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481. Erdogan says only solution on Cyprus is two states

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that the only way to resolve decades of dispute over Cyprus was to establish two states on the island, and a federation favored by Athens would not be on the agenda of upcoming talks....

482. Cyprus, Greece, USA, conduct maritime special ops exercise

Naval special operations forces from the Cypriot Underwater Demolition Team, the Greek Underwater Demolition Team and U.S. Navy Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewmen, joined forces to conduct a maritime exercise in Souda Bay, in the Greek island of Crete, between January 11-29. ...

483. Nikos Kotzias in Kathimerini: Foreign policy and exploratory talks

Greece’s exploratory talks with Turkey are not a dialogue for the sake of dialogue. They are a structured debate in which both sides invest for a series of achievements. Greece’s target, as far as exploratory talks are concerned, has always been:...

484. Ferry link hopes end with a whimper

Shipping transport companies remained unconvinced over Cyprus’ effort to revive and subsidize a ferry link with Greece, with the government going back to the drawing board after no bidders came forward by Friday’s deadline...

485. Greece and Turkey resume exploratory talks

Exploratory contacts between Greece and Turkey are set to resume in Istanbul, with Ankara trying to gain an upper hand over the agenda and Athens appearing to have low expectations citing disagreement on both sides on what to discuss...

486. Greek MPs approve extension of Ionian Sea territorial waters

With 284 votes in favor and 16 “present,” lawmakers approved legislation on Wednesday to extend Greece’s territorial waters along its western coastline from six to 12 nautical miles....

487. Cyprus looking to boost ties with militarily-developed Gulf states

The enhancement of Cyprus’ relations with militarily-developed Gulf states constitutes a priority, Defence Minister Charalambos Petrides said Wednesday, against the backdrop of diplomatic developments with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia....

488. Cavusoglu says Turkey-EU in more ‘positive place,’ but chides Greece

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said relations with the European Union are in a “more positive place” but continued to accuse Greece of raising obstacles to exploratory talks planned for later this month....

489. Turkey and Greece to resume talks

Turkey and Greece will resume talks aimed at reducing tensions between the neighbors on Jan. 25, Turkish and Greek officials announced Monday, following this summer’s dispute over maritime borders and energy rights in the eastern Mediterranean...

490. Cyprus, Portugal agree to take ties to next level

Cyprus Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides paid an official visit to Portugal’s capital on Thursday for a tête-à-tête with his Portuguese counterpart Augusto Santos Silva on the occasion of Portugal’s assumption of the presidency of the Council of the European Union on January 1....

491. Cyprus, US officials mark 'watershed' moment in bilateral relations

Cypriot Foreign Minister Nicos Christodoulides and acting US Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf attended the groundbreaking ceremony of the Cyprus Center for Land, Open-Seas and Port Security (CYCLOPS) took place in Larnaca on Monday, with the two officials lauding the strong partnership between Cyprus and the US as well as the crucial role that the training center will play in the region....

492. US Homeland Security secretary in Cyprus for two-day visit

US Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf was expected for a two-day visit in Cyprus starting on Monday, before heading off to Bahrain and Qatar for talks with regional counterparts on bolstering security cooperation and information sharing....

493. Ankara wants Lausanne Treaty change

Reiterating a call frequently made by Turkish leaders, Turkey’s Energy Minister Fatih Donmez raised the issue of renegotiating the Lausanne Treaty of 1923, which set out the modern borders between Greece and Turkey....

494. New Chinese Ambassador hails deepening relations with Cyprus

China opposes any unilateral provocations and actions that undermine the peace and stability of Cyprus and the region and as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, it will continue to play a constructive and coordinating role in facilitating the settlement of the Cyprus problem, UNFICYP’s mandate renewal, and the implementation of relevant UN resolutions, to uphold fairness and justice for Cypriots, China's new Ambassador to Cyprus, Liu Yantao said, presenting on Thursday his credentials to Cyrpus President, Nicos Anastasiades....

495. Ankara tries to open Jerusalem channel

In a bid to create rifts in Israel’s alliances with Greece and Cyprus, Turkey is reportedly trying to open channels with Tel Aviv through proposals officially submitted by retired rear admiral Cihat Yayci, architect of Ankara’s expansionist Blue Homeland doctrine and its maritime borders pact with Libya. ...

496. EU leaders pull Turkey punch at last minute

European Union leaders agreed on Thursday to prepare limited sanctions on Turkish individuals over an energy exploration dispute with Greece and Cyprus, postponing any harsher steps until March as countries sparred over how to handle Ankara...

497. EU to toughen sanctions on Turkish drilling, draft summit statement says

The European Union will impose sanctions on more Turkish individuals and companies responsible for drilling in contested waters in the Mediterranean, according to a draft statement prepared for EU leaders to agree at a summit on Thursday....

498. No ‘cold turkey’ route as EU ministers meet

No big steps are expected Monday as EU foreign ministers meet to evaluate possible sanctions against Turkey, laying the groundwork for a more substantive debate between EU leaders later in the week...

499. Turkey ‘threatening peace', Greek FM says during Cyprus visit

By its continuing actions in the Eastern Mediterranean, Turkey is “threatening peace, security and stability” in the region, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias said on Friday during a visit to Nicosia....

500. Cyprus calls on Turkey to engage in maritime zone delimitation talks

In an interview with the UAE television channel Alarabiya, defence minister Charalambos Petrides called on Turkey to accept the Republic of Cyprus’ invitation to engage in talks in view of reaching an agreement over the delimitation of the contested maritime zones between the two countries, or alternatively refer the issue to the International Court of Justice....

501. Turkish exploration vessel back in port ahead of EU summit

Turkey’s seismic exploration vessel Oruc Reis returned to port on Monday from disputed Mediterranean waters, less than two weeks before a European Union summit where the bloc will evaluate possible sanctions against Ankara....

502. Safe business and digitalisation in maritime

503. Cyprus rationalizes sanctions against Turkey

Cypriot Defence Minister Charalambos Petrides has reiterated his country’s position in seeking a settlement of the Cyprus problem, adding that economic sanctions against Ankara remain on the table 'as long as Turkey continues to maintain tensions'...

504. Cyprus, Slovakia FMs discuss Turkey's regional behaviour

Turkey’s escalating provocations in relation to Varosha, as well as in Cyprus’s EEZ and maritime zones, were the focus of discussions in Nicosia on Monday between the Cyprus Foreign Minister Nicos Christodoulides and the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic Ivan Korcok....

505. Mitsotakis hails Cyprus, Greece, Egypt cooperation

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis hailed the importance of the trilateral cooperation between Greece, Cyprus and Egypt for ensuring peace and stability in the region....

506. Turkish Navtex reserves area southwest of Cyprus

Turkey issued a new navigational telex (Navtex) late on Tuesday reserving an area off the southwestern coast of Cyprus, with the Republic of Cyprus on Wednesday demanding Turkey immediately seizes seismic research within the Cyprus EEZ. ...

507. Rare show of solidarity after deadly quake

The leaders of Turkey and Greece communicated a rare sense of solidarity to each other in the wake of a deadly earthquake in the Aegean, felt in both Athens and Istanbul...

508. Cyprus, Greece, Israel to bolster cooperation

The foreign ministers of Greece, Cyprus and Israel hailed the tripartite partnership between the three countries, aimed at bolstering economic and energy cooperation, during a meeting in Athens on Tuesday, and agreed that it could be expanded to include other countries in the region....

509. Turkey at focus of Lavrov visit to Athens

The main conclusion drawn from Monday's visit by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was the mutual recognition that Greece can play a special role in Russia’s relations with the European Union, but also that Athens expects some support for its positions on maritime zones, while at the same time acknowledging the complicated relations between Moscow and Ankara....

510. Greece and Turkey take it down a notch

Greece and Turkey have mutually cancelled military exercises on each other’s national holiday this week, as a gesture of goodwill following a special NATO-sponsored meeting between the two defense ministers...