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Separatist rhetoric among Bosnian Serb leadership is raising concerns about the dissolution of Bosnia-Herzegovina, with Milorad Dodik, the leader of Republika Srpska, recently ramping up talk of withdrawing from Bosnia’s military, intelligence, judicial, and tax institutions—effectively threatening secession. On Friday, a day after this interview took place, the parliament of the Serb part of...

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Climate change and its impacts have been central topics of discussion in Greece, especially after a summer of intense heat waves and devastating wildfires. Aside from creating a new ministry to exclusively handle the fallout from climate change, the Greek government has also announced ambitious targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions, completely faze out the use of coal powered power plants,...

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It’s been a busy week in Greek diplomacy. It kicked off with Prime Minister Mitsotakis first speaking to Secretary of State Antony Blinken about the US-Greece partnership and developments in the broader region, setting the tone for the Prime Minister’s week. A day after this call, on Tuesday, Mitsotakis traveled to Jerusalem where he attended the latest trilateral summit with the leaders of...

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On Monday Pope Francis wrapped up a five day trip to Cyprus and Greece. Francis' trip was dominated by the migration issue, and he called for European countries to stop building walls, stoking fears and shutting out "those in greater need who knock at our door." In a gesture of solidarity, the Vatican announced that Pope Francis would take a number of refugees and migrants back to Italy from...

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Is there a new momentum for the return of Parthenon Marbles to Greece? That’s what Janet Suzman, the chair of the British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles, argued in her latest op-ed for Kathimerini. Her piece came after Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited the United Kingdom, where he raised the issue of the Parthenon Marbles in his meeting with Prime...

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On Friday the northern Greek port city of Alexandroupolis hosted the largest transfer of US military equipment through the port to date as part of the Atlantic Resolve 2021 exercise. US Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt, who was in Alexandroupoli along with Greek Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos and other officials, said that the ever-growing volume of military activity at the port city...

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Europe’s leading human rights body, The Council of Europe, has initiated rarely used infringement proceedings against Turkey after Ankara’s failure to release businessman and philanthropist Osman Kavala despite a European Court of Human Rights’ judgement ordering his immediate release. This may eventually lead to withholding Turkey’s voting rights in the council or even suspension of its...

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World leaders recently gathered in Glasgow for the COP26 summit, where they signed off on the Glasgow Climate Pact, which states that carbon emissions will have to fall by 45 percent by 2030 to keep alive the goal set out in the Paris Agreement to limit global warming to 1.5°C. This summit followed a summer of record breaking heat waves and intense wildfires, such as those experienced by Greece...

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Under President Erdogan, Turkey has undergone a substantial degradation of its rule-of-law architecture in all relevant fields. One example of this is the continued imprisonment of philanthropist Osman Kavala, which is in violation of a 2019 judgment of the European Court of Human Rights. This case could see the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers - which is meeting over the next few...

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In recent months, Greece appears to have welcomed more women fleeing Afghanistan than any other country. In just a matter of weeks, Athens has become the landing place for more than 700 of Afghanistan’s female judges, lawmakers, journalists and lawyers, together with their families. They arrived in Greece with the help of NGOs, international aid groups, and several individuals who were able to...

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Expert Alan Makovsky, who was recently in Greece, joins The Greek Current to talk about the progress he is seeing in Greece-US security ties, which he described in an interview in Kathimerini as “head spinning”. This expanding defense partnership was recently on full display in northern Greece, where the port of Alexandroupolis was once again at the epicenter of a major US-Greek joint exercise...

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Last week the US-Greece Defense and Interparliamentary Partnership Act made headlines as it was included as an amendment to the must-pass National Defense Authorization Act, or the NDAA. This move comes at a time when Greece and the United States have seen their bilateral relationship reach new heights. US-Turkey relations were also in the spotlight. Assistant Secretary of State Karen Donfried...

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Every year Greece’s Aegean islands go through tens of millions of plastic water bottles, as the islands look to accommodate not only the needs of local residents, but also millions of tourists. This has transformed these communities into some of the biggest consumers of plastic. This dependence on bottled water inevitably impacts the environment, as much of this plastic ends up in the sea....

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Turkey’s central bank once again slashed interest rates on Thursday despite repeated warnings from economists that lower rates — and a weaker currency — tend to worsen inflation, sending the Turkish lira to historic lows against the US dollar. The central bank seems to be driven by the unorthodox policies of Turkish President Erdogan, who believes that lower rates are the only way to curb...

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As experts debate whether Turkey will engage in a new military operation in northern Syria, the facts on the ground demonstrate that Turkey is already in a perpetual state of war against the Kurdish-led autonomous administration in northeast Syria. Not only are drone strikes and shelling now a regular occurence, but Turkey is also weaponizing water supplies in the region at a time when Syria is...

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On Tuesday Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to a Russia-brokered ceasefire at their border following the deadliest clashes since the war that took place last year in Nagorno-Karabakh, or Arstakh. Armenia’s foreign ministry said this attack is part of a broader Azerbaijani policy that began in May aimed at infiltrating key Armenian areas in the east and southeast. It’s been reported that a key...

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The US once again reiterated its firm opposition to Turkey’s purchase and acquisition of the S-400 Russian defense missile system on Tuesday. A State Department spokesperson rejected a recent proposal by Turkey’s Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, who stated that a possible compromise on this issue - which saw the US sanction Turkey under the CAATSA law - would see Turkey use the S-400s in the same...

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France hosted an international conference on Libya in the presence of US Vice President Kamala Harris, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and other international and regional high-level officials, including Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Leaders reaffirmed their commitment to ensure the success of the country’s political process through elections...

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The US role in the Eastern Mediterranean and the partnership between Washington, DC and Athens is the focus of a recent report by JINSA, the Jewish Institute for National Security of America. The report, titled “At the Center of the Crossroads: A New U.S. Strategy for the East Med',' highlights the geopolitical importance of the region for the United States, and calls on Washington to...

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Earlier this week it was reported that the EU was considering taking measures against Turkish Airlines over the latter's alleged role in trafficking migrants to Belarus. Turkish Airlines denied wrongdoing in a statement on Wednesday. On Thursday, however, Bloomberg reported that Turkey agreed with the EU that it would monitor flights headed to Belarus in an effort to prevent them from being...

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