The immediate aim of Ankara’s illegal actions was to break the continuity between the exclusive economic zones of Greece and Cyprus.

The latest crisis in relations between Athens and Ankara is different from previous ones. It is broader in scope, it has a hegemonic dimension, and it is permeated by an imperial rather than – as in the past – nationalist attitude.

There are those who would argue that Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ reshuffle on Tuesday brought very little change after a whole lot of speculation and is not very meaningful. They would be absolutely wrong, though.

Turkey is in no rush but it very rarely deviates from its foreign policy goals, which it makes a point of announcing and then proceeds to implement. The exploration license in the area south of Kastellorizo ​​was issued to the state-run Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) in 2012.

After about two months of complete confinement, we appear to have suddenly come out of it. Just like that, from one moment to the next. 

No one expected that Turkey would join Greece in celebrating the anniversary of the 1821 uprising against the Ottoman Empire.

The coronavirus crisis has thrown old certainties – held by individuals and societies across the world – into disarray. The unknown always inspires awe, even if scientists will certainly be waging a real battle to find ways of containing this new disease. 

Kyriakos Mitsotakis is out to transform New Democracy from a center-right party with clear references to the traditional parliamentary Right, into a centrist, liberal political party. The idea is to turn ND into a party with loose ideological principles which will nevertheless be capable of securing majorities in Parliament by making the requisite adjustments.

The escalation of a crisis in relations between Athens and Ankara typically leads to negotiation; this is understood by both sides, as protracting a clash creates the risk of a potential military confrontation which Greece certainly does not want and Turkey most likely would not desire either.

This week’s celebrations for NATO’s 70th anniversary seemed more like the prelude to an elegy on the imminent demise of the longest and most successful military alliance in history, of the West at least.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is perfectly right in claiming that Turkey is a “difficult” partner but should stay in NATO for geostrategic reasons. Nobody knows just how difficult a partner and neighbor Turkey has always been quite as well as Greece, but this is a subject for a different time.

The biggest challenge facing Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is neither SYRIZA nor the smaller opposition parties nor popular protests.