The Greek Current

The US has put together an international armada to deter Iranian-backed Houthi militias from Yemen from attacking shipping in the Red Sea, and this week Greece announced that it will participate in this US led mission - dubbed Operation Prosperity Guardian. Nikolas Katsimpras, a lecturer in Columbia University’s Negotiation and Conflict Resolution Program, an international affairs consultant, a ve...

The European Union on Wednesday broke years of political deadlock, striking a landmark deal on migration as negotiators worked through the night to agree on the overhaul of the bloc’s asylum procedures. The breakthrough was hailed as “historic” by EU leaders. Angeliki Dimitriadi, the head of the migration program at ELIAMEP, joins Thanos Davelis to look into this new migration deal, and break down...

It's been almost one year since the State Department notified Congress of the potential F-35 sale to Greece. Unfortunately, the sale has still yet to move forward. This delay coincides with Turkish President Erdogan’s attempts to use Sweden’s NATO membership to pressure the US over the sale of F16s. Endy Zemenides, the Executive Director of the HALC, joins Thanos Davelis to discuss the efforts to...

For the second year in a row The Economist once again listed Greece as the top economic performer of the year out of a list of 35 countries, beating the likes of the United States, the UK, Germany, and Japan. Alex Patelis, the chief economic adviser to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, joins Thanos Davelis to look at Greece’s economic performance over the last year, and break down why we should...

Last week European leaders focused on EU enlargement, from the Western Balkans to Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia. While the EU wants closer ties with these countries, it has also made it clear that it expects reforms, particularly when it comes to issues related to the rule of law and justice. Dimitar Bechev, a research fellow at Carnegie Europe, where he focuses on Central, Eastern, and Southeaste...

As EU leaders meet in Brussels this week, their focus is largely on Ukraine and its ties to the EU. In the buildup to the summit, however, the Western Balkans also caught their attention. This includes the case of Albania and the imprisoned mayor-elect of Himare Fredi Beleri, which has not only caused a rift in Greek-Albanian relations, but also between Athens and Berlin this week. Vassilis Nedos,...

All top-flight soccer matches in Greece will be played without fans in the stadiums for the next two months, as the focus in Greece once again turns to cracking down on supporter violence following a series of violent incidents at matches. Nikos Efstathiou, an Athens based journalist and author, joins Thanos Davelis to explore the issue of fan violence in Greece, and look at the government’s lates...

One of the key figures that captured the hardship of the decade-long economic crisis in Greece was the unemployment rate, which peaked at 28 percent in the summer of 2013. Today, the latest statistics show that Greece’s unemployment rate has fallen below 10 percent for the first time since the onset of the crisis. Yiannis Mouzakis, the co-founder and editor of Macropolis.gr, a political and econom...

Last week we heard Turkish President Erdogan, who once declared that Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis “no longer exists” for him, now call him his “friend Kyriakos”. Endy Zemenides, the Executive Director of the Hellenic American Leadership Council, joins Thanos Davelis to break down whether this “transformation” on the part of Turkey’s leader is genuine, and explain why it’s important tha...

Is it time to reconsider Turkey’s NATO membership? With the alliance having to constantly grapple with an uncooperative and at times even combative Turkish leader in President Erdogan, the question is as timely as ever. Expert Sinan Ciddi joins Thanos Davelis to look at why this discussion needs to take place and explore how NATO members can deal with a country that seems devoted to undermining th...

All eyes were on Athens on Thursday as Prime Minister Mitsotakis met with Turkey’s President Erdogan, with the two leaders reiterating their commitment to “calm waters” in the Aegean. John Psaropoulos, an independent journalist based in Athens and Al Jazeera’s Southeast Europe correspondent, joins Thanos Davelis to discuss the key takeaways from President Erdogan’s visit to Athens, including wheth...

With diplomatic relations between Greece and Egypt deepening over the last years, there has been a renewed focus on the ties binding these two Mediterranean countries. One link that is back in the spotlight is the historic Greek community in Egypt, which for the last 200 years has maintained ties with homelands on both sides of the Mediterranean Sea. Steven Tagle and Professor Alexander Kitroeff j...

Athens will take center stage on Thursday as Turkey’s President Erdogan visits Greece’s capital to meet with Prime Minister Mitsotakis amid a sense of reserved optimism. While observers do not expect much movement on the thorny issues in the relationship, Athens is looking forward to a continuation of “calm waters” in the Aegean and to implementing a positive agenda. Tom Ellis, the editor in chief...

This weekend at COP28 Prime Minister Mitsotakis stated that despite the “climate devastation” experienced this year “a new Greece is emerging” that will see renewables, where Greece had “one of the best performances of any European country,” take center stage. Nikos Tsafos, the chief energy advisor to the Prime Minister of Greece, joins Thanos Davelis to discuss this Greek success story and look a...

Exactly 200 years ago, President Monroe outlined what became known as the Monroe doctrine, a doctrine that framed US foreign policy for nearly a century. Just as Monroe was formulating this new policy, however, an unexpected event occurred: The Greek Revolution. Professor Aristotle Tziampiris, the author of the recent book The Monroe Doctrine and the Greek Revolution , joins Thanos Davelis on the...

Henry Kissinger, the controversial former US National Security Advisor and Secretary of State, passed away on Wednesday, aged 100. He was both celebrated and reviled, receiving the Nobel Peace Prize while being roundly condemned by many as a war criminal. The regions and conflicts that Kissinger intervened in, leaving a dark legacy, include Cyprus, where the former Secretary of State normalized US...

On Wednesday Greece filed a written statement with the Council of the European Union stating it will not support Albania’s EU accession process as long as the case of the imprisoned ethnic Greek mayor elect of Himare, Fredi Beleri, remains unresolved. The move comes as Greece has come under EU pressure over Albania. Athens has made it clear, however, that its stance on the Beleri case is about def...

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s last minute cancellation of his meeting with Prime Minister Mitsotakis over the Parthenon Sculptures this week has caused a diplomatic row between Greece and the UK, with Athens calling Sunak’s decision “unprecedented” and “disrespectful.” Bruce Clark, a contributor to The Economist with a long expertise on Greece, the author of the recent book Athens, City of...

In about two weeks Minister Mitsotakis and Turkish President Erdogan will meet in Athens, marking the third meeting in five months between the two leaders. While the frequency of their meetings and the de-escalation of tensions are positives, the absence of tensions or conflict does not mean normalization and peace. Constantinos Filis, the Director of the Institute of Global Affairs and an associa...

This week Prime Minister Mitsotakis unveiled a recovery plan in wake of this summer’s deadly wildfires in Evros and catastrophic floods in Thessaly, outlining a series of initiatives to address the climate crisis. Expert Konstantina Karydi joins Thanos Davelis to discuss this plan and look at whether - despite the lack of critical investments across the globe when it comes to climate action and bu...

On Monday Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides said Cyprus is fully ready to launch a maritime aid corridor for Gaza. Cyprus plans to use its port of Larnaca to gather international aid and send it on to Gaza, as it is one of the closest places in the EU to the Gaza Strip. Jack Parrock, Deutsche Welle’s EU correspondent who traveled to Larnaca last week to find out how this plan will work, join...

While SYRIZA is embroiled in an internal crisis that has seen key politicians ditch the party and even contemplate creating a new political grouping in parliament, the latest opinion polls show the center left PASOK overtaking left-wing SYRIZA for second place. Tom Ellis, the editor in chief of Kathimerini’s English edition, joins Thanos Davelis to look at whether PASOK can build on this lead in t...

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom published an in-depth report this week examining threats to religious properties in Turkey, including places of worship, religious institutions, and cemeteries. This research looks at various threats and attacks over the last two decades and documents whether assailants were brought to justice. It also investigates the role of Turkish...

The Turkish parliament's foreign affairs commission delayed a vote on Sweden's NATO membership bid on Thursday in a further setback to the Nordic country's hopes of joining the Western alliance after 18 months of delays that have left NATO allies frustrated. The move comes as Turkey’s President Erdogan prepares to visit Germany, has openly aired his desire to be hosted by Biden in Washington, is l...

On Tuesday Prime Minister Mitsotakis highlighted to German Chanellor Olaf Scholz that Greece has the fastest rate of debt reduction in the world. From around 206% of GDP in 2020, Greek debt is expected to decline this year to around 160% of GDP, and this downward trajectory is expected to continue throughout the decade. Yannis Palaiologos, a journalist at large with Kathimerini and the author of t...