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901. Turkish special forces fire over Greek military vehicle at border, Kathimerini learns

There is evidence of a sharp increase in aggressive behavior by Turkish security forces in both the Aegean and at the Evros land border, Kathimerini has learned. ...

902. 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....

903. 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. ...

904. Cyprus scrambles to contain coronavirus risk

A police station and an army camp in Nicosia went under quarantine on Sunday following two suspected cases of the coronavirus, with health officials on the edge of their seat waiting for lab test results for over 30 individuals...

905. Special force from Cyprus flies to Greece

Nearly two dozen members of Cypriot special security forces have been deployed to Greece’s Evros region to assist in a pushback of undocumented migrants, with reports saying the situation was calmer after a tense weekend...

906. 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....

907. EU criticizes Turkey on migration as border clashes resume

Clashes between Greek riot police and migrants attempting to cross the border from Turkey erupted anew Friday as European Union foreign ministers took aim at what they called “Turkey’s use of migratory pressure for political purposes.” ...

908. 'The Time Is Now': Women abstain from duties in call for gender equality

Women from across Cyprus locked elbows to form human chains outside their workplaces on Friday during a one-hour work stoppage that called for gender equality and an end to discrimination against women....

909. 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....

910. 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....

911. Turkish FM alleges three migrants killed trying to cross Greek border

A war of words between Ankara and Athens over the migrant crisis escalated on Tuesday when Turkey’s foreign minister said without providing evidence that Greek soldiers had killed three migrants attempting to enter the country, a claim denied by Greece....

912. Guards use tear gas to disperse hundreds of migrants at Greek-Turkish border

Guards on Greece’s northeastern land border with Turkey made “deterrent use” of tear gas to disperse some 500 refugees and migrants trying to enter the country and the European Union after Ankara loosened controls on migrant flows....

913. Greek border crackdown amid concerns over Turkey

Greek government sources on Friday stressed that authorities are boosting security at the country’s border following reports that Turkey will no longer stop Syrian refugees from traveling to Europe....

914. 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....

915. French frigate 'Auvergne' joins Cypriot- French search and rescue drill

Cyprus and France held a joint Search and Rescue (SAR) exercise on Tuesday off the coast of Cyprus, with the participation of SAR Units and personnel of the Republic of Cyprus and France. The French frigate 'Auvergne' also took part in the drill....

916. Stunning drives in the Toyota Yaris WRC

917. Defence minister goes ‘behind enemy lines'

Cypriot Defence Minister Savvas Angelides got up close and personal with special commandos during their winter training high up in the snowy mountains...

918. Military clash with Syria is imminent, Erdogan says

Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday a Turkish military operation to push back a Syrian government offensive against rebel strongholds in northwest Syria was now “a matter of time” after talks with Russia failed to halt the assault....

919. 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....

920. 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....

921. French Defence Minister expresses solidarity with Cyprus

The French Defence Minister, Florence Parly, who met on Tuesday with President Nicos Anastasiades and her Cyprus counterpart Savvas Angelides, expressed France’s solidarity with Cyprus, which she said is under intense pressure when seen from an international perspective....

922. 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.”...

923. UK 'deplores' Turkey's actions in Cyprus EEZ

The British Government’s position regarding the Cyprus issue and Turkey’s activity within the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Republic of Cyprus does not change now that the UK has exited the European Union, the Minister for Europe Christopher Pincher said. ...

924. Health Minister travels to Brussels for extraordinary EU coronavirus meeting

Amid growing concerns over coronavirus, Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou will be rushing to Brussels on Wednesday after the European Union called for an emergency meeting of EU Health Ministers on Thursday....

925. Turkish delegation to visit Moscow to discuss Syria's Idlib

A Turkish delegation will go to Moscow in coming days to discuss the escalating conflict in Syria’s Idlib region, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Wednesday, adding that around 1 million people had been displaced there due to Russian-backed Syrian attacks....

926. 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....

927. House President praises Australia’s principled stance over Cyprus

Australia is a friendly country that supports Cyprus and retains a principled stance vis-à-vis the Cyprus problem, said the President of the House of Representatives, Demetris Syllouris, who is paying an official visit to the country as head of an inter-party delegation....

928. Cyprus to purchase arms worth €240m from France

Contracts have been signed for the purchase of military equipment worth €240 million from France, Defence Ministry announced on Friday, confirming recent reports in French media....

929. 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....

930. Cypriot leaders vow to fight virus together

The two Cypriot leaders of divided Cyprus co-chaired a health meeting on Monday and agreed to increase cooperation in the fight against the coronavirus...