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The Curse of Minerva[InTime News] Constantine CapsaskisNewsletter Editor Welcome to the weekly round-up of news by Kathimerini English Edition. The decision by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to cancel his meeting with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, allegedly over comments made by the latter on the Parthenon Sculptures held by the British Museum to the BBC, dominated headlines for much of the week. According to Downing Street, the British prime minister cancelled the meeting as there was an alleged agreement between London and Athens that Mitsotakis would not bring up the issue of the Parthenon Sculptures during his visit, something Greece denies. The move, naturally decried by Athens as disrespectful, also raised eyebrows at home for Sunak as  Labour leader Keir Starmer (“it is the prime minister who has obviously lost his marbles”), British Museum Chair and former Conservative Chancellor George Osborne (“is it just having a bit of a hissy fit”), and several prominent analysts all condemned the decision to cancel the meeting. The cancellation was condemned by Greek opposition leader Stefanos Kasselakis, who stated that the issue goes “beyond party differences”.  European Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas also criticized the incident. Sunak would later double down, accusing Mitsotakis of attempting to “grandstand”, with Athens refusing to rise to the bait, stating that “in the spirit of the good longstanding relations between the two countries, which we intend to preserve, we have nothing more to add on this matter”. Prime Minister Mitsotakis himself stressed that this “unfortunate incidence” will not impact bilateral ties with the UK. In the aftermath of the diplomatic snub, several reasons have been proffered to explain the rationale behind it. One explanation is that Sunak was irked by the fact that Mitsotakis had already met with Starmer, something Athens believes is not the case as Downing Street was aware of this meeting. According to Simon Nixon, in an interview with Kathimerini’s Vassilis Kostoulas, it is possible that Sunak used the occasion to divert attention from the troubles of his Conservative government, widely expected to lose in the upcoming elections, by igniting a “Culture War” over the Parthenon Sculptures. Officials in Athens also point to a pro-Turkish turn of the UK government over the last few months, most recently with efforts to supply Turkey with Eurofighter jets. It should be noted that the British monarch, King Charles, is also widely perceived to have taken a stance on the issue when he wore a tie decorated with Greek flags while meeting with Sunak on the sidelines of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai. Spotlight Greece is an active participant in the COP28 process, represented by Prime Minister Mitsotakis and several cabinet members including Energy Minister Theodoros Skylakakis. From the podium in Dubai, the prime minister highlighted Greek efforts to actively pursue a ‘green transition’. Mitsotakis highlighted the significant reduction (80%) of coal use in the country, while stressing the performance of Greece’s solar and wind power generators. He also announced that the island of Poros, near the Greek mainland, would become the third ‘green’ island under the ‘GR-eco Island’ initiative. Finally, the prime minister also addressed the question of maritime and shipping emissions, noting that “the entire issue of maritime decarbonization is of special significance to us”.   The 11 MPs who split from main opposition party SYRIZA are set to officially announce their new parliamentary group next week. Led by former minister Alexis Charitsis, the group will reveal the name of the group on Monday, while the formal announcement will take place during the parliamentary plenary session on Wednesday. While addressing his party’s parliamentary group, SYRIZA leader Stefanos Kasselakis accused the 11 lawmakers of “putting their own ambitions above society”. However, this was another week of controversy for the party. Aside from the continuous drip of party member exits, Kasselakis left a meeting of the party’s Political Committee half-way through a speech criticizing the divisive rhetoric within the party by notable party member Dionysis Temponeras. The move was strongly condemned by other prominent SYRIZA members including Giannis Ragkousis and Thanasis Theocharopoulos.

MUST READS Beyond the sculpturesGo to article > Pocket parks and deep pockets of greedGo to article > Nature restoration: The bottom lineGo to article >

OPINION Tom EllisEditor-in-Chief, Kathimerini English Edition Waiting for Erdogan[Dimitris Papamitsos/Greek Prime Minister’s Office via A.P.] As the Greek government is getting ready to host Turkey’s president and a number of his ministers next Thursday in Athens, it looks to the immediate future of bilateral relations with a sense of reserved optimism. Athens is in a wait-and-see mode, but opts for an optimistic analysis of the situation following the positive comments by the Turkish president in recent days. There are some encouraging signs: Ankara‘s aggressive rhetoric has subsided, while there have been almost zero overflights following last February’s devastating earthquake that hit Turkey, and Greece’s emotional reaction and sincere offer of assistance. Athens looks forward to a continuation of “calm waters” in the Aegean, and, on an issue with real and immediate consequences – that concern not only Greece, but Europe as a whole – maintaining the improved situation in recent months in regard to immigration flows. In the wake of the Turkish president’s outburst in Berlin, no one could exclude Tayyip Erdogan raising claims that divide the two countries, including the minority in Thrace. Still, indications so far are that thorny issues will be avoided and the emphasis will be on cooperation agreements and maintaining a “win-win” approach. No one is over optimistic about achieving a breakthrough on the core of the Greek-Turkish issues. But as the attention of Erdogan is focused on Gaza – where there are disagreements with Greece – the Turkish president has no reason to create another thorn on his tense relationship with the West. In fact, relations with Greece offer him an opportunity to show a different face at no cost. In a rather unexpected twist, Greece could be one of the few western countries of some significance in the region that he disagrees with but views with some respect.

CHART OF THE WEEK

A large part of foreign direct investment (approximately 40%) in Greece this year has been in the country’s real estate market. This is a marked increase as in recent years the share of real estate investments did not exceed 20-25% of the overall FDI. This is largely due to two reasons. First, the significant growth of investment by foreign capital in the real estate market due to the reforms introduced to the “Golden Visa” residency program. Secondly, there has also been a sizeable reduction (39.2%) in the overall volume of FDI this year.

ESCAPADE 5 Villages Near Athens for Early Winter Getaways As we approach the festive season, here are five Greek villages in Central Greece and the Peloponnese to enjoy scenic countryside and local winter cuisine. Go to article >

ECONOMY IN A NUTSHELL

“The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index closed 1,280.11 points this Friday, a three-month high for the benchmark. On a weekly basis, it was up by 1.70%.”

“Credit rating agency Fitch was the latest to raise Greek sovereign credit to investment grade, upgrading it to a BBB- rating from BB, with a positive outlook. This means that the majority of the major rating agencies, with the exception of Moody’s, have reinstated investment grade for Greece.”

“The Bank of Greece is set to trim its growth outlook for 2024, as signalled by its governor Yannis Stournaras. In an interview, Stournaras noted that the BoG expects the Greek economy to grow by 2.5% next year, down from the July forecast of 3%.”

WHAT'S ON THE AGENDA

04/12/2023Funeral of Vassilis Vassilikos: Celebrated Greek author Vasilis Vassilikos who passed away on November 30 will be interred at the First Cemetery of Athens. Vassilikos, who served as an MP for SYRIZA, is best remembered for his book “Z” that was adapted into an Oscar-winning movie. 05/12/2023Strikes: Self-employed professionals in Greece are continuing their industrial action throughout next week, culminating in a demonstration outside the Hellenic Parliament on Tuesday. Prominent among those striking are taxi drivers and legal professionals. 06/12/202315th anniversary of Grigoropoulos killing: This year marks the 15th anniversary of the killing of 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos by a police officer. The date has usually been marked with mass demonstrations, and occasionally instances of violence between police and rioters. 07/12/2023High-Level Cooperation Council: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will conduct an official visit to Athens to meet with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and participate in the High-Level Cooperation Council.

Editor's PickCyprus paid the price because Kissinger was slow to realize how close Greece and Turkey came to war in the Aegean in the spring of 1974.Alexis PapachelasRead the article

PODCAST

01/12/2023 • 10:24Lessons from Kissinger’s legacy in Cyprus and the East MedHenry Kissinger, the controversial former US National Security Advisor and Secretary of State, passed away on Wednesday, aged 100. Michael Rubin, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and former Pentagon official, joins Thanos Davelis to discuss Henry Kissinger’s legacy, particularly in Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean, and look at the lessons it holds for policymakers today.

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