Greek Prime Minister Seeks Improved Relations with Türkiye but Says Ankara Must Drop Aggression

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis addresses the media, during a press conference with Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulide in Nicosia, Cyprus, July 31, 2023. (Yiannis Kourtoglou Pool via AP)

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06:06-1 August 2023 AD ـ 15 Muharram 1445 AH

Asharq Al Awsat

06:06-1 August 2023 AD ـ 15 Muharram 1445 AH

Greek Prime Minister Seeks Improved Relations with Türkiye but Says Ankara Must Drop Aggression

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis addresses the media, during a press conference with Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulide in Nicosia, Cyprus, July 31, 2023. (Yiannis Kourtoglou Pool via AP)

Greece’s prime minister said Monday that his government wants to take full advantage of an improving political climate with neighboring Türkiye in order to improve bilateral relations despite a string of decades-old disputes.
But Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that didn't mean Türkiye had “substantially changed” its stance on key differences between the two countries and must “decisively abandon its aggressive and unlawful conduct” against Greece’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, The Associated Press said.
Türkiye and Greece remain at odds over maritime boundaries in the eastern Mediterranean, a dispute that affects irregular migration into the European Union, mineral rights and the projection of military power.
Mitsotakis said that he agreed with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 11-12 to initiate new “lines of communication” and to maintain “a period of calm.”
High-level talks between the two countries are expected to take place in the Greek city of Thessaloniki later this year.
However, the Greek prime minister said that Erdogan’s outreach to the EU couldn't come at the expense of efforts to heal nearly half a century of ethnic division in Cyprus, which has been split into separate Greek and Turkish entities since 1974.
Speaking after talks with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, Mitsotakis said that he told Erdogan that improved European-Turkish ties couldn't exclude a Cyprus peace accord and that the issue couldn't be “left by the wayside.”
Türkiye and the breakaway Turkish Cypriots have insisted on a two-state solution since July 2017 when the most recent round of UN-facilitated peace talks collapsed.
That position overturned a long-standing agreement sanctioned by the UN Security Council in numerous resolutions that any peace deal would aim for a reunified Cyprus as a federation made up of Greek- and Turkish-speaking zones.
Cyprus was divided in 1974 when Türkiye invaded following a coup by supporters of union with Greece. Only Türkiye recognizes a Turkish Cypriot declaration of independence in the island’s northern third, where more than 35,000 Turkish troops are stationed.
On Friday, Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar repeated that peace talks could resume only if Greek Cypriots recognized the Turkish Cypriots’ “sovereign equality.”
Christodoulides said Monday that any improvement in European-Turkish relations should be based on reciprocal action by Türkiye, adding that the EU prioritizes a Cyprus peace deal in line with the UN.

Iran Rejects France’s ‘Baseless Accusations’ on Cyberattack

Empty refrigerated shelves are seen inside a Delhaize Shop & Go store after an overnight IT incident affected cooling and freezer systems in a number of Delhaize stores in Belgium and Luxembourg, causing temperature spikes in refrigeration units, in Linkebeek near Brussels, Belgium, November 2, 2026. (Reuters)

17:57-10 November 2026 AD ـ 30 Jumada Al-Ula 1448 AH

Iran Rejects France’s ‘Baseless Accusations’ on Cyberattack

Iran on Tuesday said French accusations that it was responsible for cyberattacks on supermarket fridges last month were "baseless".

"Iran's foreign ministry categorically rejects the French government's baseless and one-sided accusations against Iran regarding alleged cyber activities in France," the ministry said in a statement.

It added that it "strongly condemns this hackneyed policy of leveling accusations against the country".

Hundreds of French supermarkets were hit in the October 11 and 12 cyberattacks, which raised the temperatures in their refrigerators and freezers, forcing many to throw away entire inventories of perishable food.

Similar incidents were then reported in at least 11 other European countries in early November.

Along with summoning Iran's ambassador and seeking European-level sanctions, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Tuesday that Paris would "rule nothing out and will take all measures -- including those we may not disclose publicly -- that we deem proportionate and necessary to deter any further attacks".

Tehran, meanwhile, said it would "not hesitate to take necessary and appropriate measures to safeguard its national interests and security in the face of unlawful foreign activities".

It added that France "is merely projecting its own governance failures" with these accusations.

Later in the day, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi blamed the French government for the incident.

"Unable to manage fridges let alone addressing grievances of its people, French government is shifting blame for its failures onto others," the top diplomat said on X.

Also on Tuesday, the European Union said it would look to provide a "swift and united response" pending discussion with member states after France's announcement.

World

Eisenkot Quickly Targets Netanyahu’s Legacy in New Israeli Parliament

Former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli President Isaac Herzog and other Israeli officials pose for a family photo on the day of the inauguration of Israel's 26th parliament, at the Knesset in Jerusalem, November 10, 2026. (Reuters)

18:12-10 November 2026 AD ـ 30 Jumada Al-Ula 1448 AH

17:42-10 November 2026 AD ـ 30 Jumada Al-Ula 1448 AH

18:12-10 November 2026 AD ـ 30 Jumada Al-Ula 1448 AH

17:42-10 November 2026 AD ـ 30 Jumada Al-Ula 1448 AH

Eisenkot Quickly Targets Netanyahu’s Legacy in New Israeli Parliament

Israeli ex-army chief Gadi Eisenkot and his allies launched a legislative onslaught against caretaker Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's legacy on Tuesday, as a new parliament convened in a heated first session.

Though questions still linger as to who can form a government, Eisenkot's broad left-to-right bloc wasted no time in setting the agenda of the new Knesset with a green light from Israeli-Arab lawmakers, whose role has stirred up heated opposition from Netanyahu's base and even right-wing supporters of Eisenkot.

Eisenkot's Yashar party said it submitted a slew of proposals before the new parliament, including establishing an independent commission to investigate security failures that allowed the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, the deadliest day in Israel's history.

Netanyahu has long opposed such a probe, denying any wrongdoing and calling instead for a politically appointed commission.

Eisenkot's party also moved for a sweeping repeal of a judicial overhaul implemented by Netanyahu's government, which had triggered some of Israel's largest-ever protests before being overshadowed by three years of war.

Setting the stage for legislative action, Eisenkot's bloc announced it had secured the votes to install a new parliament speaker, Matan Kahana, also a former senior military figure.

But neither Eisenkot nor Netanyahu -- Israel's longest-serving prime minister with nearly two decades in power -- have the 61 votes needed to form a government.

"I am committed in this complex situation to form a national-emergency government as quickly as possible," Eisenkot, a low-key 66-year-old who only recently entered politics, said before his swearing-in.

Netanyahu, speaking after the inaugural session, made a new push for a national-unity government, saying Israel needed to confront a threat from Iran's clerical government, which has survived two major Israeli bombing campaigns the premier ordered with support from US President Donald Trump.

With his political survival on the line -- and facing potential jail time if convicted on corruption charges after he is out of power -- Netanyahu appeared to acknowledge a shifting diplomatic reality after US Democrats soundly defeated Trump in midterm elections last week on the back of anger over the war.

"In the very near future, we're going to be confronted by international pressure to accept a nuclear-armed Iran and the preservation of this terror regime that seeks to annihilate us," Netanyahu said.

Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons and both Netanyahu and Trump have previously boasted that its nuclear program was devastated.

Eisenkot dismissed the remarks as a "shameful" exploitation of the occasion, casting them as evidence that Netanyahu was "unfit to remain in office for even one more minute".

- Confrontations over Arab-Israelis -

President Isaac Herzog on Sunday tasked Eisenkot with forming a government, giving him an initial 28 days, which can be extended by 14 more.

Opening the session, Herzog, who otherwise holds a largely ceremonial role, urged lawmakers to "do everything to avoid a repeat election".

"Reach out a hand for compromise, even between rivals," Herzog said.

But the tone in the new parliament was immediately tense, with shouting breaking out between lawmakers.

Eisenkot's choice for speaker is expected to sail through thanks to support from Arab-Israeli lawmakers, whose ranks grew to historic highs due to anger over Netanyahu's far-right government.

But Avigdor Liberman -- a member of Eisenkot's bloc who has become a staunch critic of his former mentor Netanyahu despite sharing his hawkish views -- has refused to serve in a government that relies on the Israeli-Arabs.

A number of Israeli-Arab lawmakers -- descendants of Palestinians who stayed after Israel's creation in 1948 -- left the opening session Tuesday as children sang the national anthem so as to avoid standing for it.

Liberman posted news of the walkout on social media, writing: "You want to form a government with them?"

Far-right caretaker national security minister and Netanyahu ally Itamar Ben-Gvir loudly heckled Yousef Jabareen, leader of the largest Arab-majority grouping, the Joint List, during the session.

"Who is he pledging allegiance to, Hamas?" Ben-Gvir shouted before order was restored.

Mansour Abbas, leader of the Israeli-Arab party Raam, generally seen as more moderate, promised to work to replace the Netanyahu government, saying: "We aspire to be part of the solution."

- Plea for ultra-Orthodox -

Shunning Arab-Israelis, Liberman has instead proposed an alliance with ultra-Orthodox Jews, despite his years of bitter denunciations of the community for its singular priority on maintaining an exemption from mandatory military service.

Eisenkot's core bloc has 48 seats, but would achieve a majority if the 19 Arab-Israeli lawmakers either enter the government or, more likely, vote for it without joining.

The two ultra-Orthodox parties hold 13 seats. United Torah Judaism, which has seven, has stopped short of recommitting to Netanyahu, leaving him with 46 seats.

Netanyahu publicly pleaded with the ultra-Orthodox to stay with him.

"They're going to promise you the moon and the stars but one minute after, God forbid, they form a government run by the left, all of those promises will vanish," he said.

World

Paraguay Partially Reimburses Almost All Bank Crisis Victims

The interior of a closed Ueno Bank's office, which Paraguay's central bank seized amid a solvency crisis, is seen through its window that broken last week during a protest against the government and the bank in Asuncion, Paraguay, Monday, Nov. 9 , 2026. (AP)

17:37-10 November 2026 AD ـ 30 Jumada Al-Ula 1448 AH

Paraguay Partially Reimburses Almost All Bank Crisis Victims

Almost all eligible depositors who lost access to their money in a bank seizure that rocked Paraguay have had part of their funds reimbursed, the Central Bank said Tuesday.

The November 3 takeover of Ueno Bank amid major insolvency concerns locked almost half the population of the normally stable country out of their accounts.

Senators impeached President Santiago Pena, who is linked to Ueno, over the crisis -- a key demand of large-scale nationwide protests along with the return of the money.

The government, now led by Pena's former vice president Pedro Alliana, sped up the return of deposits via a guarantee fund.

Ninety-three percent of eligible depositors had been at least partially reimbursed via the fund as of Monday, its director Jose Maciel told a press conference.

"They finally transferred the money I was missing," 45-year-old Rosario, who preferred not to give her surname, told AFP.

Between Thursday and Monday, $340 million had been reimbursed to nearly 1.7 million people, according to Central Bank data.

The bank has identified 1,867,000 Ueno clients entitled to access the guarantee fund, its press office told AFP, without specifying how many people do not qualify.

Ueno began as a small fintech company with a digital-first model that attracted many low-income customers.

Within three years it became a major bank handling state pensions and the accounts of several government entities.

The number of individuals affected by the crisis surpasses the number of direct clients of the bank, which held over $800 million in public funds.

Greek Prime Minister Seeks Improved Relations with Türkiye but Says Ankara Must Drop Aggression

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Iran Rejects France’s ‘Baseless Accusations’ on Cyberattack

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