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1111. Women and children allowed off refugee boat

Close to a hundred Syrian refugees were spotted on board a vessel on Wednesday off Cyprus’ Cape Greco, with reports saying half of them were women and children while coast guard officials ordered the men to remain on the boat...

1112. No common ground in sight in Geneva

The two Cypriot leaders and media coverage of their separate discussions with the UN chief in Geneva could not be more diametrically opposed, with the parties in the 5+1 meeting called to reflect on their positions before assembling again on Thursday...

1113. Jam-packed day in Geneva underway

UN chief Antonio Guterres started his day with a full plate on Wednesday, with reports saying efforts could be made to draft a joint statement in Geneva despite the two Cypriot leaders reportedly painting different pictures of their priorities during the 5+1 meeting...

1114. Christodoulides: Failure in Geneva won’t benefit anyone

A failure of the informal five-party summit would constitute a negative development for all participants, Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides said in an interview with Kathimerini Cyprus' Marina Economides, just before the new UN-led initiative was set to kick off in Geneva on Tuesday....

1115. Anastasiades sets course for Geneva

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades is flying to Geneva on Monday ahead of an informal five party meeting held by the UN to ascertain whether there is common ground to push for a new round of peace talks for the divided island...

1116. Local gov reform heads for summer freeze

Interior Minister Nikos Nouris has been asked by EU officials to give the rundown of the administration’s latest efforts in local government reform, just days after a proposal for a referendum was defeated by opposition parties that cried foul over the move...

1117. Greek, Turkish ministers stand their ground

Greek and Turkish foreign ministers Nikos Dendias and Mevlut Cavusoglu hailed the relaunch of exploratory talks between Athens and Ankara and called for a de-escalation of tension, but both stood their ground on key issues dividing the two sides in an unusually frank press conference following their meeting in Ankara on Thursday...

1118. Cypriot Cabinet gets AstraZeneca ‘group shot’

Members of the President’s Cabinet got the AstraZeneca shot in front of cameras on Thursday, in a publicity stunt aimed at boosting confidence among members of the public...

1119. Syrian boy allowed to reunite with parents

A young Syrian boy stuck in the north for over a month was reunited with his parents, following pressure on the government to allow the unaccounted minor to cross over to the south...

1120. EOKA boy to get hero’s burial

Greek Cypriot officials are on a quest to exhume the remains of a young boy, who was shot and killed during a student riot against British forces in 1956, in order to give him a hero’s burial...

1121. Cyprus backs King in Jordan’s ‘malicious plot’

The government of the Republic of Cyprus has expressed 'firm support' to King Abdullah over the weekend, after Jordan’s government officials accused the country’s former crown prince of plotting against the kingdom...

1122. Officers off the hook in serial killer probe

Senior law enforcement officials and frontline police officers named in a serial killer probe in Cyprus could be subject to disciplinary action but not criminal charges because of broader systemic failures and lack of evidence...

1123. 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...

1124. 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.” ...

1125. MED 5 want EU to act as one on migration

The interior ministers of the five Mediterranean countries on the front line of mass migration to Europe want their European Union partners to share the burden more equitably...

1126. 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....

1127. All political parties barring ELAM to follow President to Geneva

All political parties except one have accepted President Nicos Anastasiades’ invitation to accompany him to Geneva at the end of April, when the UN will be hosting an informal five-party meeting on Cyprus....

1128. 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....

1129. 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....

1130. Cyprus FM express solidarity to Greece after 6.0 earthquake

Cyprus’ Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides contacted his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias to whom he expressed the solidarity of the Cypriot people to Greece following the earthquake that struck Elassona, in central Greece, on Monday....

1131. Coming period packed with Cyprus Problem diplomacy

EU and UN officials are expected in Cyprus in the coming days ahead of the informal conference on Cyprus that will take place April 27-29 of in Geneva and this month’s European Council summit, during which EU leaders will discuss Turkey`s European course. ...

1132. Analysis: The Cyprus issue today

Over the past 30 years, Turkey, and its friends in the society of nations, sought, and partially succeeded, in obscuring the importance of the Cyprus issue’s international dimension, that is the Turkish invasion and the illegal occupation of the island. The aim was to present the Cyprus issue as a one-dimensional, internal affair that exclusively concerns the relations and the rights of the two communities, Greek- and Turkish-Cypriots....

1133. Akar: Turkey determined to defend rights across ‘Blue Homeland’

Turkey is determined to defend its rights across the “Blue Homeland,” the country’s defense minister, Hulusi Akar, said Friday, invoking an expansionist doctrine that envisages Turkish control over the waters of the eastern Aegean and the northern Mediterranean....

1134. 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. ...

1135. Government announces new housing schemes and incentives

New housing schemes and incentives with an emphasis on rural areas and young people were announced on Wednesday by the government....

1136. 58-year-old driver dies in fatal Paphos rotating crash

1137. Cyprus, India FMs discuss enhancing bilateral relations

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus and the Ministry of External Affairs of the Republic of India held extended political consultations at the highest level this afternoon, under Ministers Nikos Christodoulides and Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, respectively, during which views were exchanged on the further enhancement of the two countries` bilateral relations with particular focus on specific areas, including entrepreneurship, innovation, and tackling the pandemic. ...

1138. 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...

1139. Christodoulides, Dendias hold talks in Athens

Cypriot Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides met with his Greek counterpart in Athens on Friday on the sidelines of the Friendship Forum held Thursday in what was seen as an effort by Greece to expand its network of allies from the Mediterranean to the Gulf....

1140. Friendship Forum highlights cooperation to meet regional challenges

Foreign ministers and senior officials from several EU and Persian Gulf countries met in Athens on Thursday, as Greece seeks to expand alliances to counter tension with regional rival Turkey....