Author: Sotiris Antonotis

ASTANA – The role of parliamentary diplomacy has grown amidst a tense geopolitical situation and global economic instability, said Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in his address to the participants of the Inter-Parliamentary Forum of Central Asian States, delivered by Kazakhstan’s Senate Chairman Maulen Ashimbayev on Feb. 10, as reported by the Kazakh Senate’s press service. According to Tokayev, the work of parliamentarians plays a significant role in the legislative support of bilateral agreements, maintaining friendly and neighborly relations, and promoting regional cooperation. He noted the centuries-old close and cordial relations between the Central Asian peoples had reached a new level…

The European Investment Bank (EIB) has a focus on sustainable connectivity in Central Asia and the transition towards a sustainable, climate-neutral growth model, according to statements made by the bank. The EIB has developed a diverse and fast-growing portfolio in the region with around €1 billion in approved projects, including €863 million of already signed loans. The bank has stated that: “On sustainable connectivity, the EIB will focus on operations related to the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route – the Middle Corridor – which are closely aligned with the European Global Gateway strategy and that are complementary to the substantial EIB…

(MENAFN- Trend News Agency)BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 13. Turkmenistan increased electricity production by 11 percent year-on-year in 2022, trend reports with reference to the Electricity Market Report 2023 of the International Energy Agency (IEA). According to the report, in comparison with 2021, Turkmenistan has increased electricity exports to foreign countries by 30 percent over the past year. It was noted that such a significant increase in exports was due to an increase in production at a large complex of gas-fired power plants in the Mary region in the southeast of the country. According to the IEA, Turkmenistan began exporting electricity to Kyrgyzstan…

Rome, Turin, London (22/1 – 38) Almost 16 years after Calciopoli, Juventus got themselves in trouble again with Plusvalenze scandal. In the new case that has rocked the world of Italian football, Juventus have been deducted 15 points in Serie A for their financial malpractice by FIGC (Italian Football Federation) court. The Bianconeri, a nickname in reference to Juventus’ colours, were accused to inflated player transfer values and made secret wage payments in the early stages of the COVID pandemic. There were also bans for Andrea Agnelli, Fabio Paratici, Federico Cherubini, Pavel Nedved, and Maurizio Arrivabene, who all already resigned…

The “Qatargate” scandal is only in its infancy. But it could go far beyond the case of the small Gulf emirate. L-POST.be was able to reveal, exclusively, that Pier-Antonio Panzeri, the former MEP at the center of the corrupt group was also a diligent lawyer for a former Kazakh oligarch, Muktar Ablyazov, who has just been rejected his status as an asylum seeker in France, the National Court for the Right of Asylum (CNDA) having established that he was not a real political refugee, but that he was not seeking this status to protect himself from lawsuits for a diversion of several…

Could the more than 200-year-long dispute between London and Athens over the return of the so-called Elgin Marbles be finally coming to an end? A newspaper says that Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has been holding ‘secret’ talks with the Chairman of the British Museum for more than a year for the return of the Parthenon sculptures. The report by the Greek newspaper Ta Nea is the latest twist in the long-running dispute over ownership of the ancient sculptures, which originally stood on the Acropolis in Athens and have been a centrepiece of the British Museum’s collection since 1816. In…

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Lawmakers in Greece on Friday approved legislation banning commercial spyware and reforming rules for legally-sanctioned wiretaps following allegations that senior government officials and journalists had been targeted by shadowy surveillance software. The 156-142 vote in parliament followed two days of debate, during which opposition lawmakers accused the government of attempting to cover up the illegal surveillance. They demanded that the date of a general election — due before next summer — be brought forward. Under the new law, the use, sale or distribution of spyware in Greece will carry a penalty of a two-year minimum prison…

Ambassador in Athens assures partnership is solid, new Israeli government is committed to strengthening relationship The relationship between Greece and Israel remains strategic and will not be affected by Israel’s ongoing efforts to normalize ties with Turkey, the new Israeli ambassador in Athens, Noam Katz, tells Kathimerini in his first interview since assuming his post in the Greek capital. He adds that new initiatives will follow the return to power of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, one of the chief architects of the Greek-Israeli partnership. Greece has proven resilient in its relationship with Israel, since all our governments, from leftist to…