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451. Greek-Turkish ties come under strain

The already tense relationship between Greece and Turkey has been strained further in the wake of Ankara’s leaking of a supposedly secret meeting between Greek, Turkish and German officials following Turkey’s controversial decision to convert Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia into a mosque and amid an increasingly aggressive Turkish stance in the East Mediterranean. The already tense relationship between Greece and Turkey has been strained further in the wake of Ankara’s leaking of a supposedly secret meeting between Greek, Turkish and German officials following Turkey’s controversial decision to convert Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia into a mosque and amid an increasingly aggressive Turkish stance in the East Mediterranean. ...

452. As EU mulls sanctions, Turkey defiant

The European Union is seeking ways of imposing sanctions on Turkey in the event that its transgressions in the East Mediterranean are scaled up, and in the wake of its decision to convert Hagia Sophia into a mosque. ...

453. No progress among EU leaders on virus recovery deal

European Union leaders found that a quick deal on the bloc's future long-term budget and a multibillion-euro post-pandemic recovery plan remained beyond their reach Friday as the coronavirus ravages their economies....

454. Cyprus delegation to visit Israel at earliest date possible

President Nicos Anastasiades and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu agreed on Monday that a visit to Israel by a delegation of high ranking Cypriot officials must take place as soon as possible to cover important issues relating to the cooperation of the two countries....

455. Lagarde draws line on how far ECB largesse can go

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde drew the line on how far the ECB could go in helping virus-stricken eurozone countries on Wednesday, saying lending to governments directly would be illegal and handing out cash to citizens difficult....

456. Greece eyes gradual easing of lockdown measures

The Greek government is working on a plan to ease some of the restrictions that have been introduced to curb the spread of the coronavirus, with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis expected to make announcements next week....

457. Covid-19 death toll in Greece rises to 81

Greece’s coronavirus toll has risen to 81 with the death of a 42-year-old man in the northern port city of Thessaloniki and of an 84-year-old woman in Athens....

458. EU leaders call for recovery plan

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades took part in a video conference with the EU leaders, as the bloc sought to find common ground on how best to share the burden...

459. Cyprus to ban flights from 28 countries

As of Saturday, flights to the Larnaca and Paphos airports from 28 countries will be banned, Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou announced on Tuesday night, noting that this stricter measure does not affect cargo....

460. 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....

461. 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....

462. 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....

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

464. Summit standoff as EU leaders grapple with Brexit-sized hole in budget

EU leaders made no headway on Thursday in fractious talks on a joint 2021-27 budget that was left with a 75 billion-euro (62.9 billion pounds) hole after Britain’s departure at a time when they face costly new challenges from climate change to migration....

465. Athens drafts package to ease tension with Anakara

Athens plans to present a package of proposals to ease Aegean tensions in talks with Ankara on confidence building measures on February 17-21....

466. Cooperation required to fully reap energy rewards

467. 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....

468. Cyprus, Lebanon begin preparations for first Trilateral Summit

Cyprus and Lebanon have begun preparations for the first Trilateral Summit at the level of Heads of State and Government, to be held in Nicosia in the spring, the Foreign Minister Nicos Christodoulides announced on Friday...

469. Foreign powers back Libya ceasefire

Foreign powers agreed at a summit in Berlin on Sunday to shore up a shaky truce in Libya, but the meeting was overshadowed by blockades of oilfields by forces loyal to commander Khalifa Haftar that could cripple the country’s crude production...

470. Libya summit will not discuss maritime borders

The summit that will be held in Berlin this Sunday, January 19th, to try to find a path to peace for Libya will not discuss a contentious deal signed between Turkey and Libya on maritime borders, a German Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Wednesday, responding to a question on why Greece was not invited to the conference, despite its request to participate....

471. Brussels cannot accept the Turkish behaviour in Cyprus EEZ

The EU cannot accept the behaviour of Turkey and will stand strongly by the side of Cyprus, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday, January 14th, while Andrej Plenkovic, Prime Minister of Croatia whose country holds the EU rotating presidency, stated that their policy will remain within the context of EU Council conclusions....

472. Greece has asked Germany to participate in Libya summit

Greece has asked to attend a summit in Berlin which will discuss a path to peace in Libya, government spokesman Stelios Petsas revealed on Tuesday...

473. Libya truce on shaky ground

Khalifa Haftar, commander of the Libyan National Army, has left Moscow without signing a ceasefire agreement drafted at talks in Russia on Monday...

474. Athens denounces sea border deal to UN

Greece’s objections to the “legally invalid” maritime boundary deal between Turkey and Libya are meticulously outlined in two letters it has sent to the United Nations, which also call on Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to bring the matter before the Security Council...

475. Senate blocks Armenian vote for third time

Republican Senator Kevin Cramer prevented the US Senate from voting on a resolution on Thursday that would recognize as a genocide the mass killings of Armenians a century ago, saying it was not an appropriate time to pass legislation that would anger Turkey...

476. EU ministers follow up on Turkey conclusions

EU foreign ministers meet in Brussels on Monday where they are expected to adopt measures against Turkish drilling activities around Cyprus...

477. ExxonMobil’s Vice President briefs Ministers in Cyprus on the company’s appraisal plan for Block 10

ExxonMobil’s Vice President Don Bagley has discussed with Ministers in Cyprus, the company’s plan for an appraisal drilling for “Glaucus” gas deposit in Block 10 of Cyprus Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), during a visit in Nicosia where he spoke to the 15th Cyprus Summit/ Economist Conference....

478. Cypriot president reiterates energy goals

President Nicos Anastasiades stressed that the Republic of Cyprus is determined to proceed unhindered with its energy plans and to make good use of the gas reserves that have been discovered, as a source of regional economic cooperation, growth and prosperity...

479. 'Flextension' thrown in the mix

European Council President Donald Tusk said on Tuesday that he would recommend that the 27 other member states of the European Union approve a delay of Britain’s departure date following Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s decision to put the Brexit deal on hold...

480. EU heads come through on Turkey conclusions

The European Council endorses the Foreign Affairs Council conclusions on Turkey’s drilling and reaffirms its solidarity with Cyprus, according to the conclusions adopted after the first day of the EU leaders Summit in Brussels...