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This week Israel, Cyprus, and Greece agreed to speed up technical work on the Euro-Asia interconnector, the world’s longest and deepest underwater power cable that will traverse the Mediterranean. This $900 million project has been described as a “cornerstone” of the countries’ efforts to transition to a green economy, while at the same time enhancing energy security and allowing the three...

15 λεπτά

According to a recent Kathimerini report, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias raised the issue of Turkey’s nuclear ambitions during a call last month with Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Dendias highlighted a nuclear energy plant Turkey is building on its southern coast, the potential risks it poses to other countries in the region, Ankara’s unwillingness to share details about the project,...

12 λεπτά

The list of divergences between Ankara and European capitals at the moment is long, from human rights to the Eastern Mediterranean. It's against this background that EU leaders will meet to examine the bloc’s relations with Turkey at a summit on March 25-26. Ambassador Marc Pierini - the author of the recent piece “The Price of a Positive EU-Turkey Agenda” - joins The Greek Current to look at...

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Earlier this week, 170 members of the House of Representatives, signed a bipartisan letter urging President Biden to address “troubling” human rights issues as it creates its Turkey policy. The letter is the latest step Congress has taken to ensure the administration confronts Turkey’s President Erdogan over Ankara’s democratic backsliding and hostile behavior. In the meantime, it appears that...

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An informal summit on Cyprus hosted by the UN Secretary General is scheduled to take place in Geneva in late April, with the officially stated goal being “to determine whether common ground exists for the parties to negotiate a lasting solution to the Cyprus problem.” Leading up to these talks, Turkey has stated it will only discuss a two-state solution when it comes to Cyprus. This is a...

14 λεπτά

This week the EU announced a proposal for a vaccine certificate called a Digital Green Pass that will let people who have been vaccinated against the coronavirus travel more freely. This has been a key priority for Greece, which relies on tourism for a fifth of its economic output and is keen to revive travel before the summer season. Alex Patelis, the chief economic adviser to the Prime...

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Greece stands at the threshold of a strategic shift that could see it become Europe’s geopolitical gatekeeper of the emerging East Africa-to-Europe and Middle East-to-Europe commercial corridors. That’s the argument that Professor Michael Tanchum makes in his latest policy paper for ELIAMEP, the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy. Professor Tanchum joins The Greek Current to...

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The Ecumenical Patriarchate is currently being squeezed by Turkey and Russia, both of which see the spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians as an extension of Western influence that threatens their respective political ambitions. Dr. Aykan Erdemir and John Lechner join the Greek Current to talk about Russia’s campaign of disinformation against Patriarch Bartholomew, why Turkey’s...

15 λεπτά

Earlier this year Greek Olympic gold medalist Sofia Bekatorou came forward and testified that she was sexually assaulted as a 21-year-old in 1998 by a sports official. Since then, the #MeToo movement sweeping through Greece has seen a wave of victims come forward and tell their story. Meanwhile, recent allegations against the National Theatre director have also resulted in an unfolding...

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The HDP, the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party, is facing renewed pressure in Turkey amid rising calls for its closure by nationalist politicians in Ankara. HDP members are being increasingly targeted after the deaths of 13 Turkish hostages in Iraqi Kurdistan earlier this month following a botched rescue operation. Merve Tahiroglu, the Turkey Program Coordinator at the Project on Middle...

18 λεπτά

Turkish President Erdogan has dominated Turkish politics for nearly two decades, consolidating power and seeking to become a second Ataturk. While Erdogan may see himself as larger than life, expert Michael Rubin draws on historical precedents to make the case in his piece “Where Will Erdoğan be Buried?” that the true measure of how Turks view him will become apparent only after his death....

11 λεπτά

The Hellenic Navy is currently evaluating proposals for the supply of new frigates by France, the United States, the Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, and Italy. This is part of Greece’s latest effort to upgrade and modernize its armed forces and its navy amid tensions with Turkey. Greece is also deepening its strategic and defense cooperation with Israel, while Foreign Minister...

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Greece's Anna Diamantopoulou is one of four candidates left in the race to become the next head of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). If her candidacy is successful, then she would be the first woman to lead the OECD, one of the world’s most influential multilateral organizations. Anna Diamantopoulou joins The Greek Current to discuss the importance of the OECD...

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A recent New York Times article titled “In Turkey’s Safe Zone in Syria, Security and Misery Go Hand in Hand” has been called out by a number of experts who say it whitewashes Turkey’s occupation of Afrin in Syria and the removal of Syrian Kurds from the area. Expert David Phillips joins The Greek Current to explain why this report is so problematic, and to give us a picture of the situation on...

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Greece's Minister of Development and Investment, Adonis Georgiadis, discusses investments in Greece's infrastructure, and looks at the important role that the US is playing through the International Development Finance Corporation (DFC). We look at key investments in Greece’s ports and shipyards like Alexandroupoli and Elefsis, in the energy sector, and also explore key investments from US...

10 λεπτά

US-Turkey tensions flared following the death of 13 Turkish soldiers, police, and civilians who perished during a Turkish offensive against PKK Kurdish militants in Iraqi Kurdistan. Turkish President Erdogan slammed the US State Department’s initial condemnation of the deaths before Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivered a swift clarification during his call with Foreign Minister Cavusoglu...

13 λεπτά

On Monday Greece’s Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held their first official call - which comes as relations between the two countries are at their highest level in recent memory - and looked at how to further enhance the strategic cooperation between Greece and the United States. They also covered the latest developments in the Eastern Mediterranean and...

14 λεπτά

Earlier this week China’s president chaired a long-delayed 17+1 summit with Central and Eastern European countries, including Greece, amid division in the region over how to view Beijing's growing influence. A number of countries are increasingly sensitive to tensions between the US and China, and to concerns that the 17+1 is being used to divide European Union policy on China. Journalist Reid...

15 λεπτά

President Biden's pledge to put democracy and human rights at the center of American foreign policy is facing an early test from an increasingly authoritarian Turkey. In a recent op-ed, expert Merve Tahiroglu, makes the case that the Biden administration has an immediate opportunity to make good on this pledge, not only to advance American interests and human rights, but also to protect U.S....

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This week Turkey signaled that it could give ground on the S-400 missiles it purchased from Russia, with Defense Minister Hulusi Akar suggesting Turkey could adopt the so-called “Crete Model'' - which was used to solve a dispute between Greece, Cyprus, and Turkey in the 1990s over S-300s Nicosia had purchased - to deal with this issue. Expert Aaron Stein, joins our podcast to discuss why this...

17 λεπτά