Front Page Headlines
‘Solving Cyprob is only way out’
Experts warn that Turkey will not back down from drilling activities in Cyprus’ EEZ.
- Four days of mourning: State funeral on Tuesday for former president Christofias
- Coffee shop: Starters, main course, two states, dessert (opinion piece)
- Cold Turkey: After a low-profile stint Erdogan is front and centre ahead of today’s election
The map with Ankara’s next steps (analysis)
What will Greece do if Turkey lowers drill near Kastellorizo.
- Demetris Christofias will be buried on Tuesday with full state honours
- Tragic ridiculousness (editorial – criticism against Greece for its lukewarm support of Cyprus against Turkish provocations)
- Elections Turkey: Erdogan loses Istanbul for good today
- Yiannakis Omirou: The sea invasion and our duties (opinion piece)
- Nicos Katsourides: Turkey is descending and the EU is monitoring (opinion piece)
- Andreas Angelides: The people ought to snap out of their idleness (opinion piece)
Limassol 2030. What is the master plan?
The sustainable urban mobility plan has been completed. The coastal road will unite the old port with the new one and will be the new escape haven for the Limassolians. Population growth is projected at 32,000, of which 15 per cent will be settling in the city centre and 25 per cent in western Limassol. The historic centre from Gladstone street to the beach and from the gardens up to the minaret west of the marina is being redeveloped.
- Cyprob: The Yavuz has arrived to seal the faits accomplis
- Demetris Christofias: We bid farewell on Tuesday to the former President of the Republic – Cabinet decided on a three-day mourning period and burial with full state honours. In memoriam: How, from (AKEL youth branch) EDON, he was catapulted to the Republic’s presidency.
- Chronicle: Eleftherios Venizelos and the Cyprus problem (Free supplement with Sunday’s Politis)
Νon-paper from Ankara
Calls on the EU not to intervene in the EEZ issue, blackmails for a joint committee on natural gas. Revealing: (Turkey) Warns on the Cyprob and Greek-Turkish relations.
- Demetris Christofias will lie in state
- Two Turkish scenarios on the Cypriot EEZ – The aim is Cypriot natural gas.
- The Turkish games over Famagusta – The Ozersay-Tatar move.
- Coercive diplomacy in progress by Turkey (GC & TC international relations experts’ opinion on Turkey’s actions in Cyprus’ EEZ)
- Republic of Cyprus and judicial bodies of the Council of Europe
- Istanbul: Prestige elections for Erdogan
- Stefanos Constantinides: Ankara’s dilemma (opinion piece)
- Yiannis Spanos: Half a century of disasters (opinion piece)
An occupation expansion move in Varosi
The decision of the occupied areas’ ‘cabinet’ to open the closed-off town under TC administration.
- Demetris Christofias: He had put himself at the service of society
- European Council: EU (calls for) sanctions, Turkey (responds with) Yavuz (drillship’s presence in Cypriot EEZ)
- Ankara wants talks on energy issues
- Athens has briefed her allies – The Greek plans are mainly nautical, while the Turks are using research vessels and drill rigs.
- Varosha as a step toward a triple plan – The Cyprob and natural gas define Ankara’s new plans for the TCs’ future.
- Akinci-Ozersay battle over the BBF (Bizonal bicommunal federation) – In the election battle between the two, Ankara backs the TC ‘foreign minister’.
- Andros Kyprianou remains as (AKEL’s) general secretary – Proceeds with plans on parliamentary and presidential elections.
Final farewell to Demetris Christofias
- The danger of partition is visible more than ever (opinion piece)
- Today’s (election) outcome is a matter of survival for Erdogan
Appeal over Famagusta
Three former foreign ministers (Ioannis Kasoulides, Erato Markoulli and Giorgos Lillikas) on the latest developments on the EEZ and Varosha. Ioannis Kasoulides and Erato Kozakou Markoulli are in favour of this move on behalf of the RoC in the case there are moves within the closed-off town. All three welcome the decision of the European Council to take action against Turkey for its illegal actions in the Cypriot EEZ, however, they have differing views on whether this would make Turkey wiser.
- With full state honours – Demetris Christofias will be buried on Tuesday at 5pm following a cabinet decision. Public mourning until Tuesday, the day of the funeral, which will be a public holiday. The body will lie in state on Tuesday following a decision by AKEL.
- Analysis: And yet we rejected seven opportunities for the return of (the closed-off town of) Famagusta.
- (Lawyer Achilleas Demetriades) Famagusta: The ghost has awakened again
- Article-Intervention: The ‘second invasion’ in our EEZ and our handlings
- Religious freedoms: Criticism by the US
- Istanbul: Battle in… Polis (Istanbul)
Main News
Turkey warns EU against measures against her
Phileleftheros
EU Matter, Energy, Regional/International Relations
OVERVIEW
The daily reveals the content of a non-paper sent by Turkey to the EU member states except Cyprus a few hours before the European Council meeting warning that any measures against her would jeopardise efforts on the Cyprus problem but also relations with Greece.
Phileleftheros also reports that Turkey and Britain are trying to avert the possibility of sanctions against Turkey by the EU.
Citing sources, the paper reported that Britain is attempting to deconstruct the EU High Representative Federica Mogherini’s support statement to Nicosia by arguing behind closed doors that it has legal gaps and which resulted in the EU referring to “Turkey’s unlawful activities in the Eastern Mediterranean” and not in the Cypriot EEZ, with all that this entails.
It is clear Britain and Turkey will intensify efforts to render the package of measures the EU will propose, toothless, the paper said.
According to the non-paper, published by Phileleftheros Turkey warns that a decision on measures against her “would be a mistake and put further strain on the already impaired image of the EU as a biased actor in the region.”
It would be wise if the EU refrains from taking sides in overlapping maritime jurisdiction area claims and acting as a court in deciding on maritime boundaries, it said, adding that the EU’s positions exclusively reflect those of the GCs.
“As you are already aware, this stance risks further discouraging efforts towards the settlement of the Cyprus issue, as well as worsening Turkish-Greek relations,” the document said.
Turkey reiterated that her hydrocarbon related activities in the Eastern Mediterranean are based on its legitimate rights stemming from the international law and take place in an area within her continental shelf registered with the UN back in 2004.
“The support given to the maximalist maritime jurisdiction boundary claims of Greece and the GC Administration is indeed a direct violation of the international law,” it said, arguing that entitlement and delimitation are not the same thing.
According to international law, Turkey said, ilands are given limited effect in maritime boundary delimitation if their location distorts equitable delimitation. “We believe that the Island of Cyprus cannot generate full EEZ based on simplistic equidistance delimitation method in the west of the Island as it distorts the equitable delimitation under international law. Therefore, we do not recognize the unilateral and illegitimate exclusive economic zone claims of the Greek Cypriots,” it said.
It said that it is the GCs’ unilateral hydrocarbon-related activities which jeopardize the security and stability in the region and their disregard of the inalienable rights of the TCs as the co-owners of the island.
Turkey said that the establishment of a joint energy committee on the island with the participation of TCs, GCs, and international oil companies might help provide stability.
The letter said that, otherwise, Turkey would continue to protect her own continental shelf rights and those of the TCs.
Turkey expressed hope that the common-sense of the EU Council would prevail in protecting fundamental principles of the Rule of Law and respect to international law.
The paper also reported that the competent services of the EU Commission and of the European External Action Service would soon hold meetings to discuss measures against Turkey to be proposed to the member states.
KEY ACTORS
Turkey
>> The EU acts as a biased actor in the region by adopting the maximalist maritime jurisdiction boundary claims of Greece and the GCs that are in violation of the international law.
>> Warns EU that measures against Turkey would seriously harm efforts towards a Cyprob solution and worsen Turkish-Greek relations.
>> Turkey’s hydrocarbon-related activities in the East Med are within her continental shelf registered with the UN in 2004 thus based on her legitimate rights stemming from international law.
>> Turkey does not recognise the unilateral and illegitimate EEZ claims of the GCs since international law stipulates that islands are given limited effect in maritime boundary delimitation if their location distorts equitable delimitation. Cyprus’ EEZ cannot be based on simplistic equidistance delimitation method in the west of the Island as it distorts the equitable delimitation under international law.
>> Entitlement is one thing, delimitation is another. The GCs’ unilateral hydrocarbon-related activities jeopardize the security and stability in the region & disregard the inalienable rights of the TCs as co-owners of the island.
>> Believes setting up a joint energy committee with the participation of TCs, GCs, & international oil companies might help provide stability.
>> If GCs continue to carry the same tune, Turkey will continue to protect her own continental shelf rights and those of the TCs.
Government in a race to prevent unpleasant surprises in new UNFICYP report
Kathimerini
External Security, Negotiations Process, Energy
OVERVIEW
The paper reports that negotiator Andreas Mavroyiannis is in New York for contacts with officials of the UN Secretariat and members of the Security Council ahead of the discussion by the latter of the renewal of the UNFICYP mandate.
The meetings will start on Monday. Nicosia, despite reassurances by the US that it will not seek drastic moves on the matter, remains concerned since the Americans link the UNFICYP presence on the island with progress on talks for the political settlement of the Cyprus problem and improvement of the climate on the island through confidence building measures (CMBs). There is however lack of mobility on both issues, the paper reports.
As regards CBMs, despite the opening of the two crossings which were mentioned in the previous report, interoperability in mobile telephony and electricity networks, the situation was rather worsened by the turmoil caused in Denia but also by the intense confrontation in the Cypriot EEZ.
In relation to the political process, the efforts by UN special envoy Jane Holl Lute have been frozen, the two leaders’ meetings have stopped, Greece and Turkey are thinking about elections and it is hard to imagine that until the submission of a report on UNFICYP to the Security Council on July 10, there is time for an exploratory visit to Nicosia.
Bearing in mind all this, Mavroyiannis’ mission is to explain to the UN Secretariat our take on the situation, reiterate our readiness for talks and prevent the inclusion in the report of estimates that would be a pressure lever on the UNFICYP issue, Kathimerini reports.
It is estimated that the UN Secretary-General, who knows the risks of a possible withdrawal of UNFICYP, will avoid this scenario but he is in a difficult position since the political process has been frozen since July 2017, the paper reported.