GCC Press Review 7 Nov 2019

Front Page Headlines

Politis

After the ridicule, revocation of passports

The revocation of the 26 citizenships is only the beginning. Parties demand the government to assume responsibility. Mea culpa by President Anastasiades with… a trail.

  • Occupied areas: Tatar first in the ‘elections’
  • Natural gas: DEFA (Natural Gas Public Company) won

Phileleftheros

Blacklist for the passports

A start with 26 cases for which the situation changed later. The blacklisted investors are Russians, Kenyans, Chinese, Cambodians etc.

  • Lute’s tour up in the air
  • In principle agreement on sanctions against Turkey – They have been approved from COREPER.
  • Turkish provocations at the ‘Medusa 9’ exercise – Messages from Greece, Egypt, Cyprus.
  • Poll: Tatar in the lead
  • Block by Cyprus for third parties in PESCO
  • They gave DEFA the green light to sign for the LNG

Haravgi

President, assume your responsibilities

AKEL and other parties want assumption of responsibilities by President Anastasiades himself on the scandalous granting of passports to a person wanted by Interpol and politically exposed persons. “The responsibility cannot be assumed by the Presidential Palace’s file clerk or anyone else,” said AKEL general secretary who expects explanations for the Saudi.

  • If there is will there can be progress

Cyprus Mail

Govt to revoke 26 citizenships

All 26 were given passports before 2018. ‘Mistakes were made’ in early days. Cambodians, one Malaysian targeted.

  • GC twins searching for TC sibling

Alithia

Eight measures on the citizenships

Cabinet decision to shield Cyprus’ prestige and credibility internationally. Passports will be revoked from 26 persons, among them, four given during the Christofias administration. A three-member committee chaired by the state treasurer will look into the procedures and file a report to cabinet. Archbishop: The Church is not only about prayer.

  • Akinci is losing ground – According to a survey in the occupied areas on the Cyprus problem with 4,267 persons. Tatar is ahead of the TC leaders with five percentage points. 78,6% wants a two-state solution, 16,3% federation with the GCs and 5,1% a confederation.
  • GC is looking for her TC brother – 57-year-old Andri.

Main News

TC & GC main opposition parties call on two leaders to show political will

Alithia, Haravgi, Phileleftheros
Negotiations Process, Regional/International Relations

OVERVIEW

The two main opposition parties in both sides of the divide called on the two leaders to show political will for positive results during their meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

In the meantime, Phileleftheros reports that nothing is sure yet as regards the visit to the island of UN envoy Jane Holl Lute since she has not been able yet to get a date from Turkey for a visit to Ankara.

Lute was expected to travel to Ankara on November 14 and then come to Cyprus as part of her round of contacts to prepare the ground for the trilateral meeting between the two leaders and Guterres. She is to also meet with representatives of the guarantor powers.

In the case of Turkey, the announcement of Lute’s visit usually comes after it’s done, the daily said, so this could also be the case now. Nicosia, however, will be informed of the date of Lute’s visit to Athens.

The daily also reports that there are concerns that Turkey could do something so that the five-party meeting does not take place until after the elections in the north since it also serves her interests as regards the ‘war’ against TC leader Mustafa Akinci since it is believed among the TC side that mobility in the Cyprus problem favours Akinci.

Alithia and Phileleftheros also report that the Permanent Representative of Cyprus to the United Nations Mavroyiannis expressed cautious optimism regarding the prospects of recording substantial progress in the Cyprus issue.

While briefing members of the Federation of Cypriot American Organization and the International Coordinating Committee — Justice for Cyprus (PSEKA) about the latest developments last Tuesday Mavroyiannis said that the November 25 meeting aims to facilitate the resumption of the talks.

He said he could not say the conjuncture was optimal as Turkey is not interested to see something happening in Cyprus, particularly now. Turkish tactics in the last few months showed that their intention was to secure what they wanted in order to attend the negotiating table and this is not acceptable, he said.

All three dailies also report that the leaders of AKEL and the Republican Turkish Party (CTP) expressed hope that the trilateral in Berlin would pave the way for the five-party meeting and the start of substantive talks.

Following a meeting at AKEL’s offices in Nicosia, the party’s leader Andros Kyprianou said he discussed with CTP head Tufan Erhurman the issues that must be on the agenda of the trilateral and their common concern over the prolonged dead end on the Cyprus problem which makes efforts for a solution on the agreed framework even more difficult.

“If there is political will it shouldn’t take long to reach an agreement on the six points submitted by the UNSG in Crans-Montana,” Kyprianou said.
He said both parties call on the two leaders to go to the meeting with the political will to cooperate and overcome any problems.

Erhurman recalled that after the talks in Crans-Montana, the UNSG had spoken of a results-oriented procedure and not an open-ended one based on past convergences while it is clear that in the basic UN parameters and this year’s Security Council resolutions political equality is included.

The two parties agreed to meet again after the trilateral in Berlin, the dailies report.

KEY ACTORS
Mavroyiannis (Cyprus’ Perm Rep to the UN)
>>
Cautiously optimistic about progress in the Cyprob since Turkey does not seem interested to see something happening in Cyprus especially now.
>> Finds unacceptable that Turkey wants to secure what it wants in order to sit at the negotiating table.

AKEL, CTP
>>
Hope the trilateral will pave the way for the five-party meeting and the start of substantive talks.

Kyprianou (AKEL)
>>
AKEL & CTP are concerned that the prolonged dead-end makes efforts for a solution on the agreed framework even more difficult & call on the two leaders to go to the meeting with the political will to cooperate and overcome any problems.
>> If there is political will it shouldn’t take long to reach an agreement on the six points submitted by the UNSG in Crans-Montana.

Erhurman (CTP)
>>
Recalls the call by the UNSG after Crans-Montana talks for a results-oriented, not open-ended procedure based on past convergences.
>> Political equality is part of both the basic UN parameters and this year’s SC resolutions.


Mavroyiannis: Turkey spreads propaganda to sanitize her own history

Phileleftheros
Regional/International Relations, Energy

OVERVIEW

The daily reports that Cyprus’ Permanent Representative to the UN Andreas Mavroyiannis responded to the claims last month by the Permanent Representative of Turkey, Feridun Sinirlioglu against GCs.
 
In a letter, dated October 29, 2019, Mavroyiannis said that for decades, Cyprus is not only the victim of Turkey’s aggressive and expansionist policies but also the subject of its relentless propaganda that attempts to distort the past and preempt the future.
 
Mavroyiannis said that the facts are well established and no doubts exist, despite the habitual misrepresentation of historical facts by Turkey in order to sanitize its own history.
He referred to the invasion that resulted in thousands of fatalities and persons who are still missing, destruction and massive violations of human rights, “only to be insulted by the shameless branding by Turkey of this aggression as a ‘peace operation’”.

He also said that the international community had no place for historical revisionism that allows the perpetrators of ethnic cleansing to accuse their victims of the crime that they themselves have committed.

Mavroyiannis said the intercommunal strife in the 1960s, which compelled the Cyprus government to request the deployment of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) in order to restore law and order and ensure better protection of all its citizens, could never justify Turkey’s unlawful use of force against Cyprus, regardless of the fact that Turkey itself incited and stoked this violence precisely in order to create a pretext to intervene.

As the facts on the ground speak for themselves, there is simply no way for Turkey to credibly claim that it did not invade and is not occupying a substantial part of Cyprus, he said.
 
Armed aggression by one state against another not only is prohibited under international law, but also constitutes an international crime, he said, adding that the desperate attempt to find a basis for the invasion in the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee was, as, in its most extreme interpretation, the Treaty does not go beyond entailing responsibility for the maintenance of the constitutional order of Cyprus, provided that it is done in line with the Charter of the United Nations.
 
“The use of force cannot be justified under the pretext of so-called ‘rights of guarantee’, nor can occupation, the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people and massive and persistent violations of human rights,” Mavroyiannis said in the letter.

On the issue of hydrocarbons, Mavroyiannis said that the threat repeated by Turkey in its letter is no longer a threat but a reality of daily violations of the sovereignty and sovereign rights of Cyprus in its territorial sea and its exclusive economic zone/continental shelf, including through the use of force.
 
 Mavroyiannis also said that the clearly unfounded claims by Turkey against the maritime zones of Cyprus are, ipso facto, injurious to all Cypriots, including TCs.

Mavroyiannis welcomed, however, Turkey’s claim that she supports a just and lasting settlement to the Cyprus issue, based on dialogue and diplomacy and expressed hope to welcome tangible deeds by Turkey that substantiate this claim in the near future.

KEY ACTORS
Mavroyiannis (Cyprus’ Perm Rep to the UN)
>>
Cyprus is victim to Turkey’s aggressive and expansionist policies, but also the subject of its relentless propaganda that attempts to distort the past and preempt the future.
>> Turkey tries to sanitize its own history through misrepresenting historical facts
but there is no way for Turkey to credibly claim that it did not invade and is not occupying a substantial part of Cyprus.
>> Turkey’s shameless branding of the invasion as a ‘peace operation’ is an insult since international community has no place for historical revisionism that allows the perpetrators of ethnic cleansing to accuse their victims of the crime that they themselves have committed.
>> Turkey itself incited & stoked violence that led to the intercommunal strife in the 1960s in order to create a pretext to intervene. That the Cyprus government requested the deployment of UNFICYP to restore law and order could never justify Turkey’s unlawful use of force against Cyprus.
>> Armed aggression by one state against another is an international crime & against international law.
>> Turkey desperately attempted to justify the invasion based on the Treaty of Guarantee which does not go beyond entailing responsibility for the maintenance of the constitutional order of Cyprus, provided that it is done in line with the UN Charter. Use of force or occupation is not justified under the pretext of so-called ‘rights of guarantee’.
>> Turkey’s threats are now a reality of daily violations of the sovereignty and sovereign rights of Cyprus in its territorial sea and its exclusive economic zone/continental shelf, including through the use of force.
>> Turkey’s unfounded claims against the maritime zones of Cyprus are, ipso facto, injurious to all Cypriots, including TCs.
>> Welcomes Turkey’s claim that she supports a just and lasting settlement to the Cyprus issue, based on dialogue and diplomacy & hopes to soon welcome tangible deeds by Turkey that substantiate this claim.


EU set to approve legal measures against those involved in Turkish drillings off Cyprus

Phileleftheros
EU Matters, Energy

OVERVIEW

The daily, citing sources, reports that an in-principle agreement has been reached at the Committee of Permanent Representatives (COREPER) concerning the legal actions by the EU on targeted measures against persons and companies involved in Turkey’s illegal actions in the Cypriot exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

The same sources told the daily that almost all EU capitals have approved the legal actions with one or two states expected to give their consent today or tomorrow so that the empty annex is approved, which is the list on which the names of persons and companies subject to the sanctions will be put.

When COREPER officially approves the legal measures, the issue will be referred to the Foreign Affairs Council which is expected to adopt them in its next meeting on November 11.

After the empty annex is created, the names of the persons and companies will be placed on it following thorough justification. The list will have to get the approval of the Working Party of Foreign Relations Counsellors (Relex), COREPER and any European Council, the daily reports.


The Fatih will return for more drilling off Cyprus

Alithia, Cyprus Mail, Haravgi, Phileleftheros
Energy, Regional/International Relations

OVERVIEW

According to the dailies Turkey’s Energy Minister Fatih Donmez announced that the drillship Fatih will start a new drilling operation off Cyprus in a few weeks’ time.

Donmez said the Fatih, which has been operating west of Cyprus since last May, is at the moment in Mersin for refuelling and maintenance and will begin drilling in a few weeks in areas licensed by the TCs. The Turkish minister also said Turkey’s second drillship, the Yavuz, started drilling in the ‘Morphou’ target a few weeks ago.

The papers also report that ExxonMobil’s Vice President Don Bagley has discussed with the Cypriot ministers of energy and foreign affairs the company’s plan for an appraisal drilling for the ‘Glaucus’ gas reserve in offshore block 10, while in Nicosia for the 15th Cyprus Summit/ Economist Conference.

Bagley updated the two ministers on the company’s appraisal plan for block 10 which will take place next year. ‘Glaucus’ deposit with 5-8 trillion cubic feet of gas is the largest gas discovery so far in Cyprus’ EEZ. The appraisal drilling which is planned for 2020 will help the company with the commercialization decision, the papers reported.


Cyprus blocks third-country participation in PESCO programmes

Phileleftheros
EU Matters, External Security, Regional/International Relations

OVERVIEW

The paper reports that Cyprus has blocked future cooperation between the EU’s Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) with third countries and subsequently Turkey.

According to the daily Cyprus is among a group of EU member states that blocked the participation of defence industry companies from third countries in PESCO programmes.

Citing sources, the paper reports that following instructions by Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides, Cyprus raised strict objections to a proposal by Finland that leaves room to defence companies of third countries, such as Turkey, to claim participation in PESCO programmes.

Greece too kept the same stance as well as two other countries but the latter two for different reasons, mainly that participation in these programmes ought to concern only companies from member states participating in PESCO,  the daily reported.

Sources told Phileleftheros that Finland’s proposal was aimed at satisfying Sweden whose defence industry now partly belongs to American investors despite it is still based in Sweden. The same more or less applies for Holland, the daily reported.

It added that Nicosia has no objection for companies based in Sweden or Holland to benefit from the PESCO programmes but that it informed its EU partners it cannot agree to something that could be used by Ankara to secure participation through Turkish companies.

In another article, the daily reported that Ankara raised tensions once more, this time in the presence of Cypriot Defence Minister Savvas Angelides who was attending the aeronautical exercise ‘Medusa 9’ in Crete.

The exercise is carried out with the participation of Greece, Cyprus and Egypt.

Citing  Hellasjournal news portal, the daily reported that while the ministers of the three countries were watching aircraft formations at the exercise, Turkish aircraft appeared in the north and south-east Aegean.

This move was Ankara’s reaction to the exercise that is taking place in the southeastern part of the Aegean up to the boundary of the Greek continental shelf, Phileleftheros reports.


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