GCC Press Review 12 Jan 2020

Front Page Headlines

Sunday Mail

Lessons from the downpour

Illegal building, fighting growing desertification and reassessing desalination.

  • Paphos on a mission to change old town image

Simerini

Defence upgrade with American arms

The defence ministry is planning a strategy and it is expected to address the foreign ministry. Procedures proceed also for the Cyprus-owned naval base Simerini had revealed.

  • Position: The sultan of peace (editorial on the Turkish president)
  • British documents (of 1990) on the bizonal bicommunal federation backstage
  • Turkey-Libya memorandum: Turkish officials at risk of American sanctions
  • Mitsotakis-Trump meeting: The bill will come later
  • Yiannakis L. Omirou: Turkey-EU (opinion piece)
  • Savvas Iacovides: Urgent need for the regrouping of the Unified Defence Area (with Greece) (opinion piece)
  • Lazaros Mavros: Kastelorizo and Pentemili (opinion piece)
  • Petros Demetriou: EastMed – Diplomacy with a plan and those permanently protesting (opinion piece)

Politis

Could Turkey be internationally isolated?

Based on Mitsotakis’ statements and the Republic of Cyprus’ moves. Two international relations experts analyse Turkey’s current position and explain how this country must be dealt with. Ankara is usually moving on the border of legitimacy thus avoiding being called an international trouble maker. She keeps a number of open fronts but in reality they are manageable and low cost.

  • We are following an Iran-style policy (opinion piece)
  • Occupied areas: Ozersay has switched the motors on
  • East Med: The Libyan crisis and Europe’s role
  • Memories of Cypriots: The story of Tasoula Kariolou
  • Chronicle: The organization and action of the ‘National Embassy’ – Struggle for globalization 1950 (free supplement given with Sunday’s Politis)

Phileleftheros

War of nerves from Turkey

Playing games by sending a research vessel in Greece’s marine area. Domino of developments in the Eastern Mediterranean.

  • Sanctions on the Cypriot EEZ – Not a single name on the list, Erdogan is blackmailing.
  • US-Russia conflict and the benefits for Cyprus
  • The importance of the Cairo summit
  • The ‘narrative’ on Turkey’s isolation
  • History digits with the lens of Andreas Manolis
  • How will Libya’s collapse stop?
  • Yiannis Spanos: The roar of war (opinion piece)

Kathimerini

No one provides answers for the holes in the Larnaca airport’s WiFi

Police is pointing the finger at Hermes, the company denies while the government is making promises.

  • Main article: The observers (editorial on the EU’s role in regional developments)
  • Diplomatic issues: The Cyprus problem in the whirlwind of developments
  • Greek-Turkish relations: US initiative on de-escalation

Haravgi

Loans are more expensive for the small and middle-sized businesses (SMEs)

Banks apply double standards on the new loans for businesses since, on one hand they are giving millions at low interest rates to the very large (businesses) and peanuts with much higher interest rates to the SMEs. Bank charges are also higher for loans given to SMEs. Businesses in Cyprus are paying much higher interest compared to the rest of the Eurozone countries.

  • The East Med powder keg, developments and Cyprus’ position

Alithia

In election warm-up rhythm

DISY, AKEL and DIKO are sharpening their knives from now for the 2021 parliamentary elections. The absence for a long time of developments in the Cyprus problem puts the parties in a premature and long election period with attention on internal governance but also in-party developments.

  • Christos Panayiotides: The 10 critical issues of the Cyprus problem (opinion piece)
  • Analysis: Powerful Turkey and small Cyprus are captives of geography

Main News

Turkey warns EU against sanctions over drilling off Cyprus


Kathimerini, Phileleftheros
EU Matters, Energy

OVERVIEW

The dailies report that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is personally asking EU member states not support Cyprus as regards the list of sanctions for individuals and companies involved in Turkish drilling activities off the island, while sources argue it will be very difficult to introduce such measures anyway.

Phileleftheros, citing sources, reports that Erdogan himself is asking some EU member states to make sure no names are added to the list of sanctions while warning with retaliation on the migration issue in the case the list is unanimously approved by the EU members.

Turkish circles pointed out to EU members that the list of sanctions must remain blank and no names should be put on it, arguing that otherwise, it would give the impression that the EU questions Turkey’s rights and interests in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Bulgaria and Hungary seem to have given Turkey reassurances they would not agree to putting names on the list, the paper reported.

Germany too wants to ensure the continuation of EU-Turkey cooperation believing it is the only way to curb migration flows to Europe. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is expected to travel to Turkey possibly on January 24 giving a clear message on the country’s intentions as regards the refugee/migration issue, the paper reports.

Citing sources, the paper reported that Ankara has already told Berlin but also Brussels that the EU-Turkey cooperation cannot continue at a time when its member-states are calling for sanctions against her.

The daily reports that Nicosia continues however efforts for the inclusion of names on the list despite Turkey’s interventions.

According to Kathimerini, the sanctions as regards Turkey’s illegal activities in the Cypriot EEZ will be discussed at the end of January at the EU Foreign Ministers’ summit.

Citing sources in Brussels, the daily reports that Nicosia is calling for sanctions against Turkish state petroleum company TPAO and a Croatian one that is associated with it.

Diplomatic circles, however, believe it will be very difficult to even put TPAO on the list, let alone other companies associated with it, especially European ones.

The daily reports that a study will be carried out on TPAO’s importance on Europe’s energy security and later on, a decision will be made on whether sanctions must be enforced against it.

But questions also arise on whether measures can be taken against individuals the paper reports.

It added that Nicosia has given the names of five persons, three Turkish nationals and two Europeans.  

Brussels circles argue that while the member states agree that Turkey is escalating tensions in the region, given developments and the migration issue, Ankara is a main player in the region with which they have no wish of clashing, the paper reported.


Cyprus mulling over purchasing US arms

Simerini
External Security, Regional/International Cooperation

OVERVIEW

The daily reports in its main story that the defence ministry is determined to make good use of the opportunity created by the approval by the US Congress of the East Med Act which also provides for a lift of the arms embargo on Cyprus, by acquiring arms for the National Guard.

Citing sources, the daily reports that the National Guard and the defence minister believe access to the US arms market would yield many benefits.

The defence ministry is assessing the American law, the East Med Act, which provides for financial aid for training, lift of the arms embargo and establishes a new strategic relations between the US, Cyprus, Greece and Israel. This also raises the need for the Republic of Cyprus to carve out a strategy responding to the East Med Act’s goals. If the strategy is approved by the government, consultations will be launched with the US for the purchase of arms and systems, the paper reports.

The National Guard’s needs for the replacement of weapons systems and/or the addition of next generation ones, are already recorded and there’s an eight-year plan for its implementation, according to the paper.

Those tasked with assessing the Republic’s defence programme and knowing the US arms market believe that it would be a move to the right direction.

As regards the request by the US to temporarily use the Andreas Papandreou airbase in Paphos as the base for their evacuation unit, the paper, citing sources within the defence ministry, reported that it was proof of the weight the US puts on this new relationship and a confirmation that it trusts Cyprus. The US could easily have asked such facilities from the British bases but chose to ask the Republic instead, the source said.

The paper also reports that there are developments as regards the upgrade of the Mari naval base with the competent ministers expecting to have a meeting with the president to discuss the matter. The defence ministry believes that upgrading infrastructure could contribute to the new geostrategic order in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Despite that the cost will be high, the benefits it will yield are more, the daily reported.


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