Greek, Cyprus leaders fine-tune stance ahead of summit

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (l) and Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades (r) pose for photographs as Anastasiades is welcomed for a meeting in Athens, Tuesday. Talks were aimed at ensuring that the two allies are on the same page ahead of an extraordinary European Union summit on July 17-18 aimed at resolving a stalemate among EU leaders over the bloc’s long-term budget and Covid-19 recovery package. Both leaders criticized Turkey’s increasingly aggressive attitude in the Eastern Mediterranean, while condemning a recent decision to convert Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia into a mosque.