The Greek parliament approved the purchase of 18 Dassault-made Rafale jets from France for €2.5 billion on Thursday, in a deal due to be signed by the Greek and French defence ministers later this month, the Greek newspaper Ekathimerini writes. Athens agreed to buy fighter jets as it moves ahead with plans to beef up its military capacity during a dispute with neighbouring Turkey over energy resources in the Mediterranean.

The countdown has begun for the resumption of exploratory contacts between Greece and Turkey, with the 61st round set to take place in Istanbul on January 25, as announced on Monday night. However, almost five years after the previous round of exploratory contacts, Athens does not know exactly what to expect, given all that has ensued since the coup attempt...