Aegean Sea

Athens is gearing up to implement a one-year visa-on-arrival program for Turkish citizens visiting the Aegean islands, Greek and Turkish local media has reported.

The move comes following collaborative efforts aimed at fostering improved ties between the historically strained neighbors.

Over the past few years it seems that the island of Imvros, a Turkish island in the Aegean Sea with a historic Greek population, is experiencing what's been described by some as a small Greek renaissance, as some descendants of the Greeks who were largely displaced in the 1960s have begun trickling back.

Dozens of migrants were rescued from a small boat in difficulty off an eastern Aegean Sea island and a search was underway for one more person, Greek authorities said Thursday, as arrivals to the southeastern European country increase.

Türkiye on Tuesday briefly suspended shipping traffic along the Dardanelle Strait because of a windswept forest fire near the tourist town of Çanakkale.

The emergency response service said it had evacuated seven villages and was preparing to help people leave three more on Türkiye's northwestern coast.

The public debate in Greece on whether solutions can and should be found for the country's disputes with Turkey tends to be extremely shallow and toxic.

There can be no real discussion with people who insist that no moves should be made or talks take place, who accuse and sometimes even insult those who disagree with them.

The scorching heatwaves burning up the eastern provinces are expected to come into effect in the western parts of the nation, the Turkish State Meteorological Services has announced, with temperatures climbing almost 10 degrees above seasonal norms.

Greek authorities on Saturday rescued nearly 60 migrants in inflatable dinghies trying to cross from Turkey to the nearby eastern Aegean Sea islands in two separate incidents, the coast guard said.

In recent weeks Greece has seen a rise in such arrivals, mostly in small unseaworthy boats provided by smugglers.

One woman was placed under arrest on the island of Tinos for violating regulations on occupying public space on beaches, during raids carried out by the competent authorities the previous day, according to an announcement by the Finance Ministry on Thursday.

Ships departing from the ports of Attica for the Greek islands on Monday and Tuesday were almost fully booked as people continued to quit the capital for the August 15 holiday, particularly for destinations in the Cyclades.

The United States House of Representatives on Aug. 1 added an article to the draft of the 2024 defense budget bill to submit a research report for the establishment of new U.S. bases in Greece, especially on the Aegean islands.