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After years of tension between Turkey and Egypt, Turkish President Erdogan and his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi shook hands at the opening of the World Cup in Qatar in what Cairo described as a new start in bilateral relations. Despite this meeting, there are still a number of unresolved issues between the two countries, from Libya, to the Eastern Mediterranean, to Turkey’s support...

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Turkish fighter jets carried out dozens of airstrikes in northern Syria and Iraq on Sunday, in what Turkish officials said was a retaliation for a bombing in Istanbul last week. Ankara has blamed the PKK and the YPG in Syria for the bombing, despite both denying any involvement, and, as many have pointed out, there are still a number of questions around the attack that have yet to be answered....

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Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias’ planned visit last week to Tripoli, Libya, to meet the head of Libya’s Presidential Council, Mohamed Menfi, ended before it even started when the Tripoli-based government’s foreign minister Najla Mangoush, who signed an illegal energy exploration deal with Turkey, that tried to force a meeting at the airport. Dendias refused to meet Mangoush, and without exiting...

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On Thursday the UN and other parties said an agreement that unblocked grain shipments from Ukraine and helped temper rising global food prices was to be extended by four months. There was a fear earlier this month that the deal would collapse after Russia’s President Putin abruptly pulled out. After rejoining, Turkish President Erdogan boasted that his relationship with Putin was key to...

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A potential EU-wide cap on gas prices - an initiative supported by Greece - hangs in the balance as Brussels has yet to present a legislative proposal needed for its creation, while countries remain divided over the issue even as energy ministers prepare to meet next week to hammer out a deal ahead of what could be a difficult winter. Instead, the European Commission circulated a paper...

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Senator Bob Menendez led a stinging indictment of US policy in the Caucasus during a Senate hearing on Wednesday in which he called out the State Department’s both-siderism, citing its apparent refusal to clearly and unequivocally condemn Azerbaijani aggression. This all comes as the US is trying to broker a peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Aram Hamparian, the Executive Director of the...

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Prime Minister Mistotakis’ recent participation at COP27 in Egypt and the latest announcements by Greece that it is exploring for hydrocarbons at sea have put a renewed focus on energy in the Eastern Mediterranean, specifically Greece’s role as a key energy player. Greece’s gas ambitions, as the Prime Minister spelled out at COP27, are just a part of the broader picture as key investments in...

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While votes are still being counted following last Tuesday’s midterm elections in the US, there are a few things we can say with certainty. The anticipated Republican “red wave” failed to materialize, Democrats will hold the Senate, meaning Senator Menendez will remain Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Greek American and Philhellenic candidates across the country had a...

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This week Sweden’s Prime Minister went to Turkey in a bid to convince President Erdogan to green light its NATO membership bid. Instead, Erdogan demanded Sweden do more to get his approval. Holding up Sweden’s membership to NATO isn’t the only area where Turkey is creating problems for the transatlantic alliance. Its aggression against Greece - a NATO ally - has dominated headlines, while...

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With the US midterms behind us, we are turning our attention back to the Eastern Mediterranean, where Greece, Cyprus, and Turkey are all getting ready for national elections in 2023. Tom Ellis, the editor in chief of Kathimerini English Edition, joins Thanos Davelis to look at the general climate as the region moves into this pre-election period. We’ll break down the key issues that are likely...

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Greece is kicking off a delayed natural gas exploration project with ExxonMobil, reserving two areas off southwestern Greece this week. Potential natural gas reserves in the area are estimated to be between 70-90 trillion cubic feet, which would meet all of Greece’s gas needs and potentially cover 15-20 percent of Europe’s natural gas needs as well. The decision comes at a critical time as...

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We’re going on the campaign trail on today’s episode for an up-close look at the US midterm elections that are finding Americans deeply polarized. Petros Kasfikis, the Washington DC correspondent for the Athens News Agency and Greece’s Mega TV, who has been on the road covering key races in Pennsylvania and New Hampshire where he is following Representative Chris Pappas’s re-election campaign,...

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Turkey’s worsening economic crisis has eroded President Erdogan’s popularity ahead of elections in 2023, threatening to oust him from power for the first time in two decades. Yet a large number of voters continue to support him despite his role in creating the crisis. During his twenty years in power Erdogan has developed widespread patronage networks and built clientelistic relationships that...

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The latest visit to Turkey of Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz has put the Israel-Turkey relationship in the spotlight. Despite the continued tensions on a number of issues - from Turkey’s hosting of Hamas to Turkish President Erdogan’s aggressive rhetoric in the past against Israel - Ankara and Jerusalem have taken several steps to improve relations this year. Sinan Ciddi, the co-author of...

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Today we’re heading to Washington, DC, where the US Supreme Court recently turned down Turkey's bid to dismiss 2 lawsuits against it filed by demonstrators in the now infamous attack by Turkish President Erdogan’s bodyguards that took place at Sheridan Circle in 2017. Andreas Akaras, an attorney from the firm Bregman, Berbert, Schwartz & Gilday, LLC who also represents the anti-Erdogan...

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The UN Security Council recently extended the mandate of the UN mission to Libya – known as UNSMIL – for another year, a move welcomed by Greek diplomats. This decision puts the spotlight on the situation in Libya, where the Tripoli government seems to be giving Turkey a blank check as we’ve seen with the recent illegal Turkish-Libyan MoU on energy exploitation and Ankara’s increasing military...

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On Tuesday Israelis went to the polls for the fifth time in four years, and analysts expected a tight race for the 120-member Knesset, Israel's parliament. As Israelis wait for the final results of these elections, which are expected later this week, countries in the region - from Greece and Cyprus to the UAE - are also watching the results closely. Seth Frantzman, the Senior Middle East...

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On Friday Finland and Sweden’s prime ministers said they will join NATO at the same time, presenting a united front to Turkey which has raised questions about both their applications. All NATO members, besides Turkey and Hungary, have approved their bids. The new Swedish government has also stated that it will fulfill all requirements under a deal signed earlier this year with Turkey to join...

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Thanks to investments in the port of Alexandroupolis and the start of the commercial operation of the IGB pipeline, Greece is emerging as a key player in the region. The operation of a second natural gas pipeline from Greece to North Macedonia now presents an opportunity for the region to connect even further and for Greece to cement its role as an energy hub. At the same time, European...

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Every year on October 28th Greece remembers its entry into World War II and the moment in 1940 when it refused to surrender to Mussolini’s Italy, choosing to fight for independence and against fascism. Greek resistance to fascist Italy and then Nazi Germany inspired many in occupied Europe, and came at a time when the Axis seemed invincible. This year’s commemoration comes as people across the...

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