The agreements signed by Greece with Italy first and then Egypt, for the delimitation of the countries’ respective exclusive economic zones, were submitted to Parliament Thursday, where they are expected to be ratified on Wednesday, August 26. 

The leaders of the European Union expressed their solidarity with Greece and Cyprus during an extraordinary summit on Wednesday, at the same time stressing the need to resolve their differences with Turkey through dialogue.

Concerns that the standoff between Greek and Turkish fleets in the Eastern Mediterranean could lead to an accident were confirmed on Thursday, albeit not in a dramatic way, when two frigates collided.

As Ankara continued to escalate tensions on Tuesday, with successive statements by Turkish officials announcing the continuation of exploratory activities by the Oruc Reis survey vessel, as well as new ones in areas of the Greek continental shelf, Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias declared that Greece will not accept a fait accompli in the Eastern Mediterranean and called on the Turkish government to recall its research ship from the area.

Greece was placed on high alert Monday after Turkey sent its Oruc Reis survey ship into an area within the Greek continental shelf, a move which Athens described as a threat to peace and stability in the region.

The deal signed Thursday between Greece and Egypt, designating their exclusive economic zones in the Eastern Mediterranean, has ushered in a new reality based on international law, according to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

 

Remarking that Greece “is in uncharted waters” and in the midst of an unprecedented crisis with dramatic pressures on growth, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Friday presented additional measures centered on jobs and support for business.

SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras on Thursday lightly reprimanded one of his former ministers, Nikos Pappas, who in a taped conversation with a Greek-Israeli businessman presented to Parliament earlier this week had appeared to suggest that former alternate justice minister Dimitris Papangelopoulos, also of the previous SYRIZA government, had been involved in shady dealings.

The written testimony of a prominent Greek-Israeli businessman to a parliamentary committee investigating a minister of the former SYRIZA government, sparked a political storm on Monday with acrimonious exchanges between deputies of ruling New Democracy and the main opposition leftist party

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis ruled out any possibility of early elections on Friday, saying his government will see out its four-year term, in response to suggestions by opposition SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras that he would spring a surprise with snap polls after the summer.

MPs voted on Wednesday to expand the scope of an investigation into Dimitris Papangelopoulos, a minister in the former leftist SYRIZA administration, over his alleged meddling in a judicial investigation into bribery claims linked to Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis.

Greek lawmakers are on Wednesday to vote on a proposal by ruling New Democracy to expand the scope of an investigation into a former minister of the leftist SYRIZA administration over his alleged meddling in a judicial investigation into bribery claims linked to Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis.

As Greece enters the summer season, rescuing the tourism industry and saving as many jobs as possible are the government’s top priorities.

Labor Minister Yiannis Vroutsis on Thursday responded to accusations of incompetency by opposition parties over a series of problematic distance training voucher programs for scientists and self-employed professionals which were scrapped on Wednesday amid widespread criticism that they were makeshift and of low quality.

Describing the new social security bill that was passed on Thursday in Parliament with 158 votes in favor and 128 against, Labor Minister Yiannis Vroutsis said it marks a “very important step forward” that safeguards pensions for the next 50 years.

Testifying before the Parliament committee probing the handling of the Novartis case by the previous government, Greek-Israeli businessman Sabby Mionis accused former alternate justice minister Dimitris Papangelopoulos, the publisher of the Dimokratia newspaper, Ioannis Filippakis, and two journalists of blackmail in 2016.

Greek lawmakers were presented with evidence that modern-day slavery is being practiced in the country today and were urged by experts to accelerate action to investigate the phenomenon during the presentation of a report earlier this week to a parliamentary committee on human rights and exploitation.

Seeking to put an end to mass disruptions in the Greek capital and other large cities whenever a march or demonstration is held with a small number of participants, the government has drafted legislation that will be tabled to Parliament imminently.

The events of early 2015, when SYRIZA was negotiating austerity terms with Greece’s creditors, stole the limelight again yesterday in Parliament, with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stressing the need for a public discussion on what exactly happened in the first half of 2015 when SYRIZA came to power and negotiated Greece’s bailout.

In testimony on Thursday to a parliamentary committee probing possible political interference in the Novartis investigation, former appeals court prosecutor Georgia Tsatani allegedly accused former alternate justice Minister Dimitris Papangelopoulos of trying to interfere in her work and using threatening language.