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This week has seen a number of developments in Greece, from news related to the pandemic, to tourism, to protests over a labor reform, to tennis stars Maria Sakkari and Stefanos Tsitsipas having a historic run in the French Open. Nikos Efstathiou, a journalist with Kathimerini, joins The Greek Current to discuss these news items. We look at the status of the country’s vaccination campaign, the...

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In the lead-up to President Biden’s meeting next week with Turkey’s President Erdogan on the sidelines of the NATO summit, there have been some rumors circulating that there is an agreement or a deal on the table over the Russian S-400 missiles that may help salvage relations between Turkey and the US. Diplomatic sources, however, have denied that there is any agreement in place. Expert Alan...

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On Wednesday Senator Bob Menendez, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Senator Marco Rubio introduced new legislation in the Senate to strengthen the United States’ defense partnership with Greece. The bipartisan legislation, titled the US-Greece Defense and Interparliamentary Partnership Act of 2021, aims to increase support for Greece’s military modernization, authorizing...

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Developments in Greece and at the EU level this week have put the migration crisis back in the spotlight. On Monday Greece declared that Turkey is a safe destination for asylum seekers from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Somalia and Syria. In theory this could stem the number of arrivals at Greece borders, as it would allow it to return asylum-seekers from these countries to Turkey. In the...

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On June 14th Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is scheduled to meet with Turkey’s President Erdogan on the sidelines of the NATO summit. Their meeting will be intimate, with, at most, a top aide from each side present. According to officials involved in the preparation of the meeting, this face-to-face setting could lead to a more frank exchange of views. The Greek side reportedly has...

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Professor Aristotle Tziampiris joins us on The Greek Current today to explore his latest piece in World Politics Review, in which he outlines how Greece is reshaping the Eastern Mediterranean. We look at how Greece’s foreign policy establishment views the broader region, and how this has led it to pursue a national strategy with four pillars, including close relations with Israel, a deepening...

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Last week Reuters broke a story that Turkey had used its veto power within NATO to water down an official condemnation of Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko for forcing down a passenger plane flying from Greece to Lithuania to arrest Roman Protasevich, a dissident journalist that was on board. Lukashenko’s actions drew criticism from around the world, and the EU introduced sanctions in...

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On Tuesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides. During the call Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Christodoulides reaffirmed their commitment to deepening the strong US-Cyprus bilateral relationship. Secretary Blinken also pledged US support for a federal solution to the Cyprus issue, expressed support for the 3+1...

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In late 2019 the head of Turkey’s Defense Industry Directorate announced that Turkey had flown its first drones to Lefkoniko Airport in the occupied northern part of Cyprus. Turkey has continued to transform this airport into a drone base, even moving many attack drones such as the Bayraktar-TB2 onto the base. Expert Michael Rubin joins The Greek Current to discuss this new Turkish base and why...

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EU leaders travelled to Athens on Thursday to celebrate the 40th anniversary since Greece joined what was then the European Economic Community. The anniversary offered an opportunity to reflect on the benefits of Greece’s membership. Leaders highlighted that over the last 40 years, projects large and small have changed the country’s image and improved the daily lives of Greek citizens. Tom...

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Since May 2nd, Sedat Peker, a notorious organized crime boss in Turkey, has been posting YouTube videos implicating current and former Turkish officials, their relatives and other prominent figures in crimes, including murder plots, rape and drug trafficking. His videos have drawn millions of views, and has triggered an in-depth look at the links between mafia gangs, police, politicians and...

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As President Biden prepares to meet with Turkey’s President Erdogan next month, the focus will undoubtedly be on the long list of foreign and security policy issues that have caused a rift in US-Turkish relations. In her latest piece, expert Tugba Tanyeri Erdemir, who joins us today on The Greek Current, makes the case that President Biden also needs to include cultural heritage diplomacy in...

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President Biden is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Turkish President Erdogan on the sidelines of the NATO summit on June 14. This will be the first time the two leaders will meet in person since President Biden took office earlier this year. Expert David Phillips joins The Greek Current to talk about the significance of this upcoming meeting, and argues that this is an opportunity...

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In Monday’s Kathimerini Vassilis Nedos reports that the United States has decided to boost the presence of its armed forces in Greece, both on a permanent and a rotational basis. This increase in the US military presence in Greece was a given in negotiations for the renewal of the Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement between the two countries. In the meantime, Greece hosted the joint military...

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This week the US sent its highest-level official to Libya since 2014, a move it says is a signal of its increased commitment to resolving the country's crisis. The visit comes as Libya’s new Government of National Unity seeks to set the stage for a national election in December. This remains a challenge as foreign backed troops, mercenaries, and militias are still present in the country,...

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Earlier this week, Turkish media argued, with a frontpage story, that Turkey should sign a maritime deal with Hamas-led Gaza similar to the deal it struck with the GNA in Libya - which contravenes international law. Seth Frantzman joins The Greek Current to discuss this latest report in Turkish media, and explain how such a deal would not only put Israel and Turkey on a collision course, but...

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On May 19 we commemorate the genocide of the Greeks of the Pontus region, in which at least 353,000 people perished. The Pontian Genocide, although commemorated and remembered separately, was part of Turkey’s broader genocide against Christian Greeks, Armenians, and Assyrians in Anatolia and Eastern Thrace that began in the spring of 1914. By 1923, out of approximately 2 million Greeks living...

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As Greece steps up its vaccination efforts across the country - especially on its islands - there’s an element of the population that is reluctant to get the vaccine, slowing the government’s inoculation drive. Reports indicate that misinformation, conspiracy theories and, in some cases, religious faith all seem to influence attitudes about the vaccines in communities across Greece. Iliana...

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Last week Armenia raised the alarm that Azerbaijan had launched an incursion into Armenian territory, once again escalating tensions. This latest development comes less than six months after a cease-fire ended Azerbaijan’s devastating assault on Nagorno-Karabakh. The US, France, and Russia have all called on Azerbaijan to withdraw its troops immediately, while the US Congress is also calling on...

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Models show that annual mean temperatures across the Mediterranean are increasing by up to 2 C over the next 30 years as a result of climate change. This will undoubtedly have a profound impact on the city of Athens, which already sees summer temperatures surpassing 40 degrees celsius, or 104 F. This issue was the focus of an article in The Guardian this week, which profiled the efforts the...

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