Front Page Headlines
Licencing is the only thing left before the arrival of the Chinese
We got the €150m loan, the commencement of works for the LNG is a matter of time. The last serious obstacle for the state LNG terminal in Vasiliko has been overcome. (Transport Minister) Karousos will be asked to facilitate the arrival of the Chinese companies’ crews.
- The crossings open on June 22 – The president ‘tells’ on Spehar. Strict checks on crossings to and from the occupied areas.
- President: Two big fronts
They are revoking passports
The amendment provides for violations going back 10 years. The files for the 29 investors for which it has been decided to revoke their Cypriot citizenship are ready.
- The president openly accuses Spehar – Letter also to Guterres.
- Joint front by Greece and Cyprus
- Tensions, tear gas and damage at Pournara (migrant reception centre)
NAVA: Police reports have been pending since 2018
It is not the first time that the Nava café-restaurant in Protaras has had run-ins with authorities for law violations since the managers have been reported in 2018 for illegal interventions on the beach but they never presented in court and the police file was shelved…
- Anastasiades’ conflict with UNFICYP!
- Partial delimitation of the Greece-Egypt EEZ
- The situation at Pournara is explosive – Tensions between migrants and police officers.
Bus contracts a corruption risk
Audit office says state has fallen prey to the appetites of private interests.
- Officers injured during fracas at migrant camp
Turmoil over NAVA
Accusations, law changes, criticism against the police.
- The president’s fury against Spehar – He tells on her to Guterres. Due to reactions, Ozersay changed his mind and partially opens the crossings.
- Cavusoglu: We are not concerned about the Greece-Italy EEZ agreement
- Imamoglu: I am sorry about Ayia Sophia
Main News
President unhappy with UNFICYP stance on crossings issue
Alithia, Cyprus Mail, Haravgi, Phileleftheros, Politis
CBMs, External Security, Internal Security
OVERVIEW
President Nicos Anastasiades has protested to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres over UNFICYP’s stance on the issue of the crossings, the dailies report.
In the meantime, the TC side has announced the partial opening of the crossings from June 22.
Politis, citing sources, reports that Anastasiades has sent UNSG’s Special Representative Elizabeth Spehar a letter, which will also be sent to Guterres’ office in which he calls UNFICYP’s response to the issue of the crossings disproportionate but also disappointing. In the letter, he provides an overview of all that took place on the issue, including his understanding with TC leader Mustafa Akinci and the stance of Ersin Tatar and Kudret Ozersay.
Phileleftheros, citing an interview of Anastasiades with Antenna TV, reports that the president said he was furious with the UNFICYP statement this week on the need for cooperation between the two sides. He made clear he will never cooperate with a so-called government of an illegal entity, the paper reports.
He said the foreign ministry would send a letter to the UN on UNFICYP’s stance on the issue.
Anastasiades referred to the joint decision with Akinci to allow crossings from June 8 of TC workers, students and people receiving treatment in the south and that he had also asked to allow around 100 people living in Kato Pyrgos who work in Nicosia to use the Limnitis crossing to be able to get to their workplaces.
“It seems that the political games in the occupied areas and Ankara’s orders aimed at annulling what has been jointly decided with Mr Akinci, and giving another dimension to who’s deciding,” Anastasiades said according to Phileleftheros.
He also expressed his sorrow over the announcement by UNFICYP stressing that so far the two sides have cooperated at the acceptable and allowed leaders’ level.
Anastasiades said that when the government suspended the operation of four crossings for better health checks to the benefit of both communities, UNFICYP’s stance was like an intervention in the internal affairs of a sovereign state.
He also expressed reservations as regards the pandemic situation in the occupied areas and pointed out that Akinci received a very short epidemiological report from TC experts. Anastasiades wondered how was it possible for the TC side to continue to announce zero Covid-19 cases but at the same time continue having in place the initial restrictive measures it had announced.
In addition, he expressed concerns over flights from Turkey to the illegal Tympou airport and the fact that thousands of Iranians live in the north.
He said that the decision by the government is to operate the crossing points by taking the same preventive measures as in airports, Phileleftheros reported.
Politis citing sources, reports that Anastasiades is very unhappy with UNFICYP’s stance on the crossings issue. The Presidential Palace believes that the TC side needs to realise that it has obligations it needs to fulfil and it cannot just demand things, the daily reports.
According to Alithia, Anastasiades is angry with Spehar and her associates because it is has been perceived that UNFICYP’s statement earlier this week on the issue of the crossings calls for cooperation between the GC side and the so-called Tatar-Ozersay government.
The daily, citing sources, reports that the government highlighted that what has been jointly agreed with Akinci has not been implemented due to the political situation in the north, noting the problematic and lukewarm reaction by UNFICYP on this point, given the peacekeeping mission’s announcement last March when it criticised the government on its decision over the four crossings. UNFICYP now chose to keep a neutral stance calling on ‘the two sides’ to work it out, the paper reported.
Haravgi, also citing Anastasiades’ interview with Antenna, reports that the president chose a very difficult time, due to the forthcoming submission of the report on the renewal of UNFICYP’s mandate on July 10, to be in conflict with Spehar. Citing sources, the daily reports that the foreign ministry has already sent the letter to the UN.
The dailies also report that Ozersay has reviewed his stance due to pressure in the north and has announced that TC workers will be allowed to cross daily between the two sides from June 22.
The papers also report that the bicommunal Technical Committee on Health is to meet next week with the participation of epidemiologists from both sides dealing with the coronavirus.
The GC head of the committee, Leonidas Phylaktou, told the Cyprus News Agency that they would be holding a teleconference on June 17 at noon to continue the discussion they started at the beginning of the month regarding the epidemiological data on each side. He said the discussion would be a follow-up to the one that took place on June 1.
On the issue of TC workers who crossed to the south, Phileleftheros, Alithia and Cyprus Mail report that the Employers and Industrialists Federation (OEB) is making arrangements to provide accommodation for those who have no place to stay.
Phileleftheros also reported that Government Spokesman Kyriacos Kousios did not rule out a political decision from the government on these workers but refrained from elaborating.
KEY ACTORS
Anastasiades
>> Angry with UNFICYP’s call for cooperation with TC side on the crossings issue, noting that only acceptable method of cooperation is at leaders’ level, not with TC ‘government’.
>> The political games in the north aim at changing the dynamics on who is making the decisions & annul what has been jointly decided with Akinci.
>> Back in March, UNFICYP intervened in the internal affairs of a sovereign state when the government had suspended the operation of four crossings so that it could carry out better public health checks to the benefit of both communities.
>> Not convinced by the epidemiological image presented in the north & concerned over flights from Turkey to the north and the presence of thousands of Iranians in the north.
>> The same preventive measures are taken at crossings as in airports.
Intense diplomatic activity for RoC in the coming days
Cyprus Mail, Haravgi, Phileleftheros
Regional/International Relations, EU Matters
OVERVIEW
Cyprus Mail and Phileleftheros report that President Nicos Anastasiades and Greek Prime Minister Kyriacos Mitsotakis discussed on Thursday Turkish activities in Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and in the wider Mediterranean region during a telephone conversation.
They quote deputy government spokesman Panayiotis Senontas saying that the two leaders discussed a series of coordinated moves aimed at dissuading Turkey from engaging in further actions. He said the two leaders agreed to remain in touch in view of the separate bilateral teleconference that will take place on Friday with the President of the European Council Charles Michel and the EU High Representative and Vice President Josep Borrell, with the participation of the Foreign Affairs Minister Nikos Christodoulides, he said, the papers report.
Phileleftheros also reports that Christodoulides, speaking at the Delphi Economic Forum 2020, said that Turkey’s actions in Cyprus’ EEZ were intended to serve geostrategic goals but not necessarily energy goals.
The minister said that the sovereign rights of the Republic of Cyprus, which is an EU member-state, are being violated. Cyprus, he said, has reacted against the Turkish actions by deploying as an EU member-state all the available instruments: political, diplomatic, legal. “We are handling the situation, based on two pillars. On the one hand, we are seeking the reinforcement of the EU measures, and this is an issue to which the EU should respond, because both its interests and its credibility are being threatened. On the other hand, we are seeking collaboration with Turkey, as we do with all our neighbours, because in the long run, this collaboration could be beneficial for all the states in the region”, Christodoulides said.
He also said Turkey’s actions are not intended to ensure the interests of the TCs but to serve its own planning and goals, which are also linked with its internal affairs. As regards the delimitation of maritime zones between Greece and Cyprus, Christodoulides said that it is an issue on the agenda of bilateral discussions, and when the time is right announcements will be made, the daily reports.
Politis reported that the government has ahead of it a very important fortnight as regards regional developments with Anastasiades focusing on two fronts; one internally, the other on foreign affairs.
The daily mentions that Christodoulides will take part on Friday in a teleconference with Michel and Borrell ahead of the European Council slated to take place on June 19.
Citing government sources, Politis reports that the government wants to send out feelers on the intentions of the EU partners as regards more decisive moves by the bloc against Turkey.
Cyprus wants the EU to show persistence on the sanctions framework already agreed on but also further actions to toughen the bloc’s stance.
Anastasiades is expected to continue contacts with other leaders of state following those he had recently with the leaders of Germany, Israel, and Austria. The contacts will aim at effectively tackling the pandemic, Cyprus’ opening to tourist markets but also Turkey’s actions.
On June 23, Anastasiades will travel to Israel along with a delegation of officials from various ministries for contacts.
As regards internal affairs, the president is dealing with developments as regards the coronavirus pandemic, GESY, the economy, the crossings issue but also the reports the two sides and UNSG Special Representative Elizabeth Spehar will have to submit ahead of discussion by the Security Council on the renewal of the UNFICYP mandate, the paper reported.
Phileleftheros, citing the telephone conversation between Anastasiades and Mitsotakis, reports that Nicosia and Athens are coordinating while Turkey is testing their patience with the announcement on new drilling activities off Crete, provocations on the church of Ayia Sophia in Istanbul, and accusations against the Republic of Cyprus over the ‘attacks’ in mosques in the free areas.
KEY ACTORS
Christodoulides (RoC FM)
>> Turkey’s actions in Cyprus’ EEZ are not intended to ensure TCs’ interests but to serve its own geostrategic goals, not necessarily energy ones & to draw attention away from its internal affairs.
>> Nicosia expects EU to respond to its request for more measures against Ankara because both its interests and its credibility are being threatened.
>> Nicosia seeks collaboration with Turkey, as with all its neighbours, because in the long run, this could be beneficial for all the states in the region.
Bicommunal group calls for cooperation to open crossings
Cyprus Mail, Haravgi
CBMs, Human Rights, Internal Security
OVERVIEW
The dailies report that representatives from the bicommunal initiative United Cyprus – which represents more than 75 groups from both sides – submitted on Thursday letters to the GC and TC leaders calling for the reopening of the crossing points.
The representatives arranged a distance meeting at the closed Ledra Palace crossing point before paying separate visits to their leaders. Among their demands, was the re-opening of crossings points, but also the re-start of negotiations for a permanent solution of the Cyprus problem, the dailies report.
Main conclusion of the representatives from both parties is that close cooperation is required both between the leaders of the two communities and the experts. The opening of crossings points for all is imperative since there is no epidemiological obstacle, they said, according to Haravgi.
They also said cooperation of the two sides is required to ensure that there will be no increase in coronavirus cases during the gradual opening of the airports. The goal is ensuring public health without even requiring to close crossings or a lockdown, which cause very serious problems, they said.