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The head of the Bank of Greece, Yannis Stournaras, is adamant that 2023 will be the year when Greece finally regains investment grade after over a decade in the junk-bond wilderness. In an interview with the Financial Times, Stournaras also stressed the importance of the country maintaining fiscal prudence and reforms, while taking advantage of a “window of opportunity” to significantly lower...

8 λεπτά

As the dust begins to settle following the tragic and deadly train crash in Greece last week, there are still a number of questions, from those related to the safety standards of the country’s railway system to who is to blame. In the meantime, we are continuing to see an outpouring of grief and anger in Greek society, with nationwide protests and demonstrations taking place on Wednesday. Tom...

12 λεπτά

On Monday Turkey’s six-party opposition threw their support behind Turkish opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu as the main challenger to President Erdogan in landmark elections expected on May 14. This decision came after an intense few days that saw Meral Aksener - the leader of the second largest party in the coalition - splinter the opposition after publicly opposing Kilicdaroglu’s...

16 λεπτά

In the wake of the tragic train crash in Greece, in which at least 57 people - mostly young students - lost their lives, the question on everyone’s mind is: How could this happen? While there have been promises to investigate the causes of the crash and ensure nothing like this happens again, this, as was recently pointed out by Nick Malkoutzis in an op-ed, is also an opportunity for Greek...

18 λεπτά

Earlier this week two trains collided in Greece, killing 57 people. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called the collision “a horrific rail accident without precedent” in Greece, and pledged a full, independent investigation. The rail crash has shaken Greeks to their core, with protests erupting in Greek cities as many see this as an accident that had been waiting to happen. Iliana...

10 λεπτά

Turkey’s President Erdogan and his government have come under fierce criticism for what many see as an inadequate relief effort following last month’s devastating earthquakes. In the meantime, the government appears to be getting ready to mount a strong crackdown on the dissent highlighting its mismanagement of disaster relief. Expert Sinan Ciddi joins Thanos Davelis to discuss this backlash...

14 λεπτά

Energy has been at the top of the agenda over the past days. Last week’s 1st East Macedonia and Thrace Forum put the spotlight on the port city of Alexandroupoli, which is at the heart of key regional developments, while the recent announcement that seismic surveys were completed south and west of Crete is adding a new dimension to Greece’s plan to not only become an important transit hub for...

12 λεπτά

Last week’s visit by Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Athens, and the launching of the fourth round of the US-Greece Strategic Dialogue was by all accounts another positive step towards deepening the strategic relationship between Greece and the United States. While the Biden administration has built on the positive momentum set by former Secretary Mike Pompeo, is it failing to make the...

13 λεπτά

The 1st East Macedonia and Thrace Forum took place in Alexandroupoli this week, and put a spotlight on the role of this region in upgrading Greece’s geopolitical footprint. Naturally, discussions focused on the role the port city of Alexandroupoli is playing as a major defense hub for Greece, the US, and NATO, as an energy hub, and more generally in strengthening the region's position as a...

13 λεπτά

This week the UN’s highest court ruled that Azerbaijan needs to take all steps at its disposal to lift the blockade on the only highway that connects Nagorno-Karabakh, or Artsakh, with the outside world. This comes after months of Azerbaijan’s blockade, and as the situation for people living in Nagorno Karabakh has become increasingly desperate. Azerbaijan has argued that there is no blockade...

13 λεπτά

Almost one year ago to the day, Russia began its invasion of Ukraine. This war has been described as a turning point not only for Europe, but for world history. As we’ve seen, the war’s impact has spread beyond the borders of Ukraine, with implications for the rest of the world, and Greece is no exception here. Yannis Palaiologos and Vassilis Nedos, who joined The Greek Current the day Putin...

17 λεπτά

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken just concluded a two-day visit to Greece, where he held key meetings with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, inaugurated the 4th Greece-US Strategic Dialogue with his Greek counterpart, Nikos Dendias, and also met with former prime minister and main opposition leader Alexis Tsipras. Deepening cooperation on defense and energy security was high on the...

11 λεπτά

We’re heading to Cyprus today, where it’s been a little over a week since the Cypriot people elected a new president, Nikos Christodoulides. The 49-year-old former diplomat has set clear goals, vowing to put together a young government with women filling half of the Cabinet positions and to work to break the stalemate on the Cyprus problem. In terms of foreign policy, the new president’s...

11 λεπτά

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