Political geography

It is the first time since 1947 that Greece will be expanding its national sovereign territory, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Wednesday, as Parliament prepared to vote on a bill for the extension of Greece's territorial waters to 12 nautical miles, from six, in the Ionian Sea.

As the bill for the extension of Greece's territorial waters to 12 nautical miles in the Ionian Sea is set for Parliamentary approval Wednesday, Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias insisted Tuesday that the expansion when it takes place in Crete will also affect its eastern part.

Turkey can come close to the EU only if it complies with international law, Dendias said

Foreign Minister, Nikos Dendias reiterated on Wednesday that Greece's right to expand its territorial waters "is non-negotiable" and that Turkey must respect international law on this issue.

A video released on Thursday by a news website on the eastern Aegean island of Kalymnos appears to show a Turkish coast guard patrol vessel harassing a Greek fishing boat near Imia, a cluster of uninhabited islets that brought Greece and Turkey to the brink of war in 1996.

Bulgaria is recovering after the water disaster. There are still closed roads. Due to the heavy rainfall, the road to Gotse Delchev collapsed. Yesterday, emergency crews were trying to reinforce the cracked lane.

Landslides have buried several houses in the Dospat region. The floods caused huge material damage.

Gotse Delchev - Dospat road remains closed.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday accused Greece of raising tension in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean, calling on Athens "cease activities… such as "airspace violations and illegal actions on the issue of the islands."

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

Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias on Saturday hailed a new bill that will extend Greece's western maritime boundaries to 12 miles offshore from six.

A bill that extends Greece's territorial waters to 12 miles from the current 6 on the western part of the country only has been tabled in Parliament.

The parliamentary committee on Foreign Affairs and Defense will begin debate on the bill on Tuesday, January 12; a second reading will take place on Jan. 15 and the plenary session will take up the bill on Jan. 19.