The Greek Letter- eekathimerini.com - Constantine Capsaskis - 27 September 2026 - Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York

 

We the peoples of the United Nations[InTime News] Constantine CapsaskisNewsletter Editor Welcome to the weekly round-up of news by Kathimerini English Edition. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Thursday, stressing the country’s contributions to efforts for regional stability. “Greece is a country that builds bridges”, said Mitsotakis, stating that the country is a “pylon of stability and peace in the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East”. From the podium, the prime minister called for continued dialogue and open lines of communication with Turkey and stressed the importance of respecting international law. “It is a delicate relationship […] that carries the weight of history”, said the prime minister of bilateral relations between the two countries but clearly stated that any meaningful dialogue efforts “cannot coexist with unilateral actions that challenge the international legal order”. Mitsotakis reiterated Greece’s position that the only dispute to be resolved with Turkey is the delimitation of maritime zones in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean, something that must be achieved solely on the basis of international law. The prime minister also expressed his support for the recent efforts of United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres to kickstart substantive negotiations on resolving the ongoing occupation of Cyprus, stating that “we expect these efforts to continue”. For his part, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also struck a more conciliatory tone at an event held on the sidelines of the UNGA according to social media statements posted by Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency. “Türkiye is not Greece’s enemy but its neighbor, NATO ally; bilateral ties too sensitive, too important to be used as campaign fodder”, said one of the tweets summarizing the Turkish president’s speech. However, it is worth noting that a day later, despite this positive signalling from across the Atlantic, there was a different tone emanating from Ankara with Turkey’s Ministry of National Defense warning once more that it would not accept the laying of cables (part of the Great Sea Interconnector project linking the power grids of Greece and Cyprus) without prior coordination. “Unauthorized activities that ignore our country’s rights and interests are not permitted”, said the statement. Spotlight Negotiations between the British Museum and the Greek government over a potential repatriation of the Parthenon Sculptures, held in London, have collapsed, according to reports in the British press. An unnamed source was quoted as saying that there were no ongoing talks, with Greece having signalled that they were unlikely to resume. In an op-ed published in the Guardian, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis wrote that Greece “cannot accept any arrangement that would require it to recognize the British Museum’s ownership of the [Parthenon] sculptures, or a scheme that would mean we ‘borrow’ parts of our own monument”, rejecting a recent suggestion by the Museum’s director that a formula could be found based on the recent French loan of the Bayeux Tapestry that is being exhibited in London until July. “Our objective is their permanent reunification”, emphasized the prime minister. This was then followed by a report that new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who had previously called for the reunification of the marbles “with no strings”, has declined to intervene in the situation, stating that the issue rests with the British Museum’s trustees.   A residential building in the popular neighbourhood of Plaka, in central Athens, partially collapsed following a strong explosion. Six people were later found dead in the rubble, following a multi-day operation by the Hellenic Fire Service to rescue any survivors. Among the victims were four United States nationals, who were staying at a short-term letting property on the building’s first floor. A further three people were also injured by the blast, suspected to be linked to a gas leak. According to national broadcaster ERT, the gas leak was probably located on the second floor which was independently connected to the mains. “[The explosion] has nothing to do with the external network. Clearly, we are dealing with a failure in the construction of the building’s internal network”, said the deputy mayor for civil protection of the Municipality of Athens. City of Athens Mayor Haris Doukas stated that there had been no official reports by residents of any pervasive smell. The local Residents’ Movement noted that it had twice contacted the Fire Service and the municipal authorities cautioning over potential emergencies and requesting a firefighting drill to identify gaps in emergency response

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OPINION Tom EllisEditor-in-Chief, Kathimerini English Edition The debate over AI and data centers comes to Greece[Shutterstock] As the debate about AI is heating up globally, the issue has its ramifications in Greece as well. Residents in an area near Spata in eastern Attica, are expressing their opposition to the construction of three nearby data centers, citing concerns over noise and heat, as well as the lack of environmental impact studies. They have taken their objections to the judicial process, with an appeal on the matter to the country’s top administrative court. The development of data centers is not confined to this specific region. It reflects a broader surge in cloud and artificial intelligence infrastructure across Greece, raising concerns similar to the ones seen all over the world. Actually, they have become a major issue in the upcoming mid-term elections for the US Congress. In the case of Greece, experts also warn that the rapid expansion of data centers is straining the regional electrical grid, and high energy consumption could drive up local electricity prices if the particular centers rely on the existing power market rather than new renewable energy sources. In the specific case of Attica, Greece’s largest regional prefecture, more than 500 megawatts of capacity are already committed, exhausting available power margins. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis raised the issue of AI and its potential dangers – there are obviously also immense benefits to society – during his recent visit to the US, both in meetings with the private sector and academia in California, as well as during his speech and bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, in New York.

CHART OF THE WEEK

The changes in tax brackets for the self-employed and freelancers will appear in the 2027 tax clearances of about 400,000 people, with some even seeing an entire month’s salary worth of tax cuts. The tax breaks will not be equal across the board, with certain categories enjoying bigger tax relief including young professionals and families with children. The core changes to the new regulations are based on two pillars: First, the new tax rates will slash the income tax due; and second, the income base on which some professionals get taxes will be reduced.

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ECONOMY IN A NUTSHELL

“The Euronext Athens (ATHEX) general index closed at 2,665.93 points, up 0.17% from last week.”

“Rising energy prices are threatening to reduce the competitiveness of Greek industry, with businesses looking to the government to activate available European support tools that are already in use in other countries.”

“The Greek tourist industry marked a transition from volume growth to value and profitability, according to the latest data from the peak month of July. Specifically, a small increase in total overnight stays was accompanied by a disproportionately large increase in tourism receipts and average per capita expenditure for the month.”

WHAT'S ON THE AGENDA

28/09/2026European meetings: The European meeting calendar includes several meetings this week including a Foreign Affairs Council meeting focused on defense, as well as informal meeting of EU energy ministers. 30/09/2026Fuel prices: Government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis has announced that measures to help households with rising fuel prices will be announced on Wednesday.

Editor's PickAnyone trying to predict the course of Greek-Turkish relations in the coming months should pay particular attention to three “indicators.”Alexis PapachelasRead the article

PODCAST

21/09/2026 • 51:26The Houthis and the Red Sea crisis, Turkish threats in the Aegean, and political turmoil in SerbiaAaron David Miller, Constantinos Filis, and James Ker-Lindsay join Thanos Davelis this week as we look into all of these developments, exploring what they mean for Greece and the wider region.

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