The Economist just highlighted Greece as an example for countries looking to digitalize, recognizing the efforts Athens made between 2018 and 2024 to transform its public services and embrace the digital transformation. Diomidis Spinellis, a former Greek official now with the Athens University of Ec

This weekend we heard Hakan Fidan say he believes Ankara and Washington will find a way to remove CAATSA sanctions "very soon". His comments echo those of US Ambassador Tom Barrack, who was quoted saying that the “hurdle” blocking F-35 access for Turkey might be resolved within 4 to 6 months. Sinan

The Trump administration’s new National Security Strategy is causing a stir in Europe with its searing critique of America’s closest allies, including a warning that the continent is facing “civilizational decline”. Ian Lesser, the vice president and Brussels chief of the German Marshall Fund of the

Last week Cyprus and Lebanon signed a long-awaited maritime demarcation deal, an agreement that not only paves the way for potential exploration and energy cooperation, but also checks Turkey’s revisionist “Blue Homeland” doctrine in the Eastern Mediterranean. Constantinos Filis, the director of the

Greek farmers are making headlines amid an escalating confrontation with the government, as thousands of tractors continue to block traffic on highways and at border crossings. What began as a dispute over delayed EU-backed subsidy payments linked to a corruption scandal is quickly turning into a po

What’s Tom Barrack, the US Ambassador to Turkey, up to? That’s a question that’s emerged after a recent interview he gave to Kathimerini, where he talked about Washington’s aspiration for a “new regional ordinance” and made head-scratching comments about Greek-Turkish relations and Cyprus. Henri Bar

As countries around the world scramble to see who is going to win the AI race, Greece is also looking to secure its own AI future. Prime Minister Mitsotakis’ emphasis on AI, coupled by signature deals with OpenAI and Mistral AI, is putting a spotlight on Greece’s efforts to play a larger role on the

With talks over a deal to end the Russia-Ukraine war moving along, the latest peace proposals have caught the attention of many, including Cyprus, where Turkey’s 51 year illegal occupation serves as a stark reminder of what happens when revisionist powers are not checked. Harris Georgiades, the Chai

Two of America’s key Mediterranean partners, Greece and Israel, are deepening their defense and security ties, a trend that extends beyond arms sales to joint exercises. The move comes amid Turkish provocations and as US interests in the Mediterranean, particularly on energy security, are growing. T

Halki Theological Seminary, shut by Turkey in 1971, is back in the headlines ahead of Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Turkey. Journalists are reporting that there is a sense of optimism that Turkey will reopen the school. This attention on Halki follows a renewed focus on Orthodox Christianity that includes

Last week we got a look at the details of President Trump’s 28 point plan for an end to the war in Ukraine, with the President setting a Thursday deadline for  Ukraine - where many see the proposed plan as a capitulation - to agree to it. US and Ukrainian officials met on Sunday in Geneva, with the

The New York Times just ran a piece about a wave of new converts to Orthodox Christianity in the US, especially among young conservative men, the so-called “Orthobros”. The trend is largely driven by hard-line influencers on YouTube and other social media platforms, and has put parishes in uncharted

This week Italy’s defense minister accused Russia of waging a hybrid war on the continent, while Poland's Donald Tusk said that Russia was behind an explosion on Saturday on a railway line used to transport weapons to Ukraine. This is pushing Europe to take additional steps to beef up its defense am

Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington this week, with the foreign minister stressing how the relationship with the US is “a compass” in Cyprus’ foreign policy. Evangelos Savva, the Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus to the United States, joins T

The Wall Street Journal ran a story earlier this month highlighting how the problem economies in Europe are no longer in the south, but in the north, with France and Germany dealing with budget deficits and debt while the former crisis hot spots like Greece look financially healthier. Mij Rahman, ma

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was just in Athens on Sunday, signing an agreement with Greece for gas imports ahead of what’s expected to be a tough winter. John Psaropoulos joins Thanos Davelis as we look at this agreement, which comes days after Greece signed landmark energy deals with th

Last week’s deal between ExxonMobil, Energean and Helleniq Energy for exploration and drilling in the Ionian Sea generated a lot of buzz both in Greece and - as we saw at P-TEC in Athens - among US officials. This move comes as another US energy giant, Chevron, is also engaging with Greece and Cypru

In a recent interview former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras - who was expelled from New Democracy a year ago - took a swing at the government, and many are asking not if, but when he will form a new party. Tom Ellis, the editor in chief of Kathimerini’s English edition, joins Thanos Davelis as we ex

In a move that no one could have seen coming a year ago, President Trump hosted Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa - formerly on Washington’s list of wanted terrorists - at the White House this week. Thanos Davelis is joined by Aaron David Miller, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for Internat

Energy is at the heart of the US-Greece relationship these days, especially with a landmark offshore gas exploration deal with ExxonMobil and a 20-year LNG agreement with the US. Thanos Davelis is joined by Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt, as we look at how energy is driving US-Greece relations forward, a

The election of Egypt’s Khaled El-Enany as the new Director General of UNESCO and the recent announcement from Prime Minister Mitsotakis that Greece and Egypt have worked to preserve the status of Saint Catherine’s Monastery at Mount Sinai have put cultural heritage in the spotlight. Dr. Elizabeth P

This week President Erdogan said Turkey had entered a ‘new juncture’ in the Kurdish peace process, signalling he was open to the idea of jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan addressing lawmakers. In another startling move, he also suggested that he was open to the release of the jailed Kurdish politici

Turkey has been expanding its diplomatic, economic, and security footprint in Africa over the past decade. A surge in arms sales is now raising alarms, as Turkish arms - primarily drones - end up in conflict zones and in the hands of unaccountable actors. William Doran, the co-author of the recent F

Turkey is eager to capitalize on its role in the Gaza ceasefire, and is now looking to have an active presence - even with troops on the ground - in a post-war Gaza. It seems President Trump also sees a role for Turkey here, something that is alarming Israel. Henri Barkey, an adjunct senior fellow f