Author: Nikolaos Constantiniadis

Washington/Paris/Berlin (12/8 – 28.57). Today is the twenty-anniversary of the sinking of the Kursk. A painful experience. A true shocker. All hands are lost, the shortcomings of the Russian system fully exposed. But today is another experience. Kursk, the region. After ceremonial pageantry by the military commander, it is clear the great Red Army was ambushed. Hoodwinked by the Ukrainians who pulled off a surprise attack, a classic attack which has all the elements of a successful deception operation. Overwhelming strength, speed and first and foremost silence. Deception played a role keeping the Russian pre-occupied. Daily the news a filled…

Beijing, Dushanbe announced upgrading of diplomatic relations. Chinese President Xi Jinping has promised to defend the “territorial integrity” of Tajikistan as he announced a boost to diplomatic relations with the neighbouring country on a rare visit. Xi arrived in the Tajik capital Dushanbe, Thursday night from Kazakhstan following a gathering of leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), during which he held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and urged the bloc to “resist external interference”. Central Asia is a vital link in China’s flagship Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a massive infrastructure project that Beijing has used to expand…

The successful phasing-out of gas imports from Russia risks making Europe dependent on liquified natural gas (LNG) imports, according to a report published by the European Court of Auditors (ECA) today (June 24). Between 2021 and 2022, LNG imports increased from 80 billion cubic meters (bcm) to 120 bcm — reflecting an increase from 22% to 34% of total gas imports including from Russia and pipeline — according to the ECA. By 2023, the largest LNG global exporters to the EU were Norway (30%), the US (19.4%) and North Africa (14.1%), Russia was still responsible for 6.1% of LNG imports alongside 8.7% via pipeline,…

ISTANBUL The Greek deputy foreign minister said Friday that the improvement of Greek-Turkish relations contributes to regional prosperity. “The deepening of the positive climate in Greek-Turkish relations and the further development of our bilateral cooperation contribute to the prosperity of the whole region,” Konstantinos Fragkogiannis told Anadolu. About the ongoing thaw in the relations in general and particularly Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Athens in December, he said, “At this moment, our bilateral relations run on a roadmap at three levels: political dialogue, the Positive Agenda, and Confidence Building Measures.” Drawing attention to the Positive Agenda that focuses…

The carbon intensity of electricity production across Europe’s largest economies has dropped by nearly a quarter over the past five years, thanks to steep cuts in fossil fuel use for power generation and rapid expansions in renewable electricity output. Average carbon dioxide emissions per kilowatt hour (KWh) of electricity in Europe’s six largest economies – Germany, France, United Kingdom, Italy, Spain and The Netherlands – was 253 grams through November of 2023, data from electricitymaps.com shows. That cumulative total is down from more than 330 grams in 2018, and reveals a broad push across key countries to decarbonise power systems…

Diplomatic sources from Brussels reaffirmed on Tuesday Greece’s stance that it will not consent to Albania’s EU accession process without progress on the issue of the elected mayor of Himare, Fredi Beleri. The Greek position, communicated to the Albanian side, emphasizes a clear move towards restoring the political will of Himare’s electorate. The matter is deemed a political-administrative decision, not a judicial independence issue. Greece seeks the elected mayor’s permission to be sworn in and exercise political rights. The EU General Affairs Council discussed enlargement issues on Tuesday, including the potential decoupling of Albania’s accession from North Macedonia’s. EU leaders,…

European nations reached an agreement on rules for artificial intelligence (AI) last week. Some experts say the regulations will affect people around the world. Here are some of the details of the agreement reported by the Associated Press: The AI Act and how it works: The AI Act aims to regulate or establish guidelines for AI technology that has the potential to cause problems if misused. AI systems that recommend online material, or those that check email messages, would be less regulated. But technology that concerns healthcare or medical decisions would have higher requirements. Some AI systems will be banned except in some cases.…

Relations between Greece and Albania have seen many ups and downs over the years. Recently, however, tension has flared on several issues. Now Greece is threatening to block the start of Albania’s EU accession talks. Altin Meshini is a successful organic cheese producer in Permet in southern Albania. His dairy shop is a real tourist attraction: Housed in a large bunker built by Mussolini’s fascist Italy in 1939, it was used by Italian soldiers during the Greco-Italian War of 1940–41 to shell the trenches of the Greek Army. At the time, Albania was occupied by Italy. After the Greek Army pushed the…

Forests have been growing in size in the EU over recent decades, but why are there such large discrepancies across the continent? Forests play a key role in the fight against pollution and environmental degradation. They remove vast amounts of carbon dioxide, reduce the risks of natural disasters, help moderate air and soil temperatures and on top of all that they’re enchantingly beautiful. But across much of the world these natural wonders are in decline. The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation estimates that 420 million hectares of forest, larger than the size of the EU, disappeared between 1990 and 2020.…

The EU could help to defuse this conflict – but first it must tackle diverging sympathies and Brussels turf wars If the European Union wants to consign itself to irrelevance as a global geopolitical player, this week’s shambolic response to Hamas’s gruesome massacres of Israeli civilians in southern Israel is the way to go. Fortunately, Europe has by and large managed to remain more united and effective in its support for Ukraine against Russian aggression. But the shambles over the latest Israeli-Palestinian crisis is more typical of inter-state, political and turf disputes that shackle efforts to project a coherent European foreign policy…