494 Posts in International

“There was a time when the Turkish authorities did not react and let the boats through. Now the cooperation is much better,” Kairidis told state television. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will fly to Greece on Thursday on a visit designed to set the historically uneasy neighbors on a more constructive path. Ten members of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ Cabinet will attend the bilateral meetings, most of them tasked to sign declarations and agreements of cooperation with their traveling Turkish counterparts.   Top of that list is a migration accord, establishing lines of communication between the coast guard agencies of the two countries, which operate in waters between the Turkish mainland and nearby Greek islands on favored routes for illegal migration into the EU. The issue remains a political priority in Europe as it heads toward EU-wide elections in June without major asylum reforms finalized. Turkey wants to relax travel restrictions for its citizens in Europe, including for holidays to Greek islands, and Athens has promised to help. “This is a working visit by [Erdogan] and I hope that over time, they will lose their extraordinary character and just become an ordinary exchange between two leaders,” Kairidis said. 

Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will oversee joint Cabinet talks and trade consultations. A series of cooperation deals will be signed as part of a so-called “positive agenda,” aimed at bypassing long-standing and often volatile disputes. After years of tension and a looming risk of military confrontation, the NATO allies are seeking to rebuild trust and deliver a timely message of cooperation in the troubled eastern Mediterranean. “There is no problem we cannot solve through dialogue based on mutual goodwill,” Erdogan told Kathimerini newspaper in an interview, a day before the two countries’ fifth High-level Cooperation Council (HCC) in Athens. The neighbours and NATO allies have been at odds for decades over issues including where their continental shelves start and end, energy resources, overflights of the Aegean Sea, and ethnically split Cyprus. They reached the brink of war in the 1990s. Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis agreed in July to resume talks and confidence-building measures as they hailed a new, “positive climate” in ties after more than a year of tensions over energy resources and defence issues. Erdogan, who is due to meet Mitsotakis on Thursday, said that Turkey was honestly trying to resolve its differences with Greece and that Greece had realised that Turkey would never reject an extended hand of friendship. “I will tell him, Kyriakos, my friend, we don’t threaten you if you don’t threaten us,” Erdogan told Kathimerini, adding that Athens and Ankara could solve their problems without foreign intervention. He said cooperation could be enhanced in sectors including the economy, transport, energy and migration, where Turkey needed the support of the European Union, and that the renewed electoral mandate both leaders received this year could help the two countries make constructive progress. WHY ARE THE TALKS HAPPENING NOW? Erdogan and Mitsotakis, both re-elected this year, are respectively focused on the economy, with Greece on a growth spurt after a decade of financial turmoil and Turkey battling crippling inflation and shaky international investment. “Of course, we have differences of opinion and there are deep issues that cannot be resolved at once. But there are chapters that can be solved immediately and can expand the basis for cooperation,” Erdogan said. “We will head to Athens with a win-win approach.” Improved ties with Greece will also help Turkey repair strained relationships with the European Union and other Western allies. AGREEMENT STARTS WITH MIGRATION Mending fences with the EU will hinge on Turkey helping Europe fight illegal migration. Ten members of Mitsotakis’ Cabinet will attend the bilateral meetings, most of them tasked to sign declarations and agreements of cooperation with their travelling Turkish counterparts. Top of that list is a migration accord, establishing lines of communication between the coast guard agencies of the two countries, which operate in waters between the Turkish mainland and nearby Greek islands on favoured routes for illegal migration into the EU. The issue remains a political priority in Europe as it heads toward EU-wide elections in June without major asylum reforms finalized. Turkey wants to relax travel restrictions for its citizens in Europe, including for holidays to Greek islands, and Athens has promised to help. Turkey is the world’s leading host of refugees, with some 4 million. WHY ARE GREECE AND TURKEY AT ODDS? Turkey argues that Athens is using Greek islands that surround its coastline to claim an unfair share of maritime space and mineral rights, while Greece accuses its neighbour of trampling on international law — in what has been described as a frozen conflict. The issue has brought the countries close to war on several occasions, the most recent flare-up occurring in 2020, and could eventually end up in international court. On Erdogan’s previous visit to Athens in 2017, the two sides aired their long list of grievances during an awkward encounter on live television: the treatment of ethnic minorities and their religious freedoms, whether international treaties should be updated, and how to bring resolution to the war-divided island of Cyprus. Since then, the list has grown. Greece said its neighbour was “weaponizing” migration and Ankara ominously claimed the sovereignty of eastern Greek islands could be disputed if they continued to militarize them. DAY TRIP TO ATHENS Erdogan has been harshly critical of the Israeli government over the war in Gaza, in contrast to Mitsotakis, who has repeatedly emphasized Greece’s friendship with Israel. But the Turkish president’s trip on Thursday — only expected to last several hours — will be kept on a tight schedule. And Greek officials have already acknowledged signs of improved cooperation. Dimitris Kairidis, the Greek minister for migration, said late Wednesday that the number of migrants arriving on Greece’s islands illegally had dropped by about 60% over the past two months thanks in large part to better coordination with Turkey’s coast guard. “There was a time when the Turkish authorities did not react and let the boats through. Now the cooperation is much better,” Kairidis told state television. “This is a working visit by (Erdogan) and I hope that over time, they will lose their extraordinary character and just become an ordinary exchange between two leaders,” he added. (With inputs from agencies)

In the podcast on Thursday, he said the British Museum has been exploring a deal “ whereby they spend part of their time in Athens and part of their time in London - and we have Greek treasures coming our way in return. And that is, I think, something worth exploring.” Although Osborne has made similar statements before, it is viewed as greatly significant that he repeated them in the wake of the "diplomatic tension" caused by Sunak with Greece. In fact, Osborne noted, “ To my mind as chair of the British Museum it is all the more reason to press on with our efforts to try and reach an agreement with the Greeks.” "In fact, if anything, things have been rather clarified by this week. We obviously know we’re not going to get any particular support from the Conservative government,” he added.

Responding to a question from the Hellas Journal website, a representative of the US Department of State noted that the US supports the discussions between Athens and Ankara at all levels to ensure calm in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean. “The United States supports bilateral discussions at all levels so that Greece and Turkey can work together to promote peace, security, and prosperity in the region. The United States continues to encourage calm in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean among our NATO Allies,” the spokesperson said.   

"I certainly want to leave this unfortunate incident behind me, but it always takes 2 to tango," Mitsotakis said. "In the spirit of longstanding good relations our two countries have, which I surely intend to preserve, I don’t have much to add," he said. Regarding COP28, Mitsotakis said it was an important summit where there will be an evaluation of the situation, while noting that there was "justifiable concern" over the course the world is taking and the "gap" between nationally determined contributions "and where we need to get to". Coming from a country that experienced the disastrous repercussions of climate change during the summer, Mitsotakis said, he could only encourage all sides to be more ambitious in setting their targets. He reported that Greece was "doing its share" and had managed to reduce emissions by 43% since 2005, one of the fastest reductions of greenhouse gas emissions among European countries. Greece continued to be fully dedicated to achieving its targets for mitigating the climate crisis, he added, "but we obviously cannot do it alone." Highlighting the need for long-term and medium-term goals, he said that decarbonisation of energy was the obvious route for increasing the penetration of renewable energy sources, while saying that Greece was among the top 10 producers of renewable energy globally. At the same time, he noted that Greece needs more investments in its networks so that renewables can operate more efficiently, making this the top priority, and would then work on energy conservation and increasing energy efficiency in buildings. Mitsotakis also replied to questions about the results of the Dutch elections and whether these changed the commitments for a green transition, stressing that "we are committed to the 'Fit for 55' agenda". At the same time, he added, it was important to listen to the citizens and realise that poorer households cannot be burdened further. He called for a different fiscal approach, where the revenue from growth was used to support more vulnerable households, as well as action to ensure that many people had tangible benefits from the green transition. Among others, he noted that it was possible to lead a moderate, centre-right government such as that in Greece and have a comfortable majority, if it provided benefits to the citizens. Mitsotakis confirmed that Greece intends to become an exporter of green energy, alongside continuing exploration for natural gas and covering the fuel needs of its neighbouring countries and Europe. The Greek premier concluded by saying that the leaders at COP have to be more ambitious, adding: "What we are doing is not enough, we are paying the consequences and we must send a message of urgency from this summit." He call for production of energy using methane in the short-term and funding for climate change action for those that need it most.  

Charles, who wore the tie when he met Sunak on the sidelines of COP28 in the United Arab Emirates and when he delivered a speech at the event, claims Greek lineage through his father, the late Prince Philip, who was born on the Greek island of Corfu. Sunak deepened a diplomatic row with Athens on Wednesday by accusing Mitsotakis of “grandstanding” during a recent trip to London over ownership of the Parthenon Sculptures. Sunak cancelled a planned meeting with Mitsotakis earlier in the week. A Buckingham Palace source said on Friday that Charles also wore the same tie last week, before the escalation of the dispute. A spokesperson for Sunak declined to comment. British media noted that, as well as the blue and white tie featuring the same white cross design as the Greek flag, Charles sported a blue and white handkerchief protruding from his jacket pocket. “In a week when Rishi Sunak cancelled a meeting with the Greek Prime Minister to make a ‘stand’ over the #ParthenonMarbles #ElginMarbles … King Charles appears to have chosen to wear a very interesting tie when he met Mr Sunak in Dubai today,” ITV television’s Royal Editor Chris Ship said on social media platform X. Athens has long called on the British Museum to permanently return the 2,500-year-old sculptures that British diplomat Lord Elgin removed from the Parthenon temple in 1806. The museum has said it would consider a loan to Greece only if Athens acknowledges the museum’s ownership of the sculptures.  

Diplomacy failed when U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak abruptly called off a London meeting scheduled for Tuesday with Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Mitsotakis publicly voiced annoyance. Sunak’s spokesman linked the snub with the Greek leader’s using British television to renew his call, a day earlier, for the 2,500-year-old masterpieces’ return. Here’s a look at what the dispute’s about, and what could come next. Free-standing statues filled the triangular pediments that stood above the marble columns on the building’s short sides. Just below, sculpted panels stood at intervals along all four sides, while an unbroken strip of relief sculpture — the frieze — depicting a religious procession ran around the outer wall inside the colonnade. They were originally painted in bold colors that have since vanished. All survived mostly intact for more than 1,000 years, despite war, earthquakes, foreign invasions and the temple’s makeover first as a church and then a mosque. But in 1687, the Parthenon was blown up by a besieging Venetian army, and many of the works were lost. The survivors are now roughly split between the British Museum and the Acropolis Museum in Athens — with little fragments in a handful of other European museums. London holds 17 pedimental figures, 15 panels and 247 feet (75 meters) of the frieze. For decades, these were known as the Elgin Marbles, after the Scottish nobleman who started the trouble more than 200 years ago. Now even the British Museum goes by the preferred Greek form — Parthenon Sculptures. Besides, “marbles” lends itself to too many bad puns. WHY ARE THEY IMPORTANT? Ancient Greek sculpture has been admired for millennia, serving as a key artistic point of reference. For many, Parthenon Sculptures are its most striking example. They form a coherent group designed and executed by top artists — the Leonardo da Vincis of the day —for a single building project meant to celebrate the height of Athenian glory. HOW DID THEY END UP IN LONDON? More than a century after the destructive explosion, British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire — of which Athens was still an unwilling subject — Lord Elgin obtained a permit to remove some of the sculptures. They were shipped to Britain and eventually joined the British Museum’s collection in 1816 — five years before the uprising that created an independent Greece. WHAT’S THE GREEK CASE FOR RESTITUTION? Athens says the works were illegally removed and should join other surviving parts of the group in the purpose-built Acropolis Museum, at the foot of the ancient citadel. This, the Greek argument runs, will allow them to be seen against the backdrop of the Parthenon, from which all sculptures have been removed for protection from pollution and the elements. The Greek campaign was loudly championed in the 1980s by Melina Mercouri, an actress and singer then serving as culture minister. It waxed and waned since but was never dropped and has been enthusiastically taken up by Mitsotakis. In his BBC interview on Sunday that triggered the diplomatic dispute, Mitsotakis compared the current situation to Leonardo’s Mona Lisa being cut in half and split between two countries. WHAT’S THE BRITISH ARGUMENT FOR KEEPING THEM? The British Museum says the sculptures were acquired legally and form an integral part of its display of the world’s cultural history. It says it’s open to a loan request, but must be sure that in such an event it would get the works back. So Athens should first acknowledge the institution’s legal ownership of the works — which Mitsotakis has ruled out. Successive U.K. governments have insisted that the sculptures must stay put. WHAT HAPPENS NOW? The current spat notwithstanding, the British Museum’s chairman said earlier this year that he’s been in “constructive” talks with Greece on a compromise “win-win” deal. George Osborne said that he was “reasonably optimistic” about striking a deal, but cautioned that “it may well not come to anything.” And Greek officials insisted Tuesday that the talks would continue. Meanwhile, Athens is trying to round up as many of the small fragments in other European museums as it can. That would add pressure on the British Museum, while U.K. public opinion is seen as increasingly backing the Greek demand. Following an initiative by Pope Francis in January, the Vatican Museums sent back three smaller fragments of sculptures from the Parthenon that they had held for two centuries. A year earlier, a museum in Sicily returned its own small fragment.  

Speaking to journalists on the plane to the UN’s 28th UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, Sunak also said that the marbles, as they were “acquired legally at the time,” cannot be returned to Greece “as a matter of law.” Earlier this week, Sunak cancelled a meeting with Mitsotakis because he said the Greek premier had reneged on a promise not to call for the sculptures’ return while in the UK. He then accused Mitsotakis of using his London trip to “grandstand” over the issue of the sculptures. British Museum chairman and former Conservative chancellor George Osborne had asked, in a podcast, whether Sunak’s decision to call of his meeting with Mitsotakis was due to a “hissy fit” over Mitsotakis’ decision to also meet with Labour leader Keir Starmer. In his comments on the plane, Sunak said he was “focused on delivering for people on the things they care about” and that his position on the marbles had not changed. “It’s very clear as a matter of law the marbles can’t be returned and we’ve been unequivocal about that. I think the British Museum’s website itself says that in order for the loans to happen the recipient needs to acknowledge the lawful ownership of the country that’s lending the things and I think the Greeks have not suggested that they are in any way shape or form willing to do that. Our view and our position on that is crystal clear: the marbles were acquired legally at the time.”  

Sakkari's match with Wozniacki was held as part of the "2023 TennisFest GNP" exhibition tournament, hosted in Mexico and specifically at the "Plaza de Toros" which was transformed into a huge tennis court. The capacity reaches 42,000 spectators, but the match took place in the presence of about 25,000 tennis fans. Immediately after the end of this match, Carlos Alcarath and the American Tommy Paul (No. 12) took turns on the court, with the young Spaniard (No. 2 in the world) winning 7-6, 6-3.

The EU and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) together lent Greece more than 260 billion euros during its decade-long debt crisis which began in late 2009, in exchange for tough austerity measures. The country's third bailout expired in 2018. "On Dec. 15, we will repay earlier than expected 5.3 billion euros to euro zone countries," an official who spoke on condition of anonymity told Reuters, adding that the payment refers to loans maturing in 2024 and 2025. Greece recently regained its investment grade credit rating after languishing for 13 years in the "junk" category. Last year, it paid off the IMF, which provided it with 28 billion euros between 2010 and 2014 - two years ahead of schedule. It also repaid early 2.7 billion euros to euro zone partners as part of efforts to improve its debt sustainability, and hopes to continue on the same path in 2024. "We might repay earlier more bilateral loans next year," a second official told Reuters, without giving more details on the amount or the timing. Eurozone countries lent Greece 53 billion euros in bilateral so-called Greek Loan Facility (GLF) loans during its first bailout, with maturities extending to 2041. With the planned payment this year, Greece will have repaid a total of about 13 billion euros. Since emerging from bailouts in 2018, Greece has relied solely on bond markets to cover its borrowing needs. It plans to borrow about 7 billion euros next year. It has a liquidity buffer of more than 35 billion euros due to higher than expected tax revenues, strong growth and primary surpluses. Greece sees economic growth at 2.9% in 2024 following a 2.4% expansion this year, more than twice the eurozone average. It also hopes to achieve a 2.1% of GDP primary budget surplus next year on higher investment and strong tourism revenue. ($1 = 0.9168 euros)

Mitsotakis, meanwhile, said the dispute had helped draw international attention to Greece’s longstanding claim to the artifacts, part of a 2,500-year-old frieze that was taken from Athens in the early 19th century by British diplomat Lord Elgin. The artifacts are on display in the British Museum. The 2 European allies with center-right governments have been at loggerheads since Monday, when Sunak called off a scheduled meeting with Mitsotakis hours before it was due to start. During the British prime minister’s weekly question period in the House of Commons on Wednesday, Sunak said, “it was clear that the purpose of the meeting was not to discuss substantive issues for the future, but rather to grandstand and relitigate issues of the past.” British officials were annoyed that Mitsotakis appeared on British television Sunday and compared the removal of the sculptures from Athens to cutting Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” in half. Sunak said Mitsotakis had reneged on a promise not to talk publicly about the marbles during his visit. “Specific assurances on that topic were made to this country and then were broken,” Sunak said. “When people make commitments, they should keep them.” Greece denied any such promise was made. The Greek government declined to comment further Wednesday. “In the spirit of the good longstanding relations between the 2 countries, which we intend to preserve, we have nothing more to add on this matter,” it said. Speaking before Sunak’s latest comments, Mitsotakis said he thought the spat “will not affect Greek-British relations in the long term.” “There was a positive side to the cancellation of this meeting, that it gained even more publicity … (for) the fair request of Greece for the reunification of the sculptures of the Parthenon,” he said in Athens. Critics questioned Sunak’s motivation for stirring up a fight with Greece. Since taking office 13 months ago, he has smoothed relations with the European Union and its member nations after years of acrimony over Brexit. Athens officials have pointed to the Conservative Party’s poor opinion poll ratings and Sunak’s long list of domestic woes, including a stagnant economy and an unmet promise to stop migrants reaching the U.K. across the English Channel in small boats. Opinion surveys suggest British voters do not care strongly about the marbles and have other priorities, such as the cost of living and the overstretched National Health Service. The leader of the U.K. opposition Labour Party, Keir Starmer, met with Mitsotakis in London on Monday. Starmer asked why Sunak was trying to “humiliate” the Greek leader. “I discussed with the Greek prime minister the economy, security, immigration,” Starmer said. “I also told him we wouldn’t change the law regarding the Marbles. It’s not that difficult, prime minister.”  

The "deers" finished their matches for the B group of the tournament 4-0 and will face the Knicks with home advantage in the quarterfinals of the tournament. In the other East quarterfinal, the Pacers (4-0) will host the Celtics (3-1) in Indianapolis. The first scorer for the Bucks was Giannis Antetokounmpo with 33 points (10/14 two-pointers, 1/2 three-pointers, 10/13 shots), 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 1 block and 4 errors in 40 minutes of participation. His worthy supporter is Damian Lillard, who scored 13 of his 32 points in the 4th period while also having 9 assists. For the Heat, who were without Jimmy Butler (ankle) and Tyler Hirow (ankle), Bam Adebayo had 31 points while Kyle Lowry and Josh Richardson had 21 and 20 points, respectively. The Bucks' next opponent is the Bulls in Chicago, in the early hours of Friday (1/12) at 03:00. The quarter-final with the Knicks will take place either in the early hours of Tuesday 5/12, or in the early hours of Wednesday 6/12. The Sacramento Kings also advanced to the quarterfinals, defeating the Warriors 124-123. The "Kings" (4-0) will face New Orleans (3-1) in the quarterfinals, while the Lakers (4-0) and the Suns (3-1) will face each other in the other pair. The first scorer of the winners was DeAaron Fox with 29 points, while Kevin Herter and Malik Monk each had 21 points. As for Sasha Vezenkov, he had 8 points (1/3 two-pointers, 2/6 three-pointers), 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 blocks in 15 minutes of participation. For the "warriors", Andrew Wiggins and Steph Curry each had 29 points and 10 rebounds, while Clay Thompson added 20 points with 9 rebounds.   The pairings of the quarterfinals of the in-season tournament: EAST Milwaukee-New York Indiana-Boston   WEST Lakers-Phoenix Sacramento-New Orleans In games for the NBA basketball championship, the following results were recorded: Boston-Chicago 124-97 Brooklyn-Toronto 115-103 Cleveland-Atlanta 128-105 Miami-Milwaukee 124-131 New York-Charlotte 115-91 Minnesota-Oklahoma City 106-103 Dallas-Houston 121-115 Sacramento-Golden State 124-123   RATINGS ----------- EAST REGION ==================== ATLANTIC DISTRICT Boston 14-4 Philadelphia 12-5 New York 10-7 Brooklyn 9-8 Toronto 8-10 CENTRAL DISTRICT Milwaukee 13-5 Indiana 9-7 Cleveland 10-8 Chicago 5-14 Detroit 2-15 SOUTHEAST DISTRICT Orlando 12-5 Miami 10-8 Atlanta 8-9 Charlotte 5-11 Washington 3-14 WESTERN DISTRICT ================= NORTHWEST DISTRICT Minnesota 13-4 Denver 12-6 Oklahoma City 11-6 Utah 6-11 Portland 5-12 PACIFIC DISTRICT Phoenix 11-6 Sacramento 10-6 LA. Lakers 10-8 Golden State 8-10 LA. Clippers 7-9 SOUTHWEST DISTRICT Dallas 11-6 Houston 8-7 New Orleans 9-9 Memphis 3-13 San Antonio 3-14