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481. Borrell says EU ‘determined’ to protect external borders

The European Union is “determined” to protect its external borders and Greece’s territory, the bloc’s high representative for foreign affairs, Josep Borrell, said during a visit at Greece’s northeastern border on Wednesday....

482. Cyprus president calls off Israel visit

Republic of Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades has called off a visit to Israel next week, citing coronavirus concerns, just a day after the Greek Premier concluded his first foreign trip the neighbouring country...

483. 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....

484. 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....

485. Cyprus cries foul over Turkey’s pick at UNGA

Cyprus and Armenia have sent a letter to the UN Secretary-General explaining the reasons why the two countries object to the election by silence procedure of Volkan Bozkir of Turkey as President of the UN General Assembly at its 75 session...

486. Med7 calls on Turkey to respect law of the sea

The foreign ministers of Greece, Cyprus, France, Italy, Malta, Portugal and Spain, a group dubbed the Med7, issued a joint declaration on Thursday calling on “all countries of the region to respect international law, including the law of the sea, and in particular the sovereignty and sovereign rights of EU member-states.” ...

487. Anastasides and Merkel discuss Turkish drilling plans, Covid-19 exit strategies

President Nicos Anastasiades and German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed on Thursday Turkey’s illegal drilling activities in the Cyprus Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), but also touched on the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic, and EU issues....

488. Greek PM says Greece ready for any challenge

Amid renewed tensions with Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stressed on Wednesday that Greece “will face all challenges with consistency, stability, confidence and always with a commitment to international law, as it always does.”...

489. EU top diplomat urges Turkey to respect Greece, Cyprus sovereignty

Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief, on Tuesday urged Turkey to respect the sovereignty of Greece and Cyprus....

490. Ankara sparks renewed tensions with Athens over claim for 24 blocks

Ankara on Tuesday responded to a complaint from Athens concerning a map published in the Turkish government’s gazette outlining areas where Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) has applied for exploration licenses, including several within Greece’s continental shelf, by insisting that these areas are within the boundaries Turkey has submitted to the United Nations. ...

491. Greek FM insists Evros fence will be completed

492. Lagarde draws line on how far ECB largesse can go

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde drew the line on how far the ECB could go in helping virus-stricken eurozone countries on Wednesday, saying lending to governments directly would be illegal and handing out cash to citizens difficult....

493. Turkey: ‘Maximalist and uncompromising attitude’ of Greece and Cyprus threatens regional peace

Turkey has reacted to Greece’s condemnation Tuesday of the country’s newly declared drilling within the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and continental shelf of the Republic of Cyprus....

494. Greece condemns Turkey’s drilling intentions in Cyprus’ EEZ

Greece on Tuesday condemned Turkey’s announced intention to continue drilling inside Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ), saying it ignores calls by the international community to respect international law....

495. UNHCR steps in to ensure refugees in Cyprus receive proper protection

The UNHCR office in Cyprus has stressed that refugees must be included in the government’s planning and response to the Covid-19 pandemic, offering hands-on solutions to the myriad problems in the government’s handling of refugee and asylum procedures that have only been exacerbated by the current crisis....

496. Erdogan likens Greek authorities to Nazis

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday said there is “no difference” between Nazis and the Greek authorities trying to hold the country’s border against the influx of thousands of migrants and refugees spurred to push into the European Union by Ankara....

497. Cyprus President to hold private meeting with Prince Charles on March 19

Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades on March 19 will hold a private meeting with Charles, the Prince of Wales, who will be paying the island an official visit between March 18-21....

498. EU executive tells Turkey to take migrants back from Greek border

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said ahead of talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Turkey must move refugees and migrants away from the Greek border....

499. Anastasiades dubs UNFICYP position 'unfortunate' intervention

President Nicos Anastasiades on Friday described the statement issued by UNFICYP as “unfortunate”, noting that such announcements go beyond its mission as a peacekeeping force....

500. Greek forces use tear gas to repel migrants

Greek riot police and troops used water cannon and tear gas on Wednesday against hundreds of migrants as they made another attempt to cross the border from Turkey into Greece....

501. Greek army, police dig in along Turkey border after migrant clashes

Greek troops and riot police remained on high alert on Tuesday along the land border between Greece and Turkey, the main flashpoint in an escalating row between the EU and Ankara over how to deal with a new wave of migrants and refugees....

502. Bulgaria wants in on EastMed energy cooperation

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev said on Tuesday that his country wishes to cooperate within the framework of the trilateral mechanism among Cyprus, Greece, and Israel in the energy field, adding that Bulgaria is geographically a natural continuation of these three countries....

503. Greek and French Defence Ministers declare united front

Greek and French Defence Ministers, Nikos Panagiotopoulos and Florence Parly, denounced Turkey’s illegal actions in the Eastern Mediterranean during their meeting in Athens on Monday....

504. Prince Charles and Camilla to visit Cyprus in March

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall will be flying over to Cyprus for their first joint official visit, to take place from March 18 until March 21, the British High Commission announced on Tuesday....

505. France stands by Greece and Cyprus, says French Defense Minister

France will stand by Greece and Cyprus, supporting both in their disputes with Turkey over maritime zones in the Mediterranean, French Defence Minister Florence Parly was quoted saying in a Greek newspaper on Sunday....

506. Cyprus and Norway prepare to sign energy MoU

Cyprus and Norway began preparations on Friday to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on energy issues, that will contain provisions for the exchange of expertise in relation to the national hydrocarbon fund (sovereign fund), among other things....

507. Cavusoglu: Greece must be prepared to share in the East Med

Turkey is willing to reach a compromise with Greece as long as the latter is prepared to share in the Eastern Mediterranean, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday....

508. Amid tension, Greece, Turkey hold military-to-military talks

A delegation of Turkish military officials is due in Athens to resume confidence-building talks amid tension between the two NATO members over maritime oil-and-gas drilling rights....

509. Nicosia to press on with energy plans

Republic of Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades says Nicosia’s energy plans are moving forward while criticizing Ankara for seeking preconditions for dialogue...

510. Dendias: Athens, Rome view Turkey-Libya MoU as 'illegal, groundless'

After a meeting on Tuesday with Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio, Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias said on Tuesday that Athens and Rome both view the memorandum of understanding between Turkey and the Tripoli-based government of Libya on maritime borders as “illegal and groundless”....