Political geography

Main opposition leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Thursday reiterate Greece's position that there are no grey zones in the Aegean, marking the anniversary of the 1996 Imia crisis, which brought Athens and Ankara to the brink of war.

As of 6.00 am, there is heavy truck traffic on Lesovo and Danube Bridge Ruse border checkpoints, at exit from the country, Border Police said. On the borders with Serbia, Macedonia and Greece, there is normal traffic on all crossings.

Defense authorities in Greece have refuted reports in the Turkish media suggesting that the neighboring country had sent ships to the eastern Aegean's Imia islets which were preventing Greek vessels from approaching the area. 

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will pay an official visit to Istanbul on February 5, reports say. The date is expected to be confired be the end of the week.

The Greek premier was invited by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of a UN summit in New York late September. 

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar has reportedly sent a letter of congratulations to Hellenic National Defense General Staff Evangelos Apostolakis for his appointment as Greek minister of defense after Panos Kammenos broke from the government coalition earlier this month and stepped down from the role.

Defense authorities in Greece on Tuesday refuted reports in the Turkish media suggesting that the country had sent ships to Imia that were preventing Greek vessels from approaching the islets that brought the two neighbors to the brink of war in January 1996.

There is heavy truck traffic on Kapitan Andreevo border checkpoint, at exit from the country, according to Border Police data as of 6.00 am. On the borders with Serbia, Macedonia, Greece and Romania, there is normal traffic on all checkpoints.

In what was seen as a thinly disguised warning against Turkey, newly appointed Defense Minister and former chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff Evangelos Apostolakis said Greece will staunchly defend its national sovereignty and territorial integrity if it has to.

Ruse Mayor Plamen Stoilov was elected Chairman of the newly set up Organisation for Management of Danube Tourism Region, while Svishtov Mayor Gencho Genchev will be Deputy Chairman, Svishtov Municipality said.

The Hellenic Coast Guard has dismissed a foreign news report that blamed it for the death a 4-year-old girl who had been on a migrant vessel off the coast of the eastern Aegean island of Samos.