The Greek Letter - ekathierini. com - Aegean continues to divide Greece and Turkey - 25 January 2026

 

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Aegean continues to divide Greece and Turkey[Shutterstock] Constantine CapsaskisNewsletter Editor Welcome to the weekly round-up of news by Kathimerini English Edition. A Turkish navigational warning (NAVTEX) has once again emphasized the divide that exists between Athens and Ankara, even as Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are likely to meet next month as part of the High-Level Cooperation Council process. The NAVTEX, with an unusually long duration of two years, is seen as an effort by Turkey to push its position over the Aegean, asserting the authority to issue navigational directions for roughly half the Aegean and claiming a demilitarized status for 23 Greek islands. According to sources available to Kathimerini, this move reflects a new tactic in Ankara’s attempts to reframe the political and administrative debate on the status of the Aegean. They argue that the goal is to institutionally entrench the perception that any maritime area east of the 25th meridian, which roughly cuts through the middle of the Aegean, is under Turkish jurisdiction. This is something that Turkey routinely does within NATO, where disputes between Athens and Ankara over operational maps often have to be mediated through continuous consultations. Of course, Greece rejects Turkey’s NAVTEX claims as they violate its own maritime rights and has responded through appropriate channels to clarify to the international shipping community that no change has occurred in the Aegean’s status. The issue of international maritime law also proved a bone of contention between the two countries this week, with comments by Defense Minister Nikos Dendias that Greece reserves the sovereign and unilateral right to extend its territorial waters to 12 nautical miles as stated by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. His statement caused a stir in Turkey, whose parliament in 1995 declared that any such expansion would be a cause for war between the two countries. Deputy leader and head of defense for Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), Yanki Bahcioglu accused Greece of violating international law. Spotlight A severe storm hit Greece this week, causing the death of two people and leaving behind it a trail of destruction. Specifically, a 56-year-old woman in the southern Attica municipality of Glyfada was carried away by floodwater while walking, while a 53-year-old coast guard officer was swept away by a strong wave while trying to moor a boat and suffered a fatal head injury. The capital region of Attica saw heavy rainfall, with severe flooding leading to evacuations. Two municipalities have since declared a state of emergency, with the flooding and subsequent landslides damaging infrastructure, homes, and businesses. The storm also led to significant traffic and transport disruptions, and widespread outages in several areas of Attica. The government and local authorities had taken steps to mitigate the situation by largely shutting down activity on the day, by closing schools and scaling back public services. However, several experts have since publicly stated that warnings on possible ways to mitigate the effects of the storm went unheeded.   The political situation in Greece continues to remain fluid, as parties are ramping up their preparations ahead of the next elections. Maria Karystianou, whose yet announced political party continues to perform well in opinion polls, found herself in the middle of a political fracas following an interview in which she claimed that abortions should be a matter for public consultation. She faced an immediate backlash from both the government and center-left and left parties of the opposition, with government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis noting that the issue has “already been settled” while PASOK MP Panagiotis Doudonis noted that “for 40 years the issue has been considered closed”. However, the government also faced a political issue of its own this week when a last-minute legislative provision was added to an unrelated bill in December which was immediately used by Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni. The minister has rejected allegations that the bill was tailored to her case.

MUST READS ‘Kimon’, an injection of optimismGo to article > Greece, the EU and the United StatesGo to article > The division of the West and Athens’ movesGo to article >

OPINION Tom EllisEditor-in-Chief, Kathimerini English Edition Navigating through the US-EU minefield while Washington diminishes its NATO presence[Shutterstock] Greece has tried to deal in a forward looking, realistic way with the tensions before, during and after the internal western crisis over Greenland. It navigated through the dangerous western minefield that has been created, with some diplomatic maneuvering opting for a middle path between the staunch support for the respect of international law and national sovereignty as well as its membership in the European Union on the one hand, and its close strategic alliance with the US on the other. It performed a similar balancing act with respect to President Trump’s Peace Board, noting Greece’s positive approach to the latter’s role specifically in Gaza. In every instance the Greek prime minister, while acknowledging the rift, kept emphasizing the need for lowering the temperature and avoiding the slippery slope to a total rupture that would benefit no one. All this is taking place at a point in time when Washington is taking steps that in essence are gradually distancing itself from NATO and is preparing to withdraw American personnel from multiple Alliance command structures across Europe by 2029. It will also diminish its presence in NATO locations within the US, including the Combined Joint Operations Center in Norfolk, Virginia, where Greece participates alongside Turkey, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK. As the Pentagon is turning its focus to the Pacific and Indian Oceans, at the expense of the Atlantic which is seen as less important, structures connected with operations at sea are slated for reorganization. For the time being, it is not contemplating a withdrawal from the NATO structures in Thessaloniki and Chania in Crete. As for the purely American facilities in Greece, notably in Souda Bay, Alexandroupoli and Larissa, they are seen, including many influential voices in the Pentagon and in the Congress, as playing a pivotal role, acting as a critical link in the operational field encompassing a wide region covering the Eastern Mediterranean, the Middle East and North Africa.

CHART OF THE WEEK

More than 10,000 “Golden Visa” residency permit applications are outstanding, as a backlog created in recent years has yet to be resolved by the competent ministries. In particular, real estate investments in 2023 and 2024 saw a sharp uptick (with more than 4.93 billion euros being funnelled into the Greek real estate market), with almost 50% of the total of 39,490 investors being recorded in those two years. This was likely fuelled by changes to the minimum investment threshold (now standing at 800,000 euros in the capital region of Attica, Thessaloniki and several islands) with investors seeking to gain access to the application process at lower thresholds.

ESCAPADE On a high note: Inside the Greek National Opera’s new era How did the Greek National Opera become one of Europe’s most talked-about companies? We speak to the people who made it happen. Go to article >

ECONOMY IN A NUTSHELL

“The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index closed at 2,265.13 points, up 0.87% from last week.”

“While Greece’s nominal GDP continues to grow, the standard of living for the majority of its workforce continues to drop towards the bottom rungs of the European Union according to a study carried out by the Labor Institute of the General Confederation of Greek Workers, describing a situation of ‘growth without prosperity’.”

“A total of 473,000 animals have been culled in Greece’s long-running sheep and goat pox epidemic, with the Agriculture Ministry noting that it cannot be addressed through vaccination. The epidemic has dealt a serious blow to Greece’s livestock breeders and threatens key industries including the production of feta cheese.”

WHAT'S ON THE AGENDA

26/01/2026Smart Cameras: The first fines issued by the newly installed “smart cameras”, cameras that not only record but issue fines automatically, will begin being sent out on Monday. 27/01/2026Holocaust Memorial Day: To mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day, several events will be held across Greece. 28/01/2026Cyprus: The Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General on Cyprus Ms. Maria Angela Holguín will host a meeting between Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides and the leader of the Turkish Cypriot community Tufan Erhurman.

Editor's PickPeople, regardless of social group, largely consider the state a banana republic, justice a lie, and parliamentarism ineffective.Aris AlexandrisRead the article

PODCAST

24/01/2026 • 1:05:38A new day for Greek and European security?Defense, security, peace, and alliances are top of mind these days. This is clear in Greece, where we saw Athens take a major step – one that Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called historic – toward upgrading its defense capabilities as it welcomed its latest top of the line frigate. The move, however, comes as we see issues over Greenland raise new questions about European security and America’s commitment to the transatlantic relationship. This week, Thanos Davelis digs into what this means for Greece with Kathimerini’s Tom Ellis, ELIAMEP’s Elena Lazarou, journalist John Psaropoulos, and HALC’s Endy Zemenides. As we wrap up, pour yourself a glass as we’ll be highlighting the rise of Greek wines and the important role one of HALC’s very own – Ted Diamantis – has played in this story.

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