Words, words, words by Antonis D. Papagiannidis The EU-27 Summit of last week, largely devoted to the avoidance of a no-deal Brexit, was persuaded by Greece (and Cyprus) to take note of the increased disruption caused by Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean. Where, notwithstanding the calls of the earlier, October 1/2 Summit for Turkey to [...]

Looking for resilience in the Agribusiness sector by Antonis D. Papagiannidis To hold Roundtables, Conferences and the suchlike under Covid-19 restrictions and limitations is no easy thing; to integrate to the scope of such events the very challenges, the pandemic has posed is even more complicated. So, the Agribusiness Forum held this year by Georoutes [...]

Mike Pompeo, on the steps of George Bush Sr. by Antonis D. Papagiannidis On June 1991, George Bush Sr., along with his wife Barbara, experienced the Cretan hospitality of then-Prime Minister Constantine Mitsotakis and his wife Marika (the culinary part of which is saved in her book “Recipes of Love”; lunch consisted of lobster, dough-and-cheese [...]

Who will be believed in case a blame game starts? by Antonis D. Papagiannidis It was just after Friday prayers – a moment with pious connotations even for an astute political operator – that Turkey’s President Erdogan explained/admitted that the Oruc Reis seismic survey vessel (parading for weeks in the Eastern Mediterranean over Greek continental [...]

“La honte de l’ Europe”/The shame of Europe By Antonis D. Papagiannidis The disaster-waiting-to-happen in the Moria Refugee/Migrant Camp in Lesvos island – “Lesbos, la honte de l’ Europe” according to Jean Ziegler’s book published in 2016 by Editions du Seuil, still looking for a Greek-language publisher – a camp planned as a short term [...]

Troubling milestones By Antonis D. Papagiannidis Less than three weeks to go until the September 24/25 EU Summit that is to deal with the overall EU-Turkey relationship; that is further to the latest Foreign Affairs Council that discussed Turkish behaviour towards Greece (and Cyprus) and the measures/sanctions put forward were Turkey to stick to its [...]

Waiting for Godot (a.k.a second quarter GDP) By Antonis D. Papagiannidis Greece’s embattled Statistical Office that had to get back its own (and the country’s) credibility and reputation following the “Greek Statistics” trauma  of the ten years ago is notoriously hesitant in publishing its data – even in provisional form. In this case, September is [...]

From Bregançon to the Black Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean By Antonis D. Papagiannidis There is quite a long way from picturesque Fort de Bregançon, perched on a small island off Bormes-les-Mimosas near Marseilles, official residence of the French Presidents since General de Gaulle (in his waning years), to Athens or Ankara. Yet, it was in [...]

All fronts open By Antonis D. Papagiannidis Starting today, just past mid-August, the European Commission fresh-from-the-oven Recovery and Resilience Task Force that will allow for the preparation and implementation of the Next Generation EU programmes is supposed to be on foot and ready to go. Coming on the step of the EU Summit, July17th/21st  decision [...]

Rough waters, once more by Antonis D. Papagiannidis Two months after Greece and Italy had signed an agreement for the establishment-and- delimitation of their respective EEZs (superposed on the pre-existant one over their continental shelves, dating back to 1977/78), Athens succeeded in signing an agreement with Cairo for a – partial – maritime zones delimitation [...]