Geography of Africa

Hoteliers in Istanbul have demanded the Algerian Embassy pay in full the expenses of the Algerians who were stranded in the city and accommodated in hotels after flights were cancelled in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The U.N. is urging an investigation after the discovery of multiple mass graves in the city of Tarhuna, Libya, recently liberated from warlord Khalifa Haftar.

A Hellenic Navy vessel participating in the European Union's Operation Irini to uphold the United Nations-imposed arms embargo on Libya was on Wednesday monitoring the movements of a Tanzanian-flagged Turkish ship suspected of carrying arms to the North African country.

A Turkish ship suspected of carrying arms to Libya, violating a UN-imposed arms embargo, has been spotted in the central Mediterranean Sea in an area monitored by European Union vessels participating in Operation Irini, Kathimerini understands.
The cargo vessel is accompanied by two Turkish frigates.

Athens is bracing for a prolonged period of tension this summer in view of Turkish preparations to conduct exploratory drilling from the north of Rhodes all the way to the southeast of Crete in 24 plots that are included in a map published in the Turkish government's gazette outlining areas where Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) has applied for exploration permits. 

Greece's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has welcomed Egypt's initiative to mediate for peace in civil-war-torn Libya.

"We welcome Egypt's new initiative to resolve the Libyan Gordian knot," the ministry's sunday announcement says.

Romania's Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu on Wednesday had a telephone conversation with his Tunisian counterpart Noureddine Erray, initiated by the latter to dicusss education and tourism co-operation.

Turkey will continue to protect its rights and interests in the Eastern Mediterranean "without any compromise," the country's National Security Council said after a meeting on Tuesday.

The council, chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, also said it would  continue providing "military consultancy to Libya's legitimate government."

The publication in the Turkish government's gazette of a map outlining areas of the Greek continental shelf where Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) has applied for exploration permits has drawn an angry response from Athens, which warned it is fully prepared to respond in the event that Ankara chooses to conduct exploratory activities in these areas.

The whereabouts of three Turkish adventurers who set sail for a world tour on their catamaran have remained unknown for the past 36 days, as they were last reported to have taken refuge in the east African country of Eritrea as COVID-19 became a pandemic and due to bad weather conditions at the time, Hürriyet daily columnist Fatih Çekirge reported.