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This week Sweden’s Prime Minister went to Turkey in a bid to convince President Erdogan to green light its NATO membership bid. Instead, Erdogan demanded Sweden do more to get his approval. Holding up Sweden’s membership to NATO isn’t the only area where Turkey is creating problems for the transatlantic alliance. Its aggression against Greece - a NATO ally - has dominated headlines, while...

11 λεπτά

With the US midterms behind us, we are turning our attention back to the Eastern Mediterranean, where Greece, Cyprus, and Turkey are all getting ready for national elections in 2023. Tom Ellis, the editor in chief of Kathimerini English Edition, joins Thanos Davelis to look at the general climate as the region moves into this pre-election period. We’ll break down the key issues that are likely...

14 λεπτά

Greece is kicking off a delayed natural gas exploration project with ExxonMobil, reserving two areas off southwestern Greece this week. Potential natural gas reserves in the area are estimated to be between 70-90 trillion cubic feet, which would meet all of Greece’s gas needs and potentially cover 15-20 percent of Europe’s natural gas needs as well. The decision comes at a critical time as...

15 λεπτά

We’re going on the campaign trail on today’s episode for an up-close look at the US midterm elections that are finding Americans deeply polarized. Petros Kasfikis, the Washington DC correspondent for the Athens News Agency and Greece’s Mega TV, who has been on the road covering key races in Pennsylvania and New Hampshire where he is following Representative Chris Pappas’s re-election campaign,...

12 λεπτά

Turkey’s worsening economic crisis has eroded President Erdogan’s popularity ahead of elections in 2023, threatening to oust him from power for the first time in two decades. Yet a large number of voters continue to support him despite his role in creating the crisis. During his twenty years in power Erdogan has developed widespread patronage networks and built clientelistic relationships that...

19 λεπτά

The latest visit to Turkey of Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz has put the Israel-Turkey relationship in the spotlight. Despite the continued tensions on a number of issues - from Turkey’s hosting of Hamas to Turkish President Erdogan’s aggressive rhetoric in the past against Israel - Ankara and Jerusalem have taken several steps to improve relations this year. Sinan Ciddi, the co-author of...

13 λεπτά

Today we’re heading to Washington, DC, where the US Supreme Court recently turned down Turkey's bid to dismiss 2 lawsuits against it filed by demonstrators in the now infamous attack by Turkish President Erdogan’s bodyguards that took place at Sheridan Circle in 2017. Andreas Akaras, an attorney from the firm Bregman, Berbert, Schwartz & Gilday, LLC who also represents the anti-Erdogan...

15 λεπτά

The UN Security Council recently extended the mandate of the UN mission to Libya – known as UNSMIL – for another year, a move welcomed by Greek diplomats. This decision puts the spotlight on the situation in Libya, where the Tripoli government seems to be giving Turkey a blank check as we’ve seen with the recent illegal Turkish-Libyan MoU on energy exploitation and Ankara’s increasing military...

11 λεπτά

On Tuesday Israelis went to the polls for the fifth time in four years, and analysts expected a tight race for the 120-member Knesset, Israel's parliament. As Israelis wait for the final results of these elections, which are expected later this week, countries in the region - from Greece and Cyprus to the UAE - are also watching the results closely. Seth Frantzman, the Senior Middle East...

14 λεπτά

On Friday Finland and Sweden’s prime ministers said they will join NATO at the same time, presenting a united front to Turkey which has raised questions about both their applications. All NATO members, besides Turkey and Hungary, have approved their bids. The new Swedish government has also stated that it will fulfill all requirements under a deal signed earlier this year with Turkey to join...

11 λεπτά

Thanks to investments in the port of Alexandroupolis and the start of the commercial operation of the IGB pipeline, Greece is emerging as a key player in the region. The operation of a second natural gas pipeline from Greece to North Macedonia now presents an opportunity for the region to connect even further and for Greece to cement its role as an energy hub. At the same time, European...

12 λεπτά

Every year on October 28th Greece remembers its entry into World War II and the moment in 1940 when it refused to surrender to Mussolini’s Italy, choosing to fight for independence and against fascism. Greek resistance to fascist Italy and then Nazi Germany inspired many in occupied Europe, and came at a time when the Axis seemed invincible. This year’s commemoration comes as people across the...

14 λεπτά

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who arrived in Athens on Wednesday evening, kicked off his visit to Greece on Thursday morning with a visit to the Acropolis with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Scholz is the first German chancellor to visit Greece in the post-Merkel era. This visit comes one year after former Chancellor Angela Merkel was in Athens, and the dynamics are drastically different...

13 λεπτά

Migration is back in the headlines this week, as the UN released a report warning of increasing numbers of deaths on routes across the Mediterranean, on land borders to Europe and within the continent. The news comes as Greece’s migration ministry released statistics of an 80% increase in migrant arrivals, as Europe turns its attention to curbing migration via the so-called Balkan route, and as...

13 λεπτά

On Tuesday, November 8th, Americans will be heading to the polls to vote in a midterm election that many anticipate will have an enormous impact on the direction of the US. While it looked like Democrats may have gained some momentum late this summer, polling shows that Republicans are regaining the edge, meaning the leadership of the House and the Senate is up for grabs. The outcome of the...

11 λεπτά

The Mediterranean, which connects Europe, Africa and the Middle East, is once again on the frontlines of important developments - as it stands at the crossroads of multiple crises engineered by Russia as part of its effort to weaken Europe’s resolve. In addition, China and Iran are looking to make inroads into the region, while countries like Turkey have also embraced a disruptive role,...

14 λεπτά

Late last week 92 asylum seekers were found by Greek police and European border guards stripped naked at the Evros border between Greece and Turkey. Questions about this incident spilled over onto Twitter, where Greece and Turkey traded accusations about what happened as Greece’s officials said that Turkey orchestrated the incident. In 2020 Turkey encouraged migrants to storm the Evros border,...

16 λεπτά

While everyone’s attention is on Ukraine, key developments in Syria have gone under the radar. Recent reports put the spotlight on Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the jihadi faction that runs the northwestern province of Idlib, which had moved into Afrin, the Kurdish-majority enclave that was occupied by Turkey in 2018. This move, and the broader trend we are seeing of gradual HTS expansion and...

12 λεπτά

This week is largely seen as crucial for European leaders as they work to make sure rising energy prices and short supplies do not further tank their struggling economies while keeping all 27 members united in their opposition to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Leading up to this week’s key summit, the European Commission announced a set of new emergency measures - including seeking a price...

12 λεπτά

Tensions in the Aegean, Turkish overflights over Greek islands and its violations of Greek airspace, and the evolving story in the US over the sale of F-16s to Turkey have put the issue of air superiority in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean into focus. Today the pendulum is swinging toward Greece, as it has taken key steps to bolster its air-defense capabilities while Turkey has seen...

13 λεπτά