GCC Press Review 2 Feb 2020

Front Page Headlines

Sunday Mail

Small win for 15-year fight

Family of a soldier found dead in 2005 are pushing for his exhumation after ECHR rules initial investigation botched.

  • Turkish research vesser Oruç Reis sails into island’s EEZ
  • The lond day after: Brexit and Cyprus: a long transitional period for British expats
  • Plumbing the depths: the caves of Kyrenia

Simerini

Migration explosion

Today we count 31,200 asylum seekers. They are 3,6% of our population. The population of Cyprus reaches 875, 900.

  • 100 years from the Misak-i-Milli: Updating of the Turkish “National Oath”
  • UNFICYP: A warmed over meal to please Turks
  • The eviction of the Armenians in 1964: “S” presents the new column “Tales of Defence and Security” with Dr. Lambros G. Kaoullas
  • Brexit: The chief negotiatior is the designer of the “Ghali Ideas” of 1990
  • Analysis: Trap-formula for natural gas and thoughts about new sanctions on Turkey
  • Editorial: The insolence of the failed
  • Andrulla Giurov (Opinion): The Pontius Pilates and those that crucify Cyprus
  • Savvas Iakovides (Opinion): The “exemplary French-Cypriot partnership” against the Turkish threat
  • Petros Th. Pantelides (Opinion): Reaction to the pirate invasion in the EEZ of the RoC
  • Andreas Morfites (Opinion): The attacks against the Foreign Minister

Politis

We will call the president of Omonoia to testify

The chief of Police (interviewd) comprehensively on (Israeli) van and football. Mr. Papastavrou will be called to substantiate what he said publically. Israelis will sooner or later come to Cyprus to testify. It is widely known that even kebab shops pay for protection. We need 800 police officers.

  • Cyprus Problem: And down the line… five party meeting – Fukuyama and the drilling moratorium
  • Brexit: The hangover and the Europe of 27

Phileleftheros

Message of vexation to the UNSG

The President asked from Guterres for a reaction to the Turkish illegal actions in the EEZ. Trilaterals reinforced with Ministers of Defence.

  • Thanos Ntokos (interview): Closer cooperation among Athens – Nicosia
  • Thomas Papanastasiou (interview): Peace in Eastern Mediterranean more and more fragile
  • Resolution 2056: Dangerous cocktail for what is next in the Cyprus Problem
  • The bizonal bicommunal federation will collapse like a house of cards

Kathimerini

Acceleration of security mechanisms

Turkish aggression from Crete to the Cypriot EEZ causes strong scepticism in Nicosia. Ankara’s games with the Oruç Reis.

  • UNFICYP: On the philosophy of the slippery slope for the resolutions
  • Good bye and good luck!
  • Moratorium and Turkish aims: What Hulusi Akar is thinking
  • Greek Deputy Foreign Ministry (interview): Ties between Cyprus – Greece are strong

Haravgi

They knocked the people’s and society’s lights out

  • (Interview – Anna Marangou) Half a land doesn’t mean half human
  • Turkey tries to win time at the ECHR
  • Oruç Reis inside the Cypriot EEZ

Alithia

Good news from the Chinese (man)

Patient without fever and in very good clinical condition yesterday. (Coronavirus) Incident probably not confirmed in case under investigation, but the final results of the specialised examinations he was put through will be ready in the afternoon today. Admission by officials that there was some “confusion” in dealing with the first suspicious incident.

  • Analysis: Security Council on UNFICYP: The only solution is the solution
  • Opinion article: Twisting the truth undermines our national interests
  • Oruç Reis: From Greece’s continental shelf to the Cypriot EEZ
  • Britain out of the EU: End credits to a relationship of… 47 years
  • Turkey in ECHR: Tries to win time

Main News

Papers analyse tensions in the East Med and Turkey’s moratorium proposal


Alithia, Haravgi Kathimerini, Simerini, Phileleftheros, Politis
Negotiations Process, Internal Security, External Security, Regional/ International Relations

Analysts in the Sunday papers dissect Turkey’s proposal for a drilling moratorium until the solution. Kathimerini points out that the announcement is related to the announcement of the strengthening of cooperation between Cyprus and Italy on energy. The newspaper cites the assessment of the Turkish Cypriot journalist Ulaş Barış who believes that Turkey wanted to call on the G/Cs to jointly tone down tensions in the region.

Politis points to the discussion caused after Turkey’s announcement regarding the country’s motives as well as the wisdom of the Cypriot government’s reply. The newspaper recalls that in 2014 Turkey had also asked for a moratorium in drillings, and that the response of the RoC is that illegal actions by Turkish ships in the Cypriot EEZ cannot be considered equal to research conducted legally by companies leased by the Cypriot government.

Politis also makes the point that the timing of Turkey’s proposal is related to recent statements made by the Cypriot and Italian Foreign Ministers and the Greek prime minister and the French President. The newspaper adds that the Cypriot government assessed Turkey’s response as an indication that it is under pressure, and that government sources believe that Turkey really wanted to give the EU the impression that it is being constructive.

However, Politis adds, there is another way to read the Turkish proposal, namely that it is preemptively strengthening its position in case the scheduled resumption of negotiations after the Turkish Cypriot elections does not work out. In that case, the newspaper argues, Turkey will be able to present itself as the side that was looking for ways to reduce tension.

Most newspapers also report on issues relating to the coordination between Greece and Cyprus due to the situation in the Eastern Meditarranean, while also reporting on the outcome of an incident involving Turkish research ship Oruç Reis on Friday.

Phileleftheros reports that the sanctions against persons and companies regarding Turkey’s action in the Cypriot EEZ will be approved very shortly and that the measures will target two high ranking officials of TPAO. The newspaper cites statements by sources that the government aims to increase sanctions depending on Turkey’s reactions.

Phileleftheros reports that the government has expressed its discontent with the UN’s lack of reaction to Turkey’s illegal actions in the Cypriot EEZ, and that President Anastasiades has sent this message to UNSG Guterres through a conversation with his enboy, Jane Holl Lute.

Phileleftheros also reports that Cyprus is working on achieving close coordination with countries whose companies are involved in the Cypriot EEZ, pointing to the upcoming meeting of the Defence Ministers of Cyprus, France, Italy and Greece in Zagreb, in the margins of the EU’s unofficial defence summit.

In an interview with Phileleftheros, Greek international relations professor Thanos Ntokos, also a deputy anvisor to the Greek government, said that there is a window of opportunity for the Cyprus Problem only if Mustafa Akinci is reelected and the EU shows interest in pushing the process forward. He also states Greece and Cyprus should strengthen their cooperation towards an effective national strategy.

Kathimerini also publishes an interview with Greek deputy minister Kostas Vlasis, who reiterated the position that Greece and Cyprus are pillars of stability in the region. Vlasis also talks extensively on Greece’s decision to grant its citizens living abroad the opportunity to vote from abroad, which also affects Greek citizens living in Cyprus.

The dailies report that Turkish research ship Oruç Reis entered the Cypriot EEZ on Saturday morning, after having entered the Greek continental shelf for several hours on Friday. The Cyprus News Agency reports, citing a military source, that on Saturday morning the ship was headed towards the area, included in the Cypriot EEZ’s blocks 4 and 5, where it had originally announced it would go.

The military source that spoke to CNA said that the most likely reason for the incident was bad weather in the region. Analysts in several Sunday papers point out that the move could also be an attempt to test limits on the anniversary of the Imia crisis.

Phileleftheros reports that Greece downgraded the importance of the issue on Saturday, and that the Greek government’s spokesperson Stelios Petsas stated that the incident was caused by bad weather. The newspaper also reports that Greek F-16 fighter planes were recording the ship’s movements.

Kathimerini and Phileleftheros also comment on the latest Security Council resolution on the renewal of UNFICYP. Kathimerini tracks the history of UNFICYP and its resolutions, pointing out that each resolution is worse than the previous one since the international community becomes more and more sceptical of the efficiency of its current approach to solving the Cyprus Problem, with the USA putting gradually more conditions for the continuation of the mission. The newspaper also points out that though it is a well tried tactic to point to the UK for any negative development, it is the USA that is setting a different agenda in the past few years.


Turkey attempts to gain time in ECHR property cases

Haravgi
Property, Human Rights, EU Matters

OVERVIEW

Haravgi reports that Turkey has chosen not to submit its position to the European Court of Human Rights regarding two cases on loss of use of property in Varosi and Tymbou, brought against her by the legal owners.

The report is based on statements by Achilleas Demetriades, the lawyer representing the owners, to the Cyprus News Agency.

Turkey has opted instead to unilaterally offer 11,000 euros to the owners, as long as they withdraw from the ECHR case and reapply to the Immovable Property Commission operated by Turkey in the occupied areas. The deadline for the applicants to reply is the 28th of February.

Turkey had requested for multiple extensions to the deadline for submitting its own position, but missed the last deadline expiring on January 27th.

Demetriades told CNA that the ECHR informed him on Friday of Turkey’s admission that the Immovable Property Commission delays examining cases brought before it, as well as of the offer of 6,000 euros for the Varosi case and 5,000 for the Tymbou case to end the process in the ECHR.

Demetriades stated that Turkey’s request is not applicable since the applicants are suing Turkey not only because of the delays, but also because of the the inefficiency of the processes followed by the IPC.


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