Mitsotakis to meet Erdogan in Ankara
Mitsotakis will have a meeting with the President of Turkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, at 15:30, at the Presidential Mansion. Extended talks by the delegations and statements by the two leaders to the press will follow. The prime minister will then attend a dinner hosted by the Turkish President.
https://www.amna.gr/en/article/818113/Mitsotakis-to-meet-Erdogan-in-Ankara
Erdogan: Issues of sovereignty do not harm dialogue
A few hours before welcoming Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to Ankara, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke to Kathimerini newspaper about all the issues pertaining to the two countries’ bilateral relations.
Better to talk than have finger on trigger, Mitsotakis says
Greece’s relations with Turkey appear to have entered a period of relative calm, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Saturday, ahead of his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday, adding that “it’s better to talk than to constantly have our finger on the trigger.”
Foreign Ministry΄s announcement on the swearing-in ceremony of the President of North Macedonia
During Sunday’s swearing-in ceremony in Parliament, and in spite of the fact that the official text of the oath that was read out to her referred to the country as “ North Macedonia,” the new President of the Republic of North Macedonia, Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, chose to call her country “ Macedonia.” This act is a flagrant violation of the Prespa Agreement, the Greek Foreign Ministry said in a relevant announcement.
ATHEX: Another day, another 13-year high
The benchmark at Athinon Avenue continued its growth on Friday with yet another 13-year record, bolstered by banks and certain other blue chips. However, the trading volume was significantly reduced from Thursday, with turnover dropping to the lowest level of the last 10 sessions.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1238444/athex-another-day-another-13-year-high
SUNDAY PAPERS
KATHIMERINI: Chemistry exercise and traps in Ankara
TO VIMA: The complexity of the meeting in Ankara
REAL NEWS: Traffic legislation: Drivers’ licenses to be taken away for 5 years
PROTO THEMA: “Eternal” Council of State trials to stop
AVGI: The government’s foreign policy is failing as well
MONDAY PAPERS:
TA NEA: Provocations by Skopje and Tirana
EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON: Massacre in Rafa: Douze points!
KONTRA NEWS: Government shipwreck regarding national issues
DIMOKRATIA: The Greek PM is being bullied by everyone!
NAFTEMPORIKI: Inequality regarding tax burdens
‘NEW ERA’ IN CATALONIA
CATALANS VOTE OUT INDEPENDENCE PARTIES — BUT PUIGDEMONT STILL WANTS TO GOVERN: Playbook comes to you from Catalonia this morning, where voters cast their ballots on Sunday in a crucial election for Spain. They handed a solid win to the Socialist Party, led in the region by Salvador Illa, a former health minister under PM Pedro Sánchez.
The results: With virtually all votes tallied, the Socialists won 42 seats in the 135-seat chamber, putting them in pole position to form the region’s next government and dealing a serious blow to the pro-independence parties after a decade in power. Addressing his supporters, a jubilant Illa declared a “new era” in Catalan politics and said “it is my intention to become Catalonia’s next president.” Write-up of the results here.
But but but … While the result appears to be a boost to Sánchez and a rebuke to those who dream of breaking away from Spain, the result could still cause problems in Madrid if the separatist grouping led by Carles Puigdemont follows through on threats to trigger a collapse of Sánchez’s government.
Why control of Catalonia matters: The region of 8 million people, with a GDP bigger than Greece and Hungary, was for the past decade a major source of instability for Spain and the EU, as it agitated for independence.
Separatist collapse: The four pro-independence parties, led by Puigdemont’s Junts, collectively won 61 seats on Sunday. It’s the first time since the push for independence — known as “el procés” — began in 2012 that separatists won’t have a majority either of the vote share or seats. In previous elections, they sometimes fell below 50 percent of the vote, but always held more than half the seats in parliament.
Bread and butter: This election was dominated by economic and social questions, with voters in the historically wealthy region worried about education, water scarcity and a lack of investment in infrastructure, for which many blamed a “lost decade” at the hands of pro-independence leaders. “After a long period of collective folly as the sole focus of politics, it is clear that people are eager to return to boring politics and for their daily lives to improve,” said Ángel Talavera, head of Europe at Oxford Economics.
No majority: The Socialists need the backing of other parties to form a government — days of discussions are now likely to follow. Another election may have to be held if they can’t broker a power-sharing agreement.
Puigdemont defiant: The election was seen as Puigdemont’s last stab at independence. Despite the separatists losing their majority, on Sunday night he claimed the Socialists should allow him to rule Catalonia, presumably via a minority government. The situation in Catalonia is “not different” from the situation in the national parliament, where Sánchez depends on Puigdemont’s backing, he said. His comments were taken as a veiled threat that he could pull support for Sánchez’s government.
Is he the retiring type? Before the election, Puigdemont said repeatedly he would leave active politics if he was not elected president, telling POLITICO’s Aitor Hernández-Morales in a wide-ranging interview that he had “a right to get some rest after these very difficult years.”
ROAD TO EU ELECTION
RIBERA VS. VDL: As far as job auditions go, calling your potential boss a danger to the EU is a novel approach. But Teresa Ribera, Spain’s great hope to run the EU’s green policy, was unsparing in her criticism of Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen in an interview with my colleagues Karl Mathiesen and Aitor.
On the far right: Ribera said von der Leyen’s stance toward far-right parties “is a terrible strategy that only emboldens the most extreme factions.” The stakes could not be higher, the Spanish deputy PM said: “Europe could implode in the next five years.”
On the climate agenda: Ribera was also scathing about what she sees as a lack of ambition on green reforms. “They are saying, ‘Let’s take a break, let’s just slow down the agenda,” she said. “And very honestly, I think this is a great mistake: There is no time to waste.”
This could be awkward: If von der Leyen keeps her job, she’ll be picking roles in the next Commission; Ribera is backed by Spain’s PM Sánchez — whom von der Leyen will be looking to curry favor with to win a second term. Insert popcorn emoji.
The next green chief? Ribera confirmed one of the worst-kept secrets in Brussels — she wants to run the EU’s green policy. She argued the energy, climate and environment briefs should be rolled into a single commission post, and insisted that whatever job she takes needs to have “teeth.” Which might explain her take-no-prisoners approach. “I’m not going to accept being a part of the décor,” Ribera said. The full interview is worth your time.
GEORGIA
DEFIANT GEORGIAN PM VOWS TO PASS ‘FOREIGN AGENT’ BILL THIS WEEK: Georgian leader Irakli Kobakhidze on Sunday said parliament would this week pass his government’s controversial “foreign agents” bill.
Background: The law has sparked a political crisis because critics see it as part of a wider move by Kabakhidze’s ruling Georgian Dream party (which is controlled by pro-Russian billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili) to sabotage the country’s path to EU accession. Georgians have protested for weeks, in the largest public display of dissent since the country’s independence from the Soviet Union.
EU flags again fill Tbilisi: Tens of thousands of Georgians flooded the streets of the capital once more on Saturday evening, many of them waving Georgian and European Union flags. The U.S. said Georgia now has to choose between the “Kremlin-style” foreign agent legislation and the public’s aspirations to move closer to the West. “We are deeply alarmed about democratic backsliding in Georgia,” White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan wrote on X.
EUROVISION FALLOUT
EUROVISION UNDER FIRE OVER EU FLAG BAN: The European Broadcasting Union’s decision to ban EU flags from the Eurovision finale on Saturday is reverberating in Brussels this morning — with Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas warning the decision only helped “the enemies of Europe” and saying he’ll seek answers from the EBU’s management today.
Reaching around 160M people, Eurovision is one of Europe’s most-watched events. Authoritarian states have in the past used it as an opportunity to win hearts and minds, with Russia investing record sums when it hosted the show in 2009.
“It’s mind blowing, what the EBU did,” Schinas told Playbook in an interview over the phone. Schinas said “many friends” and people he knew had told him they were prevented from entering the venue with their EU flags. “I cannot find the logical explanation for why the EBU is doing this. And what does this serve?” Schinas said.
Boosting Europe’s enemies: “People were shot and killed at Maidan for waving EU flags,” Schinas said, referring to the pro-EU protests in Ukraine that culminated in 2014 in the removal of Kremlin-friendly President Viktor Yanukovych. “Less than a month from the European elections, who wins from banning the EU flag from Eurovision? Only the Euroskeptics and the enemies of Europe. ” He added, “someone could have thought of it before they did that.”
The irony: As the Eurovision final was happening in Malmö, tens of thousands of Georgians were protesting for democracy and an EU future on the streets of Tbilisi — waving EU flags.
The crucial question: Was the EBU’s decision just an out-of-touch move made without considering the political symbolism? Or were there more cynical interests at play, given Georgia’s government-controlled broadcaster is a member of the EBU, and the country was in this year’s Eurovision final? Eurovision management did not reply to Playbook’s questions on whether Georgia’s broadcaster asked for EU flags to be banned.
Timing matters: But Schinas said “clearly timing is something that was relevant … with people protesting in the streets, with Europe being subject to so many hybrid threats … It was an instruction given to security personnel controlling access to the venue, which is even more mind blowing.”
Who is in the EBU?Public broadcasters, including from undemocratic states, some of which are directly government-controlled. The organization has been criticized in the past for its non-transparent decision-making.
Eurovision’s defense: Asked for comment, a spokesperson for the EBU told Playbook that “the Eurovision flag policy was the same as in 2023,” with fans only permitted to bring flags of “participating countries and the rainbow/pride flags.”
Reality check: As many fans and press reported from on the ground, the EU flag ban was not enforced in previous years, as opposed to this year. Recordings from last year clearly show scores of EU flags in the audience.
Berlaymont not happy: A spokesperson for Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said “it is certainly regrettable to ban the flag that is the flag of all the EU members and other Council of Europe members taking part in the contest and often flies alongside national flags on public buildings.”
Schinas was also clear: “This is the first time they do this, it’s ahead of the European election which is even more suspicious. It’s a moment of geopolitical turbulence, Europe is attacked from all fronts.”
Schinas said he’d be raising the matter with EBU management today. “I will talk to them. I won’t let this pass,” he told Playbook. “I will seek explanations and clarifications.”
Repercussions 1 — Funding: Asked whether the EBU received funding from EU institutions, Schinas said the Commission would look into this. “The EBU has a longstanding relationship with the EU. There have been many, many projects we’ve done together … I need to look at what we can do. I can assure you that this will be part of this clarifications exercise.”
Repercussions 2 — EBU presidential debate: Asked whether the EBU was still the right forum to host the upcoming second debate between presidential candidates for the European Commission on May 23, Schinas said diplomatically:”That will depend on the kind of explanations that we’ll be given. For the time being no one bothered to tell us why.”
Schinas said the EBU’s flag ban would certainly come up also during the debate itself. “If I were them, I would make sure that the answers are given before the debate.” He added: “How can they do such a short-sighted thing?”
Repercussions 3 — EBU will need to answer to its members: The Commission VP also suggested public broadcasters across the EU, which are members of the EBU, may want answers. “I’m not sure that the national broadcasters have been consulted on this, and I think that they also merit some explanations.”
Fixing Eurovision: As Swiss winner Nemo said at the final press conference, “there were a lot of things that didn’t seem like it was all about love and unity” behind the scenes of this year’s contest. Remarking that they had accidentally broken their trophy, Nemo added: “The trophy can be fixed. Maybe Eurovision needs a little bit of fixing too.”
ISRAEL-HAMAS
INTERNATIONAL WARNINGS GROW OVER ISRAELI ATTACKS IN RAFAH: Calls on Israel to refrain from a ground operation in Rafah and to protect civilians better grew over the weekend.
Evacuation update: Israel ordered new evacuations in Rafah — where about 1.4 million people were sheltering — as it prepares to expand military operations there. There are reports that around 300,000 civilians have left the city after Israel’s warnings.
Latest on the ground: There were unconfirmed Palestinian reports early this morning that Israel had launched strikes in eastern Rafah, according to the Jerusalem post. On Sunday, Israeli forces reportedly intensified attacks in the north of the Gaza strip again. Tanks also entered the Jabalia camp, which holds more than 100,000 people, following heavy bombardments of the area. The Israeli army said its aim is to eliminate “attempts by Hamas to rehabilitate its military capabilities in Jabalia.”
Warnings: The United Nations has warned against a full-scale ground attack on Rafah, saying it would lead to an “epic humanitarian disaster” and undermine attempts to support refugees amid a looming famine. It follows similar warnings by U.S. President Joe Biden.”Forcing civilians to evacuate #Rafah to unsafe zones is intolerable,” EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said in a statement on X over the weekend.
Scholz chimes in: “We consider an offensive on Rafah … to be irresponsible,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Saturday.
War crime warning: Last month, French President Emmanuel Macron told Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call about his “firm opposition” to an offensive on Rafah and warned that “the forced transfer of population constitutes a war crime.”
IN OTHER NEWS
SHOIGU OUT IN RUSSIAN RESHUFFLE: Russian President Vladimir Putin announced he’s replacing Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu with Andrei Belousov — an economist with no military experience. Shoigu will become secretary of Russia’s Security Council, a consultative body that advises Putin on military and strategic issues, as my colleagues Gabriel Gavin and Eva Hartog report. Intelligence chief Nikolai Patrushev is out, though his future role in the Putin administration is currently unclear.
Meanwhile, in Ukraine: Russian troops intensified attacks on the Kharkiv region, after entering the area on Friday to open a northeastern front in the war.
LITHUANIAN ELECTION RESULTS: IncumbentGitanas Nausėda came first in Lithuania’s presidential election on Sunday, winning 44 percent of the vote (but falling short of an absolute majority). He’ll come up against Ingrida Šimonytė in the runoff election on May 26, after the current prime minister came in second place with 20 percent of the vote. Reuters write-up here.
NORTH MACEDONIA’S PRESIDENT SPARKS ROW OVER COUNTRY’S NAME: North Macedonia’s newly elected nationalist president, Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, triggered a diplomatic row with Greece as she referred to her country as “Macedonia” rather than by its constitutional name, “North Macedonia,” during her swearing-in ceremony. Greece’s ambassador to Skopje, Sophia Philippidou, immediately left the inauguration ceremony in protest.
Reminder: Under the 2018 international Prespa Agreement, North Macedonia agreed to change its name and constitution, which allowed it to join NATO in 2020 and start its EU accession process.
Unconstitutional: “The EU regrets the fact that the new President of North Macedonia, President Siljanovska-Davkova, did not use the constitutional name of the country during the swearing-in ceremony,” the EEAS said in a statement.
Warning: “For North Macedonia to continue its successful path on EU accession, it is paramount that the country continues on the path of reforms and full respect for its binding agreements, including the Prespa Agreement,” European Commission chief von der Leyen posted on X. Read more by Nektaria Stamouli.