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451. EC head taken aback as Erdogan and Michel snap up the chairs

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was taken aback to find her fellow top EU official taking the only chair available next to Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan when the duo visited Ankara, and her spokesman made that clear on Wednesday....

452. Top EU officials head to Turkey in bid to improve ties

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council chief Charles Michel are headed to Turkey on Tuesday on an official visit aimed at improving ties between Brussels and Ankara....

453. EU27 open up to Turkey but with a caveat

European Union leaders made good on Thursday on a 2016 promise to deepen trade ties with Turkey, but also warned Ankara to expect sanctions if it restarts exploration over disputed hydrocarbons in the eastern Mediterranean...

454. Cyprus springs forward again

People in Cyprus will lose an hour of sleep after Daylight Saving Time goes into effect Sunday morning, with European officials and public opinion still divided on whether there is value in switching back and forth at all...

455. Cyprus celebrates Greek Independence

City officials in Nicosia are joining celebrations around the world to mark 200 years from the start of the Greek War of Independence, with a light show and a flag display set to adorn the southern part of the divided capital for the next three days...

456. Nicosia seeks revision on Turkey draft

The Republic of Cyprus has raised concerns over a joint statement to be issued by the EU27 on Turkey, with sources saying Nicosia was calling for a new draft to 'better reflect' statements by officials...

457. Cyprus rejects EU draft on Turkey which seeks to deepen trade ties

Cyprus has rejected a draft prepared for a summit of EU leaders this week which seeks to deepen trade ties with Turkey, describing it as “totally unacceptable.” ...

458. Gloves are off in EU-China relations

The United States, the European Union, Britain and Canada imposed sanctions on Chinese officials on Monday for human rights abuses in Xinjiang, in the first such coordinated Western action against Beijing under new US President Joe Biden...

459. Germany: Turkey sending wrong human rights signals

Turkey is sending the wrong messages to the European Union by withdrawing from a pact designed to counter violence against women and closing down the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas warned on Monday....

460. Anastasiades stays focused on getting EU at Geneva table

President Nicos Anastasiades delved extensively into the substantive role the EU has to play at upcoming Cyprus peace processes during a teleconference convened Friday by the European Council President Charles Michel with EU leaders....

461. EU frontline ministers talk migration in Athens

Cypriot Interior Minister Nicos Nouris is in Athens this weekend where he is attending a MED5 meeting on immigration, with some of the bloc’s Mediterranean members tackling issues stemming from Brussels’ new migration proposals that divide the union...

462. EU will be present in Cyprus issue negotiations, senior EU official says

The EU will be present at the conference on Cyprus to be convened by the UN in Geneva in late April and at the formal negotiations that may follow, a senior EU official said at a press conference in Brussels ahead of the forthcoming Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) of Monday....

463. Cyprus scrambles to reduce asylum backlog

Interior Minister Nicos Nouris says the government is moving forward with rejections of asylum applications under new, faster procedures to clear a system backlog, with Europe seeking a comprehensive solution and a commissioner calling on Cypriot authorities to investigate illegal pushbacks...

464. EU nips green pass debate in the bud

The EU's plan to get people traveling again with a Green Pass is expected to defer to member states on key decisions, such as whether to accept Russian and Chinese vaccines in the program...

465. Cyprus puts AstraZeneca on the back burner

The Republic of Cyprus has temporarily suspended AstraZeneca shots for Covid-19 until an emergency meeting on Thursday by the European Medicines Agency, with reports saying Nicosia has already entered negotiations with Moscow to add another jab in the mix...

466. Athens sees Ankara games ahead of summit

Not only did Turkey continue to ignore Athens’ proposals for the next round of exploratory contacts between the two countries on Monday, its Defense Ministry once again revisited the issue of demilitarization of the Greek islands of the eastern Aegean, going as far as denouncing the presence of Greek warships at Kastellorizo....

467. Anastasiades, Greek PM discuss Cyprus issue

The Cyprus issue was the focus of a telephone conversation between Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades on Monday morning....

468. EU leaders seek to inject energy into slow vaccine rollout

European Union leaders are gathering Thursday to try to inject new energy into the bloc’s lagging coronavirus vaccination efforts as concern mounts that new variants might spread faster than authorities can adapt....

469. Guterres reassures Cyprus’ UN ambassador

Secretary General Antonio Guterres has told the new Cypriot UN Ambassador that the international organization and himself personally are “committed” to Cyprus and its people, reiterating his intention to convene an informal 5+1 sitdown soon...

470. Cyprus to push for help from Brussels on migration issue

The Republic of Cyprus will make its case to Brussels and other international fora, both at the political and technocratic level, over migratory pressure and the need for assistance. ...

471. Anastasiades holds call with Charles Michel

President Nicos Anastasiades held a phone call with the European Council President Charles Michel on Thursday to touch base on the upcoming European Council meetings scheduled this month and next....

472. Cyprus and Israel agree on green passports

Cyprus and Israel reached an agreement on Sunday which would allow vaccinated Israelis to travel to the island without quarantine or other testing restrictions...

473. Brussels concerned over Pournara refugees

The Republic of Cyprus’ handling of asylum seekers at Pournara camp remains on Brussels’ radar, with a host of different challenges raising questions over how the European Union and some member states can get on the same page without resorting to legal battles...

474. Health commissioner’s Nicosia home staked out

Greek Cypriot news sites on Sunday picked up a story on EU Commissioner Stella Kyriakides, following reports of a media stake out at the health chief’s Nicosia residence amid fierce criticism over vaccine delays...

475. Two sides mount coordinating efforts with guarantor powers

Along with the visit of the Turkish FM to the north on Monday and the expected arrival of the UK Foreign Secretary later in the week, the Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis will also be paying a visit to Cyprus over the coming days as the two sides and the three guarantor powers mount efforts to coordinate positions ahead of the informal five-party summit on the Cyprus Problem next month....

476. Ferry link hopes end with a whimper

Shipping transport companies remained unconvinced over Cyprus’ effort to revive and subsidize a ferry link with Greece, with the government going back to the drawing board after no bidders came forward by Friday’s deadline...

477. Astra offers small concession, EU pleads for UK-made shots amid vaccine row

AstraZeneca has offered to bring forward some deliveries of its Covid-19 vaccine to the European Union while the bloc has asked the British drugmaker if it can divert doses from the UK to make up for a shortfall in supplies, European officials told Reuters....

478. EU keeping close eye on Turkish moves

European Union foreign ministers have agreed to a “wait-and-see” approach towards Turkey, with some member-states appearing more skeptical of Ankara’s recent overtures....

479. EU to talk Turkey after all is said and done

The 'Turkey issue' is far from clear as EU leaders prepare to meet on Thursday, with Ankara accusing Athens of taking a provocative stance and Paris laying it all out before the Union could resume talks with NATO’s eastern flank member...

480. President Anastasiades travels to Brussels ahead of European Council