podlist.gr

Europe’s leading human rights body, The Council of Europe, has initiated rarely used infringement proceedings against Turkey after Ankara’s failure to release businessman and philanthropist Osman Kavala despite a European Court of Human Rights’ judgement ordering his immediate release. This may eventually lead to withholding Turkey’s voting rights in the council or even suspension of its...

14 λεπτά

World leaders recently gathered in Glasgow for the COP26 summit, where they signed off on the Glasgow Climate Pact, which states that carbon emissions will have to fall by 45 percent by 2030 to keep alive the goal set out in the Paris Agreement to limit global warming to 1.5°C. This summit followed a summer of record breaking heat waves and intense wildfires, such as those experienced by Greece...

19 λεπτά

Under President Erdogan, Turkey has undergone a substantial degradation of its rule-of-law architecture in all relevant fields. One example of this is the continued imprisonment of philanthropist Osman Kavala, which is in violation of a 2019 judgment of the European Court of Human Rights. This case could see the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers - which is meeting over the next few...

15 λεπτά

In recent months, Greece appears to have welcomed more women fleeing Afghanistan than any other country. In just a matter of weeks, Athens has become the landing place for more than 700 of Afghanistan’s female judges, lawmakers, journalists and lawyers, together with their families. They arrived in Greece with the help of NGOs, international aid groups, and several individuals who were able to...

12 λεπτά

Expert Alan Makovsky, who was recently in Greece, joins The Greek Current to talk about the progress he is seeing in Greece-US security ties, which he described in an interview in Kathimerini as “head spinning”. This expanding defense partnership was recently on full display in northern Greece, where the port of Alexandroupolis was once again at the epicenter of a major US-Greek joint exercise...

15 λεπτά

Last week the US-Greece Defense and Interparliamentary Partnership Act made headlines as it was included as an amendment to the must-pass National Defense Authorization Act, or the NDAA. This move comes at a time when Greece and the United States have seen their bilateral relationship reach new heights. US-Turkey relations were also in the spotlight. Assistant Secretary of State Karen Donfried...

14 λεπτά

Every year Greece’s Aegean islands go through tens of millions of plastic water bottles, as the islands look to accommodate not only the needs of local residents, but also millions of tourists. This has transformed these communities into some of the biggest consumers of plastic. This dependence on bottled water inevitably impacts the environment, as much of this plastic ends up in the sea....

15 λεπτά

Turkey’s central bank once again slashed interest rates on Thursday despite repeated warnings from economists that lower rates — and a weaker currency — tend to worsen inflation, sending the Turkish lira to historic lows against the US dollar. The central bank seems to be driven by the unorthodox policies of Turkish President Erdogan, who believes that lower rates are the only way to curb...

16 λεπτά

As experts debate whether Turkey will engage in a new military operation in northern Syria, the facts on the ground demonstrate that Turkey is already in a perpetual state of war against the Kurdish-led autonomous administration in northeast Syria. Not only are drone strikes and shelling now a regular occurence, but Turkey is also weaponizing water supplies in the region at a time when Syria is...

16 λεπτά

On Tuesday Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to a Russia-brokered ceasefire at their border following the deadliest clashes since the war that took place last year in Nagorno-Karabakh, or Arstakh. Armenia’s foreign ministry said this attack is part of a broader Azerbaijani policy that began in May aimed at infiltrating key Armenian areas in the east and southeast. It’s been reported that a key...

15 λεπτά

The US once again reiterated its firm opposition to Turkey’s purchase and acquisition of the S-400 Russian defense missile system on Tuesday. A State Department spokesperson rejected a recent proposal by Turkey’s Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, who stated that a possible compromise on this issue - which saw the US sanction Turkey under the CAATSA law - would see Turkey use the S-400s in the same...

9 λεπτά

France hosted an international conference on Libya in the presence of US Vice President Kamala Harris, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and other international and regional high-level officials, including Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Leaders reaffirmed their commitment to ensure the success of the country’s political process through elections...

14 λεπτά

The US role in the Eastern Mediterranean and the partnership between Washington, DC and Athens is the focus of a recent report by JINSA, the Jewish Institute for National Security of America. The report, titled “At the Center of the Crossroads: A New U.S. Strategy for the East Med',' highlights the geopolitical importance of the region for the United States, and calls on Washington to...

17 λεπτά

Earlier this week it was reported that the EU was considering taking measures against Turkish Airlines over the latter's alleged role in trafficking migrants to Belarus. Turkish Airlines denied wrongdoing in a statement on Wednesday. On Thursday, however, Bloomberg reported that Turkey agreed with the EU that it would monitor flights headed to Belarus in an effort to prevent them from being...

15 λεπτά

European Union officials on Wednesday accused Belarus of state-sponsored “trafficking” of human lives by luring desperate migrants to the Polish border — the edge of the EU — where many are now stuck in makeshift camps in freezing weather. The EU is preparing to hit Belarus with fresh sanctions as early as Monday, and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said earlier this week that “The...

13 λεπτά

In 2016, days after the failed coup attempt in Turkey, Professor Henri Barkey was falsely targeted by the Turkish government, which formally charged and prosecuted him for allegedly inciting the failed 2016 coup. He is part of a large and expanding group of alleged co-conspirators including Osman Kavala, one of Turkey’s most prominent civil-society organizers, has now spent years in jail for...

18 λεπτά

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew wrapped up an almost two week visit to the United States late last week. His trip included meetings with President Biden, Secretary of State Blinken, and key members of Congress. Religious freedom in Turkey and the reopening of the Halki Theological Seminary featured heavily in discussions with US political leaders, but the trip also highlighted the important...

20 λεπτά

North Macedonia’s Prime Minister Zoran Zaev announced earlier this week that he would resign after his party suffered an overwhelming defeat during recent municipal elections to the nationalist VMRO-DPMNE, the main opposition party. Following the election, Zaev insisted that the coalition could agree on another candidate for prime minister and form a government, rejecting calls from the...

17 λεπτά

Authorities in Greece reported 6,808 new coronavirus cases on Thursday as the country experiences a sharp upturn in its daily infection rate, breaking record after record: 4,696 on Saturday, 5,449 on Monday and more than 6,700 on Tuesday. The situation in hospitals is also worrying, with data showing that beds are filling faster with new Covid-19 patients than there are discharges, and that the...

18 λεπτά

There are growing concerns that Turkey could launch another incursion into Syria, and reports indicate that the Turkish army has stepped up its presence in areas controlled by the Syrian opposition in northeastern Syria, amid ongoing Turkish threats against Kurdish forces in the area. In the meantime, Turkey’s parliament approved a motion late last month extending Erdogan’s mandate to send...

12 λεπτά