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751. Nicosia to press on with energy plans

Republic of Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades says Nicosia’s energy plans are moving forward while criticizing Ankara for seeking preconditions for dialogue...

752. Cavusoglu: Turkey is prepared to cooperate with all apart from G/C

Turkey is prepared to cooperate with everyone apart from the Republic of Cyprus in the Eastern Mediterranean, including Greece, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said....

753. Greek Defence minister denies Erdogan's phone talk claims on Imia

Greek Defence Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos rejected on Thursday claims by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that he sent a message to Greece through Defence Minister Hulusi Akar not to make any “move” over the eastern Aegean islets of Imia, for which the two countries were brought to the brink of war twenty-four years ago....

754. Flagship of French navy off the coast of Limassol

The Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, the flagship of the French navy, sailed through Block 8 of Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone on Thursday, passing alongside the Turkish Yavuz drillship bringing rising tensions to the region....

755. Greek, Turkish defense ministers hold telephone conversation ahead of NATO meeting

Greek Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos and his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar held a telephone conversation Wednesday ahead of the meeting of NATO ministers of defense in Brussels February 12-13, Kathimerini reports....

756. French aircraft carrier in Cyprus Block 8

Amid rising tensions in the East Mediterranean, the flagship of the French Navy, aircraft carrier Charles De Gaulle, remains in Block 8 of Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone, bearing a small fleet of Rafale fighter jets, helicopters, other aircraft and drones....

757. EU diplomats to impose sanctions on two Turks over Cyprus EEZ drilling

Cyprus, Turkey, EU, drilling, EEZ, sanctions...

758. Greece not trying to create ‘anti-Turkish front,’ Greek FM says

Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias says Greece is not trying to drum up opposition against Turkey but rather support for what is reasonable and would enable more cooperation in the Mediterranean....

759. Cyprus rejects Ankara call for a stop to drilling

Nicosia on Thursday rejected a call by Ankara for a halt to drilling activities off the island's south as a precondition for it to stop its own activities off the divided island. ...

760. Aksoy: Turkey will continue protecting T/C rights

Turkey’s ongoing survey and drilling activities off Cyprus aim at protecting the rights of Turkish Cypriots, a foreign ministry spokesman said Thursday, adding that “until these rights are guaranteed, Turkish Petroleum will continue to operate” in the areas licensed by the breakaway state....

761. EU's Turkey rapporteur says Ankara-Tripoli maritime deal has no legal bearing

A deal between Ankara and Libya’s Tripoli-based government on maritime borders does not have any legal bearing for other countries, European Parliament rapporteur on Turkey, Nacho Sanchez Amor, told state-run news agency ANA-MPA on Thursday....

762. Little US-Turkish progress solving defenses row, Erdogan says

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday Washington and Ankara had done little to solve a row over Turkey’s purchase of Russian defenses and its procurement of US fighter jets despite a November agreement, according to broadcaster NTV....

763. Theocharis Lalacos appointed Greek Ambassador to Cyprus

764. Mitsotakis calls for greater European solidarity on Turkey, migration

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has called for greater European solidarity in dealing with Turkish provocations against Greek sovereignty and the immigration crisis....

765. French Navy helicopter carrier docks at Piraeus

The Dixmude amphibious assault ship, a type of helicopter carrier part of the French Navy, will take part in a Hellenic Armed Forces exercise called "Alexander the Great," which began on Monday....

766. Turkish hackers target Cyprus government emails

Sweeping cyberattacks targeting governments and other organizations in Europe and the Middle East are believed to be the work of hackers acting in the interests of the Turkish government, three senior Western security officials said. The hackers have attacked at least 30 organizations, including government ministries, embassies and security services as well as companies and other groups, according to a Reuters review of public internet records. Victims have included Cypriot and Greek government email services and the Iraqi government’s national security advisor, the records show. ...

767. Deadly earthquake jolts eastern Turkey

A powerful earthquake struck eastern Turkey on Friday, killing at least 20 people and collapsing buildings in affected towns near the center of the tremor, which was strong enough to be felt in several neighboring countries...

768. Nicosia’s Yazuz suspicions point to online leak

Cypriot officials at the Department of Environment say an entire study, which was inadvertently posted online in 2017, might have given Ankara a leg-up in the search for gas off the coast of Limassol...

769. Nicosia suspicious over Yavuz drilling spots

The government of the Republic of Cyprus believes Turkey has obtained privileged drilling information regarding an area off the southern coast of the island...

770. Turkey blocks Cyprus from Geneva conference

Turkey has blocked a request from the Republic of Cyprus to take part in the global Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, as an adversarial relationship between the two countries is growing more intense...

771. Egypt issues warning over Cyprus rights

Egypt has sent out a warning on Sunday about repercussions of any unilateral moves that could breach the rights of the Republic of Cyprus and pose threats to security and stability in the Middle East...

772. Nicosia and Athens condemn Ankara's illegal drilling

The Government of Cyprus publicly condemned Turkey’s newly planned illegal drilling within the Exclusive Economic Zone and continental shelf of the Republic of Cyprus, while the Greek Foreign Ministry strongly condemned Turkey΄s plans, stressing that their actions have neither legal effect nor create fait accompli....

773. Greece has asked Germany to participate in Libya summit

Greece has asked to attend a summit in Berlin which will discuss a path to peace in Libya, government spokesman Stelios Petsas revealed on Tuesday...

774. Terrorism suspect jailed in the north

A suspected terrorist arrested in the north earlier this week was ordered to remain in custody on Friday, as Turkish Cypriot authorities continue to investigate possible links with ISIS...

775. Libya blames maritime tensions on Greece

Libya has slammed Greece in a recent letter to the United Nations, accusing Athens of refusing to play fair, while US State Secretary Mike Pompeo says he is taking on a new initiative to de-escalate Greco-Turkish tensions over maritime borders...

776. Cypriot FM works the phones over Libya

Cyprus Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides has been working the phones Thursday and Friday, discussing with counterparts of other nations the situation in Libya and a need to avoid illegal actions...

777. Athens says Ankara 'playing with fire'

Athens says Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is “playing with fire” as he seeks parliament approval to send military troops into Libya, following a formal request from Tripoli...

778. Diplomatic hype over eastern Mediterranean

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias attended Christmas Mass in Istanbul amid diplomatic tensions and power play between Athens and Ankara over gas exploration in the eastern Mediterranean...

779. Israel opposes Turkey-Libya deal

Israel opposes an accord signed last month between Libya and Turkey mapping out maritime boundaries in the eastern Mediterranean, but the deal was unlikely to lead to a conflict with Turkey, Israel's foreign minister says...

780. EastMed deal to be inked January

Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades plans to attend a ceremony in Athens for the signing of an agreement on the EastMed pipeline, after Greece announced Sunday the project will proceed despite the objections of Turkey...