Front Page Headlines
The state is ‘chartering’ flights with €6.3m
Incentives by the Republic of Cyprus to airlines for boosting tourism. Tourist peak season has been transferred to October this year. Paphos airport opens on June 21.
- Bases: The building coefficient is low
- Migration issue: Thousands flock to the Greek-Turkish border
- Libya: Change of balance with Moscow’s intervention
Change in political economy
(Finance Minister) Petrides: We will not create a new fiscal or strategic crisis. From now on, the measures will be targeted and short term.
- Joint front by Cyprus-Armenia against Bozkir
- Pressure on the occupation regime: They continue to whistle the same tune on crossings – On Tuesday, 14 TC workers crossed and another 12 yesterday. Six TC patients returned to the occupied areas, five of whom are patients and one woman living in the free areas. Two enclaved GCs crossed to the free areas for medical reasons and returned back to the occupied areas.
- Historic agreement for thousands of citizens: Finally, land development for trapped property owners at the Bases
- The British have paid UK £8m to farmers (between 1995-2020) – Compensation due to exercises.
(UNFICYP spokesperson) Siddique calls on the two sides to move forward
“It is imperative that the parties continue to work closely together to open the crossing points. The (UN) mission is ready to assist both sides in moving forward,” UNFICYP spokesman, Aleem Siddique said. AKEL leader points out the need for taking initiatives.
Airlines offered €6.3m incentive
More countries deemed safe to enter Cyprus, UK still off list.
- Turkish Cypriot workers sleep in cars to work in Republic
The first setback!
The government acts on its warnings after everything that took place during the Kataklysmos long weekend at the beaches and especially at Nava bar.
- Reactions by Cyprus, Greece and others: No to a Turkish chair of the UN General Assembly
- ‘MP’ in the occupied areas: Varosha can open by the end of the year
- 64-year-old TC slept in his car: He crossed for work
Main News
UNFICYP calls TCs for clarity on crossings situation
Alithia, Cyprus Mail, Haravgi, Phileleftheros, Politis
CBMs, Internal Security
OVERVIEW
The dailies report on a call by UNFICYP for coordination between the two sides on the opening of the crossing points and clarifications from the TC side on the matter.
According to the dailies, UNFICYP spokesperson Aleem Siddique said that the mission is seeking clarity from the TC side on the situation regarding the crossing points.
He said that while the UN supports all measures required to address the health crisis, they were concerned by the ongoing disruption caused to people on both sides of the island.
“It is imperative for the sides to continue coordinating closely on the opening of the crossing points. The mission stands ready to assist both sides on the way forward,” Siddique said.
The parties too voiced their opinions on the matter.
Head of main opposition AKEL Andros Kyprianou called on the government to take initiatives to force Tatar and Ozersay to reopen the crossings or suffer the political costs if they don’t.
Kyprianou accused the duo of trying to cause problems because they disagree with the agreed solution framework and wish to sabotage the solution efforts.
He also expressed sorrow over the fact that the government limits itself to verbal declarations instead of taking serious initiatives to prepare the ground and public opinion so that talks can resume right after the October elections in the north.
DIKO deputy leader Christiana Erotokritou expressed sorrow over the discriminatory stance of UNFICYP, which, while it had strongly criticised the way the Republic of Cyprus rightly proceeded to temporarily suspend the operation of the crossings for the protection of public health, it merely asked the TC side for explanations this time round.
She also highlighted that the pawns of the Turkish army were the ones setting the TC side’s policy on the crossings.
EDEK’s deputy chair Maria Vasiliadou said the government must not take rushed decisions and avoid upgrading the occupation regime.
ELAM pointed out that while the TC side refuses to send epidemiological data to the RoC experts, all other political parties did not back its proposal last week for closing down all crossings. It called on the government and other parties to assume their responsibilities.
The dailies also report on statements to Yeni Duzen by TC workers who crossed to the south and mainly 64-year-old Mustafa Ruso who spent the first night in his car, having nowhere else to sleep.
Haravgi reports that Ruso’s employer helped him find accommodation after all.
Phileleftheros reports that pressure is building up against the occupation regime for the re-operation of the crossings. It points out, however, that while some three months ago when the government of the Republic of Cyprus had decided to suspend the operation of four crossings for health reasons, this had led to an intervention by UNFICYP head Elizabeth Spehar who asked for a meeting with President Nicos Anastasiades while the mission had expressed concerns over the disruption this would cause to the people. Now, UNFICYP merely calls on the TC side to clarify its position on the matter, said the paper.
Alithia and Cyprus Mail, citing the Cyprus News Agency report that in total, 14 people crossed on Tuesday, eight of whom were workers. Three people crossed to the north on Tuesday and were quarantined. One was said to have come on a repatriation flight from the UK to Larnaca. They also quote Kibris Postasi saying that on Wednesday, another 21 TCs crossed, two of whom for health reasons and the rest for work.
KEY ACTORS
Siddique (UNFICYP spokesperson)
>> UNFICYP expects the TC side to clarify its position on the re-operation of crossings & is concerned by the ongoing disruption caused to people on both sides of the island.
>> UNFICYP calls on the two sides to continue coordinating closely on the opening of the crossing points & stands ready to assist them on the way forward.
Kyprianou (AKEL)
>> Wants GC side to take initiatives, instead of just making verbal declarations, to force Tatar and Ozersay to reopen the crossings or suffer the political costs if they don’t.
>> Accuses Tatar & Ozersay of trying to cause problems because they disagree with the agreed solution framework and wish to sabotage the solution efforts.
>> GC side needs to prepare the ground and public opinion so that talks can resume right after October’s elections in the north.
Erotokritou (DIKO)
>> Finds UNFICYP’s stance discriminatory over the different way it reacted to the two sides’ actions as regards the crossings.
>> Pawns of the Turkish army in the north and not Akinci that set the TC side’s policy also on crossings.
Vasiliadou (EDEK)
>> Calls on not to take any rushed decisions but rather avert the upgrade of the occupation regime.
ELAM
>> Criticises all other political parties for not backing its proposal last week to close down all crossings & calls on them and government to assume their responsibilities.
Diplomatic battles at UN level
Alithia, Haravgi, Phileleftheros
Regional/International Relations, External Security, Energy, Human Rights
OVERVIEW
Haravgi and Phileleftheros report that Turkey has released as an official UN document a letter sent by TC ‘foreign minister’ Kudret Ozersay to the head of the Security Council. Ozersay responds in the letter to the intervention by Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides during the High-level meeting last May on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe.
Ozersay said, according to the papers, that the GC side was taking every opportunity at the international level to block the TC side so as to distort the facts. He said that the Republic of Cyprus was founded in 1960 through international treaties on the basis of a partnership between its two peoples on the island but that this cooperation was destroyed by the GCs with the unilateral abolition of the Constitution and by expelling the TCs from state institutions as well as from their homes, while starting an armed campaign of ethnic cleansing against the TCs.
Ozersay referred to atrocities committed against the TCs.
He added that the unilateral and illegal hydrocarbon drilling activities of the GC side in the Eastern Mediterranean seriously jeopardise peace and security in the region. The TC side, he pointed out, is one of the co-owners of the island’s natural resources, as recognised by the international community, and merely protects its rights, in cooperation with Turkey in light of the violations of its rights by the GC side.
Ozersay said that only through immediate communication and cooperation can the two sides work together, build trust, interdependence and a healthy relationship, elements that are necessary not only for any arrangement on the island, but also for peace, stability and security in Cyprus and the region.
Phileleftheros also reports that Ozersay brings up the issue of direct communication between the two sides, an issue which has caused tension among Security Council members during the recent renewals of UNFICYP’s mandate.
On another, relevant matter, Phileleftheros and Alithia report that Cyprus and Armenia joined forces against the election by silence procedure of Turkey’s Volkan Bozkir as President of the UN General Assembly at its 75th session, and requested that the election be held by secret ballot.
According to the dailies, the two countries have joined Greece and the United Arab Emirates against this development.
The papers report that the Permanent Representatives to the UN of Cyprus, Andreas Mavroyiannis, and Armenia, Mher Margaryan, sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, explaining the reasons why the two countries object to the election by silence procedure of Bozkir and request that the election is held by secret ballot.
In the letter, dated June 2, the two officials said they consider that the leadership of the sole universal principal organ of the UN should be held by a national of a member state that is exemplary in its compliance with the norms and values of the United Nations. Unfortunately, this is not the case with the state nominating Mr Bozkir, they said.
They add that Turkey threatens peace and security in its entire region by consistently violating the Charter of the United Nations and international law, including UN sanctions regimes, in order to realize its aspirations for regional domination. “It does so by displaying a pattern of aggressive behaviour towards its neighbouring countries, encroaching on their territory, undermining their sovereignty and territorial integrity, questioning their sovereign rights and instrumentalizing the plight of refugees and migrants for political ends,” they said.
Mavroyiannis and Margaryan also note that by imposing and sustaining an illegal land blockade on Armenia for almost three decades, Turkey effectively impedes the transit through and access to the sea of the neighbouring landlocked country. They also said that Turkey’s persistent policies of denying and attacking the memory and the dignity of the victims of the genocide committed in the Ottoman Empire 105 years ago continue to pose a security threat for Armenia and the wider region.
They also referred to the Turkish invasion on Cyprus and continued occupation of more than a third of the island’s territory for almost 50 years, that Ankara refuses to recognise the Republic of Cyprus and has unilaterally proclaimed an illegal, secessionist entity in the area that it occupies, while trying to oppose the sole legitimate government, despite the clear condemnation of its actions by the Security Council.
The two representatives also note that Ankara is responsible for egregious violations of human rights in Cyprus, which it continues to deny despite being condemned by the European Court of Human Rights ,and continues to violate Cyprus’ sovereignty and sovereign rights on land, sea and air on a daily basis.
The daily cites the US correspondent of the Cyprus News Agency reporting that the election of the President of the UN General Assembly has been set for June 17, on the same day as the election of the five new members of the Security Council. Since there is no other candidate, the election of the Turkish member of parliament is considered to be certain. Greece and the United Arab Emirates also sent letters, asking for the silence procedure to be terminated.
KEY ACTORS
Ozersay
>> Accuses GCs of taking every opportunity at international level to block TC side & to distort the facts.
>> Argues that while the RoC was established based on partnership between the two communities on the island, the GCs destroyed this cooperation by unilaterally abolishing the Constitution, expelling the TCs from state institutions & their homes & starting an armed campaign of ethnic cleansing of the TCs.
>> It is the unilateral hydrocarbon drilling activities by GCs that jeopardise peace and security in the region while the TCs, as co-owners of the island’s natural resources, merely protects their rights, in cooperation with Turkey.
>> The two sides can work together, build trust & a healthy relationship only through immediate communication and cooperation which is necessary not only for any arrangement on the island, but also for peace, stability and security in Cyprus and the region.
Mavroyiannis, Margaryan (Cyprus, Armenian perm reps at UN)
>> Call for a stop to the election by silence procedure of the President of the 75th UNGA & want secret ballot instead to prevent the election of the Turkish candidate.
>> Believe that the head of UNGA should come from a country that is exemplary in its compliance with the norms and values of the UN & Turkey is not such a state.
>> Turkey threatens peace and security in the East Med by violating the UN Charter & international law, displays aggressive behaviour towards its neighbours, encroaches their territory, undermines their sovereignty and territorial integrity & uses refugees and migrants for political ends.
>> Its refusal of the Armenian Genocide & persistent policies pose a security threat for Armenia and the wider region while it invaded and occupies part of Cyprus, refuses to recognise the RoC & unilaterally proclaimed an illegal, secessionist entity in the north despite the clear condemnation of its actions by the SC.
Yeri calls for road in buffer zone to open to alleviate traffic problem
Phileleftheros
Internal Security, Territory
OVERVIEW
The daily reports that the Mayor of Yeri in the Nicosia district is trying to convince UNFICYP to allow the use of a road linking Yeri with the old Larnaca to Nicosia road to alleviate the congestion problem observed every morning when local residents drive to Nicosia.
Neophytos Papalazarou told the daily that a solution would be to open the Archea Ledra (Ancient Ledra) road linking Yeri with the old Larnaca to Nicosia road, part of which passes through the buffer zone.
The mayor said he discussed the issue with the defence ministry which, in its turn, seems to be discussing the issue with the UN.
Papalazarou said, according to his sources, that UNFICYP head Elizabeth Spehar has expressed reservations as regards opening that road to traffic because it is being used by the peacekeeping mission for patrols. The mayor suggested that another road is created in that area which can be used by UNFICYP instead.
He told the paper that opening that road to traffic is imperative since around 13,000 cars use each morning the Yeri to Aglandjia road which causes traffic problems.