Front Page Headlines
Bad timing for dialogue
The 27 discussed, disagreed and compromised to look for ways to de-escalate. EU Foreign Ministers called on Turkey to rethink and recall its decision over Hagia Sophia. More measures being examined if Ankara escalates its aggressiveness against Cyprus and Greece with drillings.
- Hagia Sophia: Not even the Turks were convinced
Red light for Borrell
Foreign Affairs Council disagreed with giving carte blanche negotiations for EU – Turkey relations. New measures examined against Turkey for violations.
- Erdogan does not change position over Hagia Sophia
EU puts its hopes in diplomacy
- AKEL asks for investigation over 100 million euros for migration/ refugee issue. Letter to Auditor General
Focus back on new virus cases
Doctor, migrants and third Serbian footballer among recent cases.
- Libya risks conflict over oil between Egypt and Turkey
A little bit of dialogue and a little bit of sanctions
Foreign Affairs Council torn over EU-Turkey relations. Borrell: A path will be followed that will lead to reduction of tensions. Dendias: Wide agreement for sanctions on Turkey if it moves ahead with its transgressive behaviour. Turkish violations will be discussed again during the unofficial Council in Berlin in August. President Anastasiades in Athens today to coordinate with Mitsotakis.
- Averof Neofytou: Yes to political refugees, no to illegal migrants
- Cavusoglu: Attack on Cyprus, Greece and France over East Med – Libya
Main News
Borrell to seek de-escalation while EU prepares for possible sanctions
Alithia, Cyprus Mail, Haravgi, Phileleftheros, Politis
EU Matters, External Security, Energy, Regional/ International Relations, Negotiations Process
OVERVIEW
Monday’s Foreign Affairs Council did not arrive at a joint position over EU – Turkish relations due to the differing positions among member states, the dailies report.
High Representative Josep Borrell did not get a mandate to begin wide-ranging negotiations, but the Foreign Ministers did give him support to seek ways to de-escalate the situation.
Borrell said in a statement after the discussion that he will seek the path towards de-escalation, but also pointed out that Turkey should respect international law. If Turkey continue to escalate, the EU will be considering new sanctions he added. Borrell pointed out that sanctions are not a policy, but a tool and a means to an end.
He also pointed out that unilateral actions by Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean should end. Borrell underlined that the EU should aim to develop its relations with Turkey, but added that there are some preconditions to this.
According to diplomatic sources cited by the press, Cyprus, Greece, France, Luxembourg, Estonia, Slovakia and Sweden supported the position that de-escalation is necessary before negotiations and refused to concede to a mandate. Austria also reportedly asked for the end of accession negotiations.
Germany, Bulgaria and Romania, as well as Italy, were arguing more strongly for the FAC to give the mandate for extensive negotiations, according to the same sources. France and Germany were opposed in their approach to Turkey, especially over Libya.
Phileleftheros also reports that the Foreign Ministers of Greece and Cyprus had a discussion over breakfast with Borrell on the issue of Turkey, and that during this discussion the two FMs expressed their disagreements with recent statements by the HRVP. The German Foreign Minister also took part in the meeting.
The newspaper cites information that the Cypriot Foreign Minister expressed Cyprus’s dissatisfactions over recent statements made by Borrell that concerned the Turkish Cypriots. Borrell responded that he was referring to a position expressed by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and that he had responded by repeating the Council’s position from July 2019.
The FAC also decided, following a request from Greece, to ask the European External Action Service to prepare options for possible sanctions against Turkey for the eventuality the country continue to challenge Greek sovereignty.
Also, it has been agreed that the Council’s RELEX committee will continue its legal and technocratic work needed to prepare for the possibility of adding new natural and legal persons on the list of sanctions over illegal drillings in the Cypriot EEZ.
In a statement, Greek Foreign Minister Nicos Dendias said that he was satisfied because the rest of the member states expressed their solidarity to Greece and Cyprus and stressed the decision to prepare a list of possible measures. He added that Borrell will seek ways to de-escalate strictly on the basis of previous Council conclusions.
Dendias also said that the situation will be discussed during August unofficial “Gymnich” FAC in Berlin after a request by Greece and Cyprus. He added that he informed the FMs that he will ask for a special meeting if Turkey continues to escalate.
The Foreign Ministers also condemned the decision by the Turkish government to allow the Hagia Sophia to be used as a mosque, and called on the country to reconsider. Borrell said that the FAC underlined that this move will create distrust among religious communities and will undermine efforts towards dialogue.
Meanwhile, President Anastasiades is visiting Athens on Tuesday to coordinate with Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis ahead of Friday’s European Council.
Alithia reports that Anastasiades did not make specific comments on the results of the FAC when asked later on Monday. Anastasiades said that the issue of Turkey will also be brought up during Friday’s European Council and asked for patience.
The dailies also report on an article by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu published on Monday on European website Politico. Cavusoglu argued in his article that the EU and Turkey need to work on their relations to stabilise Libya and the region.
He accused France of lying about the tensions off the coast of Libya, and accused Cyprus and Greece of promoting maximalist positions that violate the rights of Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots.
In another development, the UK’s under secretary of state of the European Neighbourhood, Wendy Morton, stated that the country condemns Turkish drillings in the waters around Cyprus and that the UK has made its position known on the ministerial level. Morton also said that the UK believes that problems should be solved through dialogue. She added that a comprehensive solution would be the most durable solution to all these problems. Morton was responding to a parliamentary question by Conservative MP Sir Roger Gale.
KEY ACTORS
Borrell (EU HRVP)
>> We will follow the path of de-escalation
>> Turkey should stop illegal drillings and respect international law
>> Sanctions are not a policy in and of themselves, but a tool
Dendias (Greek FM)
>> There was wide agreement to prepare a list of further measures
Cavusoglu (Turkish FM)
>> Turkey and EU need to work on their relationship
>> France is lying about tensions off the coast of Libya
>> Greeks and G/Cs promote maximalist positions that violate Turkish and T/C rights
Morton (UK under secretary)
>> The UK continues to condemn Turkish drilling around Cyprus
>> The most durable solution would be a comprehensive solution to the Cyprus Problem
Bicommunal committee on health meeting postponed for next week
Alithia, Cyprus Mail, Haravgi, Phileleftheros, Politis
Internal Security, Human Rights, CBMs, EU Matters
OVERVIEW
Tuesday’s meeting of the bicommunal Technical Committee on Health which was going to discuss the coronavirus situation has been postponed for next week, due to the fact that the T/C side has not yet presented its epidemiological report in English, according to the Cyprus News Agency.
In a statement to the CNA, the G/C head of the committee, Leonidas Phylaktou, said that he was informed by his T/C counterpart that the report was not yet ready. He added that the report will have to be submitted to the committee ahead of time so that it can be translated in English.
This development comes after multiple delays in the preparation of the report which has caused political controversy in the north and strong statements by Mustafa Akinci who accused the health “ministry” of embarrassing the T/C community.
Health “minister” Ali Pilli told the T/C assembly on Monday that the 45-page long epidemiological report is ready to be submitted to the T/C leader’s office. Later on the same day, the office of the T/C leaders announced in a statement that the report still had to be translated before it could be given to the bicommunal committee.
On Monday a further case of coronavirus was detected. According to official announcements, the new patient is a person working at a gym in Limassol. In previous days, three footballers from Serbia, five migrants that arrive in Cyprus through the occupied area and one doctor were found positive to the coronavirus. In the north, one more case was detected after a total of 1,080 tests. The new case is a Turkish citizen that arrived to the north by air.
Meanwhile, epidemiologist Leontios Kostrikkis told the Cyprus News Agency that the government should pay special attention to arrivals from Serbia, as well as to crossing through the checkpoints and migrants arriving to the government-controlled areas without being checked. Professor Petros Karagiannis also expressed concerns regarding cases involving migrants, pointing out that the authorities cannot effectively trace their contacts. The experts also argue that Serbia should be downgraded and put in category C.
The dailies also report, citing T/C media, that T/C “foreign minister” Kudret Ozersay accused the G/C side of imposing measures on the checkpoints that aim to limit tourism to the north and affect the economy of the T/Cs.
In a post on social media, Ozersay said that the RoC prevents travellers from abroad that arrived through government-controlled airports from crossing to the north, and said that the T/C side has been trying to convince the EU, the UN and the UK that these measures have nothing to do with the pandemic.
Political parties in the north also accused the G/C side of unilaterally changing the way the Green Line Regulation is applied, T/C media report.
Attorney General’s office warns of dangers from mass appeals for Varosha
Alithia, Cyprus Mail, Phileleftheros
Property, Territory, Human Rights, Negotiations Process
OVERVIEW
An opinion by the former Attorney General and several legal experts from abroad point to possible dangers if owners of properties in the fenced-off city of Varosha attempt to launch appeals to Turkey’s Immovable Properties Commission, government spokesperson Kyriakos Koushios told CyBC radio.
Koushios said that legal opinions obtained by the government point to mass appeals being an ineffective tool against the efforts by Turkey and Turkish Cypriot political actors to unilaterally reopen Varosha.
Koushios said that the government believes that mass appeals to the IPC would be utilised by the Turkish side to create such faits accomplis in the fenced-off town that would constitute the last nail in the coffin of the Cyprus Problem.
The government believes that such moves will be used by Turkey in its efforts to create new facts on the ground that will end any prospect of a solution, Koushios said. He promised that the government respects the private right to property and will arrange for a meeting with Famagusta Municipality in order to explain its position.
Cyprus Mail recalls that prominent advocate Achilleas Demetriades had suggested that Greek Cypriot owners of beach front properties in the fenced-off city appeal to the IPC in order to effectively block the T/C “government’s” plans to unilaterally reopen the city to investors.
Koushios also confirmed that the UNSG’s special representative, Elizabeth Spehar, proposed the creation of a UN-supported mechanism for better communication between the Turkish army and the National Guard. Koushios underlined that the RoC cannot accept recognising the illegal regime in the north in any way, and repeated that the G/Cs are ready to continue negotiations instead.
DISY leader makes calls irregular migrants a “financial burden”
Alithia, Haravgi
Migration & Citizenship, Human Rights, EU Matters
OVERVIEW
DISY leader Averof Neofytou is focusing on the issue of irregular migration with two visits to the Paphos communities of Chloraka and Emba, Alithia reports.
After a series of meetings with community leaders and hotel owners, Neofytou told the press that he believes migration is the main issue for the area. He added that DISY respects the rights of “real political refugees that were displaced from their countries or chased away by the regime or was displaced as a result of war”, but underlined that he distinguishes these from “tens of thousands of irregular migrants that come to become a financial burden to our country and at the same time increase crime and create dangers of public safety”.
Neofytou also tied the issue of migration to Turkish policy, and said that gradually Turkey is using illegal migration to create additional “national dangers”, but funnelling them through the occupied areas and “letting them loose” through the buffer zone.
Neofytou said that in Chloraka, the number of migrants reaches up to 25% to 30% of the community’s population, or in absolute numbers, about 1,500 migrants in a community with 6,000 inhabitants. He added that 25% of children in schools in the area are children of migrants but insisted he didn’t say that they should not be in classes. He said that the current situation does not benefit migrant children or Cypriot children.
Meanwhile, Haravgi reports that AKEL has sent a letter to the Auditor General, asking for an investigation regarding the government’s use of 100 million euro granted by the EU for handling migration flows since 2014. The opposition party has consistently been bringing up questions over how these funds have been used, given the substandard living conditions at the Pournara migrant reception centre.
Rizokarpaso students have graduation ceremonies at Presidential Palace
Alithia, Haravgi, Phileleftheros
Human Rights, CBMs
OVERVIEW
Five teenagers living and studying in Rizokarpaso’s secondary schools have had their graduation ceremony in the Presidential Palace in Nicosia, due to the situation created by the coronavirus pandemic.
The newspapers reports that the valedictorian of the year said that the students and the teachers were able to overcome the difficulties also through remote learning.