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421. 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....

422. Michel says EU will be active observer in Cyprus peace talks

The EU remains committed to the resumption of Cyprus peace talks and is looking forward to the informal meeting set to take place in Geneva later this month, where it will participate as an active observer, European Council President Charles Michel said Tuesday after meeting with Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara....

423. 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....

424. EU presidents to go to Turkey next week

The presidents of the European Council and the European Commission will meet Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey on April 6, an EU spokesman said on Monday, in the latest sign of improving ties....

425. 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...

426. 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.” ...

427. 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....

428. 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...

429. Cavusoglu to meet Dendias in Turkey in April

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday he would meet his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias in Turkey on April 14, after the NATO members resumed talks to seek common ground in a decades-old maritime dispute....

430. 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....

431. Erdogan wishes to improve testy relations with US

Turkey’s president says mutual interests with the United States outweigh their differences and has called for more cooperation with President Joe Biden’s new US administration....

432. Oktay: Forget any bargaining over Varosha

433. Erdogan says only solution on Cyprus is two states

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that the only way to resolve decades of dispute over Cyprus was to establish two states on the island, and a federation favored by Athens would not be on the agenda of upcoming talks....

434. From Bismarck to Merkel

'Turks and Germans loved each other for a long time,' Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during a visit to Berlin in 2018. He was citing the historic words of Germany’s first chancellor, Otto von Bismarck, which still seem to determine Berlin’s policy on Ankara. We should recognize this reality as we enter a new geopolitical era, without succumbing to sentimentalism and spasmodic reactions....

435. Cyprus supporter to lead US foreign committee

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades says he looks forward to working with US Senator Bob Menendez, after the NJ Democrat was named officially chairman of the foreign relations committee in the new Congress...

436. US says Turkish coup claims 'wholly false'

The US State Department said on Thursday assertions by Turkish officials that the United States was involved in a failed 2016 coup in Turkey were 'wholly false'...

437. Turkish minister says US behind 2016 failed coup attempt

Turkey's interior minister accused the United States on Thursday of being behind a 2016 failed coup that Ankara has blamed on a US-based Muslim preacher, the Hurriyet daily reported, at a time when Turkey is seeking improved ties with its NATO ally....

438. Greece and Turkey resume exploratory talks

Exploratory contacts between Greece and Turkey are set to resume in Istanbul, with Ankara trying to gain an upper hand over the agenda and Athens appearing to have low expectations citing disagreement on both sides on what to discuss...

439. Greek MPs approve extension of Ionian Sea territorial waters

With 284 votes in favor and 16 “present,” lawmakers approved legislation on Wednesday to extend Greece’s territorial waters along its western coastline from six to 12 nautical miles....

440. Turkey and Greece to resume talks

Turkey and Greece will resume talks aimed at reducing tensions between the neighbors on Jan. 25, Turkish and Greek officials announced Monday, following this summer’s dispute over maritime borders and energy rights in the eastern Mediterranean...

441. Ankara wants Lausanne Treaty change

Reiterating a call frequently made by Turkish leaders, Turkey’s Energy Minister Fatih Donmez raised the issue of renegotiating the Lausanne Treaty of 1923, which set out the modern borders between Greece and Turkey....

442. Turkey hopes to turn new page with US, EU in 2021, Erdogan says

President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that Turkey hopes to “turn a new page in its ties with the United States and European Union, and that Ankara had been subjected to “double standards” by both its NATO ally Washington and the bloc....

443. Turkey’s defence industry to go it alone

US Senator Robert Menendez says he is not worried about retaliation from Turkey after Washington imposed sanctions on Ankara, with officials in Turkey warning further development of their domestic defence industry could speed up as a result...

444. Cyprus President 'absolutely satisfied' with EC Conclusions

President Nicos Anastasiades expressed absolute satisfaction with the Conclusions of the European Council regarding Turkey’s activities in the Eastern Mediterranean....

445. EU leaders pull Turkey punch at last minute

European Union leaders agreed on Thursday to prepare limited sanctions on Turkish individuals over an energy exploration dispute with Greece and Cyprus, postponing any harsher steps until March as countries sparred over how to handle Ankara...

446. EU leaders weigh sanctions over Turkey’s Med drilling

Concerned that their credibility is at stake, European Union leaders are set Thursday to give the green light to the expansion of sanctions against Turkey over its exploration of gas reserves in Mediterranean waters claimed by EU members Greece and Cyprus....

447. Cyprus calls on Turkey to engage in maritime zone delimitation talks

In an interview with the UAE television channel Alarabiya, defence minister Charalambos Petrides called on Turkey to accept the Republic of Cyprus’ invitation to engage in talks in view of reaching an agreement over the delimitation of the contested maritime zones between the two countries, or alternatively refer the issue to the International Court of Justice....

448. Turkish exploration vessel back in port ahead of EU summit

Turkey’s seismic exploration vessel Oruc Reis returned to port on Monday from disputed Mediterranean waters, less than two weeks before a European Union summit where the bloc will evaluate possible sanctions against Ankara....

449. France, EU lawmakers push for sanctions on Turkey next month

France is leading a push for European Union sanctions on Turkey next month to follow through on a threat made by the bloc in October, but has yet to win support from EU governments beyond Greece and Cyprus, officials and diplomats said. ...

450. Erdogan says Greeks behind raid on ship

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Wednesday suggested Greece and Cyprus were behind the interception of a Turkish vessel by German soldiers on behalf of a European Union mission off the Libyan coast late Sunday...