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1861. 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....

1862. Bill to update definition of rape, tighten penalty to life

A bill tightening the penalty for rape to life in prison is set to be tabled before Parliament next week....

1863. Pompeo: US ‘strongly’ supports dialogue between Greece and Turkey

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday said Washington “strongly” supports dialogue between Greece and Turkey amid tensions between the two countries in the Eastern Mediterranean....

1864. Bad blood continues over golden passports

A prolonged and bitter dispute between the interior minister and auditor general, over probing Cyprus’ golden passports scheme, was renewed this week following a mini report with details on a number of applications through citizenship by investment...

1865. Minister disfavors jail for Paralimni offenders

Justice Minister Emily Yiolitis has weighed in on reported incidents of animal abuse during a shocking Paralimni school prank, saying she is in favour of juvenile offenders doing community service at an animal shelter...

1866. Michel pulls plug on EU leaders summit

European Council President Charles Michel on Tuesday postponed without prior notice this week's EU leaders summit, where the bloc’s credibility is said to on the line, saying he would isolate himself following a coronavirus scare...

1867. Cyprus uses EU veto amid Turkey push

A scheduled teleconferenceon Tuesday between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Council President Charles Michel is expected to be pivotal for a crisis in Greek-Turkish relations which Berlin has been trying to defuse ahead of a summit of European Union leaders later this week...

1868. Nearly 100 asylum seekers flown out of Cyprus

Fourteen unaccompanied minors have been transferred from the Republic of Cyprus to Finland, while another 84 foreign nationals were flown back to their countries in what the government described as ‘voluntary returns'...

1869. France stands behind Cyprus, defends sanctions against Turkey

The EU must be ready to activate all its tools, including sanctions, against Turkey, French State Secretary for European Affairs Clément Beaune said Friday during a visit to Cyprus....

1870. EU solidarity to go beyond words, Michel tells Anastasiades

In a meeting with the European Council President Charles Michel on Wednesday, the President of the Republic of Cyprus expressed hope that EU member states will show a united front during next week’s extraordinary European Council summit on Turkey....

1871. Athens and Ankara in dialogue rehearsal

In the wake of the almost month-long standoff between Greece and Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean, the foreign ministers of both countries, Nikos Dendias and Mevlut Cavusoglu, give their analysis of the situation and the way forward in articles they wrote exclusively for Kathimerini...

1872. Sanctions unfeasible and ineffective

Nathalie Tocci was a close adviser to former EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, during the years when the Cyprus Problem came – according to many - closer than ever to a solution. Today, she is a close advisor to Josep Borrell and, having monitored the Cyprus Problem for many years and having played a central role in the effort to formulate a European strategy for foreign policy, she has a strong view not only on Cyprus but also on the Greek-Turkish conflict. At the same time, she takes a critical approach to the efforts exerted by Athens and Nicosia to link sanctions against Turkey with those against Belarus. ...

1873. Pompeo plans Saturday stopover in Cyprus

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is expected to visit Cyprus on Saturday in an effort to seek a resolution to mounting tensions in the eastern Mediterranean...

1874. Passports under the watchful eye of the Commission

1875. Charles Michel reiterates EU support for Greece, Cyprus in East Med row

European Council President Charles Michel on Monday reiterated European Union solidarity with Greece and Cyprus during a telephone conversation with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in which the increasingly tense situation in the Eastern Mediterranean was the key topic of discussion, according to sources....

1876. Urgent meeting after weekend refugee arrivals

Cypriot Interior Minister Nicos Nouris has called for an emergency meeting following a number of arrivals of undocumented migrants over the weekend, with some of them transported back to Lebanon and others facing the prospect of crowding into an already maxed-out facility...

1877. Greece and Turkey 'agree' to tone it down

NATO allies Greece and Turkey have agreed to talks to avoid accidental clashes in the Eastern Mediterranean, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday...

1878. US urges everyone to stand down in East Med

The United States is urging “everyone to stand down” in ongoing disputes about drilling and maritime rights in the East Mediterranean, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday...

1879. Golden passports scheme to remain as is

The citizenship-by-investment program will not be terminated, nor will it be suspended for a short period as a way of managing the crisis developing crisis, the government decided during its Tuesday morning coffee at the Presidential Palace. What was strongly tabled was that a potential freezing or termination of the investment program at this point in time would send a message that the government is acting in light of the Al Jazeera publications, and that by extension, that it accepts them....

1880. Justice Minister eager to see justice system reform make headway

Justice Minister Emily Yioliti proposed to the House legal committee on Wednesday the establishment of a working group, composed of representatives of parliamentary parties and the Cyprus Bar Association, for a discussion of positions regarding the direction of the impending justice system reform....

1881. EU ‘very clear’ on expectations from Turkey for de-escalation

The message, the expectations, the timeline and the consequences of not acting towards a de-escalation of tension in the Eastern Mediterranean were “made clear” to Turkey, both via the informal Foreign Affairs Council last week in Berlin and in the telephone call on Monday between EU High Representative Josep Borrell and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, according to EU foreign policy spokesman Peter Stano....

1882. Curtain rising for citizenship-by-investment program

The Presidency has before it four scenarios for dealing with the issue of purchased citizenships. The most likely possibility is that of suspending the investment program for a short period, as revealed by Kathimerini on Sunday....

1883. House President calls for suspension of 'golden passports' scheme

House President Demetris Syllouris has formally suggested to President Nicos Anastasiades that the Cyprus citizenship-by-investment scheme is paused until decisions for its improvement or even complete termination are taken, and called for a meeting of party leaders to discuss the scheme that has recently attracted international attention after a document leak led to a series of articles and videos published by the media network Al Jazeera....

1884. German FM calls for ‘direct discussions’ between Greece and Turkey

“The windows for dialogue between Greece and Turkey must now be opened further and not closed,” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said in an emailed statement before meeting Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his counterpart, Nikos Dendias, in Athens on Tuesday....

1885. EU keeps expanding future vaccine portfolio

EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said the European Commission has concluded exploratory talks with CureVac to purchase a potential vaccine against COVID-19...

1886. Mitsotakis spells out message to Turkey

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called on Turkey to “stop the provocations” in the Eastern Mediterranean and return to the negotiating table in order to resolve disagreements regarding the delimitation of maritime zones...

1887. After collision, Athens plans next steps

Greek Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos on Tuesday congratulated the captain of the Greek frigate Limnos that accidentally collided with a Turkish ship during a standoff in the Eastern Mediterranean last week and indicated that Greece is prepared to hold talks with Turkey on the condition that it withdraws its warships and seismic research vessels from the area of the Greek continental shelf...

1888. Greek FM makes impromptu visit to Cyprus

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias is on a surprise one-day trip to the Republic of Cyprus on Tuesday for talks with his Cypriot counterpart Nikos Christodoulides...

1889. Borrell doubles down on Turkey criticism

EU High Representative on Foreign Policy Josep Borrell scorned Turkey over the weekend, calling on Ankara to end drilling activities off the island of Cyprus and engage in a broad dialogue with the European Union...

1890. Rival warnings keep on in the Mediterranean

Rival warnings continued to be issued over waters in the eastern Mediterranean this weekend, after EU ministers reaffirmed the bloc’s solidarity with Greece and the Republic of Cyprus and Turkey saying it would not “bow to banditry”...