AEGEAN SEA

The first Cem-Papandreu International Peace Award was given to businessmen ?ar?k Tara and Theodoros Papalexopoulos, and the Greek-Turkish Forum for being pioneers and "opening innovative ways of communication between Greece and Turkey."

Turkish provocations against Greece continued on Friday, with 20 more violations of Greek airspace recorded in different parts of the Aegean Sea. The difference between Friday’s violations was that no Turkish fighters flew over Greek islands in the eastern Aegean. Specifically, 7 Turkish planes violated Greek airspace, 6 in formation and a lone CN-235. Two were armed.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will chair the government council on foreign and defence policy (KYSEA) in order to discuss the latest developments on the refugees crisis, the condition in the Aegean regarding the presence of NATO and the implementation of the EU-Turkey’s agreement.

For four consecutive days Turkey’s fighters violate Greek airspace flying over the Aegean Sea.

On Thursday, Turkish fighters flew over the Greek island of Oinousses for one hour, from 11:30 to 12:30.

Meanwhile, Greek air force were performing an air military exercise in the area between Chios and Oinousses under orders from Minister of Defence Panos Kammenos.

Turkey continues challenging Greece’s sovereignity over the Aegean Sea with Turkish jets flying over Greek islands.

Athens recorded six violations of Greek airspace in Aegean Sea. A pair of Turkish F-16 flew over the Greek islands of Oinousses and Panagia located between Lesvos and Chios.

Tofa?, a joint venture of Turkey's Koç Holding and Italy's Fiat Chrysler, has started the production of a hatchback model of its Aegea family (dubbed Egea in Turkish) in the northwestern province of Bursa on April 12 in a ceremony with Koç Holding Chairman Ömer Koç, senior officials and Tofa? employees.

Neighboring Iran and Iraq are among the 14 countries with which Turkey has offered to sign readmission agreements in a move to enable Turkey to take back migrants rejected by the European Union more quickly.

Last week, Greece and Turkey embarked on a difficult journey, the safe navigation of which is not guaranteed. 

Following the Turkey-EU agreement aimed at curbing the flow of refugees/migrants, the two countries will now jointly try to manage a practically enormous and legally controversial issue which has already been met with a lot of criticism worldwide. 

Greece deported a second batch of migrants to Turkey on April 8 under an EU-Turkey deal to stem mass migration to the bloc, as Germany announced a sharp drop in asylum claims.

Greek officials said two boats carrying 124 migrants - most of them Pakistani men - had been sent back across the Aegean Sea where hundreds have lost their lives in a quest to reach Europe.  

Pope Francis will next week make a brief trip to Lesbos, the Greek island on the frontline of Europe's migrant crisis, the Vatican confirmed on April 7.