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EU leaders travelled to Athens on Thursday to celebrate the 40th anniversary since Greece joined what was then the European Economic Community. The anniversary offered an opportunity to reflect on the benefits of Greece’s membership. Leaders highlighted that over the last 40 years, projects large and small have changed the country’s image and improved the daily lives of Greek citizens. Tom...

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Since May 2nd, Sedat Peker, a notorious organized crime boss in Turkey, has been posting YouTube videos implicating current and former Turkish officials, their relatives and other prominent figures in crimes, including murder plots, rape and drug trafficking. His videos have drawn millions of views, and has triggered an in-depth look at the links between mafia gangs, police, politicians and...

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As President Biden prepares to meet with Turkey’s President Erdogan next month, the focus will undoubtedly be on the long list of foreign and security policy issues that have caused a rift in US-Turkish relations. In her latest piece, expert Tugba Tanyeri Erdemir, who joins us today on The Greek Current, makes the case that President Biden also needs to include cultural heritage diplomacy in...

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President Biden is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Turkish President Erdogan on the sidelines of the NATO summit on June 14. This will be the first time the two leaders will meet in person since President Biden took office earlier this year. Expert David Phillips joins The Greek Current to talk about the significance of this upcoming meeting, and argues that this is an opportunity...

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In Monday’s Kathimerini Vassilis Nedos reports that the United States has decided to boost the presence of its armed forces in Greece, both on a permanent and a rotational basis. This increase in the US military presence in Greece was a given in negotiations for the renewal of the Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement between the two countries. In the meantime, Greece hosted the joint military...

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This week the US sent its highest-level official to Libya since 2014, a move it says is a signal of its increased commitment to resolving the country's crisis. The visit comes as Libya’s new Government of National Unity seeks to set the stage for a national election in December. This remains a challenge as foreign backed troops, mercenaries, and militias are still present in the country,...

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Earlier this week, Turkish media argued, with a frontpage story, that Turkey should sign a maritime deal with Hamas-led Gaza similar to the deal it struck with the GNA in Libya - which contravenes international law. Seth Frantzman joins The Greek Current to discuss this latest report in Turkish media, and explain how such a deal would not only put Israel and Turkey on a collision course, but...

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On May 19 we commemorate the genocide of the Greeks of the Pontus region, in which at least 353,000 people perished. The Pontian Genocide, although commemorated and remembered separately, was part of Turkey’s broader genocide against Christian Greeks, Armenians, and Assyrians in Anatolia and Eastern Thrace that began in the spring of 1914. By 1923, out of approximately 2 million Greeks living...

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As Greece steps up its vaccination efforts across the country - especially on its islands - there’s an element of the population that is reluctant to get the vaccine, slowing the government’s inoculation drive. Reports indicate that misinformation, conspiracy theories and, in some cases, religious faith all seem to influence attitudes about the vaccines in communities across Greece. Iliana...

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Last week Armenia raised the alarm that Azerbaijan had launched an incursion into Armenian territory, once again escalating tensions. This latest development comes less than six months after a cease-fire ended Azerbaijan’s devastating assault on Nagorno-Karabakh. The US, France, and Russia have all called on Azerbaijan to withdraw its troops immediately, while the US Congress is also calling on...

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Models show that annual mean temperatures across the Mediterranean are increasing by up to 2 C over the next 30 years as a result of climate change. This will undoubtedly have a profound impact on the city of Athens, which already sees summer temperatures surpassing 40 degrees celsius, or 104 F. This issue was the focus of an article in The Guardian this week, which profiled the efforts the...

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The Council of Europe has sent a letter to Athens expressing “deep concern” at allegations of pushbacks of asylum-seekers at Greece’s borders. Athens denies this is taking place, stressing that these allegations are “largely unsubstantiated” while also pointing out that Greece in fact has rescued thousands of people at sea since the start of Europe’s migrant crisis. In the meantime, European...

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Zoran Zaev, the Prime Minister of North Macedonia, arrives in Greece on Thursday for meetings with Greece’s President Katerina Sakellaropoulou and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. In the lead-up to this visit, Kathimerini featured an in-depth interview with Prime Minister Zaev about the Prespes agreement, the strengthening of bilateral ties between Greece and North Macedonia, and about...

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A dramatic drop in water levels on the Euphrates River in recent weeks has increased tensions between Turkey and Syrian Kurdish forces. Kurdish officials in northeast Syria accuse Turkey of reducing the levels of water flowing from the Euphrates, causing an agricultural crisis and a major power shortage in the region. Turkey’s Foreign Ministry denies that this is taking place. USCIRF...

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Endy Zemenides, the Executive Director of the Hellenic American Leadership Council, joins The Greek Current to discuss what he describes as a failure by the US to make any meaningful impact in and around the latest UN-led Cyprus talks in Geneva. We explore why the US “dropped the ball” here, and what steps it should take if it is serious about playing a key role in the Eastern Mediterranean. We...

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This week Egypt and Turkey held two days of talks on bilateral and regional issues aimed at reseting ties after nearly eight years of a diplomatic rift. The talks come amid a charm offensive by Turkey toward Eastern Mediterranean and Gulf states aimed at ending its growing diplomatic isolation. Ankara has also sent out feelers to Israel, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia, and Turkish Foreign Minister...

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Under growing pressure, the head of the European commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said on Thursday that the EU is “ready to discuss” President Biden’s proposal to waive Covid-19 vaccine patents, but did not endorse it. The US decision to drop its objections to a patent waiver was received as a seismic shift in Europe. Supporters of the plan say it would allow more manufacturers to produce...

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This Monday Greece lifted restrictions on cafes, restaurants and bars, as the government took yet another step toward easing lockdown measures ahead of the country's international reopening. In the meantime, Prime Minister Mitsotakis told a digital conference organized by the Financial Times on Wednesday that trends linked to the overall outlook for the Covid-19 pandemic in Greece are...

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President Biden has notified Congress that the administration is extending a waiver to Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act, allowing US military assistance to Azerbaijan that was originally restricted over its conflict with Armenia and tension over Nagorno-Karabakh. The move comes days after President Biden officially recognized the Armenian Genocide, and has been criticized by Armenian...

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Greece hosted the Iniochos 2021 military exercise in April - an annual exercise led by the Hellenic Air Force - with military forces from the US, Israel, the UAE, Cyprus and a number of other countries. In addition to improving their readiness and ability to work together, the exercise sent an unmistakable message to Iran that it has failed to isolate Israel. Expert Bradley Bowman joins The...

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