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Last week at the Delphi Economic Forum we heard Greece’s main western partners - notably the US and Germany - hint that there will be a push to resolve long-standing Greek-Turkish disputes after the upcoming elections. At the same time, the Forum looked at the dynamic shifts taking place in the Eastern Mediterranean, most notably the 3+1 partnership between Greece, Israel, Cyprus, and the US....

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At the beginning of 2023 Bulgaria gained access to Turkey’s terminals and gas transmission network under a long-term deal that would help the country replace supplies once provided by Russia. This had come to a surprise to some in Athens, as Greece and Bulgaria have accelerated their energy cooperation through projects like the IGB natural gas pipeline and the FSRU in Alexandroupolis. It...

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It looks like the US is sending a clear message on the importance of maintaining Greece’s qualitative military edge with moves that will get the ball rolling on Greece’s acquisition of both C-130 aircraft and F-35 jets. In another development that is expected to be announced soon, Kathimeirni reports Greece will receive an additional package of financial assistance from the US government for...

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It wasn’t too long ago that Greece seemed to be going from crisis to crisis, with Grexit being thrown around as a real possibility. Today, we’re seeing Greece described as a European success story. Peter Spiegel, the US managing editor of the Financial Times, joins Thanos Davelis to discuss Greece’s transformation from the depths of the financial crisis to today. We look at the importance of...

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With election season in full swing, Greece’s politicians are trying to engage with a group of voters that may not have received their full attention in the past: young voters. We’ve seen political leaders take to TikTok, speak to YouTubers, and create content targeting this specific bloc of voters. Given this emphasis on winning the youth vote, Nikos Efstathiou, the deputy editor in chief at...

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The campaign for Greece’s May 21 national election officially kicked off on Saturday with the dissolution of parliament, and political parties, which have already been making their pitch to the Greek people, are now in full campaign mode. At the same time, observers are watching to see how developments on Greece’s far-right in the last few days will impact the political scene. Tom Ellis, the...

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April 24th marks the anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. This year, commemorations take on a new meaning as Armenians continue to face hostility as Azerbaijan, backed by Turkey, continues its monthslong blockade of the only route into Artsakh, the Armenian-governed enclave in Nagorno-Karabakh, cutting off food, water, and gas. Aram Hamparian, the Executive Director of the Armenian National...

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EU lawmakers on Thursday gave the green light to a series of proposals aimed at finally ending years of standoff over how to manage migration, an issue that has provoked one of the bloc’s biggest political crises. The move comes amid a spike in both legal and illegal migration across Europe. The question now is whether EU countries can finally reform their creaking asylum system before...

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On Wednesday the Supreme Court ruled that the Turkish state-owned Halkbank remains subject to criminal prosecution in US courts for fraud, money laundering, and sanctions offenses related to the bank’s alleged participation “in a multibillion-dollar scheme to evade US sanctions on Iran.” The case has strained US-Turkish relations. Jonathan Schanzer, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’...

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About a week ago the US imposed sanctions on Turkish entities it said violated US export controls and helped Russia's war effort. This is part of ongoing efforts to “cut off more of the international assets and finance channels still connecting Moscow’s economy to global trade and finance.” Expert Sinan Ciddi joins Thanos Davelis to look into why this move is significant, and break down how the...

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On Monday the Biden's administration notified Congress of the planned sale to Turkey of avionics software upgrades for its current fleet of F-16 fighter aircraft, a deal valued at up to $259 million. The deal, which would mark the first military equipment sale to Turkey in years, moved ahead after leaders of U.S. congressional committees gave informal approval. Petros Kasfikis, the Washington...

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What will the impact on Turkey’s foreign policy be should Kemal Kilicdaroglu and the Turkish opposition manage to unseat President Erdogan in the upcoming elections in May? Some observers envision a quick reversal of Erdogan’s anti-Western approach, while others warn that we might see a striking degree of continuity. A look at the opposition’s record and platform suggests something in between...

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Greece’s Parliament voted on Tuesday to ban the extreme-right Greeks-National Party from running in the upcoming elections, aiming to block its members linked to the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn criminal organization from entering parliament. The decision comes ahead of what could be a tight race between the ruling New Democracy and opposition Syriza parties. Nektaria Stamouli, Politico’s Athens-based...

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Egypt’s foreign minister was just in Athens, meeting with both Prime Minister Mitsotakis and Foreign Minister Dendias. The visit put the spotlight on the Greek-Egyptian relationship as both countries look to further strengthen their strategic ties, including on energy, and on regional partnerships such as the East Med Gas Forum and the trilateral between Greece, Cyprus, and Egypt. The visit...

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The upcoming elections in Turkey are ones where the fate of Turkey — as well as the nature of its relations with the world — will be affected for the years to come. That’s the argument Prof. Cengiz Aktar makes in his latest op-ed that explores why, given these stakes, Turkish President Erdogan will leave nothing to chance. Prof. Cengiz Aktar joins Thanos Davelis to discuss the reasons he...

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This weekend missiles from a drone nearly hit a US convoy carrying American personnel and Mazlum Kobane, a top American ally in the fight against the Islamic State and the commander in chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces. Kobane said he was the target of an assassination, while the Pentagon said the strikes “directly threatened the safety of US personnel” working to defeat IS. Turkey is...

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One of Turkish President Erdogan’s most prominent political opponents, Selahattin Demirtaş, has spoken out from prison to the Financial Times, urging Turkey’s opposition to seize what he said is its best chance yet to defeat Erdogan. Selahattin Demirtaş - who led the Peoples’ Democratic party (HDP), Turkey’s third-largest political group, before he was jailed in 2016 - also stressed that the...

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Undecided voters are expected to play a key role in Greece’s national elections on May 21 as their percentage remains high - above 16 percent according to the latest polls. The new polls also show that the possibility of calling new elections remains strong, as the chances of polls leading to a single-party government or the formation of a coalition government seem remote. Panos Koliastasis, an...

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Greece’s economic performance was in the spotlight again this week as Eurogroup President Paschal Donohoe was in Athens to meet with Prime Minister Mitsotakis and to participate in the “Resilience, Progress, Perspective” conference on the Greek economy. The Eurogroup President highlighted Greece’s economic progress pointing out that its growth is above the euro area average while inflation is...

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Finland became NATO’s 31st member on Tuesday, marking a major shift in Europe’s security landscape and a setback for Russia's Vladimir Putin. Until late last week, Turkey had maintained a block on Finland’s membership bid, and is still keeping Sweden - which is also seeking NATO membership - in limbo. Expert Max Bergmann joins Thanos Davelis to explain why this moment is significant for NATO,...

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