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1321. Athalassa national park in troubled waters

State authorities are warning the public to avoid contact with the water at the lake in Athalassa National park, following reports of dead fish floating upside down at the surface...

1322. The Cypriot aspect of the eastern Mediterranean crisis

A few days ago, the leader of the Turkish Cypriot community made an important statement, involving the future of the Cyprus Problem. At a time when Greek-Turkish relations are highly tense, and just before the withdrawal of the Oruc Reis from the waters of the eastern Mediterranean, Mustafa Akinci announced that a new conference on the Cyprus Problem is imminent....

1323. EU foreign affairs chief asks for ‘space to work with Turkish leadership’

The European Commission’s vice president in charge of foreign affairs, Josep Borrell, on Tuesday urged leaders meeting later in month at an emergency European Council summit on Turkey and recent developments in the Eastern Mediterranean, “to create the urgently needed space to work with the Turkish leadership, to achieve a de-escalation that will allow to pursue lasting solutions to the underlying problems of today’s crisis.”...

1324. Athens and Ankara in dialogue rehearsal

In the wake of the almost month-long standoff between Greece and Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean, the foreign ministers of both countries, Nikos Dendias and Mevlut Cavusoglu, give their analysis of the situation and the way forward in articles they wrote exclusively for Kathimerini...

1325. Sanctions unfeasible and ineffective

Nathalie Tocci was a close adviser to former EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, during the years when the Cyprus Problem came – according to many - closer than ever to a solution. Today, she is a close advisor to Josep Borrell and, having monitored the Cyprus Problem for many years and having played a central role in the effort to formulate a European strategy for foreign policy, she has a strong view not only on Cyprus but also on the Greek-Turkish conflict. At the same time, she takes a critical approach to the efforts exerted by Athens and Nicosia to link sanctions against Turkey with those against Belarus. ...

1326. US facility plans in Cyprus draw reactions

Turkey is calling on the United States to 'return to its traditional policy of neutrality' following Mike Pompeo’s visit in Nicosia where he announced an American training facility on the island...

1327. Pompeo coming to sound Nicosia out

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is expected to arrive in Cyprus on Saturday evening, a day after surprising reporters on a plane en route to Doha saying he wanted to swing by the island to hear a fresh perspective on regional tensions...

1328. Maltese FM calls for EU solidarity with frontline countries

Acting President of the Republic, President of the House of Representatives, Demetris Syllouris received Malta’s Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Evarist Bartolo on Friday, who called for more EU solidarity with frontline countries....

1329. Anastasiades finds sympathetic ear at MED7

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades highlighted a need for a decisive EU stance towards Turkey, while praising his French counterpart for showing “practical and stable support” towards Cyprus...

1330. Solar panels being installed in over 400 Cyprus schools

Education Minister Prodromos Prodromou said Tuesday that the Cyprus Electricity Authority has begun the process of insulating and installing solar panels at 405 schools across Cyprus, allowing schools to take on the extra electricity load of air conditioners that are desperately needed as the heatwave rages on. Currently, 107 schools have solar panels....

1331. Lavrov says Russia ready to support peace

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says his country stands ready to help diffuse tensions in the region while criticizing US efforts for fueling conflict rather than promoting peaceful solutions...

1332. Turkey: Russia to hold live-fire exercises in Mediterranean

Turkey has announced that Russia will hold live-fire naval exercises in the eastern Mediterranean, amid escalating tensions between Turkey and its coastal neighbors Greece and Cyprus over rights to search for energy resources in the region. ...

1333. Washington lifts Cyprus arms embargo

Washington has announced a partial lifting of a decades-old arms embargo to the Republic of Cyprus, with Turkey saying the decision ignores equality and balance between the two sides on the divided island...

1334. UN closely monitoring Varosha developments, UNSG tells President

The UN is closely monitoring developments with fence-off city of Varosha in the north and is committed to help all parties resume negotiations with the aim of reuniting Cyprus, a letter sent by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to the President of the Republic of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades said....

1335. Greece starts more training exercises amid Turkey tension

Greece and the United Arab Emirates have begun joint air force training exercises in the eastern Mediterranean, in the latest build-up of military forces in the region where Greece and Turkey are at odds over seabed mineral rights....

1336. 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....

1337. Shop owners block road work in Limassol

Shop owners in Limassol, who oppose the construction of a median strip on a popular avenue, blocked road workers on Friday morning, with reports saying police officers were trying to hold back angry protesters...

1338. EU reaches vaccine deal with AstraZeneca

The Cyprus-born EU Commissioner for Health and Food Safety announced Thursday the EU’s first vaccine deal, reached with the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, for a quantity of up to 400 million doses of the vaccine under development....

1339. Crowded migrant camp running out of options

Officials at Pournara migrant camp are scrambling to find more space to host asylum seekers, after it emerged that more than half of detainees at the Nicosia facility are under quarantine due to coronavirus measures...

1340. 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...

1341. 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...

1342. 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”...

1343. Ankara responds to Greek warnings

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan says an attack on Oruc Reis in the eastern Mediterranean would incur a “high price” while at the same time calling for a win-win solution through dialogue...

1344. Navigating under pressure

The latest crisis in relations between Athens and Ankara is different from previous ones. It is broader in scope, it has a hegemonic dimension, and it is permeated by an imperial rather than – as in the past – nationalist attitude....

1345. 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....

1346. Regional tensions flare up anew as Turkey issues new Navtex

1347. MINTHIS property collection and the design diversity

Pafilia is always at the forefront of innovation in the real estate market thanks to its visionary approach and determination to push boundaries. With the recent launch of a new collection of residential designs at Minthis, collectively called Topos, they have once again set new industry benchmarks and further diversify the product range at this holistic lifestyle destination....

1348. Cyprus calls for EU task force on island

The European Union must do more to fill a power vacuum in the eastern Mediterranean brought on by a perceived US disengagement from the region, and Cyprus is ready to host an EU task force to achieve that goal, the island nation's foreign minister said Wednesday...

1349. Supreme Court orders Syrian man’s release

An asylum seeker, who was detained on national security grounds and his application had been rejected, was ordered to walk free after the Supreme Court ruled state authorities had no legal basis to keep him locked up...

1350. Presidents of Cyprus, Greece discuss escalating Turkish provocations

Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades and Greece’s President Katerina Sakellaropoulou held their first meeting in Athens on Tuesday, focusing the discussion on Turkey’s actions in the region and the close ties between the two countries....