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Turkey’s President Erdogan and Russia’s President Putin met this week in Kazakhstan, where Putin floated a proposal to turn Turkey into an energy hub that could feed Europe with Russian gas. On Friday, Erdogan gave the project the green light, saying that Turkey and Russia had instructed their respective energy authorities to immediately begin technical work on Putin’s proposal. This proposal...

12 λεπτά

Despite the fact that amendments attaching strings to the sale of F-16 fighter jets and upgrade kits to Turkey were not included in the US Senate’s version of the annual defense spending bill, or the NDAA, this week, the issue of US F-16 sales to Turkey is not over. This was made clear when Senator Menendez tweeted that he will not approve any F-16s for Turkey until Erdogan halts his campaign...

13 λεπτά

Prime Minister Mitsotakis has said that he believes Britain is edging closer to returning the Parthenon Marbles, and will raise the subject with the UK’s new Prime Minister, Liz Truss, on an upcoming visit to London this year. Mitsotakis said he believes the “mood is changing in the UK,” a reference to reports that, after decades of defensiveness, the British Museum may be ready to do a deal....

15 λεπτά

It’s been roughly a week since Turkey and the Tripoli-based Libyan government signed an agreement on hydrocarbon exploration, a follow up agreement to their illegal 2019 memorandum on their exclusive economic zones that completely disregards geography and international law. Greece is looking to its partners and allies amid concerns that this latest deal could further escalate tensions in the...

12 λεπτά

The war in Ukraine seems to have given Turkey’s President Erdogan a renewed lease on life in Western capitals, while at the same time giving Turkey leverage to press its Western allies into ignoring its non-stop abuses - primarily directed against NATO ally Greece - simply to get Turkey to help Ukraine against Russia. This dynamic is playing out most clearly in DC with Turkey’s request to...

16 λεπτά

Europe’s attention was on Prague on Thursday and Friday as the leaders of Europe’s countries, from the broader region and the EU specifically, met to tackle key issues facing the continent - from the war in Ukraine to the looming energy crisis. Aside from attempting to tackle these pressing issues, the two days also saw lingering tensions come to the forefront. Turkey’s Erdogan once again...

13 λεπτά

A close reading of recent statements and threats by President Erdogan and Turkish officials that target not only Greece, but also the US, as well as a consistent pattern of events over the last months, show that the risk of conflict between Turkey and Greece is on the rise. Ryan Gingeras, a professor in the Department of National Security Affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School, an expert on...

16 λεπτά

The New York Times recently took its readers to a small village in the southern Peloponnese, Iklaina, where archeologists have uncovered a site that is opening a new window into the world of the Mycenaean civilization, the world described by Homer in the Iliad and Odyssey. Dr. Michael Cosmopoulos, the endowed Professor of Greek studies and Professor of Archaeology at the University of Missouri,...

17 λεπτά

In 2019 Turkey signed a memorandum with the Tripoli-based government in Libya to split the Eastern Mediterranean in two, completely disregarding international law and Libya’s neighbors like Greece and Egypt. On Monday, Turkey took this a step further, announcing that it had signed an agreement with Libya’s interim government allowing for Ankara’s oil rigs and research ships to search for oil...

10 λεπτά

As EU leaders prepare to head to Prague, they will be called on to find answers to the pressing questions around rising energy costs. A small majority of EU states, including Greece, has called on Europe to place a cap on natural gas prices as a way for Europe to not only take back control of its gas market, but strike back at Russia, which is weaponizing energy to put pressure on Europe. Prime...

11 λεπτά

Azerbaijan’s recent attacks against Armenia have once again seen calls for the US to revoke a waiver that the current and previous administrations have issued to Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act, thus cutting military aid to Azerbaijan. Given that Azerbaijan’s aggression is directly linked to Turkey, which openly supports Baku, the question has been raised whether Congress should apply a...

14 λεπτά

Google made a major announcement from Athens on Thursday, laying out its plans to set up its first regional cloud service hub in Greece. This investment follows major decisions by Microsoft and Amazon to set up shop in Greece, and promises to create nearly 20,000 jobs through direct investment and partnerships by the end of the decade while giving a boost to Greece’s efforts to become a...

12 λεπτά

Turkey’s Erdogan is once again taking tensions with Greece to new heights with his statements this week accusing Greece of harboring terrorists and conducting a “covert occupation” of the eastern Aegean islands, language that is reminiscent of Putin’s statements before his invasion of Ukraine. At the same time he’s also targeting the US and the deepening US-Greece relationship, calling on the...

13 λεπτά

On Tuesday Senators Bob Menendez and Marco Rubio introduced bipartisan legislation condemning Azerbaijan’s recent unprovoked attack on Armenia and calling for the immediate end to US security assistance to Azerbaijan. This is the latest effort from members of Congress to hold Azerbaijan and President Aliyev - who is backed by Turkey - accountable. These moves also follow a recent landmark visit...

11 λεπτά

Today we’re looking back at a hectic week in New York, where world leaders gathered for the 77th UN General Assembly. This UNGA kicked off with Turkish President Erdogan’s attempt to rebrand himself before a Western audience while taking a stroll in Central Park, but instead saw him fail to secure a meeting with President Biden, while in his speech before world leaders he repeated the same...

13 λεπτά

With its recent decision to completely lift the Cyprus arms embargo, Washington is now in a position to take its relations with Nicosia to the next level. At the same time, as three scholars at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies argue, this move also presents a valuable opportunity to reach an agreement with Nicosia to transfer some of its Russian-made arms to Ukraine in return for the...

19 λεπτά

While the world’s attention is on Ukraine, recent deadly clashes between political factions in Tripoli are a reminder not only that there is still an open conflict in Libya, but also of the role of outside forces in the country, like Turkey. In the meantime, Greece, given its geography, its historic ties to Libya, and naturally the illegal Turkey-Libya memorandum, can’t remain above the fray,...

13 λεπτά

This week Turkey announced that its research ship, the Oruc Reis, is going to make a return to the Eastern Mediterranean to carry out exploratory research for natural gas and oil. Turkey didn’t specify the exact location, but the Oruc Reis was deployed in 2020 to conduct surveys in what Greece claims as its exclusive economic zone, leading to a summer of tensions. Greece and Cyprus are...

11 λεπτά

Aside from key elections next year in both Turkey and Greece, 2023 also marks the 100th anniversary of the Treaty of Lausanne, the treaty that established Turkey’s modern borders and is at the heart of Greek-Turkish relations, and the centennial of the founding of the Turkish Republic. While Turkish President Erdogan has been dangerously ramping up tensions with Greece in the Aegean in the...

18 λεπτά

As the world leaders gathered in London for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth, the focus was naturally on the British royal family. It seems in their efforts to add a veneer of royalty to their coverage, outlets like CNN and BBC made a move that has prompted a sharp reaction in the Greek world - they featured the son of Greece’s former King, referring to him as Crown Prince. Professor Alexander...

14 λεπτά