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As fires continue to rage across Greece, HALC's Stathis Theodoropoulos interviews Petros Kasfikis, the Washington DC corresponding for the Athens News Agency and Mega TV to analyze the latest developments.

7 λεπτά

50 years ago, the Turkish government closed the doors of Halki Seminary, an institution that served as the main school of theology for the Ecumenical Patriarchate, thus depriving the Ecumenical Patriarchate the ability to train Orthodox clergy in its historic home. In the decades since, the Hellenic community, religious freedom and human rights advocates, and even the US government have called...

16 λεπτά

Armenia’s government said on Wednesday that three of its soldiers were killed after Azeri forces attacked Armenian positions near the border where clashes have become more frequent despite a ceasefire agreed to after Azerbaijan’s assault on Nagorno Karabakh last fall. Both sides later accepted a Russian ceasefire proposal to try to calm tensions. Meanwhile, this week the US House of...

13 λεπτά

Over the last ten years, Tunisia has been viewed as the “lone success story” of the Arab Spring. The country was plunged into crisis earlier this week, however, after its president suspended parliament and dismissed Tunisia’s prime minister in a move denounced as a coup by Tunisia’s main political parties. Steven Cook, an expert on Arab and Turkish politics as well as US-Middle East policy,...

15 λεπτά

Far-right groups have had a strong presence in recent rallies by anti-vaxx groups against government efforts to step up vaccination, as they see the pandemic and the social pressures it has created as an opportunity to regroup in the post-Golden Dawn era. In fact, according to police, around half of the some 3,500 people that gathered at a Syntagma Square demonstration last week belonged to...

11 λεπτά

Across Turkish-occupied territories in northern Syria, a pattern of violence and criminality has been established, and Turkish-backed groups are accused of becoming criminal syndicates that kidnap for money and exploit citizens’ resources for their own gain. A recent piece in Al Monitor focuses on Afrin, the majority Kurdish enclave in northern Syria that has been occupied by Turkish-backed...

18 λεπτά

Democratic and Republican senators voiced heavy criticism of Ankara on Wednesday during a hearing on US policy toward Turkey in which Victoria Nuland, the undersecretary of state for political affairs, testified. Key Senators called out Ankara for backsliding on human rights, undermining NATO, being an “aggressor” toward Greece and Cyprus, and much more. They also demanded more action from the...

19 λεπτά

Turkish President Erdogan and Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar on Tuesday announced plans to reopen Varosha, part of the fenced off city of Famagusta in the occupied north of Cyprus. The move is in violation of UN Security Council resolutions, which call for Varosha to be handed over to UN administration, and to allow the original inhabitants to return to their homes. Cypriot President Nicos...

12 λεπτά

This past Thursday marked the 5 year anniversary from the failed coup attempt that took place in Turkey which has since reshaped the country. The Erdogan government has used the failed coup to reshape the country's policies, institutions, political landscape and foreign posture, cracking down on dissidents both in Turkey and abroad. David Lepeska joins The Greek Current to discuss his latest...

13 λεπτά

As the United States looks to navigate relations with Turkey, the lack of a clear destination for the relationship will result in a good deal of unpredictability and some level of instability in regions such as the Eastern Mediterranean. In his latest piece in Kathimerini, Endy Zemenides makes the case that this lack of predictability will pose a particular problem for Cyprus, where the United...

15 λεπτά

Faced with a surge in coronavirus infections, Greece on Friday announced new rules for open air entertainment venues such as bars and nightclubs stipulating that customers must hold proof that they have been vaccinated or recovered from Covid-19. The new rules are designed to give more freedom to people who have been vaccinated against Covid-19 and encourage others to get vaccinated as the...

9 λεπτά

Turkey’s President Erdogan called Israel's new president, Isaac Herzog, on Monday to congratulate him on taking office. The call came amid strained relations between the two countries who expelled their ambassadors in 2018 after a bitter falling-out. Both sides emphasized the importance of Israeli-Turkish ties, but said the other must move first for any rapprochement. Dr. Michael Koplow joins...

16 λεπτά

The kickoff of the Tokyo Olympic games is around the corner, and will take place amid high COVID infections and worry from the Japanese public and the medical establishment there. There are also concerns about the increasing cost of hosting the games. Given these challenges, could it be time to consider giving the Olympics a permanent home in Greece, rather than rotating the games to a...

12 λεπτά

The first of six German-designed submarines destined for Turkey is scheduled to join the Turkish fleet next year. Five other subs are on the way over the next few years in a deal worth about $4 billion. Meanwhile, after a year of heightened tensions in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean as a result of Turkish provocations, Greece is warning that this deal comes at a dangerous time. It...

10 λεπτά

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

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

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

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

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

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