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631. International EastMed tension-diffusing efforts battling on

International moves to de-escalate tension in the eastern Mediterranean continued on Tuesday, with the German Chancellor holding a tete-a-tete with the NATO Secretary General and the kickstarting of the informal meetings of EU ministers in Berlin, where regional tensions were at the top of the agenda....

632. Nigerian students say north is safe

Following danger warnings and criticism against Turkish Cypriot colleges, Nigerian student representatives in the north have refuted reports of mysterious and unsolved killings of fellow countrymen on the island...

633. Greece to extend territorial waters amid dispute with Turkey

Turkey’s president warned Greece on Wednesday not to test his country’s patience or courage as the NATO allies remained locked in a tense dispute over offshore energy exploration in the eastern Mediterranean, while Greece announced plans to extend its territorial waters along its western coastline....

634. Two hospitalized in Limassol parking attack

Two people have been arrested following a parking incident in Limassol, with reports saying two others were hospitalized after sustaining injuries inflicted with a knife or a gardening tool...

635. NAVTEX wars continue in east Med

Athens has issued an advisory to mariners concerning Greek air and naval forces conducting exercises in an area that overlaps with the one reserved by Ankara in a similar advisory issued on Sunday...

636. France and Germany tackle eastern Med

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel made statements seen as mutual support for Greece and the Republic of Cyprus on Thursday, prompting a reaction from Ankara...

637. Cyprus open to defining maritime zones

Cyprus said on Tuesday it was willing to engage with all its neighbours on defining maritime boundaries, amid a tense stand-off with Turkey in the eastern Mediterranean over jurisdiction in the energy-rich waters...

638. Greek defence minister radios Limnos captain

Greek Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos has congratulated the captain of the Greek frigate that was involved in last week's collision with a Turkish ship in the eastern Mediterranean...

639. 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...

640. 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”...

641. Pompeo to meet Turkey's Cavusoglu

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is to meet Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in the Dominican Republic on Sunday, CNN quoted acting assistant secretary of state Michael Kozak as saying on Friday...

642. 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."...

643. Amid tensions with Turkey, Greece in joint manoeuvres with France

Amid ongoing tensions with Turkey over disputed waters in the eastern Mediterranean, the French military conducted training exercises with Greek forces on Thursday off the southern island of Crete, including in the maritime area reserved by Turkey’s Navtex earlier this month for seismic exploration....

644. Athens warns of possible 'accident' in East Med

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Wednesday warned about the possibility of an "accident" in the Eastern Mediterranean where Greek and Turkish naval forces have gathered after Ankara decided to sent a vessel to conduct seismic research south of Kastellorizo...

645. Turkey says it wants to resolve dispute with Greece through dialogue

Turkey’s Energy Minister Fatih Donmez tweeted Wednesday that Turkey plans to lay two cables, totaling 1,750 km in length, for seismic research for energy resources in the Mediterranean Sea by August 23....

646. Farmer refuses to return worker’s passport

A story has emerged involving alleged mistreatment of a foreign worker, after a post shared on Facebook by a local NGO pointed to an old practice by employers unlawfully retaining foreign workers’ passports for leverage...

647. 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....

648. 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....

649. Turkey says Greece making a ‘big fuss’

Ankara has accused Athens of having “no legal basis” for raising objections over Turkish exploration in the eastern Mediterranean, as Greek armed forces were placed on high alert Monday after Turkey sent a seismic survey vessel in contested waters...

650. Turkey issues yet another Navtex as vessel moves into Greek EEZ

Turkey has responded to a Greek navigational telex (Navtex) issued earlier Monday with an advisory saying that three Turkish research vessels are “conducting seismic survey in Turkey’s continental shelf… in accordance with international law.”...

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

652. Cyprus police question Russian businessman linked with Beirut deadly cargo

Cyprus police said Thursday that they located and brought in for questioning the Limassol-based Russian who has been identified as the former owner of the company that managed the vessel from which the 2,700 tonnes of ammonium nitrate that caused Beirut’s deadly blast late on Tuesday were unloaded....

653. Greek PM proposes fresh talks with Turkey on maritime zones, or World Court

Greece’s Prime Minister reiterated a call for bilateral talks with Turkey on the delimitation of maritime zones in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean, adding that if these don’t work, they should refer the issue to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague....

654. Greek-Turkish exploratory contacts with a deadline

In the wake of last month’s dangerous escalation of tension between Greece and Turkey, the two countries have laid the groundwork for exploratory contacts on the terms and conditions of a possible resumption of a dialogue, with Berlin having played a pivotal role in the rapprochement. ...

655. Greek FM says Athens got Nicosia’s back

Nicosia and Athens are seeking ways to further oppose Turkey’s moves in the eastern Mediterranean, after Ankara signaled it was ready for dialogue but also sent a seismic research vessel in Cypriot waters...

656. Athens open to talks but not so fast

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias has welcomed a recent move from Turkey towards de-escalation in the region, saying Athens was open to dialogue but not on all things...

657. Ankara stands down pending dialogue

Turkey could pause energy-exploration operations in the eastern Mediterranean Sea for a while pending talks with Greece, presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said on Tuesday...

658. Dendias issues stern message to Ankara

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias on Monday sent a stern message to Ankara, saying that Greece “will not accept any fait accompli” at the expense of the country’s territorial integrity and sovereign rights...

659. Greece ‘overreacted’ to Turkish research mission, Erdogan spokesman says

Ibrahim Kalin, spokesman of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said Thursday that Greece had “overreacted” to plans by Turkey to proceed with an oil-and-gas research mission south of Greek islands in the Eastern Mediterranean....

660. Cypriot president in Paris for talks

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades is set to meet French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Thursday, as the two leaders get together amid heightened rhetoric over the eastern Mediterranean...