12 Ιουλ 2021 Foreign Minister Christodoulides talks about Varosha and the response to Turkey's provocations Turkey’s President Erdogan is planning to visit the occupied northern part of Cyprus on July 20th, the anniversary of Turkey’s invasion of Cyprus in 1974, where events are expected to focus on the fenced-off town of Varosha. Turkey is planning major infrastructure developments in occupied Varosha, which is in direct contravention of multiple UN Security Council resolutions. The UN Secretary... 14 λεπτά
9 Ιουλ 2021 Looking at the deepening crisis in Lebanon and the upcoming International Religious Freedom summit Lebanon is struggling with severe electricity and water shortages after two of the country’s main power plants ran out of fuel. This is only the latest manifestation of a financial and political crisis that shows little sign of ending. Lebanon’s government is bankrupt, has defaulted on its international debt, and has failed to take the measures required to clinch international support. Later in... 13 λεπτά
8 Ιουλ 2021 AJC's David Harris speaks about US-Greece ties, regional cooperation, anti-semitism, and more David Harris, the CEO of the American Jewish Committee (AJC), who is in Greece to meet with Greek political leaders and attend The Economist conference, joins the Greek Current to talk about his latest interview with Kathimerini’s Tom Ellis, where they explored topics including regional cooperation in the Eastern Mediterranean, the US-Greece Defense and Interparliamentary Partnership Act -... 15 λεπτά
7 Ιουλ 2021 The problem of cultural looting in Turkey A recent US government publication of restricted cultural property imports originating in Turkey - at Ankara’s request - has caused a number of reactions from experts. While illicit trafficking in antiquities is a serious problem, some specialists are concerned that Turkey could use this new agreement to further marginalize indigenous ethnic and religious minorities within Turkey, such as... 15 λεπτά
6 Ιουλ 2021 Under the radar: Ankara mayor rises to national prominence in Turkey During the municipal elections in 2019, Turkey watchers were keeping a close eye on the Istanbul race, where Ekrem Imamoglu defeated Erdogan’s handpicked candidate twice. In the same election, Erdogan’s candidate also lost in Ankara, where Mansur Yavas won the election, and his popularity has been rising. Nikos Efstathiou, a journalist with Kathimerini, recently profiled Ankara’s mayor. Nikos... 16 λεπτά
2 Ιουλ 2021 Migration challenges and the deal to reform the EU asylum agency In the first sign of any real movement on the migration issue in the EU in the past five years, member states reached a deal this week to strengthen the EU’s asylum agency. European Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas said the agreement is a “first important foundation” in the effort to build an effective European-wide asylum system. Expert Angeliki Dimitriadi joins The Greek Current... 18 λεπτά
1 Ιουλ 2021 Euro 2020, the Prespes Agreement, and the Biden approach to the Western Balkans During the early stages of the Euro 2020 soccer championship in June, aside from the games on the pitch, we also saw political issues emerge. One of those was related to the Prespes agreement, and we saw the North Macedonia national soccer team’s use of the name “Macedonia”. Prime Minister Zaev also ended up apologizing for a tweet where he used the term “Macedonia.” These moves sparked a... 11 λεπτά
1 Ιουλ 2021 Albania's stalled bid for EU membership EU governments gave Albania and North Macedonia - whose bid to join the EU is tied together - the green light to begin accession talks more than a year ago, but the process has officially stalled. One reason is that Bulgaria has put a hold on any talks with North Macedonia, which is preventing the process from moving forward. At the same time, Albania still needs to undertake more reforms to... 18 λεπτά
29 Ιουν 2021 Foreign Minister Dendias: Greek invitation to Syria meeting "a significant step" For the first time since 2015, Greece was invited to participate in the informal meeting on Syria that took place on the sidelines of the Ministerial Meeting of the Global Coalition Against Daesh - or the Islamic State - in Rome. Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, who participated, stated this was a significant step which marks the return of Greece to crucial discussions on developments in the... 10 λεπτά
28 Ιουν 2021 Greece offers incentives for young people to get vaccinated The Greek government announced it will offer a pre-paid card with 150 euros to young people aged 18-25 to get at least one shot of a vaccine against Covid-19, as part of an incentive to increase the number of vaccinations in the country. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called the card a “freedom pass”. The move comes as the government is hoping to fully reopen its economy after recently... 11 λεπτά
26 Ιουν 2021 Greek banks and the new landscape for bad debt in the post-Covid era During the peak of the financial crisis, Greek banks were weighed down by over 100 billion euros of non-performing loans. Since then, a new set of tools has emerged to help manage this bad debt, and a large amount has been transferred from the banks to other entities. While this has improved the overall outlook for Greece’s banks, the problem of bad debt remains. In her latest report for... 14 λεπτά
25 Ιουν 2021 EU summit focuses on relations with Turkey and Russia, migration, Covid-19, and Hungary's anti-LGBTQ+ bill EU leaders travelled to Brussels today for a two day summit, with the agenda formally focusing on relations with Turkey and Russia, migration, and COVID-related travel rules. There was also growing anger over an anti-LGBTQ+ law passed by Hungary’s parliament, and 17 EU leaders, including Prime Minister Mitsotakis and President Anastasiades, signed a letter prior to the summit vowing to fight... 14 λεπτά
24 Ιουν 2021 Turkey looks to play a role in Afghanistan following US withdrawal Turkey is seeking to play a vital role in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of US forces by offering to provide security to Kabul's international airport, and has been holding talks with the US on logistic and financial support for the mission. Jake Sullivan, President Biden’s national security adviser, said last week that the US and Turkey had agreed to a plan for the Turks to continue... 17 λεπτά
23 Ιουν 2021 The Berlin conference on Libya: What's at stake? Germany and the United Nations are hosting an international conference on Libya in Berlin this week, and diplomats are aiming to take stock of Libya’s political progress, prepare for a national election set for December, and discuss the withdrawal of foreign troops and mercenaries. The majority of the attendees already met at the first international conference on Libya, which was also hosted by... 14 λεπτά
22 Ιουν 2021 Top Turkish court accepts indictment seeking to ban the third largest party, the HDP Turkey’s Constitutional Court on Monday accepted an indictment filed by a top prosecutor seeking a ban on the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) for alleged ties to the outlawed PKK, paving the way for a case to shut down Turkey’s third-largest party. The HDP denies formal links to PKK, and says any attack by Erdogan’s ruling party and its far-right nationalist allies is retribution... 17 λεπτά
18 Ιουν 2021 Greek parliament passes fiercely debated labor reforms A labor reform bill that Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has said would bring Greece in line with the rest of Europe and align the country’s labor laws with the digital age was passed late on Wednesday after a contentious debate in Parliament. The bill also set rules on remote work, expand paternity rights, and includes safeguards against sexual harassment in the workplace. Panos... 15 λεπτά
17 Ιουν 2021 Turkey’s drone program and its war propaganda on social media Over the last year Turkey’s drones have seen action in conflicts ranging from Nagorno Karabakh, to Syria, to Libya, with the flagship of Turkey’s drone fleet, the Bayraktar TB2, at the center of international attention. In a recent piece in War on the Rocks, expert Aaron Stein highlights Turkey’s drone program, with an eye on how Ankara has pioneered drone use for the social media age. As a... 14 λεπτά
16 Ιουν 2021 Bulgaria's pre-election political scandals, US sanctions, and the EU As Bulgaria prepares for its second election in three months on July 11th, Bulgarians are confronted by a number of political scandals and allegations of corruption. Some of these allegations include accusations against the former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, who has dominated Bulgarian politics over the last decade. Meanwhile, the United States has also upped the pressure on Bulgaria,... 12 λεπτά
15 Ιουν 2021 NATO summit: Erdogan meets with Biden and Mitsotakis President Biden was in Brussels for his first in-person NATO summit on Monday, where he stressed the importance of the transatlantic alliance, telling European allies that "America is back." During the summit President Biden also held his first face-to-face meeting with Turkish President Erdogan. Both President Biden and President Erdogan stated that talks had been productive, but no major... 9 λεπτά
12 Ιουν 2021 The latest from Greece: The vaccine rollout, lifting lockdown restrictions, protests, and tennis This week has seen a number of developments in Greece, from news related to the pandemic, to tourism, to protests over a labor reform, to tennis stars Maria Sakkari and Stefanos Tsitsipas having a historic run in the French Open. Nikos Efstathiou, a journalist with Kathimerini, joins The Greek Current to discuss these news items. We look at the status of the country’s vaccination campaign, the... 15 λεπτά