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1111. Pressed in Syria, Turkey ups the ante in the East Med

1112. 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....

1113. Greek-US ties and the East Med

By Lieutenant General Thomas Trask On the occasion of his meeting last month with President Donald Trump in Washington, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis remarked how the US-Greece relationship “is the best it ever was. But it can become even better.”...

1114. Israeli FM director-general in Athens for talks

Israel’s Foreign Ministry director-general Yuval Rotem will visit Athens Wednesday for talks with Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias and other officials, the Israeli embassy announced....

1115. Italian Navy frigate departs from Larnaca port after joint military exercise

The Italian Navy’s frigate Virginio Fasan departed from the Larnaca port on Tuesday after being docked there from February 8 to 10 as part of patrolling operations in the Eastern Mediterranean, the Italian embassy in Nicosia announced....

1116. Cavusoglu: Turkey is prepared to cooperate with all apart from G/C

Turkey is prepared to cooperate with everyone apart from the Republic of Cyprus in the Eastern Mediterranean, including Greece, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said....

1117. US president hails close ties between Washington and Athens

1118. 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....

1119. French aircraft carrier in Cyprus Block 8

Amid rising tensions in the East Mediterranean, the flagship of the French Navy, aircraft carrier Charles De Gaulle, remains in Block 8 of Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone, bearing a small fleet of Rafale fighter jets, helicopters, other aircraft and drones....

1120. EU diplomats to impose sanctions on two Turks over Cyprus EEZ drilling

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

1121. 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....

1122. Wuhan coronavirus close to strand in bats

A coronavirus known to live in bats is the closest strain of the 2019-nCoV virus that first appeared in China's Wuhan region and has since spread to other parts of Asia, with cases reported in Europe, Australia and North America, a study by Greek scientists at Athens University and the University of Crete has revealed....

1123. Theocharis Lalacos appointed Greek Ambassador to Cyprus

1124. 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...

1125. Charles De Gaulle to dock in Limassol, demonstrating fortified ties

The flagship of the French Navy, aircraft carrier Charles De Gaulle, will be docking at Limassol port at the end of February, prior to the wrapping up of its Eastern Mediterranean mission, Ambassador of France to Cyprus Isabelle Dumont told the Cyprus News Agency on Tuesday....

1126. Tripartite meetings do little to bolster Turkey relations

Tripartite meetings constitute one of the most successful initiatives of the island’s foreign policy, though they do little toward Cyprus’ problems with Turkey, prominent academic and former diplomat to Cyprus Michalis Attalides told Kathimerini in an interview....

1127. 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...

1128. Cyprus hopes to join US visa waiver

Cypriot officials say they are setting up a task force aimed at including the country in the US visa waiver programme the soonest possible...

1129. President: Cyprus does what is necessary for stability and peace in the region

President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades said on Tuesday, January 14th, that the government does whatever is necessary, through diplomatic means, in order for international law, stability and peace in the region to prevail....

1130. Effort at international level for Cyprus missing persons to be intensified

Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades and the Pancyprian Organisation of the Relatives of Undeclared Prisoners and Missing Persons discussed on Tuesday, ways to intensify the effort at an international, political and diplomatic level to be intensified so that Turkey can be pressured to cooperate in the matter of the missing persons in Cyprus, during a meeting at the Presidential Palace, in the presence of Foreign Affairs Minister Nikos Christodoulides and Presidency Commissioner on Humanitarian Issues Photis Photiou....

1131. Greece has asked Germany to participate in Libya summit

Greece has asked to attend a summit in Berlin which will discuss a path to peace in Libya, government spokesman Stelios Petsas revealed on Tuesday...

1132. Libya truce on shaky ground

Khalifa Haftar, commander of the Libyan National Army, has left Moscow without signing a ceasefire agreement drafted at talks in Russia on Monday...

1133. Libya blames maritime tensions on Greece

Libya has slammed Greece in a recent letter to the United Nations, accusing Athens of refusing to play fair, while US State Secretary Mike Pompeo says he is taking on a new initiative to de-escalate Greco-Turkish tensions over maritime borders...

1134. Both US and Iran claim ‘self defence’

Iranian UN ambassador has sent a letter to the UN Security Council calling Tehran’s missile strikes a "measured and proportionate" act of "self-defense,” while the US also says killing Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani was for self defence...

1135. Cyprus okays US ’forward deployed’ unit

Nicosia has accepted a request from Washington regarding the arrival of an American Rapid Deployment Forces unit for humanitarian purposes in case of an emergency...

1136. Iran escalation continues after midnight tweet

US President Donald Trump on Saturday threatened to hit 52 Iranian sites “very hard” if Iran attacks Americans or US assets after a drone strike that killed Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani, as tens of thousands of people marched in Iraq to mourn their deaths...

1137. US preemptive strike put to the test

The Trump administration on Friday justified its killing of a top Iranian general as an act of self-defense, trying to deflect accusations that it violated international law and concerns raised by legal experts and a senior UN rights investigator....

1138. Pompeo to visit Cyprus next week

US State Secretary Mike Pompeo is scheduled to visit Cyprus next week where he will meet separately with the two leaders and reaffirm his country’s support for a UN-led effort to reunify the island under a federal roof...

1139. 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...

1140. Cypriot FM works the phones over Libya

Cyprus Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides has been working the phones Thursday and Friday, discussing with counterparts of other nations the situation in Libya and a need to avoid illegal actions...