The Greek Current

With Ursula von der Leyen securing another term as European Commission President, EU members are now vying for the top positions in the new Commission. In what Politico called a show of his growing political strength, Prime Minister Mitsotakis stressed that Greece must get an important portfolio, one that reflects the country’s economic comeback and strategic position. President Christodoulides is also looking for a heavier post for Cyprus, eyeing the new role in the Commission on the Mediterranean. Nektaria Stamouli, the deputy editor in chief of Kathimerini’s English Edition and Politico’s Eastern Mediterranean correspondent, joins Thanos Daveli...

The Paris Olympics opening ceremony on Friday night will see more than 8,000 of the world’s top athletes - led by Greece - sail along the Seine River in a one of a kind spectacle. Aside from the excitement around the opening ceremony, where Greece and Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo will carry the Greek flag, there are also high expectations in Greece for all of its athletes. Nikos Efstathiou, an Athens based journalist and author of a best-selling biography on Olympic Champion Pyrros Dimas, joins Thanos Davelis to look at the buzz around the Olympics in Greece this su...

This week saw tensions between Greece and Turkey reach levels we have not seen since 2022 in the Aegean as Turkey sent its warships into an area south of the Greek islands of Kassos and Karpathos. The ratcheting up of tensions followed Turkish President Erdogan’s hardline statements on Cyprus this weekend and his calls for Prime Minister Mitsotakis to put Defense Minister Dendias “in his place.” Constantinos Filis, the director of the Institute of Global Affairs and a professor of international relations at the American College of Greece, joins Thanos Davelis to look into whether we are seeing a gradua...

A few months ago, thousands of Armenians took to the streets in anti-government protests calling on Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to resign. Protesters, led by Archbishop Galstanyan, have blasted Pashinyan for what they see as endless concessions being made to Azerbaijan and Turkey with nothing to show for it in return. Amberin Zaman, Al-Monitor’s chief correspondent covering major stories on the Middle East and North Africa who has covered conflicts in Iraq, Syria and the South Caucasus, joins me to look into these protests and break down what’s at stake in the region as Azerbaijan, backed by T...

The Athens Riviera - a 60 kilometer shoreline spanning from Piraeus to Sounio - is currently undergoing a major rejuvenation, attracting both local and foreign investors. This transformation includes mega-projects like the Ellinikon at the former Athens airport which is touted as the largest real estate project in Europe and promises to be a “smart” city. Eleni Varvitsioti, the Financial Times correspondent for Greece and Cyprus, joins Thanos Davelis to look into the rise of the Athens Riviera and explore how major investments and projects along the Athenian coastline are poised to transform it, marking a new chapter for the Gree...

50 years ago, Turkey launched its invasion of Cyprus. Since then, tens of thousands of Turkish troops have occupied over one third of the island. Unfortunately, the US still fails to use the word “occupation” to describe this ongoing violation of international law in Cyprus. Endy Zemenides, the Executive Director of the Hellenic American Leadership Council, joins Thanos Davelis to look at what this failure to speak the truth has meant for efforts to resolve the Cyprus problem, and whether the State Department is ready to right this 50 year wrong.

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On July 20th, 1974, Turkey launched its first invasion of Cyprus. 50 years later, tens of thousands of Turkish troops continue to illegally occupy the northern part of Cyprus, splitting the island in two. Alexis Papachelas, the editor in chief of Kathimerini, joins Thanos Davelis to discuss this dark anniversary, the importance of revisiting this moment in history - whether in Athens, Nicosia, or even Washington, DC - with clear eyes, and explore whether there is still a window of opportunity for a solution.

You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:

The time...

Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Greece has stood by Ukraine, a decision that angered Moscow. Athens and Kyiv are now negotiating a 10-year assistance agreement. John Psaropoulos, an independent journalist based in Athens and Al Jazeera’s Southeast Europe correspondent, joins Thanos Davelis to look into the deal Athens is negotiating with Kyiv, break down how Greece has become a critical piece of the puzzle when looking at Western support for Ukraine, and look at why Russian anger over Greece’s decision to support Ukraine has not swayed Greek public opinion.

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The Tara Ocean Foundation has come to be known worldwide as a leader when it comes to promoting the well-being of our oceans, and its ship, the Tara, is currently docked in Greece, wrapping up a scientific expedition to better understand the biodiversity and ecosystems along Europe’s coastlines. Thanos Davelis was able to tour the ship and see its work up close this week in Athens, and is joined on our podcast by Romain Troublé, the General Director of the Tara Ocean Foundation, to look at the Tara’s mission in Greece, and discuss the broader impact this resea...

Last week HALC sounded the alarm over North Macedonia’s adherence to the Prespa Agreement, launching a letter and petition to the State Department urging it to remind Skopje that international agreements are binding - not optional - and that there will be consequences. North Macedonia’s newly elected leaders have repeatedly referred to their country simply as “Macedonia” rather than the constitutional name “North Macedonia”. Given the renewed attention on this issue, we are re-sharing our discussion with Prof. James Ker-Lindsay from last month where we looked into the mixed signals Skopje is sending about the Prespa agreement, and discusse...