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151. Pompeo’s visit prompted by Turkey’s S-400s

The indications that Turkey activated the radars of its Russian-made S-400 anti-aircraft systems in order to detect US-made Greek F-16 fighter jets on their return from the Eunomia exercise on August 27 off Cyprus apparently sounded the alarm in Washington about the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean and reportedly prompted the visits by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Cyprus on September 12 and Greece on September 27-29. ...

152. 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.” ...

153. Greek PM expected to unveil French defense deal on Saturday

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is due to unveil the details of a defense deal with Paris that was the subject of talks with French President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of a European-Mediterranean leaders’ meeting in Corsica on Thursday....

154. 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....

155. 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...

156. 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....

157. 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....

158. 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....

159. 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....

160. 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”...

161. 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....

162. 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....

163. 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....

164. Sir Stelios wages battle against board

EasyJet founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou had some harsh words to say about the company’s finance director, with the Greek Cypriot billionaire renewing his call to whistleblowers to help with useful information to scrap an Airbus deal...

165. 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....

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

167. 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....

168. 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....

169. 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....

170. President says use of Saudi-businessman owned jet not a violation of Ethics Code

President Nicos Anastasiades acknowledged on Thursday that he could have avoided using a private jet belonging to a Saudi businessman for a family holiday in the Seychelles, but denied that he was in violation of the Ethics Code....

171. 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....

172. 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....

173. President’s air travel under scrutiny

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades is firing back at critics saying his use of a private jet owned by a Saudi billionaire has actually saved the state a lot of money, while opposition parties raise fears of dependency and quid pro quo with foreign donors...

174. 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....

175. How Russian uncapitalism works

Like a private equity firm enacting an acquisition-led ‘roll-up’ in a fragmented sector, Putin and Co in Russian have been busy in recent years quietly taking scores of small banks into state ownership...

176. 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...

177. 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...

178. 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...

179. 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....

180. 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...