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1651. All schools islandwide to close their doors on Friday

All schools islandwide will be shutting their doors as of Friday for one week, as per the decision taken on Wednesday by the Education Ministry in a bid to contain the coronavirus outbreak, as cases spiralled to six in government-controlled areas....

1652. 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....

1653. Berlin to take up to 100 children from Greek refugee camps

Berlin will take in 80 to 100 children from Greek refugee camps, an official in the German capital said on Tuesday, as concern mounts about migrants amassing on the Turkish-Greek border....

1654. EU executive tells Turkey to take migrants back from Greek border

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said ahead of talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Turkey must move refugees and migrants away from the Greek border....

1655. President of Cyprus to pay an official visit to Austria

Migration and the Cyprus issue are among the topics President Nicos Anastasiades is expected to discuss in Vienna, during a two-day official visit he is paying to the country at the invitation of the Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen....

1656. 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.” ...

1657. EU considering more money for migrants in Turkey but won't be threatened, EU's Borrell says

European Union governments will consider on Friday whether to provide more money for migrants in Turkey, but will not accept that refugees are used as a bargaining tool, the EU’s top diplomat said. ...

1658. CEOs: Drop in Optimism and Reversal of Sentiment

1659. Akinci tells UNFICYP head coronavirus has nothing to do with checkpoint closures

The Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci met with UNFICYP head Elizabeth Spehar on Wednesday to discuss the move by the Greek Cypriot Government to shut four crossings along then UN-controlled Buffer Zone last week....

1660. Cyprus says it cannot cope with migrant influx

The interior minister of the Republic of Cyprus says the island cannot host more “economic migrants” as another boatload of refugees arrived on Tuesday, clarifying that authorities would not send back those whose lives may be in danger...

1661. EU Commission notified of checkpoint closures

The European Commission has been informed of the temporary closing of four checkpoints, and said it would continue monitoring the situation closely in order to ensure that each closure and health checks remain in accordance with the Green Line Regulation....

1662. Greek Deputy Minister of Development to visit Cyprus on Wednesday

Greek Deputy Minister of Development and Investment, responsible for Research and Technology, Christos Dimas, will be in Cyprus on Wednesday for a one-day visit, with an aim to strengthen bilateral cooperation in issues concerning the promotion of research, innovation and digital technologies....

1663. Deputy Minister for Research, Innovation and Digital Policy assumes duties

Kyriacos Kokkinos officially assumed his duties on Friday as Deputy Minister for Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, a Ministry established as part of promoting the government’s digital agenda....

1664. 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....

1665. Support for solution widespread though many undecided, survey shows

Support for a solution remains strong, contact between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots is at its uppermost level and demand for economic contact between the two communities is high, the latest, the February 2020 Pulse survey showed....

1666. Interior Minister talks migration, Cyprus investment program with EU officials in Brussels

Interior Minister Nicos Nouris informed the EU Commission’s Vice-President Margaritis Schoinas on Cyprus’ needs and the issues the country faces in dealing with the increased flow of migrants, ahead of the presentation of relevant proposals by the Commission next month....

1667. Nicosia stabbing sparks migration debate

Debate over crime and migration in the Republic of Cyprus was renewed this week following a video showing the moment a young man was killed in downtown Nicosia as well as statements by officials regarding foreigners on the island...

1668. Cyprus scrambles to assert coronavirus policy

More Cypriots are resisting government plans aimed at establishing a local quarantine facility for the coronavirus, while foreign officials warn the Wuhan outbreak may be reaching pandemic levels...

1669. Interior Minister in Brussels for meetings with European Commission on migration

Cyprus’ Minister of the Interior Nicos Nouris will be travelling to Brussels on Monday for a series of meetings with the senior leadership of the European Commission to discuss migration....

1670. Greek PM meets with five EU leaders over bloc's budget

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis held talks in Brussels on Friday with the leaders of Germany Angela Merkel, France Emmanuel Macron, Spain Pedro Sanchez, Italy Giuseppe Conte and Portugal Antonio Costa in a bid to break a deadlock in negotiations for the European Union’s 2021-2027 budget....

1671. 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....

1672. 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.”...

1673. Cyprus gets tough on economic migrants

Cypriot Interior Minister Nicos Nouris says the government is determined to cut down on asylum and residence permit applications by blocking economic migrants from filing non-legitimate petitions...

1674. House President continues contacts in Australia

President of the House of Representatives Demetris Syllouris continued his contacts in Australia, in the framework of an official visit heading a parliamentary delegation, during which he discussed the Cyprus issue, developments in the Eastern Mediterranean, Turkey’s military operations, avoiding double taxation, and bilateral cooperation. ...

1675. Israeli FM director-general in Athens for talks

Israel’s Foreign Ministry director-general Yuval Rotem will visit Athens Wednesday for talks with Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias and other officials, the Israeli embassy announced....

1676. Police announce driving offences that can lead to license revocation

After the first days of February saw the first immediate revocations of the licences of two reckless drivers, the director of Traffic Police Yiannakis Georgiou on Tuesday specified the criteria that may land a driver a referral to the Road Transport Department for license revocation....

1677. Limassol’s trade enabler gets new CEO

The appointment of a new CEO at DP World Limassol is expected to give the company a new impetus, after a year of investing and upgrading infrastructure and equipment...

1678. 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....

1679. 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....

1680. Refugees spotted off Cape Greco

A vessel with about 80 presumptive refugees on board was spotted on Monday off Cape Greco in eastern Cyprus...