Front Page Headlines
Lost art ‘like a time warp’
It was a historic week for the island’s art community as long-gone but not forgotten works were exhibited.
- Nicosia’s bicommunal cockerel
- Breaking injustice: Peace negotiations were a victory for all South Africans
- Cyprus: Nicosia makes representations to UN over Spitfire cafe
- Comment (M. Droushiotis): The Cyprus issue was resolved in Crans Montana
Common defence dogma revatilised
Cyprus – Greece upgrade their defence connections on every level. Minister of Defence: There has always been a very close cooperation between the two countries on defence issues, on all levels, something that is also happening now.
- Savvas Angelides (Defence minister): We are creating a deterrence mechanism. Military partnerships of the Republic of Cyprus continuously developing
- Jewish Institute Report: Cyprus eyed by US for army relocation
- Commission: What changes are coming for country accession to the EU
- Hell in Syria: Organised crime with abduction of (college) students
- The case of halloumi: From 2006 to today
- Game on two fronts: Use of EU-Turkish relations as a tool returns
- Dr. Lambros G. Kaoullas (opinion): Innovation and research on Defence Ministry and GEEF (National Guard General Staff) agenda
- Androulla Giurov (opinion): CBMs and defeatism push “just” solution further away
- Christos Christou (opinion): Third Attila
- Xenis X. Xenofontos (opinion): The countdown has started for Turkey
- Nikos Katsourides (opinion): Cyprus is in danger – Stopping Turkey
We broke taboos at Crans Montana
Jeffrey Feltman (former) assistant UNSG talks to “Politis”. The impression shared by UN officers, myself included, is that Crans Montana brought the two sides and the guarantor powers on the threshold of a solution. What worries me more is that the previous decision of the two sides to search for a solution that would reunify Cyprus on the basis of a bizonal bicommunal federation is being brought into doubt. UNFICYP has a unique political and military role given that there are no clashes, but what happens if its funders are tired of supporting it? Stuck to the status quo.
- Syria: Nine years at war – The worst humanitarian crisis since World War II
- Ove Johansson: Memories from Ledra Palace of 1974
- Cypriot EEZ: When narratives end
- Occupied areas: The “election” puzzle is complete
- (Interview) Antros Kyprianou insists about EEZ partition
Plan for drilling freeze
Turkish scenario for moratorium ahead of beginning of process in Cyprus Problem. Ankara insists on discussing all models, a timeframe and clarifications on next day after an impasse.
- Interior Minister Nikos Nouris: Migrant flow intentional and from Turkey – 17 thousand applications for political asylum status pending. International protection status has been granted to 11,700 persons since 2004
- A barrage of interventions in Brussels: Erdoğan pressures to prevent activation of sanctions
- Nick Larigakis (interview): Cyprus a legitimate player in the Mediterranean
- Attempts reversal of situation: Turkey now flirts with Israel for MoU
- The Republic of Cyprus and the UN reports
- Shocking narration of the massacre at Palaikythro
Natural gas prescribes cooperation
Francis Fannon talks to “K” about American business and energy prospects. (Fannon:) Our relations with Turkey will not negatively affect our relationship with Cyprus and Greece.
- Geopolitical: France came to stay in the eastern Mediterranean
- The Oruç Reis and the third drill – Athens looks to Ankara
- (Editorial) Sine qua non
- Turkey – EU: Ankara looks for compromise with West
Hands off our forests
- Brexit road still long
- International: Again about Libya, again without Greece
- (Bicommunal art exhibit) A wealth of the soul that luckily was not divided by hate…
- Idlib dangerously close to a nightmare for Erdoğan
The party broke into two pieces
Conflict between M. Sizopoulos – D. Papadakis reaches unprecented heights in EDEK. D. Papadakis: Did not present himself yesterday at disciplinary (council) and sent Sizopoulos a notice to appear to court. Differences are political and not financial, he says. M. Sizopoulos: There might be other offenses beyond party discipline misconduct from the MEP’s side.
- Averof Neophytou: New effort after May to the end of the year
- Cyprus Problem – Analysis: Will we also step on the next banana peel?
- Refugee couple from Varosi: Left life within 24 hours of each other
Main News
Fannon: US expects regional cooperation on energy
Kathimerini
Energy, Economy, External Security, Regional/ International Relations
Assistant secretary of state on energy Francis Fannon told Kathimerini that no one in the Eastern Mediterranean will benefit as long as the philosophy of all involved is to claim the biggest part of the energy resources pie. The approach of all involved, he said, is not who is going to get the biggest part of the pie, but how that pie can become larger.
In a lengthy interview, Fannon called on all sides to choose dialogue and pointed out that current economic opportunities will not be sustainable if tensions in the area continue or even escalate.
Asked to comment on the government’s effort to present his recent visit as a message to Turkey, Fannon said that his lengthy visit to our region reflects the USA’s aim to boost economic development and political security in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Fannon also assesed the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean as positive, pointing out that if states manage to concentrate on cooperation in energy matters, this will affect relations in other issues. He pointed out that energy is no longer a theorical discussion but a subject for international agreements between Israel, Jordan and Egypt, agreements that were considered unthinkable a few years ago.
When asked to comment on Turkish actions in the region, Fannon said that the US has clearly called on all sides to put a stop to all provocative actions that could cause instability, and pointed out that Turkish actions fall into that category. He added that for this reason he travelled to Ankara right after leaving Nicosia.
He pointed out however that he did not arrive in the region to solve long standing problems but to underline how all countries in the region can benefit from cooperation.
When asked to clarify which other actors, beyond Turkey, should put a stop to provocative actions, Fannon pointed out that he cannot know how other actors will respond to Turkish actions. He reiterated that the right approach is not the adversarial one and pointed out that current economic opportunities will not be available if tension continues or escalates.
Former UN top official: Threshold of solution reached at Crans Montana
Politis
Negotiations Process
OVERVIEW
Former assistant UNSG on political issues Jeffrey Feltman told Politis in an interview that the two sides, as well as the guarantor powers, negotiated with unusual directness during the Conference on Cyprus in Crans Montana, and added that the process reached the threshold of a solution.
When asked why he believes the Cyprus Problem has not been solved, Feltman pointed out that this is not because of any lack of seriousness or effort by the two sides or the guarantor powers.
Feltman also said that he believes one of the reasons for the lack of a solution is the fact that, for some, the status quo appears more viable and comfortable than a leap into the unknown. He said that as an external observer he often is surprised by the intensity of arguments on issues that appear inconsequential, and that he is not convinced that certain small steps that can build trust and good will could cause the collapse of one or the other side’s narrative and negotiating position.
The former UN diplomat added that his main concern after the failure of Crans Montana is that doubts are being expressed over the long standing choice of the two sides to reunify Cyprus on the basis of a bizonal bicommunal federation with political equality. Feltman wondered what other solutions could someone consider preferable.
Feltman also said that he does not understand how the issue of natural gas has become a zero-sum game, taking into account the current glut in the world market for hydrocarbons and the fact that it could take years for any income to be generated.
Also in Politis, journalist Makarios Droushiotis, a former advisor of President Anastasiades and of former European Commissioner Christos Stylianides, revisited the events of the 2017 Crans Montana Conference on Cyprus, claiming that all the elements of a solution were in place and that the final deal was prevented by Anastasiades. The piece is also published in the Cyprus Mail.