Cyprus

Greek Defense Minister Evangelos Apostolakis explained Athens' opposition to Turkey's drilling plans off Cyprus during a meeting with Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar on the sidelines of talks between NATO defense ministers in Brussels on Wednesday.

Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Katrougalos on Wednesday briefed party representatives on the measures the European Union is considering taking against Turkey, should the latter continue with its drilling plans in Cyprus' exclusive economic zone (EZZ), the ministry said.

The repeated provocations by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan especially in Cyprus' EEZ will obviously continue.

Pressured by domestic problems, not the least of which is the loss of the Istanbul mayoralty which was the first major defeat in his career, he is resorting to nationalist salvos and provocations to rally his political base.

The leader of a Turkish opposition party, Devlet Bahceli, on Wednesday warned Athens that it is "playing with fire" after Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras warned that Ankara's relations with the European Union will be severely disrupted if it "violates international law [and] the sovereign rights of Greece and Cyprus."

Greece's National Council for Foreign Policy was convening on Wednesday to discuss Turkey's activities off the coast of Cyprus and its refusal to heed warnings of sanctions from the European Union.

A war of words erupted on Tuesday between Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Ergodan over hydrocarbon rights in the Eastern Mediterranean and the southeastern Aegean, with the former warning Ankara of serious consequences if it continues to violate international law. 

The US Senate's Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday voted to advance a bill that would require the State Department to monitor Turkish violations in Cyprus' exclusive economic zone and that would bolster energy cooperation with Cyprus, Greece and Israel in the region.

Non-bank blue chips contained the earlier losses of the Greek bourse's main index on Tuesday, but observers note the political change expected on July 7 has already been priced in and the geopolitical tensions off Cyprus, in the Aegean Sea and in the Persian Gulf are making traders cautious.

The junior pupil team of Romania won five gold medals and a silver medal at the XXII edition of the Balkan Mathematical Olympiad for Juniors, held 20-25 June in Agros, Cyprus, the Education Ministry (MEN) informs in a press release. Following these results, Romania ranked first in the unofficial rankings of nations with 219 points (of 240 possible).

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has lashed back after Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan dismissed his declaration that Greece is prepared for all scenarios in defending its sovereign rights under international law and that Greece and Cyprus enjoy the support of their European partners and the international community in confronting Ankara's bellicose behaviour.