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4681. Lavrov says Russia ready to support peace

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says his country stands ready to help diffuse tensions in the region while criticizing US efforts for fueling conflict rather than promoting peaceful solutions...

4682. Cyprus defends blocking migrant boats

A police task force from the Republic of Cyprus is hoping to hash out a plan with Lebanese authorities to deter “economic migrants” from traveling to the island, as government and state officials rush to respond to criticism over a decision to send back undocumented migrants to the neighbouring country...

4683. Passports under the watchful eye of the Commission

4684. Charles Michel reiterates EU support for Greece, Cyprus in East Med row

European Council President Charles Michel on Monday reiterated European Union solidarity with Greece and Cyprus during a telephone conversation with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in which the increasingly tense situation in the Eastern Mediterranean was the key topic of discussion, according to sources....

4685. Russia’s top diplomat visits Cyprus

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is flying to the Republic of Cyprus on Monday where a new agreement is expected to be signed on the avoidance of double taxation between the two countries...

4686. Urgent meeting after weekend refugee arrivals

Cypriot Interior Minister Nicos Nouris has called for an emergency meeting following a number of arrivals of undocumented migrants over the weekend, with some of them transported back to Lebanon and others facing the prospect of crowding into an already maxed-out facility...

4687. Return of students to schools postponed one week

4688. Scorcher gets high dust levels as cherry on top

Scorching temperatures on Friday were met with high concentrations of dust, with vulnerable groups urged to avoid going outdoors as much as possible....

4689. Politics turn ugly over Cyprus Papers

The main left party opposition in the Republic of Cyprus is firing back at the government, after reports emerged over threats and a confidential letter about Cypriot golden passports a decade earlier...

4690. Classroom preparations in full swing as first bell edges nearer

With the school year kicking off on Monday, September 7, school authorities are rushing to prepare classrooms that would host students in line with government health protocols....

4691. New committee to probe entire length of Cyprus Investment Program

The Cabinet on Thursday agreed to appoint an independent investigative committee to look into all passports granted through the Cyprus Investment Program from 2008 until July this year, when stricter rules were implemented....

4692. Turkey: Russia to hold live-fire exercises in Mediterranean

Turkey has announced that Russia will hold live-fire naval exercises in the eastern Mediterranean, amid escalating tensions between Turkey and its coastal neighbors Greece and Cyprus over rights to search for energy resources in the region. ...

4693. Government extends support schemes until end October

The Cabinet on Thursday decided to extend current government support programs aiming to cushion the blow of the coronavirus pandemic until the end of October, Labour Minister Zeta Emilianidou said....

4694. Upgrading Cyprus' defence urgent, Defence Minister says

Minister of Defence Charalambos Petrides said Thursday that the strengthening and upgrading the Republic of Cyprus’ defence constitutes an urgent need, given the fact that the Cyprus problem remains unresolved, and Turkey’s aggressive behaviour in Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone is ongoing....

4695. Cabinet throws ball in attorney general’s court

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades is calling on the state’s attorney general to appoint yet another committee to probe golden passport applications to settle a dispute between the auditor general’s office and the interior ministry over the “Cyprus Papers”...

4696. US urges everyone to stand down in East Med

The United States is urging “everyone to stand down” in ongoing disputes about drilling and maritime rights in the East Mediterranean, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday...

4697. Golden passports scheme to remain as is

The citizenship-by-investment program will not be terminated, nor will it be suspended for a short period as a way of managing the crisis developing crisis, the government decided during its Tuesday morning coffee at the Presidential Palace. What was strongly tabled was that a potential freezing or termination of the investment program at this point in time would send a message that the government is acting in light of the Al Jazeera publications, and that by extension, that it accepts them....

4698. Justice Minister eager to see justice system reform make headway

Justice Minister Emily Yioliti proposed to the House legal committee on Wednesday the establishment of a working group, composed of representatives of parliamentary parties and the Cyprus Bar Association, for a discussion of positions regarding the direction of the impending justice system reform....

4699. 22-year-old confesses to igniting seven forest fires

A 22-year-old who was arrested on August 31 in connection with a forest fire that broke out in a Nicosia suburb the same day later confessed to being behind six other forest fires....

4700. Fierce battle over ‘Cyprus papers’

A fierce battle over documents has began following Al Jazeera’s “Cyprus papers” on golden passports, with the audit office demanding to examine specific files and the interior ministry refusing to hand them over...

4701. EU ‘very clear’ on expectations from Turkey for de-escalation

The message, the expectations, the timeline and the consequences of not acting towards a de-escalation of tension in the Eastern Mediterranean were “made clear” to Turkey, both via the informal Foreign Affairs Council last week in Berlin and in the telephone call on Monday between EU High Representative Josep Borrell and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, according to EU foreign policy spokesman Peter Stano....

4702. Cyprus sees glimmer of hope with Chevron

The government of the Republic of Cyprus says Chevron and Noble Energy have reaffirmed the importance that the two companies attribute to the development of Aphrodite gas field...

4703. Health protocols issued for Cyprus demonstrations

As the island continues to scramble to manage its coronavirus pandemic, justice minister Emily Yioliti and the police put their heads together on Monday morning to come up with rules that will apply for protests and demonstrations, after hundreds of anti-maskers took to the streets on Saturday in defiance of health and safety rules in place....

4704. House President calls for suspension of 'golden passports' scheme

House President Demetris Syllouris has formally suggested to President Nicos Anastasiades that the Cyprus citizenship-by-investment scheme is paused until decisions for its improvement or even complete termination are taken, and called for a meeting of party leaders to discuss the scheme that has recently attracted international attention after a document leak led to a series of articles and videos published by the media network Al Jazeera....

4705. Ankara accuses Athens of beating the war drum

Turkey says the European Union is not sincere in its efforts to weigh in on the maritime disputes in the eastern Mediterranean, while accusing Athens of beating the war drum by intending to expand Greek territorial waters...

4706. EU set to sanction Turkey over ships in disputed East Med exploration area

The European Union is preparing sanctions against Turkey that could be discussed at the bloc's next summit on September 24 in response to the Eastern Mediterranean dispute with Greece, the EU’s top diplomat said on Friday. ...

4707. Greece starts more training exercises amid Turkey tension

Greece and the United Arab Emirates have begun joint air force training exercises in the eastern Mediterranean, in the latest build-up of military forces in the region where Greece and Turkey are at odds over seabed mineral rights....

4708. EU mulls legal action against Cyprus 'golden passports'

The foreign media network Al Jazeera, that has this week been publishing a series of articles and videos on the murky side of the Cyprus ‘golden passports’ program after it was leaked classified documents, reported that the European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders is looking into the possibility of legal action against Cyprus....

4709. International EastMed tension-diffusing efforts battling on

International moves to de-escalate tension in the eastern Mediterranean continued on Tuesday, with the German Chancellor holding a tete-a-tete with the NATO Secretary General and the kickstarting of the informal meetings of EU ministers in Berlin, where regional tensions were at the top of the agenda....

4710. Police caught off guard in anti-corona protest

Cyprus police were heavily criticized over the weekend for not taking action against a large crowd of anti-maskers, who gathered outside the Presidential Palace in violation of health protocols...