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1291. Health Minister: better safe than sorry

The top priority at the moment is to ensure the health of each person individually and of the public as a whole, Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou said on Friday, stressing that “I prefer to take painful decisions, even if they prove excessive in the end, rather than to remain unprotected.”...

1292. Travelers speak of horror under quarantine

Dozens of travelers who arrived in Cyprus without a required health certificate for the coronavirus say they were hurried to the mountains in the dead of night and treated like “criminals” and “lepers"...

1293. Greece to treat violation of Covid-19 protection measures as a crime

The violation of measures dictated by the authorities to contain the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus should be treated as a crime and prosecuted, the Supreme Court said on Thursday in a memo to the country’s prosecutorial services....

1294. Erdogan likens Greek authorities to Nazis

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday said there is “no difference” between Nazis and the Greek authorities trying to hold the country’s border against the influx of thousands of migrants and refugees spurred to push into the European Union by Ankara....

1295. Erdogan says Greece’s treatment of migrants at border ‘murderous’

Turkey intends to take Greece to task over its alleged “maltreatment” of refugees and migrants spurred on by Ankara to push into the European Union through the Greek-Turkish border, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on a flight back from Brussels on Tuesday, according to the pro-government Daily Sabah. ...

1296. Eight Turkish Cypriots rushed to hospital after Ledra checkpoint protest

Protesters gathered on both sides of the Ledra Street divide on Saturday to demonstrate against the closure of four checkpoints by the government of the Republic of Cyprus, a move it said was part of a bundle of coronavirus protection measures but which has been criticized as a measure veiling ulterior political motives....

1297. Ledra protester says officer attacked him

A peace activist, who took part in the protest at the Ledra checkpoint last Saturday, says he was the victim of an unprovoked attack by an officer in uniform and that police are trying to build a case against him...

1298. Turkey deploys 1,000 police at Greek border to stem pushback of migrants

Turkey is deploying 1,000 special police forces along its border with Greece on Thursday to halt the pushback of migrants toward its territory, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said, adding that 164 migrants had been wounded by Greek authorities....

1299. Greek forces use tear gas to repel migrants

Greek riot police and troops used water cannon and tear gas on Wednesday against hundreds of migrants as they made another attempt to cross the border from Turkey into Greece....

1300. Greek army, police dig in along Turkey border after migrant clashes

Greek troops and riot police remained on high alert on Tuesday along the land border between Greece and Turkey, the main flashpoint in an escalating row between the EU and Ankara over how to deal with a new wave of migrants and refugees....

1301. 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....

1302. France stands by Greece and Cyprus, says French Defense Minister

France will stand by Greece and Cyprus, supporting both in their disputes with Turkey over maritime zones in the Mediterranean, French Defence Minister Florence Parly was quoted saying in a Greek newspaper on Sunday....

1303. Nicosia an extremely important partner in region, Norwegian FM says in Cyprus visit

Oslo views Cyprus as an extremely important partner in the region, due to its bridging role between Europe and the Near East, said Ine Soreide, Norway’s Minister of Foreign Affairs....

1304. Pressed in Syria, Turkey ups the ante in the East Med

1305. Akinci brushes off Varosha talk as election gimmick, Anastasiades calls for bicommunal committee

Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci has suggested that Varosha, a southern suburb of Famagusta that has been fenced off and abandoned since Turkey invaded northern Cyprus, is being used as an election gimmick, adding that he supports UN-backed efforts to reopen the ghost town....

1306. Cavusoglu: Greece must be prepared to share in the East Med

Turkey is willing to reach a compromise with Greece as long as the latter is prepared to share in the Eastern Mediterranean, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday....

1307. Defendant gets 15 years in Strovolos murders

The last of four defendants in the Strovolos double murder trial was sentenced to fifteen years in prison, as the case drew to a close on Thursday after a lengthy and complicated criminal trial that shocked public opinion...

1308. Greece, US hold live-fire drill after major base deal

At the foot of Mount Olympus, army aviation forces from Greece and the United States are taking part in a live-fire exercise with attack helicopters, marking deepening defense ties between the two countries....

1309. Cyprus and 8 EU countries object to new rules of mobility package on commercial vehicles

Implications of a new rule included in the EU mobility package currently under negotiation, whereby commercial vehicles, lorries, and trucks will be required to return to their licensing Member State every eight weeks, were raised on Wednesday by Transport Minister Yiannis Karousos and several of his counterparts to the Commission Vice President and Commissioner for Transport....

1310. Amid tension, Greece, Turkey hold military-to-military talks

A delegation of Turkish military officials is due in Athens to resume confidence-building talks amid tension between the two NATO members over maritime oil-and-gas drilling rights....

1311. European Commission to stamp out illegal pet trade

The European Commission will boost efforts to stamp out the illegal trade in pets, particularly cats and dogs, in the EU, the Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides said....

1312. Marios asks for leniency in Strovolos murders

The lawyer of Marios Hadjixenofondos, the last of four defendants in the Strovolos double murder trial, has asked the criminal court to show “maximum leniency” saying his client was also a victim in the case...

1313. Cavusoglu slams Akinci after comment that Turkey-north annexation would be 'horrible'

“I’ve never worked with a more unreliable politician,” the Turkish Foreign Minister Melvut Cavusoglu said on Monday, referring to the Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci in response to an interview where Akinci said the prospect of Crimea-style annexation with Turkey was “horrible”....

1314. Nicosia to press on with energy plans

Republic of Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades says Nicosia’s energy plans are moving forward while criticizing Ankara for seeking preconditions for dialogue...

1315. 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....

1316. British High Commission replies to British expats FAQ

The British High Commission in Cyprus compiled and replied to some of the most frequently asked questions by UK nationals in Cyprus, providing further clarity on what British expats living on the island can expect post-Brexit. ...

1317. 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....

1318. Turkey deploys extremists to Libya, local militias say

Syrian militants affiliated with groups such as al-Qaida and the Islamic State group are currently being sent by Turkey to fight on behalf of the UN-supported government in Libya, according to two Libyan militia leaders and a Syrian war monitor....

1319. Dendias: Athens, Rome view Turkey-Libya MoU as 'illegal, groundless'

After a meeting on Tuesday with Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio, Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias said on Tuesday that Athens and Rome both view the memorandum of understanding between Turkey and the Tripoli-based government of Libya on maritime borders as “illegal and groundless”....

1320. Greek position on EU migration pact

Greece’s position regarding the future of the migration and asylum pact that the European Commission is expected to table in the coming months rests on three fundamental principles: a European solution to a European challenge, a fair system that will stand the test of time, and the preservation of the European Union’s core values as enshrined in the EU Treaty....