Politics

IntroductionIn an era marked by shifting geopolitical paradigms and the proliferation of non-traditional instruments of statecraft, culture has reemerged as a critical axis of international engagement. Beyond the conventional vectors of economic strength and military capability, states increasingly leverage cultural capital to shape global narratives, assert identity, and cultivate influence. Among these strategies, the diplomatic mobilization of heritage—anchored in the symbolic and historical resonance of antiquity—stands out as a particularly potent form of cultural statecraft.Greece, heir to one of the world’s most storied civilizations, occupies a distinctive position within this landscape. Its ancient heritage—synonymous with the foundational tenets of Western thought, democratic gov...

This year marks the centenary of composer and politician Mikis Theodorakis, who died in 2021 having become, almost accidentally, a national icon. Accidentally? Arrested as a 17-year-old in 1942 by the invading Italian army, he joined the resistance, aligning himself with the communist side. Tortured during the subsequent civil war, he was again imprisoned by the military junta in 1967, which banned all his music.If Theodorakis’s struggle against injustice in any of these oppressions had led to an unmarked grave, we might not have his Epitaphios, set to words by Yannis Ritsos, or his setting of Ritsos’s Eighteen Little Songs for the Bitter Homeland.These are evocations of both sorrow (at the deep left-right divisions in Greek society), and a spirit of debate and radical discourse. Song, wh...

Photo: Pixabay The government of Greece agreed a deal with US artificial intelligence firm OpenAI to make AI tools widely available for use in secondary education and small businesses.  The deal means Greek startups in areas such as healthcare, climate change and education will enjoy access to OpenAI’s technology and support for their projects. It also means Greece is expected to become the world’s first country to integrate a specialised version of the large language model ChatGPT, known as ChatGPT Edu. Announced by OpenAI in May 2024, ChatGPT Edu is said to be able to “reason across text and vision and use advanced tools such as data analysis”, and includes advanced capabilities in interpretation, coding and mathematics, web browsing, and document summa...

NEW YORK – A senior government source responded to questions from journalists regarding a Turkish report that “the meeting between the Greek Prime Minister and the Turkish President was cancelled, as the Greek side violated the agreement and announced the meeting.” (Read also: Mitsotakis-Erdogan Meeting Postponed) “When organising the meeting, our side was clear. We always announce our meetings, Turkiye usually does not announce them. The appointment was completely arranged, it was agreed upon and we announced the meeting in the context of the UN General Assembly. “Beyond that, I do not know if the meeting will actually take place. I see it as very difficult at the moment, also based on the Prime Minister’s schedule, which is extremely heavy on Wednesday. But even if it does not happen, th...

The image shook the Marakis family and has stirred powerful emotions across Greece, where the execution of 200 prisoners by Nazi occupation forces on May 1, 1944 remains one of the country’s most poignant symbols of wartime resistance.For Marakis, the photographs carry a deeply personal meaning.“They went to their deaths with their heads held high so that we could be free today,” he said.On Thursday, the Culture Ministry presented the chilling photographs of the execution — the first verified images ever made public — after purchasing the collection from a private collector in Belgium.Marakis, who lives on the island of Crete, said he recognized the tall, broad-shouldered man at the front of one group — sleeves rolled up, striding forward with his head held high — as his grandfather, 40-ye...

While the countries are in a detente using diplomacy trying to settle their differences, especially sovereignty of the seas, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan Greek politics is driven by anti-Turkish bias. He said that, “No political legitimacy in Greece is strong enough to resolve its problems with Turkey,” although he urged a continuation of dialogue and restraint while blasting what he said was rhetoric against Turkey by Greek politicians. Fidan said Greek politics have long relied on portraying Turkey as an adversary to manage internal crises, reported Turkey’s Anadolu Agency. “Greek politics feed on anti-Türkiye narratives. Whenever there is a corruption scandal or domestic unrest, they bring up Türkiye. This has to stop,” he said on a TV program. https://www.aa.com.tr/en/turkiye/-...

ATHENS – Demonstrations by agricultural producers continue, blocking main roads and border crossings in Greece. Prompted by anger over delays of subsidy payments to farmers by the government and other repercussions of the scandal related to EU subsidies administered by the OPEKE agency of the Greek state, the leaders of the protesters have declared they will escalate, even in the run up to Christmas, despite the Greek government’s pleading for talks. On Friday morning, December 19, the producers were reported to be proceeding with the blockade of Malgari, on the Thessaloniki-Athens national road, a move aiming to block the flow to Thessaloniki from noon that day until December 23, while the opposite flow remains closed for the 19th day. In the meantime, according to a member of the blockad...

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has called on citizens to welcome 2026 with confidence and optimism, highlighting Greece’s resilience amid global instability and outlining key reforms and priorities for the year ahead. In his New Year message, Mr Mitsotakis described New Year’s Eve as a moment of both celebration and reflection, noting that millions of Greeks would soon be welcoming the new year with loved ones while drawing lessons from the year gone by. He also paid tribute to those working through the night, including doctors, nurses, sailors, hospitality staff, police officers conducting roadside alcohol tests, and members of the armed forces guarding the country’s borders. The prime minister stressed that global uncertainty, geopolitical upheaval and economic instability mark...

The 44th Greek Festival of Sydney stands as a vibrant celebration of the Greek-Australian diaspora, highlighting its rich contributions to culture, the arts, migration, multiculturalism, politics, and the ever-evolving global challenges. This year’s program featured an engaging conversation between Greece’s former Finance Minister and acclaimed author, Yanis Varoufakis, and Dr Helen Vatsikopoulos at the Teacher’s Federation Conference Centre in Surry Hills, Sydney on 6 March 2026. An Evening of Resistance and Reflection Coinciding with the release of Yanis Varoufakis’s latest book, Raise Your Soul: A Personal History of Resistance, the event held under the auspices of the Greek Orthodox Community of NSW, attracted a full house of 400 attendees. The mood for the evening was set by the book...

Three years after Greece's deadliest-ever train crash, the mother of one of the tragedy's 57 victims told AFP she hopes her new political party will force the country's governing elite to accept responsibility.Maria Karystianou has emerged as a figurehead for the families campaigning for justice for their loved ones killed in the February 2023 train crash in Tempe, central Greece. The disaster sparked immense anger across the Mediterranean nation.Like many Greeks, the 53-year-old paediatrician has accused the government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis of an attempted cover-up. She launched her party to combat the "corruption and cronyism" many see as omnipresent in Greek political life."There is absolutely no chance that the situation in Greece will improve if citizens do not enter p...