Rumble in the Kingdom [AP Photo]
Welcome to the weekly round-up of news by Kathimerini English Edition. As the situation in the Gulf threatens to deteriorate even further, with Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis engaging in attacks against Saudi Arabia, Greek forces stationed in the Kingdom shot down two missiles and two drones on Saturday.
The Patriot surface-to-air missile defense battery operated by the Hellenic Force of Saudi Arabia (ELDYSA), stationed in Saudi Arabia since 2021, engaged two ballistic missiles and two uncrewed aerial vehicles targeting a major refinery in the Yanbu region.
The engagement was “part of its participation in the mission of the international initiative ‘Integrated Air Missile Defense (IAMD) Concept’ to support the air defense of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, [and] successfully confronted a 100% attack from the Yemeni region”, noted a statement released by the Hellenic Armed Forces.
The Greek Patriot battery was also active in defending Saudi infrastructure in the spring,during the attacks conducted by Iran and its regional proxies following the start of the war.
Just a few days earlier, the Government Council for Foreign Affairs and Defense (KYSEA), Greece’s top decision-making body for issues of foreign and defense policy, approved the 11 defense procurement programs worth a combined €4.2 billion.
The lion’s share of the investments will be directed towards a €3 billion euro multilayered defense project, dubbed Achilles’ Shield which will reportedly provide anti-aircraft, anti-ballistic and counter-drone protection across the Aegean.
The main workhorses of Achilles’ shield will be three missile defense systems manufactured by Israeli defense companies, namely Rafael’s Spyder and Davids’s Sling systems and IAI’s Barak MX.
Defense Minister Nikos Dendias noted that the project will also include the participation of Greece’s domestic defense industry worth an estimated €700 million.
“It will be ready and fully operational within 35 months, starting from today”, said the minister following the meeting of the KYSEA.
Other programs approved include the purchase of three Embraer C-390 transport aircraft through an inter-governmental agreement with Portugal worth an estimated €600 million, new anti-submarine warfare systems for the Hellenic Navy’s MEKO Hydra-class frigates, and €145 million for 10 VICTA special operations vessels.
These agreements all form part of the wider Agenda 2030 military modernization program adopted by the Defense Ministry.
Spotlight
- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is set to visit Cyprus this week to restart talks on the future of the divided island, following the invasion of Turkish forces in 1974 and the subsequent occupation. Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides met with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Athens on Saturday, with Greece reaffirming its support for renewed talks within the framework of UN Security Council resolutions. Maria Angela Holguin, the United Nations Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy on Cyprus, met both with European officials in Brussels on Wednesday as well as with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan a few days later. For his part, Fidan insisted on Ankara’s long-standing position and called for a two-state solution noting that Turkey “as the motherland and a guarantor power, considers that the most realistic solution to the Cyprus issue is the coexistence of two states on the island”. This latest attempt to kickstart negotiations is seen as a last ditch effort by Guterres, whose mandate ends at the end of the year, to move forward with a solution that ends the division of Cyprus.
- Ruling New Democracy has begun the Constitutional Review process, with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis calling for a sweeping revision to modernize the Greek state. The prime minister stated that his party’s proposals would help create “a European, modern state”, and he accused the opposition parties of failing to engage constructively with the process. He criticized main opposition party PASOK, stating that “the so-called responsible PASOK declares itself an awkward ‘present’ that amounts to ‘absent” from the process. PASOK leader Nikos Androulakis fired back stating that New Democracy has eroded the rule of law in Greece, with attacks on both the independent regulators and through interference with the judiciary. “There must be an end and barrier to institutional decay”, said Androulakis. He also stated that the decision to withdraw a much-heralded change that would introduce incompatibility between serving as a minister and as a member of Parliament, promoted by the government as major break with the so-called deep state, was an act of “political timidity”.
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Honoring the restoration of democracy
[InTime News]
Two days ago, Greece celebrated the anniversary of the restoration of democracy on July 24, 1974, with the traditional ceremony that takes place every year at the presidential palace.
Some expressed their opposition regarding the way the celebration is held and took issue with the participation of specific individuals in it. Some politicians went so far as to “boycott” the event. Their criticism and actions are inexplicable, if not insulting.
Even if someone disagrees with individual aspects of the celebration, the symbolism of the event itself reigns supreme and any action to question it is anything but honoring the return of democracy which, theoretically, we all cherish.
Whoever the president is, whatever the government or the main opposition are at a certain point in time, the restoration of democracy following the seven-year dictatorship is such a pivotal moment in the modern history of Greece that no one has the right to insult it by citing objections, which in most cases are baseless and politically motivated.
In any case, the more dedicated the country is to democratic ideals, the more we all have to gain, including those who might strongly disagree with a certain government or person being in power.
Actually, this is exactly what the restoration, respect and protection, of democracy ensures. It would be good for the – thankfully, very few – critics to keep this in mind.
And by the way, they should always remember that during the dictatorship many at the time were not only unable to express their objections or different ideological positions, but some were even deprived of their personal freedom and were imprisoned.
We must not allow toxicity to injure the institution of democracy by diminishing the importance of the pivotal moment it was restored, in the country where it was born.
Finding accommodation as a student is becoming an increasingly costly affair, with prices rising a further 5.3% this year across the country. However, in the capital region of Attica, the increase stood at 6.6% and an average rental asking price of 13.3 euros per square meter (meaning the average rent for a 60-square-meter flat stands at 800 euros per month). In central Athens and the areas near the main universities of the capital, where a ban on new short-term lets is still in effect, the increase has been even more pronounced (25.8%) with an average price of 16.4 euros per square meters.
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“The Euronext Athens (ATHEX) general index closed at 2,492.71 points, up 1.86% from last week.” “Adding to an already strong performance by the tourism sector in the first five months of the year (20% increase in arrivals and 25% increase in revenue compared to last year), late-minute bookings for Greece have increased significantly and are expected to help further boost the industry.” “The Hellenic Capital Market Commission issued its first operating licenses for cryptocurrency service providers this week.”
- 28/07/2026ELAS: The new party of former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will host an event at which it will introduce its local government priorities.
- 29/07/2026Theodorakis: The city of Chania will host a three-day festival commemorating Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis on the anniversary of his birthday.
- 31/07/2026Epidaurus: The National Theatre of Greece will stage Euripides’ drama ‘The Trojan Women’ at the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus.
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