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1651. Greek and Turkish warships in 'mini collision,' says defense source

A Greek and a Turkish warship were involved in a mini-collision on Wednesday during a standoff in the eastern Mediterranean, a Greek defense source said, describing it as an "accident."...

1652. EastMed diplomatic marathon in full swing

European Council President Charles Michel on Thursday held a telephone conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to the former’s spokesman Barend Leyts....

1653. Borrell calls extraordinary Foreign Affairs Council meeting

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

1654. 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....

1655. 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....

1656. Turkey says it will license new Mediterranean areas this month

Turkey will issue seismic exploration and drilling licenses in new areas of the eastern Mediterranean by the end of August and continue its operations in the region, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Tuesday, amid tensions with Greece....

1657. Regional tensions flare up anew as Turkey issues new Navtex

1658. Cyprus updates risk-based classification of countries

Cyprus on Tuesday issued an updated epidemiological risk-based classification of countries, including three amendments as regards Greece, Thailand and Morocco. The new classification will come into effect on August 6....

1659. Ozersay says Varosha opening certain

Varosha could be opened to its former residents under Turkish Cypriot administration, says Kudret Ozersay, adding that the process of reviving Cyprus’ ghost town after the pandemic crisis cannot be halted...

1660. UNFICYP renewal invokes reactions

The United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted a new resolution on Tuesday, providing for the renewal of the mandate for the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus for another six months while also invoking mixed reactions...

1661. Borrell, Cavusoglu agree on need to de-escalate EastMed tension

EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell held a telephone conversation on Thursday with the Turkish Foreign Minister Melvut Cavusoglu, with the two agreeing on the need to de-escalate tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean. ...

1662. 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....

1663. EU summit breaks up after all-night talks, to resume later

A marathon European Union summit has broken up temporarily in the fourth day of acrimonious haggling over an unprecedented 1.85 trillion-euro ($2.1 trillion) EU budget and coronavirus recovery fund to tackle the crisis. The weary leaders were scheduled to resume the meeting Monday afternoon....

1664. Cyprus President calls for EU sanctions against Turkey

President of the Republic of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades and the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis addressed the matter of the two countries’ relations with Turkey at the EU Foreign Affairs Council held in Brussels on Friday, with both demanding that additional sanctions are imposed against Turkey....

1665. Tseriou Avenue revamp plans picking up speed

1666. Greek-Turkish ties come under strain

The already tense relationship between Greece and Turkey has been strained further in the wake of Ankara’s leaking of a supposedly secret meeting between Greek, Turkish and German officials following Turkey’s controversial decision to convert Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia into a mosque and amid an increasingly aggressive Turkish stance in the East Mediterranean. The already tense relationship between Greece and Turkey has been strained further in the wake of Ankara’s leaking of a supposedly secret meeting between Greek, Turkish and German officials following Turkey’s controversial decision to convert Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia into a mosque and amid an increasingly aggressive Turkish stance in the East Mediterranean. ...

1667. Berlin bridge-building effort undermined by Ankara

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Tuesday revealed that a secret trilateral meeting between Turkish, German and Greek officials, mediated by Berlin, took place ahead of the European Union Foreign Affairs Council on Monday in the wake of Turkey’s controversial decision to convert Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia into a mosque. ...

1668. Cyprus among five countries that present UNSG with note verbale on Tukey-Libya MoU

Cyprus, Bahrain, Egypt, Greece and Saudi Arabia have presented a note verbale to the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterrres, outlining the reasons why the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Government of the Republic of Turkey and the Government of National Accord of Libya on the delimitation of maritime jurisdiction areas in the Mediterranean in Istanbul on 27 November 2019 should not be registered by the UN Secretariat in the list of international treaties....

1669. Cyprus President meets with UNSG's Special Representative

President of the Republic of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades held a meeting on Wednesday morning with the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative in Cyprus and head of the UN peacekeeping force on the island (UNFICYP), Elizabeth Spehar....

1670. Turkey issues Navtex in Cyprus’ EEZ

Turkey has issued a new Navigational Telex (Navtex), reserving a maritime area within Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) for drilling activities, Greece's Skai reported on Wednesday....

1671. Presidents of Cyprus, Greece discuss escalating Turkish provocations

Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades and Greece’s President Katerina Sakellaropoulou held their first meeting in Athens on Tuesday, focusing the discussion on Turkey’s actions in the region and the close ties between the two countries....

1672. EU to discuss new names for further sanctions against Turkey

EU Foreign Ministers agreed at the Foreign Affairs Council held Monday in Brussels that the Working Party of Foreign Relations Counsellors (RELEX) that convenes on Thursday should discuss imposing further sanctions against Turkey in view of its provocations in the Cyprus EEZ....

1673. UNSG report on his good offices in Cyprus obtained by Kathimerini Cyprus

The 39-page advance copy of the Report of the UN Secretary-General on his mission of good offices in Cyprus was obtained by Kathimerini Cyprus....

1674. Christodoulides, Dendias discuss Turkey with Borrell on sidelines of EU meeting

Relations between the European Union and Turkey were at the center of talks Monday between the bloc’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias and his Cypriot counterpart Nikos Christodoulides....

1675. 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...

1676. Turkish court rules to let Hagia Sophia return as mosque

1677. Excellent relations with Russia, China will not be disrupted, Cyprus President says

The excellent relations Cyprus has with Russia and China will not be disrupted, President Nicos Anastasiades said on Thursday, commenting on a US decision to include Cyprus in its military education and training program....

1678. Divided Cyprus reacts to Hagia Sophia

Cyprus has weighed in on Turkey’s controversial decision to allow Muslim prayer inside Hagia Sophia, with different reactions across the divided island and amid reports of nuanced differences in President Erdogan's statements in two different languages...

1679. Only through dialogue can the Mediterranean regain stability, Borrell says

The Mediterranean can be a more secure and stable zone only through dialogue, the EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said at the European Parliament’s plenary session on Turkey in Brussels. ...

1680. Anastasiades fires back at Turkish FM's 'insolent' comments

Our task is to achieve the suspension of Turkey’s unbridled ambition to impose its own version of international law in order to serve its expansionist policies, President Nicos Anastasiades said Tuesday in response to what he described as “insolent” statements issued by the Turkish Foreign Minister on Monday....