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The Franco-German axis is de facto strengthened as long as Italian PM Mario Draghi, who had described Weidmann as “Nein zu allem” (No on everything), remains in power.

France, as President of the UN Security Council at the time, issued a presidential statement on 23 July, 2021, condemning Turkey’s stated intention as a glaring violation of UNSC resolutions on Varosha and called for an “immediate reversal” of the decision.

Germany will not be able to effectively put the brakes on reforms being pushed by French President Emmanuel Macron and at the same time it will not be able to exert a drastic influence on the frugal countries of the European North.

EU summits over the last year have consistently postponed imposing sanctions against Turkey over its violations of international law in Cyprus’ EEZ, the Aegean, and the Eastern Mediterranean, ostensibly in an effort normalise Greek-Turkish relations.

'Kosova seeks to resolve outstanding issues with the neighbors through dialogue. We will only be able to fix the relations in the Balkans with a principled and well-prepared dialogue, founded on European values.'

Some analysts believe Erdogan’s maximalist position in support of a two-state solution is designed to achieve a loose confederation, (effectively Ankara’s position in prior settlement talks), definitively abandoning the UN's bi-zonal federation framework.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s strategic decision to visit occupied Cyprus on the anniversary and re-open part of the ghost city of Varosha constitutes a sharp escalation and provocation on Ankara’s part.

It is obliged to point out omissions and delays in implementation and to stress the need to expedite the work of the committee on changes to school books – not to hide behind artful ruses.

China is losing no time in exploiting this situation in order to further increase its commercial power. It is already contributing to shaping the largest global free-trade agreement, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.

The leadership change in the US and the fluid situation in the Southeastern Mediterranean aggravated the problems posed by Erdogan and that creates the prospect of our country falling into a trap.

It was the 61st round of such talks, which commenced in 2002, when George Papandreou was foreign minister, and were abruptly terminated in 2016 after an abortive coup against Erdogan

Though both sides have long declared publicly that they wish to resume talks, their views on the agenda and limits of such a dialogue are diametrically opposed.

The United States ordered 600 million doses of the BioNTech/Pfizer shot in July, while the EU waited until November to place an order half that size.

The ECB decided to hike the pandemic QE by 500mn euros and approved a nine-month extension of the programme through March, 2022.

The United States, Italy and Spain were the top exporters of arms to Turkey from 2015-2019, according the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

Political initiatives are needed to ensure solidarity with vulnerable groups and the poor, to guarantee the endurance of the health system, and to check the epidemic's spread.

The prospect of a vaccine electrified world markets with the S&P 500 and Dow hitting record highs. JPMorgan said it expected the S&P 500 index to hit 4,000 points by early 2021.

As many times as one may shout Allahu Akbar before a cold-blooded murder in Europe they will never be able to win the jihad that they have declared.

Each time Erdoagn pushed the envelope a bit further because he knew that although Greece was complaining strongly the EU would not significantly change its posture.

Turkish militarism was entrenched after the revolution of the Young Turks. Earlier, the Germans, who traditionally supported the Turks, played a significant role in creating Turkish nationalism.

To justify his military intervention on many fronts Erdogan says that he is is guided by the Ottoman past, but he is in fact reviving the catastrophic, expansionist Nazi theory of lebensraum.

Recently Turkey’s interlocutors and allies have sent Ankara strongly critical signals such as having top officials visiting the region without going to Turkey.

In light of Turkey’s erratic and dangerous policies and the policy of appeasement on the part of strong powers there is no room for complacency.

Paradoxically the fire that destroyed the Moria camp not only highlighted the conditions on the islands where refugees and migrants reside but it also offered Greece a great opportunity.

'Very useful exchange with President Erdogan on developments in the Eastern Mediterranean and on migration. I welcome the planned launch of talks with Greece, which are essential for stability in the Eastern Mediterranean,' said Von der Leyen.