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1891. UN pick Greek Holy Week for sitdown

An informal 'five plus one' meeting on Cyprus will take place in Geneva during Greek Orthodox Holy Week, after a UN spokesperson confirmed location and dates for yet another historic sitdown...

1892. Turkey says Greek fighter jets ‘harassed’ research vessel; Greece rejects claim

Greek fighter jets “harassed” Turkey’s research vessel Cesme while it was sailing in international waters in the Northern Aegean, National Defense Ministry sources were cited as saying on Tuesday by Turkey’s state-run news agency Anadolu....

1893. Guterres reassures Cyprus’ UN ambassador

Secretary General Antonio Guterres has told the new Cypriot UN Ambassador that the international organization and himself personally are “committed” to Cyprus and its people, reiterating his intention to convene an informal 5+1 sitdown soon...

1894. Erdogan wishes to improve testy relations with US

Turkey’s president says mutual interests with the United States outweigh their differences and has called for more cooperation with President Joe Biden’s new US administration....

1895. Guterres to announce 5+1 sitdown ‘very soon’

UN officials have reiterated the Secretary General’s intent to move forward with the 5+1 informal meeting 'very soon,' following rumours in the media that not everyone was on board for the sit-down...

1896. Athens protests new Turkish Navtex

Greece’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday lodged a demarche with Turkey’s Foreign Ministry through its embassy in Ankara in protest at the announced plans for an upcoming Turkish hydrographic survey between the Greek islands of Limnos, Skyros and Alonnisos from Thursday to March 2. ...

1897. Turkey faced with Greece’s EU membership and diaspora

Last week, the Turkish minister of defense once again denounced what he perceived as Greek attempts to reframe Greco-Turkish disputes as wider disputes between Turkey and third parties, powerful countries or regional entities....

1898. 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....

1899. Turkey's expansionist policies unacceptable, Cyprus govt says

Turkey must realize that we do not accept its expansionist policies, government spokesman Kyriakos said Thursday in response to statements issued by Turkish officials. ...

1900. Oktay: Forget any bargaining over Varosha

1901. UK states it is a 'strong supporter' of federal Cyprob solution

The UK remains a “strong supporter” of a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement to the Cyprus issue based on the internationally accepted model of a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation, a government source in London has said. ...

1902. Erdogan says only solution on Cyprus is two states

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that the only way to resolve decades of dispute over Cyprus was to establish two states on the island, and a federation favored by Athens would not be on the agenda of upcoming talks....

1903. US against two-state deal on Cyprus, Heather A. Conley tells Kathimerini

Heather A. Conley is no stranger to Greece as she has made a point of visiting the country every year and also participated in the 2019 Delphi Forum – the last that actually took place in Delphi. A Washington veteran, she is senior vice president for Europe, Eurasia and the Arctic and director of the Europe, Russia and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)....

1904. North updates information on patient zero

Turkish Cypriot media are reporting on new information about patient zero in the north, saying the first known case to have contracted the coronavirus was not a German tourist after all but a local teenager whose sample had been tracked down by a team of scientists...

1905. When the lights of the Palace begin to dim

The testimonies of 2013, say that in those critical days of the savings levy, there was a crowd of people on the hill of the presidential palace....

1906. Turkey reportedly purchases fourth drillship

Turkish media on Tuesday were reporting the purchase of a fourth drillship by the government in Ankara....

1907. From Bismarck to Merkel

'Turks and Germans loved each other for a long time,' Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during a visit to Berlin in 2018. He was citing the historic words of Germany’s first chancellor, Otto von Bismarck, which still seem to determine Berlin’s policy on Ankara. We should recognize this reality as we enter a new geopolitical era, without succumbing to sentimentalism and spasmodic reactions....

1908. Halloumi producers concerned over slowing exports

Producers of the traditional Cypriot cheese halloumi saw a reduction in the growth of their exports, as orders have been cancelled and quantities left undelivered as a result of the tight grip of restriction measures across the EU....

1909. US says Turkish coup claims 'wholly false'

The US State Department said on Thursday assertions by Turkish officials that the United States was involved in a failed 2016 coup in Turkey were 'wholly false'...

1910. Turkish minister says US behind 2016 failed coup attempt

Turkey's interior minister accused the United States on Thursday of being behind a 2016 failed coup that Ankara has blamed on a US-based Muslim preacher, the Hurriyet daily reported, at a time when Turkey is seeking improved ties with its NATO ally....

1911. Raab calls for flexibility and compromise in Cyprob talks

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab called for flexibility ahead of a fresh bid by the United Nations to resume efforts towards resolving the Cyprus Problem....

1912. 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....

1913. Nikos Kotzias in Kathimerini: Foreign policy and exploratory talks

Greece’s exploratory talks with Turkey are not a dialogue for the sake of dialogue. They are a structured debate in which both sides invest for a series of achievements. Greece’s target, as far as exploratory talks are concerned, has always been:...

1914. Two sides mount coordinating efforts with guarantor powers

Along with the visit of the Turkish FM to the north on Monday and the expected arrival of the UK Foreign Secretary later in the week, the Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis will also be paying a visit to Cyprus over the coming days as the two sides and the three guarantor powers mount efforts to coordinate positions ahead of the informal five-party summit on the Cyprus Problem next month....

1915. UNSG says willing to hear suggestions of all parties

The UN Security Council’s mandate refers explicitly to a bizonal, bicommunal solution in Cyprus, but this is not an impediment for the parties to present their positions, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres told a press conference on Thursday....

1916. Defence Minister, Egyptian Ambassador discuss defense cooperation

Bilateral cooperation in the fields of defence and security and the implementation of the Bilateral Defence Cooperation Program for 2021 was on the agenda of a meeting between Cyprus' Defence Minister Charalambos Petrides with the new Ambassador of Egypt Amr Mohsen Hamza on Thursday....

1917. EU keeping close eye on Turkish moves

European Union foreign ministers have agreed to a “wait-and-see” approach towards Turkey, with some member-states appearing more skeptical of Ankara’s recent overtures....

1918. Greece, France to sign $2.8 billion fighter jet deal

Greece is due to sign a 2.3 billion-euro ($2.8 billion) deal with France on Monday to purchase 18 Rafale fighter jets as tensions grow with neighbor Turkey....

1919. Informal Cyprob summit to take place in New York's Greentree

Cyprus’ outgoing Permanent Representative to the UN and Greek Cypriot negotiator, Andreas Mavroyiannis, said Monday that the informal five-party summit on the Cyprus Problem which the UN Secretary-General (UNSG) Antonio Guterres intends to convene is an ambitious project, adding that "we must not lose the window of opportunity that lies before us." ...

1920. Greece and Turkey resume exploratory talks

Exploratory contacts between Greece and Turkey are set to resume in Istanbul, with Ankara trying to gain an upper hand over the agenda and Athens appearing to have low expectations citing disagreement on both sides on what to discuss...