Eastern Mediterranean

Türkiye said on Saturday it was recalling its ambassador to Israel for consultations due to Israel's refusal to agree to a ceasefire in Gaza.

The Turkish foreign ministry said Şakir Özkan Torunlar was being recalled "in view of the unfolding humanitarian tragedy in Gaza caused by the continuing attacks by Israel against civilians, and Israel's refusal (to accept) a ceasefire."

Nineteen days ago, the Israeli occupation committed yet another massacre, adding to the long list of massacres it has committed against the indigenous Palestinian people.

They say, "It will take as long as it takes."

This was stated today by the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen.
He told the Security Council that, with the violence in the Syrian conflict, the Syrian people now face the "frightening prospect of a potential wider escalation" following Hamas' attacks on Israel on October 7 and Israeli military retaliation.

 A dig in northern Iraq has unearthed a 2,700-year-old alabaster sculpture of the winged Assyrian deity Lamassu, which was found largely intact despite its large dimensions.

Thousands of Bulgarians want to cancel their reservations to Egypt and Jordan. They fear unrest in the Middle East. The planned excursions by the end of the year are over 10,000.

An international team of experts from various disciplines will complete a project on the revitalization of the quake-hit southern province of Hatay, especially its city center, in March, with the group taking into account not only the physical aspects but also the "spirit of the city and the emotions of the earthquake survivors."

The conflict in the Middle East has brought back into public discourse this oft-constructed and inaccurate dilemma about the West versus the "others." Greece is positioned without much effort on the side of the "West," an impulse that is largely correct, but not accurate in many respects.

EU member Cyprus wants Brussels to offer financial and technical aid to Lebanon to help it cope with an influx of Syrian refugees and keep them from reaching the island, its interior minister said on Wednesday.

Building permits issued in Cyprus in the first half of 2023 dropped by an annual 7.4%, with the value of the permits rising by 16.5% and the total area by 3%, data released by the Statistical Service of Cyprus (CyStat) show.

Vassilis Nedos, Kathimerini's diplomatic and defense editor, joins Thanos Davelis to discuss the latest trilateral summit between Greece, Cyprus, and Israel, where energy cooperation was at the heart of discussions.

This included expanding their cooperation to include possibly linking Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, Israel, Cyprus, Greece and Europe.