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31. Greek MPs approve extension of Ionian Sea territorial waters

With 284 votes in favor and 16 “present,” lawmakers approved legislation on Wednesday to extend Greece’s territorial waters along its western coastline from six to 12 nautical miles....

32. Cavusoglu says Turkey-EU in more ‘positive place,’ but chides Greece

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said relations with the European Union are in a “more positive place” but continued to accuse Greece of raising obstacles to exploratory talks planned for later this month....

33. Turkey and Greece to resume talks

Turkey and Greece will resume talks aimed at reducing tensions between the neighbors on Jan. 25, Turkish and Greek officials announced Monday, following this summer’s dispute over maritime borders and energy rights in the eastern Mediterranean...

34. Cyprus drilling programme to resume in mid-2021

The Cyprus hydrocarbon exploration programme will resume in the second half of 2021, energy minister Natasa Pilides said Tuesday, noting however that the pandemic has rendered drilling projects “increasingly complex.”...

35. Cyprus draws up coronavirus vaccination strategy

The health ministry said Thursday that a plan has been drawn up for the vaccination of the Cyprus public against coronavirus, noting that in cooperation with the government’s coronavirus expert task force, groups to get vaccinated first were determined on the basis of an algorithm....

36. Friction in East Med to be prolonged

Turkey’s Oruc Reis seismic survey vessel will explore the area east of the 28th meridian for another two months, according to Turkish Energy Minister Fatih Donmez, effectively heralding a long period of friction in the Eastern Mediterranean. ...

37. NAVTEX wars continue in eastern Med

Greece has issued a counter navigational warning following NAVTEX messages from Turkey, after Ankara renewed exploratory activities in contested Mediterranean waters and further denounced Athens for treaty violations...

38. Greece asks EU countries to halt military exports to Turkey

Greece has asked fellow European Union countries to halt military exports to Turkey, the country's foreign minister said Tuesday, amid a deepening dispute between the two neighbors over maritime boundaries in the eastern Mediterranean....

39. 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...

40. Turkish seismic vessels make waves again

Turkey is once again sending research vessel Oruc Reis to explore for gas south of Greek island Kastellorizo, days after Ankara announced a new NAVTEX for its Barbaros ship in waters off Cyprus...

41. Maas to visit Athens, Nicosia, Ankara in bid to de-escalate tensions

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas will tour Athens, Nicosia and Ankara next week as part of the continuous effort to rekindle the dialogue between the three countries ahead of the European Council Summit....

42. Nicosia in wait-and-see over Barbaros

Government officials in the Republic of Cyprus on Friday declined to comment on reports that Turkish seismic vessel Barbaros had moved away from contested waters off Cyprus, suggesting Nicosia was in a wait-and-see mode amid reports of ongoing diplomatic efforts at the European level between Greece and Turkey...

43. 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....

44. Pompeo: No to unilateral actions

Following a visit to the US naval base at Souda Bay on Crete with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday reiterated his opposition to unilateral actions amid disputes between countries and, in an interview with Kathimerini, indicated that the US is prepared to “play any role that’s appropriate and useful and constructive.” ...

45. Turkey, Greece ready to resume exploratory talks

Turkey and Greece stated they are ready to resume exploratory talks to address their contested maritime claims in the eastern Mediterranean and Aegean, the Turkish presidency said, after a call between the leaders of Turkey, Germany and the European Union on Tuesday....

46. Cyprus uses EU veto amid Turkey push

A scheduled teleconferenceon Tuesday between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Council President Charles Michel is expected to be pivotal for a crisis in Greek-Turkish relations which Berlin has been trying to defuse ahead of a summit of European Union leaders later this week...

47. Berlin pushing Greece, Turkey dialogue

Berlin’s intense efforts to get talks between Athens and Ankara under way were underlined by Wednesday’s teleconference German Chancellor Angela Merkel had with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a few hours after one with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis....

48. Athens and Ankara in dialogue rehearsal

In the wake of the almost month-long standoff between Greece and Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean, the foreign ministers of both countries, Nikos Dendias and Mevlut Cavusoglu, give their analysis of the situation and the way forward in articles they wrote exclusively for Kathimerini...

49. EU reaches vaccine deal with AstraZeneca

The Cyprus-born EU Commissioner for Health and Food Safety announced Thursday the EU’s first vaccine deal, reached with the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, for a quantity of up to 400 million doses of the vaccine under development....

50. EU keeps expanding future vaccine portfolio

EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said the European Commission has concluded exploratory talks with CureVac to purchase a potential vaccine against COVID-19...

51. Rival warnings keep on in the Mediterranean

Rival warnings continued to be issued over waters in the eastern Mediterranean this weekend, after EU ministers reaffirmed the bloc’s solidarity with Greece and the Republic of Cyprus and Turkey saying it would not “bow to banditry”...

52. Cyprus-France defence cooperation agreement comes into force

An announcement by the Cyprus Presidency on Thursday officially marked the initiation of a defence cooperation agreement between Cyprus and France, with particular focus on military and energy areas....

53. Greek-Turkish exploratory contacts with a deadline

In the wake of last month’s dangerous escalation of tension between Greece and Turkey, the two countries have laid the groundwork for exploratory contacts on the terms and conditions of a possible resumption of a dialogue, with Berlin having played a pivotal role in the rapprochement. ...

54. Berlin bridge-building effort undermined by Ankara

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Tuesday revealed that a secret trilateral meeting between Turkish, German and Greek officials, mediated by Berlin, took place ahead of the European Union Foreign Affairs Council on Monday in the wake of Turkey’s controversial decision to convert Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia into a mosque. ...

55. Turkish FM accuses Athens of shirking dialogue

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu dismissed accusations that Ankara is unwilling to seek a solution through talks with Greece, saying that the Greek prime minister needs to “look in the mirror and ask himself where he went wrong.” ...

56. Mitsotakis makes Israel his first destination

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is traveling to Israel today on his first foreign visit since the coronavirus outbreak. The message is clear, and it is being sent out in several directions. After deepening their mutually beneficial relationship (which is not aimed at any third country) for a decade, Greece and Israel are pushing ties to a new level....

57. US lawmaker: East Med cooperation to counter Russia

58. Cyprus to carry out 8 drillings in the next 24 months

Energy Minister Yiorgos Lakkotrypis announced on Tuesday that Cyprus is planning to carry out eight drillings in its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), during the next 24 months....

59. Turkish officials in Athens for CBM talks

60. Duncan sovereignty remarks fallout intensifies