Latest News from Greece

Turkey wants to resolve problems with Greece through dialogue: Minister

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar on Aug. 12 said that Turkey wants to resolve the dispute in the eastern Mediterranean with Greece through dialogue.

"Despite all this, we want to believe that common sense will prevail. Both on the field and at the table, we side with international law, good neighbourliness and dialogue," Akar told Reuters.

Israel offers belated ‘solidarity’ with Greece amid East Med tension

Israel has expressed its solidarity with Greece amid a sharp increase in tensions with Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean region.

"Israel is cautiously monitoring the increase in tension in the Eastern Mediterranean," the country's embassy in Athens said in a statement posted on Twitter on Wednesday morning.

As standoff with Turkey continues, Athens asks for emergency meeting of EU Foreign Affairs Council

As Ankara continued to escalate tensions on Tuesday, with successive statements by Turkish officials announcing the continuation of exploratory activities by the Oruc Reis survey vessel, as well as new ones in areas of the Greek continental shelf, Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias declared that Greece will not accept a fait accompli in the Eastern Mediterranean and called on the Turkish government

Mandatory PCR Tests in Finland After 24 Skopjie Passengers Tested Positive for COVID-19

Finland will introduce mandatory coronavirus tests and quarantines for travellers from certain high-risk countries, the minister in charge said today, after 24 of 157 passengers arriving from Skopje in North Macedonia tested positive for Covid-19.

Greece and the rule of law

I read the farewell letter that was published in Kathimerini by former Greek prime minister Panagiotis Pikrammenos following the recent death of his friend and colleague Giorgos Panagiotopoulos (both men served as presidents of the Council of State, the country's highest administrative court).

Lesson not learned

The bitter experience of the natural disasters that have struck Greece in recent years should have at least taught officials this: Their mission is not about managing the political cost.

Rather, their mission is to heal the wounds, and as soon as possible.

Greece’s Defense Council meeting amid rising tensions in East Med

Greece's Defense Council was on Tuesday meeting under Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos amid an escalation of tensions with Turkey, state-run Athens-Macedonia news agency said, quoting ministry sources.

The meeting was attended by deputy National Defense Minister Alkiviadis Stefanis and the country's top military brass.

Kalamata Airport police net dozens with forged papers

Dozens of foreign nationals trying to travel with forged documents have been arrested by police conducting passport checks at Kalamata Airport in southern Greece.
More specifically, police said that between July 5 and Tuesday, 55 foreign nationals were arrested as they tried to board flights, mainly to cities in Central and Northern Europe.

State of emergency declared in storm-ravaged areas

As authorities assess the damage wrought by the heavy rainstorms and floods a few days ago in parts of central and northern Greece, a state of emergency has been declared for the municipalities on the island of Evia and in the regional unit Thessaloniki that were hardest hit.

Erdogan calls on East Med states to reach ‘formula acceptable for all’

Only hours after Turkey announced plans to issue gas exploration and drilling licences in the Eastern Mediterranean, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged states in the region to agree on a commonly accepted "formula."

Turkey determined to defend interests across ‘Blue Homeland,’ says Akar

Turkey is determined to defend its rights and interests across the "Blue Homeland," including Cyprus, the country's Defense Minister Hulusi Akar was quoted as saying Tuesday in reference to an expansionist vision of Turkish rights and claims in the Eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea.

Restrictions introduced as Covid-19 infections rise

With the number of confirmed coronavirus cases showing an alarming upward trend, the government has announced a fresh batch of measures to curb the spread of infections, including the decision to call off the 85th Thessaloniki International Fair that was scheduled for September 13-15.