Search

91. 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....

92. Dherynia rioter gets suspended sentence

A local judge in Famagusta handed down a 90-day suspended sentence to a man who pleaded guilty to rioting charges in connection with an incident at Dherynia checkpoint, while eight others await trial after pleading not guilty...

93. 15 days of hell in Varosha in the summer of '74

Varosha. August 19, 1974. Appartments, Block 10, apartment 2. There lived Michalakis Hadjipavlou, 30 years old, with his wife, Xenia Hadipavlou, aged 25, and two of their three children. Their firstborn, four-year-old Thomas, and two-year-old Marios, while their three-year-old daughter Maria was at a friend’s house in Larnaca....

94. Anti-vaxxers clash with police in Nicosia

Riot police clashed with protesters in west Nicosia on Thursday, where a demonstration took place against vaccinations and health restrictions imposed by the government...

95. EU to talk Turkey after all is said and done

The 'Turkey issue' is far from clear as EU leaders prepare to meet on Thursday, with Ankara accusing Athens of taking a provocative stance and Paris laying it all out before the Union could resume talks with NATO’s eastern flank member...

96. No ‘cold turkey’ route as EU ministers meet

No big steps are expected Monday as EU foreign ministers meet to evaluate possible sanctions against Turkey, laying the groundwork for a more substantive debate between EU leaders later in the week...

97. Turks reject European resolution on Varosha

Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot administration have criticized a European Parliament vote on Varosha, saying the EPP resolution ignores Turkish Cypriots on the island and 'unjustly' accuses Turkey...

98. Tatar goes to Ankara with clean slate

Newly-elected Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar is visiting Ankara on Monday, following his first tell-all interview with Turkish media after being sworn into office...

99. Divided island braces for Dherynia protest

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades has called on Greek Cypriot bikers to be on their best behaviour during Saturday’s demonstration in Dherynia, warning that Turkish anti-protesters would look for an opportunity to use any unruly action as a pretext to start a riot...

100. Dherynia riot suspects face judge

Six male suspects are in custody over the Dherynia checkpoint riot on Sunday, when hooded men stormed into the buffer zone shouting anti-Turkish slogans and causing property damage...

101. Pro-Greek protesters breach checkpoint

Pro-Greek protesters from the south breached security at the Dherynia checkpoint on Sunday evening, while a video emerged showing masked men holding baseball bats, throwing flares, and chanting slogans against Turkey during the incident...

102. Pompeo sees window of opportunity for dialogue, in Kathimerini interview

In an interview with Kathimerini, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo deplores the use of threats and unilateral actions as a way of resolving bilateral disputes, sending a clear signal to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan....

103. NATO keeps France-Turkey probe under wraps as tempers flare

A NATO investigation into a naval standoff between French and Turkish ships in June has been rated too sensitive to discuss in public and does not apportion blame, as Paris and Ankara wage a war of words, diplomats have told Reuters....

104. Greek PM proposes fresh talks with Turkey on maritime zones, or World Court

Greece’s Prime Minister reiterated a call for bilateral talks with Turkey on the delimitation of maritime zones in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean, adding that if these don’t work, they should refer the issue to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague....

105. 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"...

106. As EU mulls sanctions, Turkey defiant

The European Union is seeking ways of imposing sanctions on Turkey in the event that its transgressions in the East Mediterranean are scaled up, and in the wake of its decision to convert Hagia Sophia into a mosque. ...

107. Harsh words for Turkey from archbishop

Archbishop of Cyprus Chrysostomos has slammed Turkey over the country’s decision to allow Hagia Sophia to revert from museum back to mosque status, accusing Turks of having no respect for the civilized world...

108. Hagia Sophia mosque conversion verdict expected within 15 days, says report

A verdict on whether Hagia Sophia in Istanbul will be converted into a mosque is to be issued within 15 days, Turkey’s Daily Sabah reported Thursday....

109. Post-lockdown jump in coronavirus cases rattles Turkish officials

Turkey may have to adopt a harder line on social interactions following a worrying jump in coronavirus infections but it has no plans to reverse an easing of lockdown restrictions aimed at reviving the economy, officials say....

110. 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....

111. EU bans two Turks over drilling off Cyprus

The European Union has imposed sanctions on two Turkish nationals in connection with their company’s drilling activities off Cyprus...

112. Pressed in Syria, Turkey ups the ante in the East Med

113. Turkey deploys extremists to Libya, local militias say

Syrian militants affiliated with groups such as al-Qaida and the Islamic State group are currently being sent by Turkey to fight on behalf of the UN-supported government in Libya, according to two Libyan militia leaders and a Syrian war monitor....

114. EU diplomats to impose sanctions on two Turks over Cyprus EEZ drilling

Cyprus, Turkey, EU, drilling, EEZ, sanctions...

115. Tough dilemmas in Greek-Turkish affairs

Turkey’s claims in the Aegean were first brought to the table in 1973 and have escalated ever since, reaching successive peaks over 10 to 15 years and multiplying...

116. Turkey warns US over Cyprus arms embargo

Ankara has warned Washington that an impending lift of a US arms embargo on the Republic of Cyprus is a “dangerous escalation” that would hamper efforts to reach a peace settlement on the divided island...

117. Kurd arrested north on terrorism charges

A man of Kurdish origins who has been arrested by Turkish Cypriot police in the north is accused of being a member of a terrorist organization...

118. Akinci stands ground in Facebook fallout

Political parties in the north are scrambling to pass a mutual statement through the assembly following controversial comments made by the Turkish Cypriot leader regarding Ankara’s offensive in Syria...

119. Trump hopes to mediate between Turkey and Kurds

US President Donald Trump has put three options on the table for US action following heavy criticism and worldwide condemnation of Turkey’s military offensive in Syria...

120. Cypriot president: Turkish offensive ‘unjustified’

President Nicos Anastasiades has described the Turkish military offensive in Syria as “unlawful and arbitrary"...