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121. EU ‘very clear’ on expectations from Turkey for de-escalation

The message, the expectations, the timeline and the consequences of not acting towards a de-escalation of tension in the Eastern Mediterranean were “made clear” to Turkey, both via the informal Foreign Affairs Council last week in Berlin and in the telephone call on Monday between EU High Representative Josep Borrell and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, according to EU foreign policy spokesman Peter Stano....

122. Old rivalries continue in eastern Mediterranean

Greece has issued a competing navigational telex after Turkey extended seismic surveys in the eastern Mediterranean, with no signs between the two NATO allies of burying the hatchet over old rivalries that continue to this day...

123. Charles de Gaulle returning to the eastern Mediterranean

In the wake of Erdogan's war threats, Paris is responding by sending the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier to the eastern Mediterranean region....

124. Greece starts more training exercises amid Turkey tension

Greece and the United Arab Emirates have begun joint air force training exercises in the eastern Mediterranean, in the latest build-up of military forces in the region where Greece and Turkey are at odds over seabed mineral rights....

125. Six Greek F-16s participated in joint drill off Cyprus

Six Greek F-16 fighter jets participated on Thursday in joint military exercises with Cyprus, France and Italy in the Eastern Mediterranean....

126. French and Greek fighter jets at Paphos air base

Joint aeronautical exercises featuring the militaries of Greece, France, and Cyprus are set to take place from Wednesday until Friday off the west coast of Cyprus is set to send a strong response to Turkey’s activities in the eastern Mediterranean....

127. 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”...

128. Amid tensions with Turkey, Greece in joint manoeuvres with France

Amid ongoing tensions with Turkey over disputed waters in the eastern Mediterranean, the French military conducted training exercises with Greek forces on Thursday off the southern island of Crete, including in the maritime area reserved by Turkey’s Navtex earlier this month for seismic exploration....

129. French La Fayette frigate spotted off Larnaca coast

After the two French Rafale fighter jets and the C 180 utility aircraft landed in the National Guard’s ‘Andreas Papandreou’ air base in Paphos, a warship of the French Navy has also arrived in Cyprus....

130. Greek armed forces on alert over Turkish exploration off Kastellorizo

The Antalya Navtex station on Tuesday announced plans for a Turkish seismic survey south and east of the Greek island of Kastellorizo from July 21-August 2....

131. Charles De Gaulle docks in Limassol - pictures

Europe’s largest warship, the French navy flagship Charles De Gaulle, docked at Limassol port once again on Friday, in view of upcoming joint military exercises between the armies of Cyprus and France....

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

133. Cavusoglu: Greece must be prepared to share in the East Med

Turkey is willing to reach a compromise with Greece as long as the latter is prepared to share in the Eastern Mediterranean, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday....

134. French Defence Minister expresses solidarity with Cyprus

The French Defence Minister, Florence Parly, who met on Tuesday with President Nicos Anastasiades and her Cyprus counterpart Savvas Angelides, expressed France’s solidarity with Cyprus, which she said is under intense pressure when seen from an international perspective....

135. Anti-aircraft systems activated in joint military exercise with France

French Rafale fighter jets put the capabilities of the Cyprus army’s anti-aircraft umbrella to the test during a joint military exercise on Monday....

136. 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....

137. 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....

138. 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...

139. Athens denounces sea border deal to UN

Greece’s objections to the “legally invalid” maritime boundary deal between Turkey and Libya are meticulously outlined in two letters it has sent to the United Nations, which also call on Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to bring the matter before the Security Council...

140. 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"...

141. 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...

142. Turkey expresses displeasure at military exercise with barrage of violations

Turkish fighter jets on Wednesday conducted a total of 70 airspace violations, which led to six overflights and five mock dogfights with Greek fighter jets....

143. Greek jets fly over Larnaca military drill

Two Greek F-16 jets flew over Larnaca’s Kalo Chorio firing range on Thursday morning, while a training exercise of the Cypriot National Guard was in progress...

144. 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....

145. Greece and the US: Commitments and credibility

The signals coming from the two centers of power in the United States, the president and Congress, are often conflicting, which makes it hard for Athens to carve out an effectual foreign policy. This conundrum is set to continue throughout the Trump administration...

146. Macron sends stern warning to Ankara

In a show of solidarity with Cyprus, French President Emmanuel Macron sent a stern message to Turkey on Thursday that Paris and the European Union will not tolerate violations in the Eastern Mediterranean...

147. Tangible rewards for alliance-building

Greece's military spending has shrunk dramatically as a result of the crisis, widening the defense gap with Turkey. Successive Greek governments have spent billions on armaments over the past few decades, yet there is very little to show for it in terms of a defense industry. After an ambitious start, state-owned firms such as the Hellenic Aerospace Industry (EAV) and others were gradually choked by mismanagement from political parties and unionism...

148. US removes Turkey from F-35 program after Russian missile purchase

The United States said on Wednesday that it was removing Turkey from the F-35 fighter jet programme, a move long threatened and expected after Ankara began accepting delivery of an advanced Russian missile defence system last week. ...

149. No time for mixed signals

We are entering a very thorny patch in Greek-Turkish relations. Turkey’s activities within Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ), combined with the standoff with the United States over Ankara’s acquisition of the Russian S-400 missile defense system are increasing the tension further in Greece’s wider region. ...

150. Trump says 'not fair' that U.S. can't sell F-35s to Turkey

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday it is “not fair” to either Turkey or the United States that Washington cannot sell Ankara billions of dollars worth of F-35 fighter jets after it bought a Russian air defense system...