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871. 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.” ...

872. 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...

873. 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...

874. Minister points finger at north over barbwire

Cypriot Interior Minister Nicos Nouris has fired back at critics in the north over the south’s decision to install barbwire near the UN buffer zone to halt illegal crossings, blaming the need for a fence on lack of action on the part of Turkish Cypriot authorities...

875. Critics slam 'Trump-like' fence installed in Nicosia suburb

The government came under fire on Tuesday over a decision to lay razor wire along a section of the Astromeritis buffer zone in the Nicosia district....

876. 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....

877. Turkey eyeing Cyprus’ natural resources

Ahead of the informal five-party conference on the Cyprus issue early next month, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu stressed Tuesday that the most important issue is the way in which the island’s natural resources are shared, unveiling Ankara’s ultimate goals in the region....

878. Cyprus holds turned thumb over lockdown

Cyprus’ lockdown stance continued to remain unclear following a special meeting between experts and the health minister, with the government hinting thumbs down for a new lockdown citing economic reasons but also thumbs up for stricter measures after hospitalizations reached dangerous levels...

879. Lockdown stance not clear in Cyprus

The number of hospitalized patients being treated for COVID-19 in the Republic of Cyprus has reached dangerous levels, with experts and government officials under criticism for lack of decisive action during the holidays...

880. Cyprus, Greece, Israel to bolster cooperation

The foreign ministers of Greece, Cyprus and Israel hailed the tripartite partnership between the three countries, aimed at bolstering economic and energy cooperation, during a meeting in Athens on Tuesday, and agreed that it could be expanded to include other countries in the region....

881. Dendias, Lavrov discuss Cyprus in Athens meeting

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias met with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Athens on Monday, at the start of the foreign official's visit to the Greek capital....

882. Erdogan-Tatar: Varosha to open to the public on Thursday

Developments regarding Varosha were moving full speed ahead on Tuesday after rumours regarding the reopening of the fenced-off town were confirmed. In statements, Tayyip Erdogan and Ersin Tatar said that on Thursday, the public will be able to visit the areas that will open....

883. What Berlin made clear to Nicosia

German officials coordinating with Nicosia, after the Republic of Cyprus told the foreign affairs council that it would use its veto power if sanctions against Belarus are not linked with those against Turkey, said that the prospect of sanctions against Turkey is a distant scenario....

884. The four scenarios after the 'veto'

The decision on EU sanctions has been postponed for the meeting of the 27 leaders of member states, likely to take place on October 1 and 2 due to a case of coronavirus. At that meeting, it will become clear whether the case of Belarus will be linked with whether sanctions will be imposed on Turkey for its provocations in the Cyprus EEZ or not. Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides made it clear to the Council of Foreign Ministers that what was agreed in Berlin should be respected, in essence using his veto. Whether Nicosia will maintain this position until the end will be seen at the summit of the 27....

885. EU solidarity to go beyond words, Michel tells Anastasiades

In a meeting with the European Council President Charles Michel on Wednesday, the President of the Republic of Cyprus expressed hope that EU member states will show a united front during next week’s extraordinary European Council summit on Turkey....

886. Anastasiades: Patriotic realism dictates solution through diplomacy, not weapons

Instead of a catastrophic scenario, we opt for diplomacy, the weapons of international law and Cyprus’ status as an EU member state. This is what is dictated by patriotic realism and rationalism, and not a rhetoric of empty slogans. The coming days are crucial as regards initiatives taken by the EU and the US in view of preventing a potential crisis through targeted measures towards Turkey....

887. Turkish FM accuses Athens of shirking dialogue

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu dismissed accusations that Ankara is unwilling to seek a solution through talks with Greece, saying that the Greek prime minister needs to “look in the mirror and ask himself where he went wrong.” ...

888. Health experts from both sides discuss developing Covid-19 situation

The developing coronavirus situation on both sides of the Cyprus divide was discussed on Wednesday by the bicommunal technical committee on health, which convened via teleconference with the participation of epidemiologists of the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot side....

889. Cyprus, Greece to be Israeli tourists' first destination, Netanyhu says

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday he aims to resume regular flights to and from Israel by August 1, noting Greece and Cyprus will be the first destination for Israeli tourists....

890. Letter to UNSG denounces Turkey's violations of Cyprus' airspace, maritime zones

A letter dated May 28 sent by the Permanent Representative of Cyprus to the UN Andreas Mavroyiannis to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that denounced Turkish violations of the island’s airspace and maritime zones was released on Thursday as an official document in the General Assembly of the UN Security Council....

891. Some restrictions may be eased earlier than planned

The government and its health advisory committee discussed on Tuesday the possibility of relaxing certain restrictions sooner than anticipated, but final decisions are expected to emerge after the Cabinet’s meeting on Wednesday....

892. Greek FM insists Evros fence will be completed

893. As coronavirus lockdown eases, Cypriots still in limbo

Deniz Birinci had just hours to stuff her and her baby daughter’s belongings into suitcases and bin bags on March 16 before the two sides on the divided island of Cyprus imposed lockdowns to halt the spread of the new coronavirus....

894. President: Partial lockdown of airports, schools to remain closed until April 10

President Nicos Anastasiades addressed the nation on Friday night after the week saw cumulative confirmations of coronavirus cases across the divide....

895. Two die after hospital fire in north Nicosia, President Anastasiades offers help

A fire broke out at a hospital in north Nicosia, with reports pointing to at least two deaths after officials ordered the evacuation of an entire unit with heart patients...

896. Position on Varosha 'very clear' and unchanged, Security Council President says

The position of the Security Council on Varosha is very clear and has not changed, said Ambassador Marc Pecsteen de Buytswerve, the Permanent Representative of Belgium presiding over the UN body this month....

897. Brussels cannot accept the Turkish behaviour in Cyprus EEZ

The EU cannot accept the behaviour of Turkey and will stand strongly by the side of Cyprus, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday, January 14th, while Andrej Plenkovic, Prime Minister of Croatia whose country holds the EU rotating presidency, stated that their policy will remain within the context of EU Council conclusions....

898. Effort at international level for Cyprus missing persons to be intensified

Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades and the Pancyprian Organisation of the Relatives of Undeclared Prisoners and Missing Persons discussed on Tuesday, ways to intensify the effort at an international, political and diplomatic level to be intensified so that Turkey can be pressured to cooperate in the matter of the missing persons in Cyprus, during a meeting at the Presidential Palace, in the presence of Foreign Affairs Minister Nikos Christodoulides and Presidency Commissioner on Humanitarian Issues Photis Photiou....

899. Guterres committed to explore possibility to convene five-party meeting on Cyprus

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday that he committed to explore with the President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades, the Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci and the guarantor powers the possibility to convene an informal five party meeting on Cyprus “at an appropriate stage”, following an informal dinner in Berlin attended by both leaders. ...

900. Minister determined to fight ‘green line abuse'

The Cypriot government is cautiously moving forward with plans to reduce illegal migration to Cyprus through the north, including checkpoint stations and surveillance of remote areas along the Green Line...