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HALC's Executive Director Endy Zemenides is joined by Clifford Smith of the Middle East Forum to discuss reports that Russia will be suppling Turkey with additional S-400 air defense missiles. Previously, the US barred Turkey from working on and receiving Lockheed Martin Corp’s advanced F-35 stealth fighter jets after Ankara ignored warnings from Washington and NATO not to buy the first S-400...

15 λεπτά

HALC's Executive Director Endy Zemenides is joined by Sebastian Mallaby, the Paul A. Volcker senior fellow for international economics at the Council on Foreign Relations, to discuss Sebastian's latest piece in The Washington Post analyzing Germany's role in Europe and the world state, "Germany is finally acting like Europe’s major power."

16 λεπτά

Ryan Gingeras, professor in the Department of National Security Affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School, and HALC Executive Director discuss Turkey sending a new drill ship to eastern Mediterranean, what motivates Erdogan, Turkey's approach to maritime issues, and the "Blue Homeland" concept taking hold in Turkey.

16 λεπτά

Last month marked the commemoration of the 99th anniversary of the signing of the Lausanne Treaty, a treaty that is at the heart of Greek-Turkish relations - whether we are talking about sovereignty in the Aegean Sea or the rights of minorities in each country. In its efforts to revise the status quo in the region, Turkey has made attempts to re-interpret Lausanne as it sees fit. For example,...

13 λεπτά

HALC Executive Director Endy Zemenides discusses developments in the Eastern Mediterranean and Israel's Operation Breaking Dawn with Jonathan Schanzer, author and senior vice president of research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

16 λεπτά

Russian President Putin met with Turkish President Erdogan in Sochi on Friday, making this the leaders’ second meeting in just over two weeks. The meeting comes as Russia is turning to Turkey and other potential new trading partners as it tries to circumvent Western sanctions - reportedly setting off alarms that the Kremlin could strengthen economic ties with a NATO country that has not joined...

12 λεπτά

Earlier this week we saw tensions rise in the Western Balkans, as a dispute between Kosovo and Serbia led to protests and reports of gunfire. Amid these tensions, Greece has engaged diplomatically with both sides to help them come to an understanding. As Greece steps up its diplomatic presence in the Balkans, Athens is also upgrading its cooperation with Kosovo. Vassilis Nedos, Kathimerini’s...

11 λεπτά

Over the last years geopolitics have raised the profile of Greece’s northern region of Thrace, with key ports like Alexandroupoli taking center stage. While key investments in the security and energy infrastructure of the region accelerate, Thrace still faces a unique set of challenges. One of these is demographics, with Thrace’s border villages facing shrinking and aging populations. Thrace...

12 λεπτά

Last week Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock traveled to Greece and Turkey, where she took a clear stance against Turkish revisionism in the region, stating in unequivocal terms that the sovereignty of Greece’s islands are not up for dispute. While in Turkey, she also made a point to raise issues related to human rights violations. These clear statements mark a shift in Berlin’s...

14 λεπτά

Turkey’s Defense Minister Hulusi Akar issued a barrage of new and wild accusations against Greece recently, specifically targeting Greece’s efforts to modernize its military, which he said shows that Athens is allegedly “up to something” against Turkey. He also tried to once again raise questions about Greek sovereignty in the Aegean, and accused Greece of expansionism. General (ret.)...

11 λεπτά

How can Washington best balance security interests in Europe and the Middle East while still prioritizing the Indo-Pacific? Expert Aaron Stein, who joins me today on our podcast, makes the case in a recent piece for War on the Rocks that the answer might be found in deepening the military partnership with Greece, one of Washington’s most important regional allies, as well as the Republic of...

15 λεπτά

Earlier this week Turkey announced that its newest drill ship would set sail August 9th for a drilling operation “in the Mediterranean,” setting the stage for an escalation of tensions should the ship deploy to an area that falls within Greece or Cyprus’s EEZs. The announcement comes as Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also upped the ante with Athens again this week, issuing a barrage...

13 λεπτά

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrived in Greece Tuesday to seal a number of agreements on energy, military cooperation, and in other fields. The visit comes as Greece has forged closer diplomatic and economic ties with Saudi Arabia in recent years as it seeks to build alliances and partnerships in the wider region. This was Mohammed bin Salman’s first trip to an EU country since the...

15 λεπτά

Wildfires have swept across Greece, and major blazes have threatened protected national forests, homes, and livelihoods as authorities issued calls for evacuations. This is taking place amid a protracted heat wave that has pushed temperatures past 41 degrees Celsius in some places. Amidst these challenges in Greece, we also saw other parts of Europe face wildfires and record-breaking...

13 λεπτά

Russia and Ukraine signed separate agreements Friday with Turkey and the UN clearing the way for exporting millions of tons of desperately needed Ukrainian grain, ending a standoff that had threatened food security around the globe. During the signing ceremony, Turkey’s President Erdogan played up his role as a statesman and Turkey’s role in mediating the agreement. Despite this deal, however,...

13 λεπτά

The Nord Stream gas pipeline between Russia and the EU reopened this week, with deliveries slowly getting back to levels seen before the pipeline closed for maintenance earlier this month. This has allowed Europe to catch its breath, but the fear that Russia could use gas to blackmail Europe remains, and EU countries, including Greece, are preparing emergency measures should Russia decide to...

13 λεπτά

On Wednesday Turkey announced that its fourth drill ship, the Abdülhamid Han, will launch operations in the Eastern Mediterranean in August, raising the prospect of heightened tensions with Greece and Cyprus. In the meantime, Greece’s Defense Minister traveled to the United States this week, where he raised the issue of Turkey’s revisionism in the Aegean, and took important steps to bring...

10 λεπτά

While Cyprus has become a key US partner in the Eastern Mediterranean, there is still a partial arms embargo on Cyprus as US law currently prohibits providing Cyprus with US-made weaponry. The US only partially lifted the embargo a few years ago because of concerns over Cyprus’s links to Russia, which US lawmakers called on Cyprus to address. Cyprus has now fulfilled these requirements. Lifting...

12 λεπτά

This weekend North Macedonia’s parliament gave the government the green light to resolve a dispute with Bulgaria that paves the way for EU membership talks to begin. The deal would also unblock the start of negotiations for Albania, another EU hopeful. While this may lift Bulgaria’s veto over North Macedonia’s membership bid, there are still a number of hurdles before North Macedonia can join...

14 λεπτά

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin is set to travel to Tehran on Tuesday, where he will meet with the leaders of Iran and Turkey to discuss Syria. Much is at stake in Putin’s meeting with Turkey’s Erdogan, with the two leaders set to discuss a range of issues, including Turkish threats to launch a new military incursion in Syria. Putin is also looking to strengthen Russia’s relationship with...

9 λεπτά