Alexandros Papaioannou

Members of the ethnic Greek minority in Mariupol emerged from underground refuges this morning, some after 72 hours without electricity or water, as the president of the community told Greek television today.

At dawn today, many residents of the city queued up at ATMs, super markets, and gas stations.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has decided to send defensive military equipment and humanitarian aid to Ukraine following an emergency meeting that he chaired this morning with Defence Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Konstantinos Floros.

When Turkish ministers visit Thrace, there are always concerns about references to a Turkish minority in the region, even though the Lausanne Treaty defines the minority as a religious one.

The Greek Foreign Ministry dismissed on Friday press reports alleging that Russia had asked Greece to assist in the production of the Sputnik V shot during a meeting of the two countries' foreign ministers in October 2020.

Next week's exploratory talks between Greece and Turkey over contested maritime claims in the Aegean are confidential discussions and not negotiations, the Greek Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Alexandros Papaioannou said on Thursday, during a press briefing.

The talks between the NATO allies are set to begin in Istanbul on January 25, after a four-year pause.

Greece has received no invitation from Turkey to resume exploratory talks, Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexandros Papaioannou said on Monday.

Greece is ready to engage in talks with Turkey as long as Turkey proves its commitment to international law, Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias said Thursday, warning Ankara against a diplomatically-expedient, short-term readjustment of its foreign policy in view of the upcoming European Council on December 10-11.