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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,...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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,...

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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...

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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...

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On Friday the Biden administration announced that the US would fully lift the arms embargo on Cyprus, a landmark decision that confirms the deepening of the strategic partnership between the two countries. This move follows the partial lifting of the embargo in 2020. It also comes after years of advocacy work on Capitol Hill, where Congressional leaders like Senators Menendez and Rubio, and...

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On Tuesday Azerbaijan unleashed a colossal artillery barrage deep into Armenian territory, kicking off two days of heavy fighting before a ceasefire was agreed to. This unprovoked attack was widely condemned, especially on Capitol Hill, where members of Congress called for an end to US military aid to Azerbaijan. While the State Department also called for the immediate cessation of hostilities,...

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This past weekend Prime Minister Mitsotakis gave what is the equivalent of the State of the Union address at the Thessaloniki International Fair, outlining the key priorities of his government, touching on the economy, domestic politics, and foreign policy. This included announcing a new 5.5 billion euro package of relief measures designed to support Greeks in anticipation of what will be a...

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A Pennsylvania race for the US Senate is attracting more and more attention as Dr. Mehmet Oz’s ties to Turkey come under the radar. The Republican candidate and former TV personality has come under scrutiny not only for his financial ties to the Turkish government, but also his proximity to the Turkish Diyanet, lobbyists, businessmen, and politicians beholden to the Erdogan regime in Ankara....

14 λεπτά

Greece is the place to be this summer, and the number of tourists arriving to the country is expected to surpass the pre-pandemic records set in 2019, contributing to a celebratory mood across the country. All it takes is a visit to the Greek islands or a stroll through Athens to realize that a huge change is currently afoot as a result of this surge in tourism. Professor Stathis Kalyvas, the...

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Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is rapidly raising the strategic profile and potential of Alexandroupolis, a Greek port town in Thrace on the northern Aegean Sea. Alexandroupolis has become emblematic of Greece’s growth as an energy hub and U.S. security partner, and is ideally situated to help the US and its allies achieve shared transatlantic objectives on energy diversification, strengthening...

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A new report by an international group of scientists is sounding the alarm for the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East, warning that this region and its inhabitants are especially at risk from the threats posed by a warming planet and changing climate. As this report points out, this region is warming almost twice as fast as the global average. The report aims to underscore the impact of...

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