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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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“Give us a reason to stay in Greece.” That’s the title of the investigative report on the front page of Kathimerini’s Sunday print edition that highlights the concerns young Greeks have about their place in Greek society today and their future in the country. Iliana Magra, a journalist with Kathimerini and the author of the report, joins The Greek Current to talk about her findings. Read Iliana...

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After three days of talks, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said today that there was not enough common ground to resume formal talks on a settlement to the Cyprus issue. The Secretary General stressed he would not give up on the issue, saying that a new round of informal talks are planned, possibly in the next two to three months. Politico journalist Nektaria Stamouli joins The Greek...

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Since last Wednesday, three Turkish cryptocurrency exchanges have suspended operations in the country after the central bank announced restrictions on the use of cryptocurrencies, triggering a run on the exchanges. A number of Turks had turned to cryptocurrencies as a way to protect their savings from skyrocketing inflation and the weakening of the Turkish lira. Dr. Aykan Erdemir, the senior...

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UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres is hosting a three day informal summit in Geneva, Switzerland, with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar, as well as the foreign ministers of Cyprus’s “guarantors” - Greece, Turkey and the UK. Guterres held bilateral meetings today with Anastasiades and Tatar, and will hold talks with all parties on Wednesday. The goal...

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On Saturday President Biden took the historic step to put the United States on record as the latest nation to formally recognize and condemn the Armenian Genocide, joining with the US Senate and House of Representatives, 49 US states, and a dozen NATO allies. Aram Hamparian, the Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee of America, joins The Greek Current to talk about the...

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This week President Biden hosted a two day virtual summit on climate change with forty world leaders, highlighting the issue as "the existential crisis of our time," and urging world leaders and businesses to take action. Sophia Kalantzakos and Constantine Karayannopoulos join The Greek Current podcast to discuss this climate summit, the broader challenges that lie ahead in achieving the twin...

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The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom issued its annual report earlier this week. Once again, Turkey was listed as a country that USCIRF recommends the State Department should include on its special watch list for "engaging in or tolerating severe violations of religious freedom." The report’s release also comes as government sources indicate that US President Joe...

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Earlier this week, Greece announced it was lifting certain restrictions on travelers from the EU, the US, and other countries if they are vaccinated or test negative for Covid-19. At the same time, another flight from the US to Greece was announced, bringing the total number to 8 daily direct flights over the summer. These moves come as Greece prepares to officially open to tourists in mid May...

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Cyprus hosted a meeting of top diplomats on Friday from Israel, the UAE, and Greece for talks they said reflected the “changing face” of the Middle East. Cyprus, Greece, and Israel already have a regional partnership, but talks in the Cypriot city of Paphos on Friday marked the first time that the UAE participated, a result of the shifting alliances brought about by the Abraham Accords. Cypriot...

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Last week Turkey’s foreign minister said that a new era in the relationship with Egypt was beginning. Last month Ankara said it established the first diplomatic contacts with Cairo since 2013 as part of what it says are efforts to mend relations with other countries in the region. The announcements come as Turkey finds itself increasingly diplomatically isolated. Steven Cook joins The Greek...

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Greece’s Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias traveled to Ankara on Thursday for the latest round of talks between the two countries. It wasn’t a breakthrough on talks or his meeting with President Erdogan that made the news. Instead it was his joint press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, where the Greek foreign minister stated Greece’s positions clearly and publicly,...

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A recent ruling by the European Court of Human Rights over the case of Ahmet Altan has highlighted what Professor Henri Barkey in a recent piece in The Washington Post has called the “utter debasement of the Turkish justice system under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.” Professor Barkey joins The Greek Current today to discuss this op-ed, and explore how Erdogan has turned Turkey’s judicial...

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EU ambassadors in Brussels reached an agreement on Wednesday over the technical details for the Digital Green Certificates - a proposal Greece introduced earlier in the year to help facilitate safe travel and boost tourism this summer. The European Commission also set out its blueprint to raise approximately 800 billion euros to finance its NextGenerationEU stimulus program - the same program...

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Over the past month, Russia has been massing troops, tanks and heavy artillery along its eastern border with Ukraine. These moves are not only raising the prospect of tensions escalating between Ukraine and Russia, but are also setting off alarms in Washington and at NATO headquarters. Amid these increased tensions, Ukraine’s President Zelensky visited Turkey’s President Erdogan over the...

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Following a decade where Greece saw its influence in the Balkans wane as a result of the financial crisis, Athens is now eyeing a return to the Balkans given the new geopolitical realities that have unfolded in recent years, including the extensions of NATO membership to countries in the Western Balkans and the settlement of the name issue with North Macedonia. Vassilis Nedos, Kathimerini’s...

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Last year in August the explosion that rocked Beirut turned everyone’s attention to Lebanon. French President Macron visited, and there were efforts to stabilize both the country’s politics and its economy. Despite this, Lebanon is dangerously close to becoming a failed state. The dire situation in Lebanon was the focus of a recent press briefing organized by the advocacy organization In...

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Greece 2.0 will mark the largest inflow of funds that Greece has ever seen, with some observers pointing out that it may be more important even than the Marshall Plan was for Greece. While this plan aims to offer a blueprint for Greece’s transformation into a greener and more efficient economy, there are skeptics who ask whether the plan goes far enough. There is also speculation about early...

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Merve Tahiroglu, the Turkey program coordinator at the Project on Middle East Democracy, joins us to talk about her latest piece in Brookings’ TechStream blog about the social media app Clubhouse, its role in the recent student protests at Istanbul’s Bogazici University, it’s broader impact on Turkey’s political scene, and its transformation from a safe space for critics into another digital...

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