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1. Amid tensions with Turkey, Greece in joint manoeuvres with France

Amid ongoing tensions with Turkey over disputed waters in the eastern Mediterranean, the French military conducted training exercises with Greek forces on Thursday off the southern island of Crete, including in the maritime area reserved by Turkey’s Navtex earlier this month for seismic exploration....

2. Borrell calls extraordinary Foreign Affairs Council meeting

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has called an extraordinary Foreign Affairs Council meeting Friday afternoon....

3. Dendias to meet Pompeo in Vienna

Athens says it will not accept a fait accompli in the Eastern Mediterranean, with reports saying Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias is set to meet US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Vien on Friday....

4. Leaders of Cyprus, Greece talk strategy

Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades was briefed on Tuesday by the Greek Premier Kyriakos Mitsotakis on the situation in Greece’s continental shelf and exclusive economic zone, where Turkey’s seismic exploration vessel is currently stationed, with the two leaders agreeing on coordinated action....

5. Cyprus and Russia come to terms

It will no longer be possible for wealthy Russians to distribute profit via dividends to foreign firms in Cyprus, after Nicosia said it agreed with Moscow on terms to amend a double tax treaty, but some say the island still kept some competitive advantages...

6. Regional tensions flare up anew as Turkey issues new Navtex

7. Beirut calls off search and rescue

The Cypriot rescue mission in Beirut was on its way back to the island after Lebanon shifted its search and rescue focus to recovery, while world leaders including Anastasiades pledged aid amid violent protests over the weekend. ...

8. Turkey resumes drilling in eastern Mediterranean, Erdogan says

President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that Turkey had resumed energy exploration work in the eastern Mediterranean as Greece had not kept its promises regarding such activities in the region. ...

9. Cyprus President urges public to generously donate to Beirut relief campaign

Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades has called on the Cyprus public, companies and businesses to contribute to the relief campaign collecting dry and canned foods for the Beirut population that was brought to its knees by the deadly blasts earlier this week....

10. Ankara slams Greece-Egypt maritime deal

Ankara was caught off guard Thursday when a secret partial maritime agreement emerged between Athens and Cairo, with the Turkish foreign ministry calling the deal 'null and void'...

11. Cyprus-France defence cooperation agreement comes into force

An announcement by the Cyprus Presidency on Thursday officially marked the initiation of a defence cooperation agreement between Cyprus and France, with particular focus on military and energy areas....

12. Cyprus calls for EU task force on island

The European Union must do more to fill a power vacuum in the eastern Mediterranean brought on by a perceived US disengagement from the region, and Cyprus is ready to host an EU task force to achieve that goal, the island nation's foreign minister said Wednesday...

13. Cyprus lends a hand to frantic Beirut search and rescue efforts

A Cyprus search and rescue team departed for neighbouring Lebanon on Wednesday afternoon to contribute to ongoing frantic efforts to locate missing persons and survivors of the massive blasts that rocked Beirut on Tuesday afternoon....

14. Cyprus President expresses condolences to Lebanon, readiness to provide assistance

Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades has expressed his deep condolences to the government and people of Lebanon, stressing the island’s readiness to provide any assistance necessary, following the two explosions which shook Beirut on Tuesday....

15. Death toll rises in Beirut

Over 100 people were killed and thousands wounded in a massive explosion that shook the Lebanese capital on Tuesday, with sound waves of the deadly blast reaching as far as Cyprus...

16. UK tourists deterred by 'complicated' Cyprus process

Though Cyprus has officially re-opened to the UK tourism market, tour operators claim that the majority of visitors from the country are Cyprus expats, with UK nationals so far appearing reluctant to jump through the hurdles Cyprus has laid out for category B countries....

17. Cyprus perturbed over Russia tax move

Finance ministry officials in the Republic of Cyprus say they were caught by surprise when Russia announced it would scrap a bilateral double tax treaty, with Moscow suggesting there was no other alternative after talks had failed...

18. Greek-Turkish exploratory contacts with a deadline

In the wake of last month’s dangerous escalation of tension between Greece and Turkey, the two countries have laid the groundwork for exploratory contacts on the terms and conditions of a possible resumption of a dialogue, with Berlin having played a pivotal role in the rapprochement. ...

19. Filipina housemaid speaks out in abuse case

The woman seen in a shared video being abused by her employer, a retired police officer, says she endured physical abuse and serious threats many times before recording the incident...

20. Cyprus scrambles to contain virus flare-ups

The government is expected to announce additional measures in response to fears over a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, after known cases on Thursday, most of them in Limassol, remained in double digits for a second consecutive day...

21. Greek FM says Athens got Nicosia’s back

Nicosia and Athens are seeking ways to further oppose Turkey’s moves in the eastern Mediterranean, after Ankara signaled it was ready for dialogue but also sent a seismic research vessel in Cypriot waters...

22. Athens open to talks but not so fast

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias has welcomed a recent move from Turkey towards de-escalation in the region, saying Athens was open to dialogue but not on all things...

23. Ankara stands down pending dialogue

Turkey could pause energy-exploration operations in the eastern Mediterranean Sea for a while pending talks with Greece, presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said on Tuesday...

24. NAVTEX warnings muddy the waters off Cyprus

Rival navigational warnings and conflicting information about naval exercises in the eastern Mediterranean dominated headlines over the weekend, with Germany appearing to be behind a last-ditch effort to buy time and de-escalate tensions between Greece and Turkey...

25. Ombudswoman delivers annual report to Cyprus President

Ombudswoman Maria Stylianou-Lottides delivered her report for the years 2018 and 2019 to President Nicos Anastasiades during a meeting at the Presidential Palace on Friday....

26. Stern warning issued to Turkish vessel

Amid heightened tensions, Greek military sources have told Kathimerini that if cables of the Turkish Oruc Reis seismic research vessel touch the Greek continental shelf, Turkey will have the “complete and exclusive” responsibility for what will follow....

27. Church bells toll for Hagia Sophia

Archbishop of Cyprus Chrysostomos has ordered church bells across the island to ring on Friday, marking what he described as a “criminal conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque"...

28. Greece ‘overreacted’ to Turkish research mission, Erdogan spokesman says

Ibrahim Kalin, spokesman of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said Thursday that Greece had “overreacted” to plans by Turkey to proceed with an oil-and-gas research mission south of Greek islands in the Eastern Mediterranean....

29. Anastasiades: France's initiatives exemplify active role sought from EU

France's president on Thursday said it would be a serious error by the European Union to not respond to provocations in the Eastern Mediterranean and said he wanted more sanctions on those who violated Greek and Cypriot maritime space....

30. Cypriot president in Paris for talks

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades is set to meet French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Thursday, as the two leaders get together amid heightened rhetoric over the eastern Mediterranean...