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1051. Greek Defence minister denies Erdogan's phone talk claims on Imia

Greek Defence Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos rejected on Thursday claims by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that he sent a message to Greece through Defence Minister Hulusi Akar not to make any “move” over the eastern Aegean islets of Imia, for which the two countries were brought to the brink of war twenty-four years ago....

1052. Greek, Turkish defense ministers hold telephone conversation ahead of NATO meeting

Greek Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos and his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar held a telephone conversation Wednesday ahead of the meeting of NATO ministers of defense in Brussels February 12-13, Kathimerini reports....

1053. French aircraft carrier in Cyprus Block 8

Amid rising tensions in the East Mediterranean, the flagship of the French Navy, aircraft carrier Charles De Gaulle, remains in Block 8 of Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone, bearing a small fleet of Rafale fighter jets, helicopters, other aircraft and drones....

1054. Serious planning, not tough-guy posturing

1055. Greece wants floating fence to keep migrants out

Greece wants to install a floating barrier in the Aegean Sea to deter migrants arriving at its islands’ shores through Turkey, government officials said on Thursday....

1056. Little US-Turkish progress solving defenses row, Erdogan says

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday Washington and Ankara had done little to solve a row over Turkey’s purchase of Russian defenses and its procurement of US fighter jets despite a November agreement, according to broadcaster NTV....

1057. Tsipras versus the US and Trump's intervention

Opposition leader Alexis Tsipras’ critical stance toward the extension of the defense cooperation agreement between Greece and the United States is a sign of inconsistency, as he is refusing to vote in favor of an agreement that he is effectively responsible for after negotiating its parameters when he was prime minister....

1058. Greece, Cyprus talk defence cooperation

Cooperation on defence and security is main discussion topic between Defence Minister Savvas Angelides and his Greek counterpart, Nicos Panayiotopoulos, in the framework of the 6th Greece-Cyprus Intergovernmental Defence Council taking place in Athens....

1059. French Navy helicopter carrier docks at Piraeus

The Dixmude amphibious assault ship, a type of helicopter carrier part of the French Navy, will take part in a Hellenic Armed Forces exercise called "Alexander the Great," which began on Monday....

1060. Democrats lay out case against Trump

Democrats planned to plow ahead on Thursday at President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial with their arguments for removing him from office, but Republicans showed no signs of softening their resistance to the Democratic case...

1061. Cyprus and Italy to continue cooperation in the Eastern Mediterranean

Cyprus Defence Minister Savvas Angelides and his Italian counterpart Lorenzo Buerine, agreed to continue the mutual information, coordination and cooperation, regarding the issue of energy security in the EEZ of Cyprus and more generally in the Εastern Mediterranean...

1062. Iran says military shot down plane in error

Iran said on Saturday it had mistakenly shot down a Ukrainian plane killing all 176 people aboard and voiced its deep regret, after initially denying it brought down the aircraft in the tense aftermath of Iranian missile strikes on US targets in Iraq...

1063. Both US and Iran claim ‘self defence’

Iranian UN ambassador has sent a letter to the UN Security Council calling Tehran’s missile strikes a "measured and proportionate" act of "self-defense,” while the US also says killing Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani was for self defence...

1064. US preemptive strike put to the test

The Trump administration on Friday justified its killing of a top Iranian general as an act of self-defense, trying to deflect accusations that it violated international law and concerns raised by legal experts and a senior UN rights investigator....

1065. London raises red flag over Ayia Napa verdict

The British government is raising red flags over the Ayia Napa rape verdict, after a 19-year-old Briton was found guilty of lying to police about being gang raped by Israeli teens...

1066. Turkey warns US over Cyprus arms embargo

Ankara has warned Washington that an impending lift of a US arms embargo on the Republic of Cyprus is a “dangerous escalation” that would hamper efforts to reach a peace settlement on the divided island...

1067. Senate approves Armenian resolution

The US Senate on Thursday unanimously passed a resolution that recognizes as a genocide the mass killings of Armenians a century ago, a historic move that infuriated Turkey and dealt a blow to the already problematic ties between Ankara and Washington...

1068. US arms embargo to be lifted on conditions

President Donald Trump will have discretion over a current US arms embargo imposed on Cyprus, as both Senate and House conferees have reached an agreement on the defence budget for next year...

1069. Athens and Ankara take jabs at each other

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias is expected to raise the Turkey-Libya deal on maritime borders in Brussels, after accusing Ankara of blackmailing its way through an agreement totally devoid of substance...

1070. Senate blocks Armenian vote for third time

Republican Senator Kevin Cramer prevented the US Senate from voting on a resolution on Thursday that would recognize as a genocide the mass killings of Armenians a century ago, saying it was not an appropriate time to pass legislation that would anger Turkey...

1071. Greece-Turkey dialogue kept alive

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Wednesday he discussed with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan “all the issues" that have recently increased tensions between the two countries during a meeting on the sidelines of NATO’s 70th birthday gathering in London...

1072. Attorney general weighs in on spy van

The attorney general of the Republic of Cyprus has appointed a special investigator in the “spy van” case, while the Israeli company that sells controversial surveillance vehicles is calling on authorities to investigate what it calls a “false accusations” campaign...

1073. Trump has ‘wonderful’ meeting with Erdogan

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday pushed Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan to walk away from the purchase of a Russian missile defense system, calling it a “very serious challenge” to bilateral ties, even though he described a meeting between the two leaders as “wonderful"...

1074. Turkey launches ground offensive in Syria

Turkey and its Syrian rebel allies have launched their military operation into northeastern Syria, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday, adding that the offensive aimed to eliminate a “terror corridor” along the southern Turkish border...

1075. Pompeo opts for diplomacy over Cyprus EEZ

The new defense deal signed between Athens and Washington will contribute to Greece’s security, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Kathimerini in a recent interview, while staying firm on diplomatic efforts regarding Cyprus' EEZ...

1076. Turkish jets fly over Greek islets

Two Turkish F-16 fighter jets flew over the Anthropofagi and Makronisi chain of islets in the eastern Aegean the Hellenic National Defense General Staff (GEETHA) said Monday....

1077. A first step in an effort to reset Greek-Turkish relations

The Greek government reportedly sees Wednesday’s first meeting between Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the United Nations Climate Change Summit in New York as a first step in the effort to reset Greek-Turkish relations. ...

1078. Time to seek security guarantees

Diplomatic cliches rarely reflect reality, though in the case of Greek-American relations, they are indeed in the best place they have been in decades. ...

1079. Looking for true followers

Surely it is time for Greece’s most affluent citizens to step up, not out of self-interest, but in order to help the country through this critical time. As it starts to recover from bankruptcy, the country finds itself with scant resources and huge needs in key areas. Virtually all sectors – including defense, health, education and culture – have been seriously impacted by successive waves of budget cuts, a situation that has been aggravated by the failure of Greek politicians to implement bold measures. ...

1080. Cavusoglu speaks to Kathimerini

Our meeting with the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu took place in Famagusta on September 9, 2019, the day the Turkish official entered the fenced-off town of Varosha ...