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Amid discussions on the potential sale of US F-16 fighter jets to Turkey, an argument has emerged that if Ankara doesn’t get American F-16s, it will turn to Russia or China to upgrade its fleet of jets. Endy Zemenides, the Executive Director of the Hellenic American Leadership Council, joins Thanos Davelis to explain why this argument is tantamount to accepting Turkey’s hostage politics, making...

12 λεπτά

In 2020, when tension with Turkey had reached a peak, Greece declared the extension of its territorial waters in the Ionian Sea from 6 to 12 nautical miles as it’s entitled to under international law. Now, it's being reported that Greece could make a similar move around the island of Crete. Turkey, which has a longstanding threat of war against Greece if it exercises its rights and extends its...

16 λεπτά

This weekend Sweden’s Prime Minister said Turkey is asking for too much over its NATO application, adding that Sweden has lived up to its commitments and that the decision now “lies with Turkey.” Ankara has effectively demanded the impossible, notably that Stockholm override a decision by its own Supreme Court and extradite a journalist wanted by the Erdogan regime. Analysts say Turkish...

15 λεπτά

Last year Greece had to deal with a number of security challenges, whether it was the wider impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, US competition with China, or Turkey’s revisionism. Looking ahead, it’s likely Greece will be confronted with similar challenges in 2023 as well, as Russia, Turkey, and China continue to pose a threat to regional stability in Greece’s broader neighborhood. Admiral...

17 λεπτά

This week, after his first cabinet meeting of the new year, Prime Minister Mitsotakis sent a strong signal that he does not plan to call general elections before April. The announcement comes as Greece’s political parties begin to get into campaign mode. Nick Malkoutzis, the co-founder and editor of Macropolis.gr, a political and economic analysis site that focuses on Greece, joins Thanos...

18 λεπτά

A humanitarian crisis is unfolding in the Caucasus, as Azerbaijan is blockading the Lachin corridor, the main road in Nagorno Karabakh, or Artsakh. Azerbaijan’s blockade, which has been ongoing since December 12, has deprived some 120,000 Armenians in Artsakh of food, medicine and other vital supplies, and the Armenian foreign ministry has accused Azerbaijan of "ethnic cleansing." Aram...

13 λεπτά

2022 saw Greek-Turkish relations hit historic lows, as Ankara took its provocations against Greece in the Aegean to dangerous levels. The year wrapped up with Turkey’s foreign minister renewing Ankara’s casus belli - or threat of war - against Greece. This followed boasts from President Erdogan that Turkey’s new Tayfun missiles could target Athens. These developments have raised the question...

16 λεπτά

This week it was announced that Italy’s ENI and France’s Total are expediting plans to develop hydrocarbons off the coast of Cyprus following the discovery of another natural gas field, Zeus-1. This newest discovery “reaffirms the promising potential” of the East Med at a time when Europe is looking for alternatives to Russian gas. At the same time, Nicosia is also considering a proposal for a...

14 λεπτά

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis became the first Greek prime minister to visit the historic Greek minority in southern Albania in over 30 years on Thursday. Expectations were great in the community, not just because of the symbolic significance of the visit, but also because people hope to see a willingness from Athens to address some of the key challenges they face - whether it’s standing...

16 λεπτά

In the wake of WWII, Europeans formed the Coal and Steel Community to break Germany’s monopoly over coal and steel and secure peace on the continent for nearly 80 years. This peace is at risk today as revisionist countries like Russia and Turkey look to use their monopolies on gas shipments to threaten, coerce and extort Europe, putting the post World War II rules-based order at risk. Michael...

13 λεπτά

Pope Francis made headlines this week with his decision to return to Greece fragments of the Parthenon sculptures that the Vatican has held in its museum. This, along with recent reports of negotiations between Greece and Britain over the return of the Parthenon sculptures, has once again put this issue in the spotlight. Angelos Chaniotis, a professor of ancient history and Classics at the...

13 λεπτά

With Greece inching toward general elections next year, there are concerns that a series of issues both inside and outside Greece, the latest Qatargate scandal being one of them, could potentially fan anti-systemic sentiment and see voters give a boost to the extremes of the political spectrum. This could impact the formation of a future government, as polls show it is most likely the case that...

12 λεπτά

Despite Ankara’s efforts to normalize relations with Cairo, Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi delivered a new blow to the Turkish-Libyan maritime memorandum this week with a decree unilaterally declaring Egypt’s maritime border with Libya. This decree builds on the agreement between Greece and Egypt in 2020 that delimits their EEZs, and serves as a shield for Greece’s rights in the Eastern...

11 λεπτά

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