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211. Maps, maritime zones and islands

Ankara’s recent publication of a map that appears to split the Aegean Sea in two was yet another sign of Turkish aggressiveness. Like previous naval maneuvers, fighter jet overflights and verbal threats, the map is seen as an unacceptable and deplorable action of the sort that undermines any prospects for dialogue between the two sides....

212. Athens bracing for a protracted crisis

Athens is preparing on both a diplomatic and military level for a protracted crisis in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean until at least the end of the year when the European Union’s ultimatum to Turkey expires in December. Other crucial political milestones will be the US elections on November 3 and the void created until the president is sworn in on January 20....

213. East Mediterranean dialogue prospects ‘at sea’

Cypriot government spokesman Kyriacos Koushos said Turkey’s pulling out of Yavuz drillship from waters off Cyprus was a positive step but cautioned it was not known whether the withdrawal would be short-lived...

214. Pompeo sees window of opportunity for dialogue, in Kathimerini interview

In an interview with Kathimerini, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo deplores the use of threats and unilateral actions as a way of resolving bilateral disputes, sending a clear signal to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan....

215. 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.” ...

216. Pompeo: US ‘strongly’ supports dialogue between Greece and Turkey

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday said Washington “strongly” supports dialogue between Greece and Turkey amid tensions between the two countries in the Eastern Mediterranean....

217. NATO keeps France-Turkey probe under wraps as tempers flare

A NATO investigation into a naval standoff between French and Turkish ships in June has been rated too sensitive to discuss in public and does not apportion blame, as Paris and Ankara wage a war of words, diplomats have told Reuters....

218. 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....

219. Turkey-Cyprus dispute holding up EU's Belarus sanctions, diplomats say

European Union sanctions on Belarus are being delayed by a separate dispute between Cyprus and Turkey over energy resources in the Eastern Mediterranean, four EU diplomats said, in the latest sign of paralysis in the bloc's foreign policy....

220. Turkey: Russia to hold live-fire exercises in Mediterranean

Turkey has announced that Russia will hold live-fire naval exercises in the eastern Mediterranean, amid escalating tensions between Turkey and its coastal neighbors Greece and Cyprus over rights to search for energy resources in the region. ...

221. Ankara accuses Athens of beating the war drum

Turkey says the European Union is not sincere in its efforts to weigh in on the maritime disputes in the eastern Mediterranean, while accusing Athens of beating the war drum by intending to expand Greek territorial waters...

222. 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....

223. International EastMed tension-diffusing efforts battling on

International moves to de-escalate tension in the eastern Mediterranean continued on Tuesday, with the German Chancellor holding a tete-a-tete with the NATO Secretary General and the kickstarting of the informal meetings of EU ministers in Berlin, where regional tensions were at the top of the agenda....

224. Joint drill makes waves around Cyprus

Turkey issued a new navigational telex on Thursday for gunnery exercises next week in the eastern Mediterranean, following an ongoing joint military drill between Cyprus, Greece, France and Italy...

225. Cyprus takes part in eastern med drill

Cyprus, Greece, France and Italy took further steps on Wednesday to strengthen their common naval and aerial presence in the eastern Mediterranean, through an operation that takes its name from an ancient Greek goddess but also meaning “order” in the ancient language...

226. 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....

227. NAVTEX wars continue in east Med

Athens has issued an advisory to mariners concerning Greek air and naval forces conducting exercises in an area that overlaps with the one reserved by Ankara in a similar advisory issued on Sunday...

228. Mitsotakis spells out message to Turkey

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called on Turkey to “stop the provocations” in the Eastern Mediterranean and return to the negotiating table in order to resolve disagreements regarding the delimitation of maritime zones...

229. Greek and Turkish warships in 'mini collision,' says defense source

A Greek and a Turkish warship were involved in a mini-collision on Wednesday during a standoff in the eastern Mediterranean, a Greek defense source said, describing it as an "accident."...

230. Ankara responds to Greek warnings

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan says an attack on Oruc Reis in the eastern Mediterranean would incur a “high price” while at the same time calling for a win-win solution through dialogue...

231. 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....

232. Athens warns of possible 'accident' in East Med

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Wednesday warned about the possibility of an "accident" in the Eastern Mediterranean where Greek and Turkish naval forces have gathered after Ankara decided to sent a vessel to conduct seismic research south of Kastellorizo...

233. Turkey says Greece making a ‘big fuss’

Ankara has accused Athens of having “no legal basis” for raising objections over Turkish exploration in the eastern Mediterranean, as Greek armed forces were placed on high alert Monday after Turkey sent a seismic survey vessel in contested waters...

234. Turkey issues yet another Navtex as vessel moves into Greek EEZ

Turkey has responded to a Greek navigational telex (Navtex) issued earlier Monday with an advisory saying that three Turkish research vessels are “conducting seismic survey in Turkey’s continental shelf… in accordance with international law.”...

235. Regional tensions flare up anew as Turkey issues new Navtex

236. North commemorates Tylliria bombing

Busloads of Turkish Cypriots crossed into Cyprus’ “other ghost town” on Saturday to commemorate Turkish bombing in Tylliria during intercommunal clashes on the island in 1964, but the gathering was not without political controversy...

237. 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....

238. Cyprus calls for EU task force on island

The European Union must do more to fill a power vacuum in the eastern Mediterranean brought on by a perceived US disengagement from the region, and Cyprus is ready to host an EU task force to achieve that goal, the island nation's foreign minister said Wednesday...

239. Beirut blast has eerie connections to Cyprus

Following Tuesday’s deadly explosion in Lebanon, some eerie connections began to emerge in Cyprus, including a Russian national based in Limassol and a Hezbollah-related arrest on the island back in 2015...

240. Death toll rises in Beirut

Over 100 people were killed and thousands wounded in a massive explosion that shook the Lebanese capital on Tuesday, with sound waves of the deadly blast reaching as far as Cyprus...