At the beginning of April the Dutch government and society sent a clear signal to Kiev that Ukraine’s accession to the EU is impossible. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte declared that Ukraine will “never” join the EU. According to Amsterdam, Kiev today needs to establish good relations with the EU…
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By Dr. Yiorghos Leventis on April 25, 2016
in Articles, Eastern Mediterranean, Eurasian Affairs, Europe, European Union, Global Security, Middle East, Regional Security, Turkey, Western Asia
“Today Turkey is – and this is not just a political, formal assessment, it is also my very private personal feeling also after our today visit – today Turkey is the best example for the whole world how we should treat refugees. No one has the right to lecture Turkey…
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By Dr. Yiorghos Leventis on April 06, 2016
in Articles, Balkans, Cyprus, Eastern Mediterranean, Eurasian Affairs, Europe, Global Security, Middle East & North Africa: MENA, Regional Security, Turkey
That’s over now, we are going to finish this off thundered Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a televised speech to the state-run Red Crescent humanitarian organization, Monday 4 April 2016. State television channel TRT aired live the speech. The neo-Sultan was referring to the generation old autonomy-seeking Kurdish insurgency…
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By Dr. Yiorghos Leventis on March 28, 2016
in Articles, Cyprus, Eastern Mediterranean, Eurasian Affairs, Europe, European Union, Global Security, Regional Security, Turkey, Western Asia
It is a truism to say there is a price to everything in the world we live in. As more and more ‘atmospheric’ noise is made by international actors (UN, EU) about the imminence of a Cyprus settlement, it is vital that we shed at least some light on the…
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Before the week closes a fresh suicide bomb explosion hits Istiklal – the famous pedestrian high street in the heart of Istanbul (Constantinople). Known to most historically aware European travelers as Rue du Pera, Istiklal is frequented by scores of world class tourists. The German and other European governments have…
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The first five days of November 2013 saw the Nobel Laureate (1995) Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs meeting in Istanbul, Turkey. As a guest participant in this 60th biennial world class conference on global security concerns, I was assigned to the Working Group ‘Turkey and its Neighbours’. Central…
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The refugee crisis in Europe escalates by the day to an unprecedented scale shaking the very foundations of the European Union. Just a week away from the crucial summit in Brussels, scheduled for the 7th of March 2016, the European Union is in disarray, lost in a fearful tunnel without…
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Washington decided to turn the Ukrainian people into an object of political study. Projects aimed at researching the causes of social unrest are implemented in the country. The US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Institute of Media Law, US in the nearest future are going to “conduct experiments”,…
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The White House has repeatedly stated that Russia undermined U.S. efforts to achieve a political settlement in Syria, supporting the Government of President Bashar al-Assad. The American administration further claims that Moscow continues to hinder opportunities to engage the moderate Syrian opposition in the discussion of political change, in which,…
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Several months passed since the U.S. formed a military coalition to fight the Islamic State (ISIS). However, the results have been rather insignificant. If anything the level of tension in Syria soars. By its stance of refusing to negotiate with Al Assad, the US cannot be absolved of bearing responsibility…
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