Front Page Headlines
Police officer hirings up in the air
Candidates with doctorates rejected over… psychometric tests. Process obviously illegal, lawyer G. Karapatakis says. The Police is already under pressure since there are more than 700 vacant positions.
- UNFICYP: Will “smell” like pandemic
- EU – Turkey: J. Borrell in Ankara
- Occupied areas: They changed the “decrees”
Odysseas guillotined
AKEL suggests an Auditing Council instead of an Auditor General, DISY appears positive. Intense reaction by O. Michaelides, he sees A. Kyprianou today.
- Borrell visits Ankara: Nicosia will be waiting for the result
- Message by Mitsotakis: This behaviour cannot continue
- Occupied areas: All measures suddenly cancelled
Worrying admissions about the Cyprus Problem
Reference by President cause concern. Waiting for the Guterres report on 10/7. Our foreign policy is ineffective.
An endangered species
Everything points to not seeing tourists this year. Initial optimistic expectations have a rough landing, and tourism agents speak of tragic situation. July is already seen as a lost month, while reservations for August are minimal for now. The test needed for British travellers after August 1st is an additional deterrent.
- New cases: One in Cyprus yesterday. Greece closed its borders with Serbia
- Strange development: Occupied areas close again because of COVID-19
Main News
Nicosia expects results of Borrell’s meetings in Ankara
Haravgi, Phileftheros, Politis
External Security, Energy, Regional/ International Relations, EU Matters
OVERVIEW
The Republic of Cyprus expects High Representative and Vice President of the EU Commission Josep Borrell to inform Turkey of the bloc’s decisions regarding the country’s actions in the Cypriot EEZ, Phileleftheros reports citing diplomatic sources. Politis reports that Borrell is expected to ask Ankara to de-escalate the situation with Greece and Cyprus.
Borrell is visiting Ankara on Monday to talk with Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, ahead of a discussion on Turkey – EU relations a the EU’s Foreign Affairs Council on July 13th and ahead of the next European Council. Last week, Phileleftheros reports, Borrell had visited Athens and Nicosia, where he listened to the positions of the two countries regarding Turkey’s behaviour in the Cypriot EEZ, its intention to drill off the coast of Crete and its position regarding migration.
Meanwhile, Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told the Financial Times that Turkey cannot continue acting in the way that it has vis a vis Greece and Cyprus. Mitsotakis said that for the beginning of his term and his first meeting with Turkish President Tayip Erdogan in 2019 he had hoped for a new chapter in Greek-Turkish relations. He added that for a new beginning in the bilateral relationship, aggressive tactics should be put aside.
Mitsotakis added that unfortunately Turkey has acted with increasing aggression, citing Turkey’s signature of a memorandum with the Libyan government that is seen as illegal by Greece, Turkey’s continued involvement in the Libyan civil war in contravention of decisions taken during the Berlin conference, as well as the country’s behaviour in the Cypriot EEZ.
Phileleftheros also reports on recent statements by Turkish Defence Minister, Hulusi Akar, who accused Greece of militarising islands close to Turkey in contravention of the Lausanne Treaty and of promoting maximalist policies.
Akar also said that Turkey will not allow any faits accomplis to be created in the Aegean, the Mediterranean or Cyprus. He repeated the country’s position that no solution regarding Cyprus that does not take Turkey into account can be viable.
Meanwhile, Politis reports that Greek Foreign Minister Nicos Dendias has said in an article for Greek newspaper Eleftheros Typos that the country is planning to promote a five-party cooperation with Cyprus, Egypt, France and the United Arab Emirates.
UNFICYP report to Security Council to focus on coronavirus disruption
Alithia, Haravgi, Phileleftheros, Politis
Internal Security, Human Rights, CBMs, Negotiations Process
OVERVIEW
Politis reports that the UNSG’s upcoming report ahead of the renewal of UNFICYP’s mandate by the Security Council will focus on the issues that the peacekeeping force had to face due to the stance of the T/C “government”, as well as the lack of sufficient cooperation between the the two sides.
The newspaper recalls that UNFICYP head and Special Representative of the UNSG, Elizabeth Spehar, will be informing the Security Council of the latest developments on Cyprus on Friday through teleconference. Before that, Spehar will have separate calls with President Anastasiades and T/C leader Mustafa Akinci. The SC is expected to vote on a resolution to renew UNFICYP’s mandate on July 29th.
According to information cited by Politis, in her draft of the report to the Security Council (which will be finalised by the UNSG’s office in New York), Spehar lays out how the coronavirus pandemic changed priorities on the island as well as how UNFICYP adapted to the new situation.
The draft reports also is expected to include references to how the T/C side’s stance regarding the functioning of two UNFICYP camps in the occupied areas affected the peacekeepers’ work. Also, the draft report contains references on the limited cooperation between the two sides in handling the pandemic, with the exception of the meetings of the Technical Committee on Health and of some coordination between the two leaders.
The draft will also refer to the issue of creating mechanisms of coordination for military matters and the lack of progress, without blaming either side.
The draft is not expected to make much reference to efforts for a return to negotiations or to the Cyprus Problem specifically, due to the lack of developments because of the pandemic.
The dailies also report on an announcement by the T/C “cabinet of ministers” on Sunday afternoon that it would lift all coronavirus-related measures regarding entry into the occupied areas. The health “ministry” announced that it would clarify the decisions, the newspapers report, citing T/C media.
According to reports, the health “ministry” will be responsible for all issues related to the coronavirus from this point forward.