Front Page Headlines
After humiliating her we let her go
Appeal for the conviction and sentence to the Supreme Court and possibly to the European Court of Human Rights. Support rally by Cypriots, British and Israelis with the slogan: “We believe you”. Satisfaction by Boris Johnson and the British foreign minister with hints for unfair trial.
- Fuel: Double digit turn to the occupied areas
- Five-party meeting of FMs – France, Italy also in the cadre.
- Reaffirmation of strategic relations – Mitsotakis and Trump with a positive agenda. The two countries’ relations are outstanding, Trump said.
Two meetings one agenda
Meetings in Cairo and Istanbul over Eastern Mediterranean, energy and Libya. Five-party ministerial meeting in Egypt, pipeline inauguration by Erdogan-Putin.
- The Yavuz left block 7 without any successful results
- Call by Patriarch Bartholomew for the Apostolos Andreas candelabrum – Educator Georgios Christodoulou was anointed by the Patriarch.
Hidden state debt to the tune of €8.16 bn
The state has a ‘hidden’ debt to the tune of €8.16 bn which has not been included to the borrowing charts of the fiscal report by the state treasury, while it has also given guarantees for loans and credit facilities amounting €1.98 bn. These are mentioned in the annual report of the Auditor-general who delivered it yesterday to the president.
- The president ought to apologise to AKEL
Napa rape claim teen will appeal
British woman finally leaves the island after being given four month suspended sentence.
Relief for everyone from the court decision for the 19-year-old British woman
The court has decided to give the young woman a second chance with the Times pointing out that a suspended sentence puts an end to a case that caused ‘international outcry’.
- Libya-developments: Pivotal Sirte also in the hands of Haftar
Main News
FM to discuss latest regional developments with EU & Egyptian counterparts in Cairo
Alithia, Cyprus Mail, Haravgi, Phileleftheros, Politis
Regional/International Relations, Energy, Negotiations Process
OVERVIEW
Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides will attend on Wednesday a five-party meeting in Cairo to discuss with his Egyptian and other European counterparts the latest developments in the region including Turkey’s provocations in the Cypriot exclusive economic zone (EEZ), the papers report.
According to the dailies the meeting will attend the foreign ministers of Egypt, Cyprus, Greece, Italy and France.
Christodoulides said on Tuesday France and Italy are among the EU member states that have always exhibited interest in developments in the eastern Mediterranean, adding that energy companies from the two countries, Italian ENI and French Total, operate in the Cypriot EEZ.
He said the main objective of the meeting is evaluating the situation in the region and that they would discuss Libya, Syria and Cyprus’ EEZ.
Christodoulides said the goal is to see how to reverse the current situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, which, in the long run, is not in the best interest of any state in the region.
Cyprus Mail also reports that Christodoulides said the current situation does not help efforts for the solution of the Cyprus problem as current developments make this effort a difficult one.
Though Turkey has informed the UN that she does not want any developments before the elections in the north, the government believes that time must not be lost simply by sitting and waiting for the elections to end or for what comes next before talks restart, he said.
He added that the Greek Cypriot side was not content with the fact that there are no talks at the moment “just because Turkey does not wish it.” He argued that the elections in the north cannot be used as an obstacle to an informal five-party meeting in the same composition as the talks in Crans-Montana in 2017. According to the minister efforts are underway, especially by the EU, which is sending messages on the need for the illegal Turkish activities to end to allow the resumption of the talks. He said, however, that so far there has been no result.
Phileleftheros also reports that this will be the first such meeting between the five countries that have developed cooperation mainly in the energy sector. Today’s meeting, however, will not be on just energy since developments in the region due to actions by Turkey widen the agenda, the paper reported.
It also reports that the inauguration today in Istanbul of the TurkStream pipeline by the Turkish and Russian presidents could be seen as a response to the agreement signed last week by Cyprus, Israel and Greece on the EastMed natural gas pipeline.
Phileleftheros also reports in another article that the Solidarity Movement expressed concerns over the escalation of tensions between the US and Iran and the Libya crisis. Cyprus is in the middle of these operations but the government believes it is not and there is no way it will be affected, the party said.
The party also called on the Cypriot Hellenism and the Greek people to avoid any financial transactions with occupying force Turkey. “We expected from the Greek and Cypriot governments to proceed to an economic boycott of Turkey and especially of Turkish products,’ the party said, according to Phileleftheros.
KEY ACTORS
Christodoulides
>> The situation in the East Med needs to change since it is not in the best interest of any state in the region.
>> The current situation does not help efforts for the solution of the Cyprob, rather make these efforts difficult.
>> The GC side is not happy by the standstill on the Cyprob front due to elections in the north just because Turkey does not wish any developments before that. The elections cannot be used as an obstacle to an informal five-party meeting in the same composition as the talks in Crans-Montana.
Solidarity Movement
>> Very concerned over the US-Iran situation & the Libya crisis since Cyprus is caught up in the middle of all this and criticises the government’s belief that the island will not be affected.
>> Was expecting Greek & Cypriot governments to impose an economic boycott on Turkey & Turkish products but since they did not, calls on Greeks and Cypriots to avoid any financial transactions with Turkey.
AKEL expects apology from Anastasiades over Cyprob accusations
Alithia, Haravgi, Phileleftheros
Negotiations Process
OVERVIEW
The dailies report that AKEL leader Andros Kyprianou on Tuesday called on President Nicos Anastasiades to apologise over accusing the party of prompting him to make concessions on the Cyprus problem.
Kyprianou said it was unacceptable that Anastasiades has been implying that AKEL has been asking him to make any concessions.
“I call on him to apologise for what he has implied,” he said.
He also said that the meeting of the two leaders in Berlin with the UN Secretary-General has clarified very important issues; that the basis of the solution is that of a bizonal bicommunal federation and that that talks, if they start, will be based on the June 30, 2017 Guterres Framework and the February 2014 Joint Declaration. He also said that the third point clarified is that until talks restart, the idea of the solution ought to be cultivated on the right basis. So far, however, an intense confrontation is escalating on Turkey’s responsibility. He added that the GC side ought, when Turkey acts in such a way, not to operate in a way that encourages these actions.
KEY ACTORS
Kyprianou (AKEL)
>> Wants Anastasiades to apologise for insinuating that AKEL has been prompting him to make concessions on the Cyprob.
>> The Berlin meeting clarified that the solution will be based on the BBF model, the GF and Joint Declaration & that until talks start the BBF solution ought to be promoted which is not the case due to Turkey’s behaviour.
>> The GC side must not behave in a way that would encourage Turkey’s actions.
Spehar to meet leaders over UNFICYP mandate
Alithia, Cyprus Mail, Haravgi, Phileleftheros
External Security
OVERVIEW
According to the papers UN Special Representative to Cyprus and UNFICYP head Elizabeth Spehar will meet President Nicos Anastasiades and TC leader Mustafa Akinci separately on Thursday, ahead of her visit to the UN Headquarters in New York to discuss the renewal of the peacekeeping force’s mandate with the Security Council.
Spehar will meet Anastasiades at 10am and Akinci at 12:30pm. She will leave for New York next week.
The Security Council is expected to discuss UNFICYP on January 20 and is expected to decide on the renewal of the peace mission’s mandate on January 30, the papers report.
Yavuz leaves block 7
Phileleftheros
Energy
OVERVIEW
According to the paper Turkish drillship Yavuz left block 7 last Monday and set sail for the Turkish coast after yet another unsuccessful attempt to locate hydrocarbons in the Cypriot EEZ.
This is the fourth illegal drilling by the Yavuz in the Cypriot EEZ, the daily reports.
The Yavuz entered block 7 on October 6 and based on a Navtex Turkey issued at the time it was to stay there until January 20, according to the daily.
Turkey’s other drillship, the Fatih, remains off Karpasia where it had arrived last November. It is expected to be there until March.
So far, Turkey has carried out five illegal drillings within the Cypriot EEZ, two west of Paphos, two south of the Karpasia peninsula, and one south of Pissouri, in block 7, the paper reports, adding that the exploratory vessel Barbaros which has been carrying out a seismic survey in blocks 2 and 3 of the Cypriot EEZ, is now on the northern coast of the Karpasia peninsula, in an area about 12 nautical miles off Yialousa, the paper reports.
GCs bought six times more fuel in the north in 2019 compared to two years ago
Alithia, Politis
CBMs, Economy
OVERVIEW
More and more people from the south fill their tanks in the north with petrol station owners believed to have lost last year €7.3m due to these fuel purchases, the papers report.
Citing data by the Consumers’ Association, the dailies report that last year the percentage of purchases in the north of 95 petrol has risen to 18,51 compared to 3 per cent in 2017 and 10.62 per cent in 2018.
These percentages have been estimated based on the calculation of the sales gap in the free areas and on the sales growth trend, calculated using past data.
The fewer quantities sold in the free areas are estimated to have been purchased in the occupied areas, the dailies reported. According to the calculations of the Cyprus Consumers’ Association, in 2019, 300,696 tonnes of ’95’ petrol were sold in Cyprus, while according to the calculations, 356,360 tonnes should have been sold. As regards diesel, sales were 275,369 tonnes and not the expected 322,528 tonnes.
Based on these, the total value of purchases in the north last year, for 95 petrol was estimated, based on prices in the government-controlled areas, at €86,1m and at €75,8m for diesel.
The average price of 95 petrol last year in the occupied areas was approximately €0.82 cents per liter and around €0.80 cents per liter for diesel, while in the free areas the average price of diesel fuel was €1,232 per liter and 95 petrol €1,186 cents.
The state lost in total €88m while petrol station owners in the south lost €7.3m, the dailies report.
Alithia, in another article, reports that price raises stir reactions in both sides of the island. In the free areas, consumers association Pekpoizo reacts to the increase in the price of fresh-pasteurised milk, while in the occupied areas, there are reactions over the new road tax increase.
Audit Office: State compensation to Hermes airports over Tymbou should be less
Cyprus Mail, Haravgi
Human Rights
OVERVIEW
The Audit Office said in its latest general report that Hermes, operator of the airports at Larnaca and Paphos should be getting much less from the state as compensation for business lost due to the operation of the Tymbou (Ercan) airport in the north.
The consortium held back €30m in concession fees owed to the government for the years 2015- 2017, arguing it is owed this amount by the state as compensation from the operation of the airport in the north.
The two sides reached a preliminary compromise deal where the state would compensate Hermes to the tune of €23m over Tymbou airport.
The Audit Office, however, argues that Hermes should be entitled to far less because it doesn’t factor in the fact that Hermes itself profits from passengers using Larnaca and Paphos airports but holidaying in the north, the papers reported.
Patriarch anoints Cypriot priest to be serving in Apostolos Andreas monastery
Alithia, Phileleftheros, Politis
Human Rights
OVERVIEW
The dailies report that Ecumenical Patriacrh Bartholomew anointed on Monday as presbyter deacon Georgios Christodoulou from Yialousa at the church of Ayios Georgios in Fanari in Istanbul.
Christodoulou, who holds a PhD in theology, will be serving at the monastery of Apostolos Andreas in Rizokarpaso.
The Patriarch urged the Cypriot priest to spread the message of hope and love in Cyprus and especially Apostolos Andreas in which Father Zacharias has been serving since 1958 with great sacrifice.
He also urged him to keep lit the candelabrum of the holy monastery in which he will serve and spend the rest of his life.