Search

121. Turkey at focus of Lavrov visit to Athens

The main conclusion drawn from Monday's visit by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was the mutual recognition that Greece can play a special role in Russia’s relations with the European Union, but also that Athens expects some support for its positions on maritime zones, while at the same time acknowledging the complicated relations between Moscow and Ankara....

122. Maps, maritime zones and islands

Ankara’s recent publication of a map that appears to split the Aegean Sea in two was yet another sign of Turkish aggressiveness. Like previous naval maneuvers, fighter jet overflights and verbal threats, the map is seen as an unacceptable and deplorable action of the sort that undermines any prospects for dialogue between the two sides....

123. Greece finalizes plan to build wall on border with Turkey

Greece's government says it has finalized plans to extend a wall along its northeast border with Turkey, over concerns that migrants may try to stage mass crossings into the European Union country....

124. Athens bracing for a protracted crisis

Athens is preparing on both a diplomatic and military level for a protracted crisis in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean until at least the end of the year when the European Union’s ultimatum to Turkey expires in December. Other crucial political milestones will be the US elections on November 3 and the void created until the president is sworn in on January 20....

125. Turkey points finger at Greece

Ankara fired back at US and EU criticism over actions of its decision to send Oruc Reis survey vessel near the Greek island of Kastellorizo, while also accusing Athens of escalating tensions and refusing honest dialogue over maritime disputes...

126. Greek, Turkish foreign ministers meet as tensions ease

The foreign ministers of Greece and Turkey have met on the sidelines of a conference in Slovakia and agreed to set a date for the start of a new round of exploratory talks between the two, officials said Wednesday....

127. It is up to Turkey to ‘open path’ to solution, says Greek PM

Greece welcomes a “first step” from Turkey towards the de-escalation of tension, “but whether it is a sincere move or a temporary maneuver remains to be seen,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Tuesday, following talks in Athens with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg....

128. Pompeo sees window of opportunity for dialogue, in Kathimerini interview

In an interview with Kathimerini, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo deplores the use of threats and unilateral actions as a way of resolving bilateral disputes, sending a clear signal to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan....

129. Homeless Moria camp residents to be moved into boats, tents

Thousands of refugees and migrants left homeless by a fire at Greece’s biggest camp on the eastern Aegean island of Lesvos, will be temporarily housed in a ferry boat, two navy ships and tents, Migration Minister Notis Mitarakis told a press conference on Wednesday, confirming that no deaths or injuries have been reported as a result of the blaze....

130. Ankara accuses Athens of beating the war drum

Turkey says the European Union is not sincere in its efforts to weigh in on the maritime disputes in the eastern Mediterranean, while accusing Athens of beating the war drum by intending to expand Greek territorial waters...

131. Greece to extend territorial waters amid dispute with Turkey

Turkey’s president warned Greece on Wednesday not to test his country’s patience or courage as the NATO allies remained locked in a tense dispute over offshore energy exploration in the eastern Mediterranean, while Greece announced plans to extend its territorial waters along its western coastline....

132. German FM calls for ‘direct discussions’ between Greece and Turkey

“The windows for dialogue between Greece and Turkey must now be opened further and not closed,” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said in an emailed statement before meeting Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his counterpart, Nikos Dendias, in Athens on Tuesday....

133. NAVTEX wars continue in east Med

Athens has issued an advisory to mariners concerning Greek air and naval forces conducting exercises in an area that overlaps with the one reserved by Ankara in a similar advisory issued on Sunday...

134. Greek and Turkish warships in 'mini collision,' says defense source

A Greek and a Turkish warship were involved in a mini-collision on Wednesday during a standoff in the eastern Mediterranean, a Greek defense source said, describing it as an "accident."...

135. Turkey resumes drilling in eastern Mediterranean, Erdogan says

President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that Turkey had resumed energy exploration work in the eastern Mediterranean as Greece had not kept its promises regarding such activities in the region. ...

136. Dendias issues stern message to Ankara

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias on Monday sent a stern message to Ankara, saying that Greece “will not accept any fait accompli” at the expense of the country’s territorial integrity and sovereign rights...

137. Seven Greek islands voted among Best in Europe by influential travel magazine

The “76-square-mile haven” of Paros in the Aegean Sea has been voted the best island in Europe by the readers of the influential magazine Travel + Leisure, for its combination of beautiful beaches, traditional architecture, picturesque villages, archaeological sites and bustling nightlife....

138. Only through dialogue can the Mediterranean regain stability, Borrell says

The Mediterranean can be a more secure and stable zone only through dialogue, the EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said at the European Parliament’s plenary session on Turkey in Brussels. ...

139. Turkey reacts to US plan for military education, training for Cyprus

Turkey expressed its disagreement over a US government plan to make International Military Education and Training (IMET) available to Cyprus, saying it does not help resolve the island’s division....

140. Perdios: Cyprus expects just 30% of last year’s tourists

Cyprus expects to attract just 30% of the four million tourists that visited the island last year, deputy minister for tourism Savvas Perdios said, claiming that this year will without a doubt be very tough for the local tourism sector, but the epidemiological data of the island and countries from which it expects tourists will ultimately have the final say....

141. Med7 calls on Turkey to respect law of the sea

The foreign ministers of Greece, Cyprus, France, Italy, Malta, Portugal and Spain, a group dubbed the Med7, issued a joint declaration on Thursday calling on “all countries of the region to respect international law, including the law of the sea, and in particular the sovereignty and sovereign rights of EU member-states.” ...

142. Turkey: ‘Maximalist and uncompromising attitude’ of Greece and Cyprus threatens regional peace

Turkey has reacted to Greece’s condemnation Tuesday of the country’s newly declared drilling within the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and continental shelf of the Republic of Cyprus....

143. Help from China on the way

The Chinese ambassador in Nicosia says Cyprus has recently taken “powerful and appropriate” measures in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, adding that help from China is on the way...

144. Greek forces use tear gas to repel migrants

Greek riot police and troops used water cannon and tear gas on Wednesday against hundreds of migrants as they made another attempt to cross the border from Turkey into Greece....

145. EU interior ministers to pledge ‘all necessary measures’ to stop illegal crossings

EU interior ministers meeting in Brussels on Wednesday will pledge “all necessary measures” to prevent illegal crossings into the bloc’s external borders, according to a draft of their conclusions seen by Kathimerini, which also calls upon Turkey to abide by the terms of a 2016 deal to stem flows in the Aegean....

146. Greek army, police dig in along Turkey border after migrant clashes

Greek troops and riot police remained on high alert on Tuesday along the land border between Greece and Turkey, the main flashpoint in an escalating row between the EU and Ankara over how to deal with a new wave of migrants and refugees....

147. Guards use tear gas to disperse hundreds of migrants at Greek-Turkish border

Guards on Greece’s northeastern land border with Turkey made “deterrent use” of tear gas to disperse some 500 refugees and migrants trying to enter the country and the European Union after Ankara loosened controls on migrant flows....

148. Greek border crackdown amid concerns over Turkey

Greek government sources on Friday stressed that authorities are boosting security at the country’s border following reports that Turkey will no longer stop Syrian refugees from traveling to Europe....

149. France stands by Greece and Cyprus, says French Defense Minister

France will stand by Greece and Cyprus, supporting both in their disputes with Turkey over maritime zones in the Mediterranean, French Defence Minister Florence Parly was quoted saying in a Greek newspaper on Sunday....

150. Pressed in Syria, Turkey ups the ante in the East Med