Author: Sotiris Antonotis

Frankfurt, Brussels (5/5 – 50) Following the Greek Supreme Court’s decision released on May 2, a total of 36 parties and party coalitions will run in the May 21 Greek elections. Of the initial 50 parties, coalitions, and independent candidates that had submitted applications, the Supreme Court rejected 14 parties, including “National Party – Hellenes”, which was founded by jailed neo-Nazi Ilias Kasidiaris. Kasidiaris, 42, founded the party after receiving a 13-year prison sentence in 2020. He was convicted as a leading member of an extreme right party, Golden Dawn, which was blamed for multiple attacks against migrants and left-wing…

The war in the Ukraine created two main opposing camps of countries. An Alliance of Democracies on one side and a Group of Authoritarian. The escalation of geopolitical tensions linked to the Ukrainian crisis has highlighted two main opposing camps of countries — an Alliance of Democracies on one side and a Group of Authoritarian Regimes on the other. A number of countries have resisted choosing sides, however, as they strive to balance their national interests with international developments while simultaneously advocating the need to maintain peaceful diplomacy and global connections. While the number of these so-called “in-between” countries abound…

ATHENS – After Greece admitted allowing a company to sell Predator spyware to Sudan – after denying it was in use in Greece – Alternative Foreign Affairs Minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis said it hasn’t affected a civil war in the African country. Speaking to Realfm, the minister insisted that, “The export license given to Predator and Sudan has nothing to do with the civil war. The civil war was not caused by this,” deflecting any blame. After a Greek investigative journalist said the spyware was installed on his phone by parties still unidentified, the New Democracy government already ensnarled in a…

Greece has hired a law firm to prevent Türkiye from obtaining a patent for its “TurkAegean” tourism campaign, which was created to lure visitors to the country’s southwestern shores from the U.S. and EU market, Greek daily Kathimerini reported. Accordingly, Athens has enlisted the services of Steptoe & Johnson, based in Washington, D.C., which is skilled in handling complex legal cases related to trade and border disputes. Athens sees the campaign as an effort to sway U.S. and EU views regarding Türkiye’s claims in the Aegean in a misleading manner. According to Kathimerini, Steptoe & Johnson will produce a report…

Hungary has added honey and certain meat products to a list of food items it has temporarily banned from being imported from Ukraine in an effort to relieve market pressures on Hungarian farmers BUDAPEST, Hungary — Hungary will add honey and certain meat products to a list of food items it has temporarily banned from being imported from Ukraine in an effort to relieve market pressures on Hungarian farmers, a government minister said Thursday. Along with honey and meat, Hungary’s government has banned the import of 25 Ukrainian products including grains, oil seeds, flour, and cooking oil until June 30,…

The battle for Bakhmut, the Ukrainian city which Russia has spent months trying to capture, is “stabilising”, says Ukraine’s commander-in-chief. Valerii Zaluzhnyi said Ukrainian troops’ “tremendous efforts” were holding back Russia. Earlier this month, Western officials estimated between 20,000 and 30,000 Russian troops had been killed or injured in Bakhmut since last summer. Moscow is eager for a victory after failing to make major recent gains. Despite this, military analysts believe Bakhmut has little strategic value, with the city’s importance now symbolic. The high number of Russian casualties may be the main reason Ukraine has not withdrawn from the city, analysts say.…

Has Dr. Rania Majeed, Prime Minister Barzani’s gatekeeper and close personal confidante, royally destroyed the Kurdish Regional Government’s (KRG) primary source of income – its lucrative oil contracts? Majeed, who is known inside of KRG and among government insiders as the “untouchable” and – according to the article KRG oil in control of three women – fiercely loyal right hand to Barzani reportedly manages relationships and highest priority objectives on Barzani’s political and personal agendas. Based on the importance of these contracts to the KRG’s financial stability, Majeed likely played an instrumental role in the recent negotiations between Baghdad and…

The rocky road running past dilapidated homes ends abruptly at a thick, five-metre-high metal barrier — the end of the European Union, and Greece’s border with Turkey. The grey waters of the Evros River, the natural border between the two countries, now flow alongside the imposing fence topped with barbed wire. Athens erected the 37.5-kilometre (23-mile) barrier in 2020 after tens of thousands of migrants tried to break through this remote northeastern area, clashing for days with Greek security forces. With the country headed into a tight general election next month, the conservative government has vowed to extend the barrier…

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has reportedly sought to clear up his description of the Russia-Ukraine war as a “territorial dispute”, in the wake of a backlash from fellow Republicans. The widely tipped 2024 White House contender said in a TV interview his remarks had been “mischaracterised”. He also struck a tougher tone on Vladimir Putin, calling the Russian president a “war criminal”. Recent opinion polls suggest Mr Trump has been gaining over Mr DeSantis. The former president has been launching a sustained attack in recent weeks against his onetime political protege. Mr DeSantis has kept tight-lipped on his rumoured plans…

While the EU is promoting the ninth round of sanctions against Russia, the head of EU foreign policy recently expressed “concern” about the close relationship between Türkiye and Russia, and called on Türkiye to join the sanctions against Russia. This speech angered Türkiye’s President RecepTayyip Erdogan, who responded on the 15th that EU politicians have no right to interfere in Turkish Russian relations. According to the West German Report of Germany on December 11, in a letter to the European Parliament, EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Borrell said that Türkiye’s refusal to join the EU’s sanctions against…