Constantinos Koutras

Relations between Albania and Greece took another turn for the worse on Wednesday after the neighboring country?s Prime Minister Edi Rama called on Athens to renegotiate its maritime borders with Tirana.

An attempt by Gjorge Ivanov, the president of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, where ethnic strife reignited over the weekend, to blame Greece for the Balkan nation?s stalled efforts to join international alliances has not surprised Greek diplomats, Kathimerini understands.

Athens and Nicosia complained on Wednesday about the behavior of United Nations special adviser Espen Barth Eide after the mediator suggested in an interview that the Cypriot government should be consulting with Turkish Cypriots about the search for and use of the country?s hydrocarbons ? a position that is shared by officials on the Turkish-occupied part of the island.

Greek Foreign Ministry spokesman Constantinos Koutras (photo) on Monday responded to Turkish press reports suggesting that Greece may somehow be connected to a recent terrorist attack in Istanbul that resulted in the death of a senior prosecutor.

As Greek and Turkish diplomats prepare for talks on confidence-building measures that are expected to start on April 22, Ankara appears to be fueling a debate that began in Turkey?s National Assembly last week which questions the status of 16 Greek islands in the Aegean.

By Angeliki Koutantou

Greece has accused German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble of insulting his Greek counterpart, the latest deterioration in a relationship badly strained by Berlin's tough line on Greece's debt woes.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry has said Turkey ?mistakenly? declared inaccurate coordinates for long-distance dangerous areas over Aegean Sea and canceled the Notice to Airmen (NOTAM).

Ankara would not declare a new dangerous area for a certain period of time, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Tanju Bilgiç said in a written statement on March 3.

Greece is protesting Turkey's move to reserve a large chunk of airspace over the Aegean Sea for military maneuvers until the end of the year, a Greek foreign ministry spokesman says.

Turkey’s new Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu visited the occupied part of Cyprus on Tuesday and suggested that Greek Premier Antonis Samaras should join him there for peace talks but Athens dismissed his comment.

“If the prime minister is ready, let’s go to the south together, let’s drink tea and discuss matters,” said Davutoglu during a news conference.

 Samaras, Erdogan make no statement after meeting in Wales

Ankara has sought to play down recent comments by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Cyprus that sparked a strong reaction from Greece's foreign ministry, according to reports Friday.