


Turkish tourists can now easily visit nearby Greek islands
A cheering sign of reduced tension in the eastern Mediterranean
FOR YEARS Ahmet Bayrakli could look at the Greek island of Samos only from his hometown of Kusadasi, on Turkey’s western coast. Despite the tiny distance between them—1,650 metres at the closest point—he was unable to travel there without getting a full Schengen visa, an increasingly difficult process for Turks. Since April, however, the doors of ten Greek islands, including Samos, have been flung open with a special “gate” visa that lets Turks stay for seven days. Mr Albayrak is one of tens of thousands who have taken advantage.
“It was ridiculous before—this is our neighbour,” he said, as he joined the queue for the morning ferry, which crosses from Kusadasi to Samos Town, the island’s capital, in 90 minutes.
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This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “Send in the Turks”

Europe faces a new age of shrunken French influence
Sharing power will weaken the federalist president’s sway in Brussels

The EU should be the world’s heat-pump pioneer
But the union is falling behind in its efforts

Le Pen’s hard right looks set to dominate the French parliament
Even without a majority

Europe faces a new age of shrunken French influence
Sharing power will weaken the federalist president’s sway in Brussels

The EU should be the world’s heat-pump pioneer
But the union is falling behind in its efforts

Le Pen’s hard right looks set to dominate the French parliament
Even without a majority
Ukraine’s war has created millions of broken families
Children and wives have been apart from their fathers and husbands for more than two years
A crushing blow for Emmanuel Macron’s centrist alliance
A big turnout for Le Pen’s hard right makes clear the president’s gamble backfired spectacularly
France heads to the polls in a critical parliamentary vote
Marine Le Pen’s hard-right party is expecting a massive surge