Thanos Davelis

Erdogan finally approved Sweden's NATO bid a few weeks ago. With the Biden administration green-lighting the F-16 sale in return, Washington now seems to be employing a new approach of positive reinforcement with Ankara.

Vassilis Nedos, Kathimerini's diplomatic and defense editor, joins Thanos Davelis to look at Friday's 5th US-Greece Strategic Dialogue in Washington, DC, and discuss the latest developments on the Cyprus issue. 

In 2019 the Greek Orthodox Patriarchs of Constantinople and Alexandria recognised the independence of the newly formed Orthodox Church of Ukraine. Since then, Moscow has attempted to undermine not only the Ecumenical Patriarchate, but also the Patriarch of Alexandria, which claims exclusive jurisdiction over Africa and accuses the Russian church of meddling in the continent.

On Monday Greece introduced a bill that would allow for voting by mail, a long-standing request of diaspora Greeks and a measure that has been applied in almost all modern democracies. Interior Minister Niki Kerameus said the reform will make it easier to exercise the right to vote and will deepen democracy.

Endy Zemenides, HALC's Executive Director, joins Thanos Davelis to discuss the letter leaders of the Hellenic Caucus sent to US President Joe Biden calling on him to invite Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides to the White House to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Turkey's invasion of Cyprus, and provide a look ahead at Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis' upcoming visit to New York and Chi

Nikos Efstathiou, an Athens based journalist and author, joins Thanos Davelis to discuss the government's proposed marriage equality bill, look at how it's impacting Greece's political scene, and touch on the broader public debate around the issue of marriage equality - including hate speech on social media platforms. 

Greece's Defense Minister Nikos Dendias recently outlined a new approach for how the Greek armed forces will be run, calling it "the armed forces of 2030." Vassilis Nedos, Kathimerini's diplomatic and defense editor, joins Thanos Davelis to discuss the key takeaways from his exclusive interview with Dendias, and give us an inside look at the changes Greece is looking to implement.

This new year finds Washington in a bind over how to effectively engage with Turkey, a trend we've documented for at least half a decade. The tug of war over Sweden and F16s, and Ankara's stance on the Arab-Israeli conflict, are the latest examples of this.

Over a year ago there were concerns that Turkey's provocations and threats in the Aegean could turn into conflict. Over the last year, Turkey's President Erdogan has pulled a 180 degree shift in policy, de-escalating tensions.

Alexandra Voudouri, Kathimerini's Brussels correspondent, joins Thanos Davelis to look at what's at stake this year in the European-wide elections for European Parliament in June, and and break down whether the concerning growing support for the far-right we are seeing could turn into a political tsunami.