The Greek Current

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 move the F35 sale to Greece forward, and break down why progress in Greek-American relations should not be affected by the dysfunctional relationship between the US and Turkey.You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:Complete the sale of F-35s to GreeceTurkey links Sweden’s NATO bid to US approving F-16 jet sales and Canada lifting arms embargoTurkey says Canada, US linking drone-camera exports to Sweden NATO membershipCongress presses State Department on Turkey’s drone programGreece approves new law granting undocumented migrants residence rights, provided they have a jobFiscal reforms agreed by EU governments

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 expect Greece’s economy to continue to outperform in the coming year.You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:Which economy did best in 2023?MPs OK 2024 budgetGreece Plans Sale of Up to €10 Billion in Bonds After UpgradeTurkey links Sweden’s NATO bid to US approving F-16 jet sales and Canada lifting arms embargoErdogan says signals from US, Canada may help Turkey move on Sweden NATO bidCyprus says a joint operation with Mossad has foiled a suspected Iranian plot to kill Israelis

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 Southeastern Europe and a lecturer at Oxford’s School of Global and Area Studies, joins Thanos Davelis to look at these latest developments, and break down why he believes there are no quick fixes for EU enlargement.Read Dimitar Bechev’s latest here: There Are No Quick Fixes for EU EnlargementYou can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:EU wants closer ties to Western Balkans but expects reformGreece passes 2024 budget forecasting higher growthGreek parliament passes government's 2024 budgetUS top diplomat Blinken ups pressure on Turkey to secure Sweden’s NATO bidTurkey calls on U.S. to use influence to halt Israeli attacks on Gaza -Turkish source

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, Kathimerini’s diplomatic and defense editor, joins Thanos Davelis with the latest analysis.You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:Athens sends new message to TiranaBerlin backs Albania’s EU bid despite Athens’ opposition over jailed mayorAlbania needs to boost rights of minorities, EU GAC saysEU leaders approve Ukraine accession talks, bypassing OrbánCyprus calls for EU rethink on Syria migration as refugee numbers rise

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 latest efforts to crack down on it.You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:Greek football goes behind closed doors for two monthsIn latest crackdown on violence, Greece bans fans at all top-flight matches for two monthsGreece bans all football fans from Super League games following wave of 'extreme violence'Berlin backs Albania’s EU bid despite Athens’ opposition over jailed mayorAthens sends new message to TiranaGreece going green

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 economic analysis site that focuses on Greece, joins Thanos Davelis to break down how Greece brought down its unemployment rate, and how it can keep this momentum going. Read Yiannis Mouzakis latest analysis here: How Greece reduced its unemployment rate to less than 10 pctYou can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:US hits Turkish and Chinese companies over Russia tradeIsrael says it helped foil Iranian-ordered attack on Israelis in Cyprus

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 that the Greek public understand how the US factored into this transformation.Read Endy Zemenides’ latest in Kathimerini: A genuine transformation?You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:Beleri oath request gets rejectedAlbanian PM defiant over Beleri issueIn latest crackdown on violence, Greece bans fans at all top-flight matches for two monthsGovernment unveils measures against sports fan violence

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 the trans-Atlantic alliance.Sinan Ciddi is a non-resident senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), where he contributes to FDD’s Turkey Program and Center on Military and Political Power (CMPP). He is also an Associate Professor of Security Studies at the Command and Staff College-Marine Corps University and Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.Read Sinan Ciddi’s latest in Foreign Policy Magazine: It’s Time to Reconsider Turkey’s NATO MembershipYou can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:US ‘profoundly’ worried over Turkey’s financial links to HamasErdogan Does Not Care About the PalestiniansMembers of Congress press Britain to return the Parthenon SculpturesTell Prime Minister Sunak: Return the Parthenon Sculptures!Greek soccer matches postponed after clashes leave police officer in critical condition

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 whether we are witnessing the beginning of a reset in relations after years of tensions.You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:Mitsotakis, Erdogan commit to lasting calmAgreements inked between Greece, TurkeyPositive signals from AnkaraBonds to woo big investorsConstruction of cable connecting power grids of Greece and Cyprus set to start next year

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 join Thanos Davelis to look into this dynamic community and explore how their historical role as a bridge between Europe and the Middle East is all the more important today.Steven Tagle is a fellow from the Institute of Current World Affairs funded by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation. He previously served as speechwriter for the US Embassy in Athens and as a Fulbright Fellow in Greece.Prof. Alexander Kitroeff is a Professor of History at Haverford College who has written extensively on the history of Greece and the Greek diaspora. He is the author of the book: The Greeks and the Making of Modern EgyptRead Steven Tagle’s latest piece here: Letter from Egypt: Historical ties to Greece hold fastYou can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:Mitsotakis, Erdogan meet with open cardsErdogan’s pointsUS experts are in Cyprus to assist police investigating alleged sanctions evasion by Russians