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1891. Position on Varosha 'very clear' and unchanged, Security Council President says

The position of the Security Council on Varosha is very clear and has not changed, said Ambassador Marc Pecsteen de Buytswerve, the Permanent Representative of Belgium presiding over the UN body this month....

1892. Coronavirus checks to be stepped up at checkpoints

Cyprus authorities decided on Wednesday to ramp up checks for coronavirus at checkpoints through an increase of the number of police stationed there....

1893. 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....

1894. Mitsotakis: Turkey-Libya deal a ‘threat’ to states in the region

The agreement on maritime boundaries in the Mediterranean Sea signed between Turkey and Libya’s Tripoli-based government is in violation of international law and poses a threat to other states in the region, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has said....

1895. Christodoulides and Lavrov discuss bilateral relations, cooperation at UN

The Foreign Ministers of Russia and Cyprus discussed on Tuesday bilateral relations, regional issues and cooperation at the United Nations level, according to an announcement by the Russian Foreign Ministry....

1896. Interior Minister talks migration, Cyprus investment program with EU officials in Brussels

Interior Minister Nicos Nouris informed the EU Commission’s Vice-President Margaritis Schoinas on Cyprus’ needs and the issues the country faces in dealing with the increased flow of migrants, ahead of the presentation of relevant proposals by the Commission next month....

1897. Christodoulides talks Turkish activity in EEZ, Varosha with UNSG

Foreign Minister Nicos Christodoulides met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Geneva on Monday....

1898. Six coronavirus cases discovered in north Italy, hundreds to be tested

Six people have tested positive in Italy for coronavirus, the northern Lombardy region said on Friday, in the first known cases of local transmission of the potentially deadly illness in the country....

1899. Summit standoff as EU leaders grapple with Brexit-sized hole in budget

EU leaders made no headway on Thursday in fractious talks on a joint 2021-27 budget that was left with a 75 billion-euro (62.9 billion pounds) hole after Britain’s departure at a time when they face costly new challenges from climate change to migration....

1900. Cyprus Econ Council begins work on future sustainable growth blueprint

The Cyprus Economy and Competitiveness Council (CECC) has announced the start of a project aiming to draft a blueprint on Cyprus’ future long term sustainable economic growth....

1901. Potatoes to be brought in from the north after cold blast damages crops

Potatoes harvested in the north will be transferred next Monday to government-controlled areas, where potato crops suffered heavy blows after successive days of heavy rain and frost....

1902. Cyprus 'golden passports' scheme a laundering risk, says watchdog

A European money laundering watchdog has cautioned that a secretive investment-for-passports programme run by Cyprus was vulnerable to money laundering and fraught with risk...

1903. 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....

1904. National Action Plan in the works to increase role of women in conflict situations

A preliminary draft has been completed of the island’s first ever National Action Plan (NAP) for the implementation of UN resolution 1325, entitled ‘Women, Peace and Security’, which reaffirms the important role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts....

1905. Tusk pledges support for Cyprus

Donald Tusk, the recently-appointed head of the European People’s Party (EPP), affirmed his support for Cyprus’ efforts to “protect its independence and sovereignty in all aspects.”...

1906. Parents cry foul as students plan strike

Organized parents in Cyprus are calling on high school students to call off a strike scheduled for Wednesday, as critics warn that protests against semester-based exams are getting out of hand...

1907. Greece not trying to create ‘anti-Turkish front,’ Greek FM says

Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias says Greece is not trying to drum up opposition against Turkey but rather support for what is reasonable and would enable more cooperation in the Mediterranean....

1908. UN says its plan for military contacts not recognition

The UN intend to enquire both sides in Cyprus about their ideas concerning the establishment of an effective mechanism for direct military contacts, after a relevant reference in the UNFICYP resolution the Security Council passed Thursday. ...

1909. Serious planning, not tough-guy posturing

1910. Cyprus ready for five-party meeting, Anastasiades tells Lute

Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades shared a phone call on Wednesday with UN special envoy Jane Holl Lute, expressing his readiness to take part in an informal five-party conference with the aim of reaching an agreement on the terms of reference that would allow the resumption of peace talks....

1911. Cyprus taps into Europe’s mountain know-how

Cyprus is hosting a European conference on mountain areas of large Mediterranean islands, hoping to gain valuable information and know-how from countries with a long tradition in managing mountain area policies...

1912. UNFICYP draft under ‘silence procedure’

A resolution renewing the mandate of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus for an additional six months is under the “silence procedure” and it is expected to be adopted on Thursday if no member breaks the silence...

1913. Greece, Cyprus talk defence cooperation

Cooperation on defence and security is main discussion topic between Defence Minister Savvas Angelides and his Greek counterpart, Nicos Panayiotopoulos, in the framework of the 6th Greece-Cyprus Intergovernmental Defence Council taking place in Athens....

1914. Nicosia ups efforts ahead of UNFICYP vote

Nicosia is intensifying efforts over the final makeup of an UNFICYP draft resolution in New York, as the mandate of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus is expected to be renewed ahead of its expiry at the end of the month...

1915. Greece elects first woman president

Greece’s parliament elected former Council of State head Katerina Sakellaropoulou as the country’s next president on Wednesday, a largely ceremonial role that also brings with it limited political powers...

1916. Nicosia suspicious over Yavuz drilling spots

The government of the Republic of Cyprus believes Turkey has obtained privileged drilling information regarding an area off the southern coast of the island...

1917. Nicosia and Athens condemn Ankara's illegal drilling

The Government of Cyprus publicly condemned Turkey’s newly planned illegal drilling within the Exclusive Economic Zone and continental shelf of the Republic of Cyprus, while the Greek Foreign Ministry strongly condemned Turkey΄s plans, stressing that their actions have neither legal effect nor create fait accompli....

1918. Libya’s Haftar in Athens for talks

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis vowed on Thursday to veto any solution on the North African country if the maritime border deal between the Tripoli-based government with Turkey is not scrapped...

1919. US Congresspersons: USA and UNSC members must continue supporting peacemaking efforts in Cyprus

The United States and the other members of the UN Security Council must continue to support peacemaking efforts in Cyprus, Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) and Congressman Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), co-chairs of the bipartisan Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Caucus stressed....

1920. Brussels cannot accept the Turkish behaviour in Cyprus EEZ

The EU cannot accept the behaviour of Turkey and will stand strongly by the side of Cyprus, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday, January 14th, while Andrej Plenkovic, Prime Minister of Croatia whose country holds the EU rotating presidency, stated that their policy will remain within the context of EU Council conclusions....