Page 2 - Greece

Greece signs deal to recover 161 ancient artifacts from US billionaire

Greece has ratified a complex deal for the return, over coming decades, of 161 striking ancient Greek artifacts from a US billionaire's collection after Athens conceded it had no evidence they'd been illegally excavated and exported. The mostly marble works date from 5300-2200 BC, and the bulk of them are from the Early Bronze Age Cycladic civilisation whose elegantly abstract but enigmatic marble figurines inspired artists from Pablo Picasso to Constantin Brancusi. Such pieces are highly prized by collectors and museums, which has spawned a wave of illegal excavations in Greece and countless forgeries. Greece's parliament on Thursday approved the agreement with New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, a top Athens museum and a Delaware-based cultural institution to which they are being transferred. The works will return to Greece gradually from 2033-2048, after being displayed at the Met from 2023-2048. Culture Minister Lina Mendoni described them as masterpieces ... of unique ...

Tension rises as regional rivals Turkey, Greece voice festering grievances

Troubled relations between regional rivals Turkey and Greece have worsened, with Turkey's president doubling down on a thinly veiled invasion threat and Athens responding that it's ready to defend its sovereignty. Turkey and Greece have decades-old disputes over an array of issues, including territorial claims in the Aegean Sea and disagreements over the airspace there. The friction between the neighbours has brought the NATO allies to the brink of war three times in the last half-century. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey could come all of a sudden one night in response to perceived Greek threats, suggesting a Turkish attack on its neighbour cannot be ruled out. Questioned about his earlier use of the phrase over the weekend and the possibility of Turkish military action, Erdogan reiterated the expression. What I'm talking about is not a dream, he said at a news conference in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo. If what I said was that we could come one night all of a

Turkey's Tayyip Erdogan warns Greece over 'harassment' of Turkish jets

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a warning against Greece over what Ankara calls recent "harassment" of Turkish fighter jets in the Aegean and the eastern Mediterranean

Turkey says Greece harassed its jets during NATO mission in Mediterranean

Turkey summoned the Greek military attache and filed a complaint with NATO after Greek fighter jets allegedly harassed Turkish fighter jets that were conducting an important mission for the military alliance, Turkey's state-run news agency reported Tuesday. The Anadolu Agency said F-16s belonging to Greece harassed Turkish pilots flying the same model by putting Turkey's aircraft under a radar lock during the NATO mission over the eastern Mediterranean. Turkey gave the necessary response and forced the planes to leave the area, Anadolu said, without elaborating. Anadolu said Turkey's defence ministry notified NATO officials about the alleged harassment and summoned the Greek military official in Ankara, accusing Greece of endangering a NATO mission. Greece rejected the Turkish version of events. The Defence Ministry said five Turkish jets appeared without prior notification to accompany a flight of U.S. B-52 bombers which hadn't been due to have a fighter escort through an area

Greek PM denies involvement in opposition leader's phone tapping by EYP

Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis has denied involvement in a scandal related to the tapping of an opposition leader's phone by the country's National Intelligence Service (EYP) over several months.

Greece, Saudi Arabia to explore further cooperation in several sectors

Greece and Saudi Arabia will explore further bilateral cooperation in many sectors with emphasis on energy, as announced by the two sides during 2-day visit of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince to Athens

Saudi Crown Prince arrives in Greece, 1st EU visit since Khashoggi killing

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrived in Greece on his first trip to a European Union country since the killing in 2018 of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi

Russia imposes restrictions on diplomatic missions of 5 European countries

Russia has expanded its list of "unfriendly countries" to include Greece, Denmark, Slovenia, Croatia and Slovakia, the Russian government has announced

Experts to comb site of Ukrainian airline crash in northern Greece

Greek media reported there were eight people on the plane and that it was carrying 12 tons of dangerous materials, mostly explosives

Cargo plane operated by Ukrainian airline crashes in northern Greece

Greek Civil Aviation authorities said the flight was heading from Serbia to Jordan

Greece Embassy hires staff to handle 'exceptionally high' visa demand

The move by Greek Embassy to hire more staff comes in the wake of several complaints by travel agents and tourists

Erdogan demands demilitarisation of Greece, threatens operation in Syria

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has made a flurry of provocative statements against Greece - one of his favourite targets - and threatens to launch a new operation in Syria

Will no longer talk to him: Erdogan accuses Greek PM of antagonising Turkey

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would cease talking to Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and cancel a key meeting between their two governments

Biden praises Greece PM on sanctions against Russia, support to Ukraine

Mitsotakis was in Washington to mark a commemoration of the bicentennial of the start of the Greek War of Independence, a more than eight-year-long struggle that led to ouster of the Ottoman Empire

Cyprus pitches zonal firefighting hub to Israel, Greece to curb wildfires

In a joint statement, the ministers said they had decided to intensify cooperation on issues contributing to resilience, energy security and interconnectivity in the region

Italy, Greece relax Covid-19 restrictions ahead of tourism season

Italy and Greece relaxed some COVID-19 restrictions on Sunday, in a sign that life was increasingly returning to normal before Europe's peak summer tourist season. Greece's civil aviation authority announced that it was lifting all COVID-19 rules for international and domestic flights except for the wearing of face masks during flights and at airports. Previously, air travelers were required to show proof of vaccination, a negative test or a recent recovery from the disease. Under a decree passed by Italy's health ministry, the country did away with the health pass that had been required to enter restaurants, cinemas, gyms and other venues. The green pass, which showed proof of vaccination, recovery from the virus or a recent negative test, is still required to access hospitals and nursing homes. Some indoor mask mandates also ended, including inside supermarkets, workplaces and stores. Masks are still required on public transport, in cinemas and in all health care and eldercare ...

Greece to further ease coronavirus restrictions on May 1: Health Minister

Greece will further ease its Covid-19 restrictions from May 1, Health Minister Thanos Plevris has said.

Greece gets $3.9 billion from European pandemic recovery fund

The European recovery and resilience fund provides vital relief for Greece, which had barely emerged from a deep, decade-long financial crisis when the coronavirus pandemic hit

Greek FM arrives in India, to discuss regional, international issues: MEA

At the invitation of the external affairs minister, Dendias is on an official visit to India on March 22-23, 2022. This is his first to India.

US says will send more than 500 troops to Poland, Romania, Germany, Greece

The United States announced on Monday that over 500 US troops would be deployed in Europe to reinforce NATO's flank including Poland, Romania, Germany and Greece