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1081. Bulgaria wants in on EastMed energy cooperation

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev said on Tuesday that his country wishes to cooperate within the framework of the trilateral mechanism among Cyprus, Greece, and Israel in the energy field, adding that Bulgaria is geographically a natural continuation of these three countries....

1082. President Anastasiades officially welcomed in Sofia

President of the Republic of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades was officially welcomed on Tuesday in Sofia by President of Bulgaria Rumen Radev, during a ceremony in Alexander Nevsky square, where Anastasiades laid a wreath at the Monument of the Unknown Soldier....

1083. Christodoulides talks Turkish activity in EEZ, Varosha with UNSG

Foreign Minister Nicos Christodoulides met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Geneva on Monday....

1084. 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....

1085. Pressed in Syria, Turkey ups the ante in the East Med

1086. 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....

1087. 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....

1088. Amid tension, Greece, Turkey hold military-to-military talks

A delegation of Turkish military officials is due in Athens to resume confidence-building talks amid tension between the two NATO members over maritime oil-and-gas drilling rights....

1089. Dendias in Algeria to discuss Libya crisis

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias is visiting Algeria on Thursday to meet with counterpart Sabri Boukadoum, the ministry said in a press release....

1090. 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. ...

1091. 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....

1092. 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....

1093. Cavusoglu slams Akinci after comment that Turkey-north annexation would be 'horrible'

“I’ve never worked with a more unreliable politician,” the Turkish Foreign Minister Melvut Cavusoglu said on Monday, referring to the Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci in response to an interview where Akinci said the prospect of Crimea-style annexation with Turkey was “horrible”....

1094. Nicosia to press on with energy plans

Republic of Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades says Nicosia’s energy plans are moving forward while criticizing Ankara for seeking preconditions for dialogue...

1095. Turkish clothes makers see orders shifting from coronavirus-hit China

Several fashion retailers that manufacture clothing in coronavirus-hit China are in talks with Turkish firms about shifting production to Turkey, two sector officials told Reuters, with one predicting new orders worth up to $2 billion....

1096. Defence Minister requests US muscle against Turkey

Foreign Minister Nicos Christodoulides asked senior US energy official Francis Fannon for a substantial US contribution to efforts seeking to end Turkish activities in the Cyprus exclusive economic zone....

1097. Greek Defence minister denies Erdogan's phone talk claims on Imia

Greek Defence Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos rejected on Thursday claims by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that he sent a message to Greece through Defence Minister Hulusi Akar not to make any “move” over the eastern Aegean islets of Imia, for which the two countries were brought to the brink of war twenty-four years ago....

1098. Greek, Turkish defense ministers hold telephone conversation ahead of NATO meeting

Greek Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos and his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar held a telephone conversation Wednesday ahead of the meeting of NATO ministers of defense in Brussels February 12-13, Kathimerini reports....

1099. French aircraft carrier in Cyprus Block 8

Amid rising tensions in the East Mediterranean, the flagship of the French Navy, aircraft carrier Charles De Gaulle, remains in Block 8 of Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone, bearing a small fleet of Rafale fighter jets, helicopters, other aircraft and drones....

1100. 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....

1101. Senior US energy official urges region's players to show restraint

Senior US energy official Francis Fannon currently holding a round of talks in Nicosia highlighted the importance of the partnership between Cyprus, Greece, Israel and the US, but urged all parties to refrain from provocative moves which may further destabilize the region....

1102. Greek FM in Malta for talks

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias is visiting Malta on Wednesday for talks with the country’s President George Vella as well as with European and Foreign Affairs Minister Evarist Bartolo....

1103. Greece not trying to create ‘anti-Turkish front,’ Greek FM says

Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias says Greece is not trying to drum up opposition against Turkey but rather support for what is reasonable and would enable more cooperation in the Mediterranean....

1104. British High Commissioner talks trade, free movement after Brexit

In an interview with the Cyprus News Agency, British High Commissioner in Cyprus, Stephen Lillie, talks about what tomorrow will look like, and what applies for Cypriot and British nationals living in both countries, which he said share a deep historical relationship....

1105. Cyprus rejects Ankara call for a stop to drilling

Nicosia on Thursday rejected a call by Ankara for a halt to drilling activities off the island's south as a precondition for it to stop its own activities off the divided island. ...

1106. Cyprus ready for five-party meeting, Anastasiades tells Lute

Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades shared a phone call on Wednesday with UN special envoy Jane Holl Lute, expressing his readiness to take part in an informal five-party conference with the aim of reaching an agreement on the terms of reference that would allow the resumption of peace talks....

1107. Greek PM meeting with Macron in Paris

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has arrived in Paris for talks with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace. ...

1108. UNFICYP draft under ‘silence procedure’

A resolution renewing the mandate of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus for an additional six months is under the “silence procedure” and it is expected to be adopted on Thursday if no member breaks the silence...

1109. Foreign Minister in Rome for working visit

Cyprus’ Minister of Foreign Affairs Nicos Christodoulides is travelling to Rome, where on Wednesday he will hold a working visit at the invitation of his Italian counterpart, Luigi Di Maio, during which the latest developments in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East, in the light of Turkey’s aggressive activities in the marine zones of the Republic of Cyprus and Libya, will be discussed....

1110. EU tells UK it will 'never, never, never' compromise on single market

The European Union will “never, never, never” compromise on the integrity of its single market, its chief Brexit negotiator warned Britain on Monday, saying London must now face reality after underestimating the costs of leaving....