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1231. 14 EU countries demand Syria govt, Russia return to 2018 ceasefire deal

Foreign ministers from 14 European countries, including France and Germany, demanded on Wednesday that Syrian government forces and their Russian backers end their offensive in Idlib province and return to the terms of a 2018 ceasefire deal....

1232. 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....

1233. Pressed in Syria, Turkey ups the ante in the East Med

1234. Military clash with Syria is imminent, Erdogan says

Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday a Turkish military operation to push back a Syrian government offensive against rebel strongholds in northwest Syria was now “a matter of time” after talks with Russia failed to halt the assault....

1235. Athens drafts package to ease tension with Anakara

Athens plans to present a package of proposals to ease Aegean tensions in talks with Ankara on confidence building measures on February 17-21....

1236. Health Minister travels to Brussels for extraordinary EU coronavirus meeting

Amid growing concerns over coronavirus, Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou will be rushing to Brussels on Wednesday after the European Union called for an emergency meeting of EU Health Ministers on Thursday....

1237. Turkish delegation to visit Moscow to discuss Syria's Idlib

A Turkish delegation will go to Moscow in coming days to discuss the escalating conflict in Syria’s Idlib region, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Wednesday, adding that around 1 million people had been displaced there due to Russian-backed Syrian attacks....

1238. European Commission to stamp out illegal pet trade

The European Commission will boost efforts to stamp out the illegal trade in pets, particularly cats and dogs, in the EU, the Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides said....

1239. Syria displacement is worst since conflict began, UN says

More people have fled fighting in Syria over the past 10 weeks than at any other time in the 9-year-old conflict and the city of Idlib, where many are sheltering, could become a graveyard if hostilities continue, two U.N. agencies said on Tuesday....

1240. Cavusoglu slams Akinci after comment that Turkey-north annexation would be 'horrible'

“I’ve never worked with a more unreliable politician,” the Turkish Foreign Minister Melvut Cavusoglu said on Monday, referring to the Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci in response to an interview where Akinci said the prospect of Crimea-style annexation with Turkey was “horrible”....

1241. Cyprus to purchase arms worth €240m from France

Contracts have been signed for the purchase of military equipment worth €240 million from France, Defence Ministry announced on Friday, confirming recent reports in French media....

1242. Flagship of French navy off the coast of Limassol

The Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, the flagship of the French navy, sailed through Block 8 of Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone on Thursday, passing alongside the Turkish Yavuz drillship bringing rising tensions to the region....

1243. Structural support work begins on historic 'Spitfire' coffeeshop

Cleaning and structural support work has begun on the iconic but dilapidated Spitfire coffeeshop located on the Green Line, at the Paphos Gate area of the Nicosia walls, the Nicosia municipality announced on Wednesday....

1244. 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....

1245. Istanbul street sign draws attention

A street sign in Larnaca was the topic of a heated discussion on Facebook, with social media users calling on the city to remove “Istanbul Street” in the Turkish Cypriot borough...

1246. 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”....

1247. Greek position on EU migration pact

Greece’s position regarding the future of the migration and asylum pact that the European Commission is expected to table in the coming months rests on three fundamental principles: a European solution to a European challenge, a fair system that will stand the test of time, and the preservation of the European Union’s core values as enshrined in the EU Treaty....

1248. Cyprus ready to conduct coronavirus tests locally

On Monday afternoon Cyprus will be ready to begin conducting specialised coronavirus tests, Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou said....

1249. Orca sighting caught on video

A video posted online by Lebanese fishermen shows a killer whale in waters between Cyprus and Lebanon, in what is considered a rare sighting in the Mediterranean...

1250. Two leaders to meet for coronavirus cooperation

President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci will meet next Monday to discuss possible ways of cooperation in view of protecting the Cyprus population, both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, from the coronavirus....

1251. Cyprus rejects Ankara call for a stop to drilling

Nicosia on Thursday rejected a call by Ankara for a halt to drilling activities off the island's south as a precondition for it to stop its own activities off the divided island. ...

1252. WHO declares a global health emergency

The World Health Organization has declared coronavirus a global health emergency, saying the fast-spreading virus has infected more than 8200 people across the world...

1253. Registration of UK nationals living in Cyprus pushes on

As the Brexit clock ticks down, the Civil Registry and Migration Department is continuing efforts to register UK nationals living in Cyprus, while special efforts are being made to accommodate some 5,000 UK nationals with mobility issues....

1254. EU's Turkey rapporteur says Ankara-Tripoli maritime deal has no legal bearing

A deal between Ankara and Libya’s Tripoli-based government on maritime borders does not have any legal bearing for other countries, European Parliament rapporteur on Turkey, Nacho Sanchez Amor, told state-run news agency ANA-MPA on Thursday....

1255. Greece wants floating fence to keep migrants out

Greece wants to install a floating barrier in the Aegean Sea to deter migrants arriving at its islands’ shores through Turkey, government officials said on Thursday....

1256. Mitsotakis calls for greater European solidarity on Turkey, migration

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has called for greater European solidarity in dealing with Turkish provocations against Greek sovereignty and the immigration crisis....

1257. EU tells UK it will 'never, never, never' compromise on single market

The European Union will “never, never, never” compromise on the integrity of its single market, its chief Brexit negotiator warned Britain on Monday, saying London must now face reality after underestimating the costs of leaving....

1258. French Navy helicopter carrier docks at Piraeus

The Dixmude amphibious assault ship, a type of helicopter carrier part of the French Navy, will take part in a Hellenic Armed Forces exercise called "Alexander the Great," which began on Monday....

1259. Cypriot president joins leaders in Jerusalem

World leaders and royalty from around the world gathered in Israel on Wednesday to attend a Holocaust forum in Jerusalem, marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp...

1260. Turkey blocks Cyprus from Geneva conference

Turkey has blocked a request from the Republic of Cyprus to take part in the global Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, as an adversarial relationship between the two countries is growing more intense...