Apostolakis will not run in general election

Defense Minister Evangelos Apostolakis will not run in the upcoming general election, the leftist government said in a statement on Sunday.
The decision was made so that Apostolakis, a former chief of the Hellenic National Defense General Staff (GEETHA), "is able to fulfill his national duty as political head of the Armed Forces, undistracted."
Greece and Cyprus will push their European Union partners to penalize Turkey, including the possible option of sanctions, if Ankara is found to have started drilling for gas west of the Mediterranean island, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Sunday.