between the two countries, from Libya, to the Eastern Mediterranean, to Turkey’s support...

11 λεπτά

Turkish fighter jets carried out dozens of airstrikes in northern Syria and Iraq on Sunday, in what Turkish officials said was a retaliation for a bombing in Istanbul last week. Ankara has blamed the PKK and the YPG in Syria for the bombing, despite both denying any involvement, and, as many have pointed out, there are still a number of questions around the attack that have yet to be answered....

15 λεπτά

Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias’ planned visit last week to Tripoli, Libya, to meet the head of Libya’s Presidential Council, Mohamed Menfi, ended before it even started when the Tripoli-based government’s foreign minister Najla Mangoush, who signed an illegal energy exploration deal with Turkey, that tried to force a meeting at the airport. Dendias refused to meet Mangoush, and without exiting...

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On Thursday the UN and other parties said an agreement that unblocked grain shipments from Ukraine and helped temper rising global food prices was to be extended by four months. There was a fear earlier this month that the deal would collapse after Russia’s President Putin abruptly pulled out. After rejoining, Turkish President Erdogan boasted that his relationship with Putin was key to...

14 λεπτά

A potential EU-wide cap on gas prices - an initiative supported by Greece - hangs in the balance as Brussels has yet to present a legislative proposal needed for its creation, while countries remain divided over the issue even as energy ministers prepare to meet next week to hammer out a deal ahead of what could be a difficult winter. Instead, the European Commission circulated a paper...

11 λεπτά

Senator Bob Menendez led a stinging indictment of US policy in the Caucasus during a Senate hearing on Wednesday in which he called out the State Department’s both-siderism, citing its apparent refusal to clearly and unequivocally condemn Azerbaijani aggression. This all comes as the US is trying to broker a peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Aram Hamparian, the Executive Director of the...

12 λεπτά

Prime Minister Mistotakis’ recent participation at COP27 in Egypt and the latest announcements by Greece that it is exploring for hydrocarbons at sea have put a renewed focus on energy in the Eastern Mediterranean, specifically Greece’s role as a key energy player. Greece’s gas ambitions, as the Prime Minister spelled out at COP27, are just a part of the broader picture as key investments in...

12 λεπτά

While votes are still being counted following last Tuesday’s midterm elections in the US, there are a few things we can say with certainty. The anticipated Republican “red wave” failed to materialize, Democrats will hold the Senate, meaning Senator Menendez will remain Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Greek American and Philhellenic candidates across the country had a...

13 λεπτά