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The Greek Current
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The Greek Current

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A podcast on Greece, Cyprus and the region brought to you by The Hellenic American Leadership Council and Kathimerini. Hosted by Thanos Davelis.

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Is Turkey's deal with Sweden and Finland a win for Erdogan?

Earlier this week there were many who anticipated that Turkey would stand by its veto over Sweden and Finland’s NATO membership bids. Instead, on Tuesday night we saw the three countries reach an agreement that NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said addressed Turkey’s concerns, essentially paving the way for the Nordic countries to join NATO. After the deal was reached, we saw President Biden meet...

Tourists are flocking to Greece, but workers are in short supply

This year holiday bookings to Greece are skyrocketing, and many are hoping Greece could reach or even exceed the numbers from 2019, a record breaking summer. While visitors are returning to Greece en masse this summer, the country is struggling to find enough people to work in its vital tourism industry to cope with this increase in demand. Prime Minister Mitsotakis even described these...

The broader implications of Bulgaria's political crisis

Last week Bulgaria’s government collapsed after a no-confidence vote in parliament. The move comes at a delicate time - especially considering Bulgaria’s position vis-a-vis Ukraine and Russia, and its role in holding up the EU integration of North Macedonia and Albania. Following the vote of no-confidence, Bulgaria’s parliament voted to lift its veto on North Macedonia’s EU membership bid,...

Why it's time for a conversation about Turkey’s place in NATO

As this week’s NATO summit kicks off, instead of welcoming Sweden and Finland into the alliance, leaders will have to address the question of Turkey, which is derailing NATO’s enlargement and threatening NATO ally Greece. While Greece is prepared to respond decisively if Turkish President Erdogan raises questions about the sovereignty of Greek islands in the Aegean at the summit, the question...

EU leaders focus on Ukraine, the Western Balkans, and more during summit

This week the EU’s 27 leaders took a historic step during a two day summit in Brussels to grant EU candidate status to Ukraine. While the move marks a significant step for EU enlargement efforts, Western Balkan leaders, who traveled to Brussels for high level meetings with their EU counterparts, were left frustrated at the lack of movement on their bids to join the bloc. Ukraine and the Western...

US 'neutrality' and Turkish aggression in the Aegean

In response to Turkey’s clear aggression in the Aegean, the State Department has resorted to a policy of neutrality and equidistance. Instead of calling out Turkey’s revisionism and condemning its threats against Greece in a clear and unequivocal way, it has resorted to on the one hand supporting the principle of sovereignty and territorial integrity, and on the other calling on “both sides” to...

The debate about European enlargement and the Western Balkans

This week Western Balkan leaders will travel to Brussels for a high-level meeting with EU leaders where they will discuss progress on their integration with the EU and the challenges posed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The meeting comes as the debate over EU enlargement picks up again, which has seen calls from key European leaders for the EU to live up to its promises to the Western Balkans...

Efforts to de-escalate tensions between Greece and Turkey

Last week Greece’s Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos and his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar held a brief one-on-one meeting in Brussels. The meeting came amid escalating aggressive rhetoric from Ankara that has taken tensions between Greece and Turkey to dangerous levels. Vassilis Nedos, Kathimerini’s diplomatic and defense editor, joins Thanos Davelis with the latest analysis on last...

Debunking Turkey’s claims about the sovereignty of Greek islands

Erdogan warned that he was “not joking” on Thursday about his demand for Greece to demilitarize its Aegean islands, and Foreign Minister Cavusoglu has warned Greece to demilitarize or face a debate about the island’s sovereignty. Greece has effectively rebuked Turkey’s claims, but Ankara continues to escalate its rhetoric. Professor Petros Liakouras joins Thanos Davelis to break down why Turkey...

Is Turkey looking to annex the occupied part of Cyprus?

Cyprus is lodging a complaint to the UN over Turkey’s new financial assistance deal with Turkish Cypriots and over Turkey’s decision to designate the Turkish Cypriots’ unrecognized main airport as a domestic flight route, effectively turning it into a Turkish one. There is a fear among Turkish Cypriots as well that both the financial deal and the airport designation are the clearest signals yet...

Germany's policy of “equal distances” between Greece and Turkey

With Turkey escalating its provocations against Greece in the Aegean, we saw Germany once again - at least initially - call on “both sides” to reduce tensions. Following a reaction in Athens at this perceived neutrality, Germany’s government firmed up its stance and called Turkey’s overflights above Greek islands unacceptable. Xenia Kounalaki, a journalist and the foreign editor at Kathimerini,...