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541. 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....

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

543. Military clash with Syria is imminent, Erdogan says

Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday a Turkish military operation to push back a Syrian government offensive against rebel strongholds in northwest Syria was now “a matter of time” after talks with Russia failed to halt the assault....

544. Greece, US hold live-fire drill after major base deal

At the foot of Mount Olympus, army aviation forces from Greece and the United States are taking part in a live-fire exercise with attack helicopters, marking deepening defense ties between the two countries....

545. Amid tension, Greece, Turkey hold military-to-military talks

A delegation of Turkish military officials is due in Athens to resume confidence-building talks amid tension between the two NATO members over maritime oil-and-gas drilling rights....

546. Greek-US ties and the East Med

By Lieutenant General Thomas Trask On the occasion of his meeting last month with President Donald Trump in Washington, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis remarked how the US-Greece relationship “is the best it ever was. But it can become even better.”...

547. Athens drafts package to ease tension with Anakara

Athens plans to present a package of proposals to ease Aegean tensions in talks with Ankara on confidence building measures on February 17-21....

548. 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....

549. 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....

550. Serious planning, not tough-guy posturing

551. 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....

552. Nicosia ups efforts ahead of UNFICYP vote

Nicosia is intensifying efforts over the final makeup of an UNFICYP draft resolution in New York, as the mandate of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus is expected to be renewed ahead of its expiry at the end of the month...

553. Foreign powers back Libya ceasefire

Foreign powers agreed at a summit in Berlin on Sunday to shore up a shaky truce in Libya, but the meeting was overshadowed by blockades of oilfields by forces loyal to commander Khalifa Haftar that could cripple the country’s crude production...

554. Iran escalation continues after midnight tweet

US President Donald Trump on Saturday threatened to hit 52 Iranian sites “very hard” if Iran attacks Americans or US assets after a drone strike that killed Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani, as tens of thousands of people marched in Iraq to mourn their deaths...

555. Israel opposes Turkey-Libya deal

Israel opposes an accord signed last month between Libya and Turkey mapping out maritime boundaries in the eastern Mediterranean, but the deal was unlikely to lead to a conflict with Turkey, Israel's foreign minister says...

556. 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...

557. 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...

558. 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...

559. 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"...

560. Turkey reacts to EU sanctions over Cyprus

President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday the European Union’s decision to sanction Turkey over drilling off the coast of Cyprus could disrupt talks with the bloc, and he warned that Turkey could send captured Islamic State fighters to Europe...

561. EU okays framework on Turkey over Cyprus

European Union foreign ministers agreed on Monday economic sanctions over Turkey's drilling off the coast of Cyprus, setting up the legal framework for travel bans and asset freezes but leaving names until a later date...

562. Senator urges Trump to stand Erdogan up

US Senator Bob Menendez has called on President Trump to cancel any invitation to Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the White House until the Turkish President commits himself to upholding democratic values...

563. Greek jets on NATO mission fly over Cyprus

Greek fighter jets are flying over Cyprus for a second time within a span of just a few weeks, with reports saying they are on a NATO mission to Syria...

564. Turkey criticized over Syria offensive during EP debate

Turkey was heavily criticized on Wednesday for its military operation in north-east Syria, during a debate at the European Parliament plenary, in Strasbourg, while a relevant resolution is expected to be adopted on Thursday....

565. EU lawmakers reject Turkey's 'safe zone' in Syria, eye sanctions steps

European Union lawmakers on Wednesday condemned Turkey’s offensive to carve out a “safe zone” in northeast Syria and prepared the way for new EU financial sanctions against Ankara....

566. Pence urges Erdogan to halt operation

US Vice President Mike Pence met President Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey on Thursday on a mission to persuade him to halt an offensive against Kurdish fighters in northeast Syria, but Turkish officials said the action would continue regardless...

567. Last straw as Johnson heads to Brussels

European Union leaders’ two-day summit in Brussels starting on Thursday will be dominated by last-gasp efforts to seal a deal on Britain’s exit from the bloc despite a raft of other pressing issues, from the crisis in the Middle East to the bloc’s budget...

568. 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...

569. US guided-missile destroyer USS Gonzalez arrives in Larnaca port

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Gonzalez (DDG 66) arrived in Larnaca port, Cyprus, on October 1st, for a scheduled visit. It is currently deployed in support of US national security interests in the US 6th Fleet area of operations....

570. Serb-made Nora unveiled in Cyprus parade

A military parade was held on Tuesday in Nicosia to commemorate the 59th anniversary of the Republic of Cyprus’ independence...