Page 4 - Greece

5.0 magnitude earthquake strikes central Greece; no damage reported

A magnitude 5.0 earthquake hit central Greece early Sunday, but there were no early reports of damage or casualties. The tremor struck at 1:02 am and had an epicenter 12.7 kilometers below sea level in the Gulf of Corinth, about 100 kilometers west-northwest of the capital, the Athens Institute of Geodynamics reported. The tremor lasted at least 15 seconds and was felt over a large area. Near the sparsely populated epicenter, residents reported hearing a buzzing sound, according to local media. Tremors of this magnitude are common in Greece, which lies in a highly earthquake-prone area, north of where the African plate is pushing underneath the Eurasian plate.

At least 15 dead as two boats carrying 40 migrants sink in Greek waters

At least 15 people have died as two boats carrying migrants sank in Greek waters late Wednesday, and rescuers were looking for dozens still missing, authorities said early Thursday. The coast guard said 15 bodies had been recovered near the eastern island of Lesbos after a dinghy carrying about 40 people sank. Five people were rescued and three had been located on a rocky outcrop near the site of the sinking. A second rescue effort was launched several hundred kilometers (miles) to the west, near the island of Kythira, where a sailboat carrying about 100 migrants hit rocks and sank late Wednesday. Officials said 30 people had been rescued after that boat hit rocks off the village port of Diakofti on the east of the island. Winds in the area were up to 70 kph (45 mph). We could see the boat smashing against the rocks and people climbing up those rocks to try and save themselves. It was an unbelievable sight, Martha Stathaki, a local resident told The Associated Press. All the resid

We can defend islands despite Turkey's threats: Greek defence minister

Greece has the right to take all defensive measures to protect its easternmost islands amid threats by neighbouring Turkey that dispute Greek sovereignty rights and raise the spectre of war, the Greek defense minister said Saturday. Speaking after Cyprus' independence day military parade, Minister Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos said Turkey's revisionist and destabilising behaviour also undermines security in the wider eastern Mediterranean region. Panagiotopoulos dismissed Turkey's demands to demilitarize the islands as if they're not being threatened and as if we don't have the right to take all defensive measures for them as baseless and unacceptable. Earlier this week, Turkey summoned the Greek ambassador to protest the alleged deployment of dozens of U.S.-made armored vehicles to the Aegean islands of Samos and Lesbos, which Ankara says should remain demilitarized in line with international treaties. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also warned that his country wouldn't hold b

New Greece-Bulgaria gas pipeline 'means freedom', says EU chief Leyen

The president of the European Union's executive arm travelled Saturday to Bulgaria for the opening of a natural gas link between the country and Greece, emphasising the EU's determination to stop relying on Russian energy imports. Speaking at a ceremony in Sofia, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hailed the pipeline as an important contribution to limiting opportunities for Russia to use its gas and oil reserves to blackmail or punish the EU. This pipeline changes the energy security situation for Europe. This project means freedom, von der Leyen told an audience that included heads of state and government from the region. The European Commission committed nearly 250 million euros to finance the project, von der Leyen said. The importance of the Gas Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria pipeline, which was completed in July, has significantly risen after Moscow decided to turn its natural gas deliveries into a political weapon. A second European pipeline started operatin

President Erdogan vows to protect Turkey's rights, interests against Greece

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to "use all means" to protect Ankara's rights and interests against Greece

Lebanon, Cyprus, Greece ink deal to strengthen diaspora affairs cooperation

Lebanon, Cyprus and Greece have signed a tripartite agreement to strengthen their cooperation on diaspora affairs, the National News Agency (NNA) reported

Greece gets first shipment of upgraded F-16 jets amid tensions with Turkey

Greece's air force on Monday took delivery of a first pair of upgraded F-16 military jets under a $1.5 billion programme to modernise its existing fighter fleet amid increasing tensions with neighbouring Turkey. The two F-16s presented at the Tanagra airbase northwest of Athens are the first of 83 to be refitted with advanced electronics, radar and weapons capabilities by late 2027 by Greece's Hellenic Aerospace Industry, in coordination with U.S. manufacturer Lockheed Martin. The head of Greece's joint chiefs of staff, Gen. Constantinos Floros, said the programme's successful and timely completion is an issue of the highest national importance. Any potential aggressor will have to think twice or thrice before trying their luck, once the upgrade is completed, he said at Monday's presentation ceremony, adding that the new planes would increase Greece's footprint within NATO. Relations with historic regional rival Turkey have hit a new low following repeated, thinly-veiled threats fr

Greece seeks open channels of communication with Turkey: PM Mitsotakis

Greece will always seek to keep open channels of communication with Turkey, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has said

EU must respond as one to Putin's 'blackmail': Greek PM Mitsotakis

The European Union should have a coordinated response to the challenge posed by Russian President Vladimir Putin's blackmail with the supply of natural gas, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Saturday. He said Putin's invasion of Ukraine is meant to "legitimise a despotic authoritarianism and enable any local troublemaker to do the same, a hardly veiled reference to Greece's neighbour Turkey and the increasingly aggressive rhetoric of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In the Ukraine war, we stand with those defending themselves, we stand with democracy and freedom...we know what it means to have an (aggressive) neighbour, Mitsotakis said. Putin wants to turn European anxiety about energy into political destabilisation, Mitsotakis added in the keynote speech at the Thessaloniki International Fair, in which Greece's heads of government announce the coming year's economic policies. The Greek premier reminded his audience that Greece had proposed months ago a cap on natural ga

Greek PM announces more measures to tackle energy crisis, inflation

Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis has announced a package of measures including raising the minimum wage and pensions to further help households and businesses tackle the energy crisis and high inflation

Greek tourism revenues to hit record high, exceeding pre-Covid levels

Tourism in Greece, a vital pillar of the country's economy, is on track to yield record high revenues this year, exceeding pre-Covid levels, according to officials.

Greece signs deal to recover 161 ancient artifacts from US billionaire

Greece has ratified a complex deal for the return, over coming decades, of 161 striking ancient Greek artifacts from a US billionaire's collection after Athens conceded it had no evidence they'd been illegally excavated and exported. The mostly marble works date from 5300-2200 BC, and the bulk of them are from the Early Bronze Age Cycladic civilisation whose elegantly abstract but enigmatic marble figurines inspired artists from Pablo Picasso to Constantin Brancusi. Such pieces are highly prized by collectors and museums, which has spawned a wave of illegal excavations in Greece and countless forgeries. Greece's parliament on Thursday approved the agreement with New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, a top Athens museum and a Delaware-based cultural institution to which they are being transferred. The works will return to Greece gradually from 2033-2048, after being displayed at the Met from 2023-2048. Culture Minister Lina Mendoni described them as masterpieces ... of unique ...

Tension rises as regional rivals Turkey, Greece voice festering grievances

Troubled relations between regional rivals Turkey and Greece have worsened, with Turkey's president doubling down on a thinly veiled invasion threat and Athens responding that it's ready to defend its sovereignty. Turkey and Greece have decades-old disputes over an array of issues, including territorial claims in the Aegean Sea and disagreements over the airspace there. The friction between the neighbours has brought the NATO allies to the brink of war three times in the last half-century. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey could come all of a sudden one night in response to perceived Greek threats, suggesting a Turkish attack on its neighbour cannot be ruled out. Questioned about his earlier use of the phrase over the weekend and the possibility of Turkish military action, Erdogan reiterated the expression. What I'm talking about is not a dream, he said at a news conference in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo. If what I said was that we could come one night all of a

Turkey's Tayyip Erdogan warns Greece over 'harassment' of Turkish jets

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a warning against Greece over what Ankara calls recent "harassment" of Turkish fighter jets in the Aegean and the eastern Mediterranean

Turkey says Greece harassed its jets during NATO mission in Mediterranean

Turkey summoned the Greek military attache and filed a complaint with NATO after Greek fighter jets allegedly harassed Turkish fighter jets that were conducting an important mission for the military alliance, Turkey's state-run news agency reported Tuesday. The Anadolu Agency said F-16s belonging to Greece harassed Turkish pilots flying the same model by putting Turkey's aircraft under a radar lock during the NATO mission over the eastern Mediterranean. Turkey gave the necessary response and forced the planes to leave the area, Anadolu said, without elaborating. Anadolu said Turkey's defence ministry notified NATO officials about the alleged harassment and summoned the Greek military official in Ankara, accusing Greece of endangering a NATO mission. Greece rejected the Turkish version of events. The Defence Ministry said five Turkish jets appeared without prior notification to accompany a flight of U.S. B-52 bombers which hadn't been due to have a fighter escort through an area

Greek PM denies involvement in opposition leader's phone tapping by EYP

Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis has denied involvement in a scandal related to the tapping of an opposition leader's phone by the country's National Intelligence Service (EYP) over several months.

Greece, Saudi Arabia to explore further cooperation in several sectors

Greece and Saudi Arabia will explore further bilateral cooperation in many sectors with emphasis on energy, as announced by the two sides during 2-day visit of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince to Athens

Saudi Crown Prince arrives in Greece, 1st EU visit since Khashoggi killing

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrived in Greece on his first trip to a European Union country since the killing in 2018 of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi

Russia imposes restrictions on diplomatic missions of 5 European countries

Russia has expanded its list of "unfriendly countries" to include Greece, Denmark, Slovenia, Croatia and Slovakia, the Russian government has announced

Experts to comb site of Ukrainian airline crash in northern Greece

Greek media reported there were eight people on the plane and that it was carrying 12 tons of dangerous materials, mostly explosives