Front Page Headlines
Brexit spurring move to Cyprus
Combination of Brexit and Gesy lures Brits to Cyprus, moving companies are fully booked.
- Turkey’s claims president proposed two-state solution ‘completely false’
- Cypriots in Lebanon: traumatised but staying put
The game of sanctions which is almost lost
One step by Ankara can save her from having them imposed. Cyprus has the legal framework for sanctions in its hands and can ask new sanctions against Turkey, after the ones already approved since June are enforced first. Plans for deterrence and defence arms in the fridge.
- Book by K. N. Hadjikostis: “Turkey puts Cyprus – Aegean, Thrace under siege”
- Akkuyu: Dead silence in front of nuclear dangers
- Causes rage: New palace for Erdogan worth 14.4 million euro
- (Editorial): The victory lap of the Sultan…
- EU and UN: The “departed” RoC and the semiotics of self-confirmation
- Depth or wrong?: Turkey’s open wounds and the open fronts
- Migration: Mister Nouris, “Name and shame!” the traitor
- Savvas Iacovides (opinion): The “Red Apple” and how Athens – Nicosia will negotiate with Erdogan
- Lazaros Mavros (opinion): The Turkish “political equality” and… adulthood
- Andreas M. Vasiliou (opinion): Definition of maritime borders
- Andreas S. Angelides (opinion): EEZ now and occupation since 1974 – the same illegality
Passport sales with grocery store practices
Crushing findings by three-member committee on naturalisations. The three-party committee presided by Demetra Kalogirou suggests that citizenship is recalled for 19 persons. 12 were naturalised by current government and the rest from the Demetris Christofias government .It is worth noting that out of 42 cases examined, only 7 did not fulfil typical criteria for naturalisation and those 7 were naturalised in 2011. Out of 2 naturalisations in 2011 with investments of 3,000,000, a 2,060,000 went to PWC’s auditing firm. Some crumbs ended up in state coffers. What investments we need.
- From Berlin trilateral to Mediterranean multilateral, the road leads through BBF – International community seems to have decided that the status quo in Cyprus produced crises that are bigger than the problem – The danger of isolation for Nicosia – Academics and international affairs experts analyse developments for “P”
- Ibrahim Aziz: The exile of Cyprus
- Analyses: Dionisis Dionisiou: Every time has its Holy Inquisition – Meropi Moiseos: Public feeling obviously problematic – Nicos Peristianis: An iconoclast and educator
Merkel holds the carrot
Greco-Turkish dialogue ahead and backroom deals for relaxed stance against Erdogan. Pressure on Nicosia which insists on sanctions against Turkey.
- Party rosters for legislative elections under way
- Alfonsos Vitalis: The journalist that survived Kranidiotis’s fateful flight
- Michalis Ignatiou/ Directly from Washington: The main focus of Pompeo’s visit
- Stefanos Stefanou (interview): Government stance schizophrenic
- New path with traps for the Cyprus Problem
We are with one foot in Varosha
Declaration by Ersin Tatar, main opponent of Mustafa Akinci in upcoming “presidential elections”, in an interview with “K”. An agreement for natural gas a precondition for negotiations.
- Greco-Turkish affairs: Diplomatic marathon
- European Union: Sanctions in a fluid environment
- Temporary discharge: No from parliament, soldiers will react
Ministry for Education “flunks exam”
- Analysis: Pandemic becoming a nightmare for Turkey
- “Education ministry lying about investigation on artists”
- Northern Cyprus in danger of being fully Turkified
- “Elections” with the T/C identity in the centre– Akinci ahead, Tatar and Erhurman head to head – Turkish intervention in “election” direct and visible
The difficult effort for sanctions
Summit on Turkey. Cyprus has a veto since 2004 but no power to exercise it. Germany Foreign Minister rejects connection of sanctions against Turkey with new EU sanctions against Belarus. The most possible way out lies in the middle, which is in soft measures against Turkey with no practical value and Cyprus will have difficulty stopping sanctions against Belarus.
- Minister of Defence responds to Turkish provocations: Turkey badly wants a military incident – We move ahead with upgrade of defence without celebrations
- Christos Panagiotidis: What is this much discussed Federation anyway, who wants it and what does it include
- Barbaros: Nicosia responded to Ankara’s NAVTEX with an anti-NAVTEX
- Emmanuel Macron: Turkey seems to have received the message, let’s go for dialogue
- COVID-19: Cases reached 25 yesterday
- Reaction by Nicosia: Cavusoglu speaks again of two states
- Sakellaropoulou: With messages in Cyprus today
Main News
Cavusoglu again says Anastasiades suggested two-state solution
Alithia, Kathimerini, Phileleftheros, Politis, Sunday Mail
Negotiations Process, External Security, Regional/ International Relations, EU Matters, Governance & Power Sharing
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu once against raised the possibility of negotiating for a two-state solution, and repeated that President Anastasiades had told him the two sides need to work in that direction, the dailies report. The Cypriot government immediately responded rejecting the claim.
Cavusoglu told Turkish state news agency Anadolu that negotiations over the Cyprus Problem are in fact ongoing and that he does not think it would be right to use them for the sake of a pre-election campaign.
He also repeated that Anastasiades had told him during the summit in Geneva and Crans Montana that “it is no longer of use to talk about a federation and that we need to find a two-state solution, but there will only be a result if we do it after their elections”. He also said that Anastasiades had told him that “the G/C side does not one to share anything and does not want to share political equality”.
He also said that Anastasiades later told him in New York that a confederal solution would be a healthy solution, but then presented also other ideas and proposals. According to Cavusoglu, Anastasiades had told him in New York that he found no support in the G/C community for a two-state solution.
Cavusoglu added that the Turkish side has often repeated that it will not discuss a federal solution and that it will not be possible to continue from the point where the process stopped in Crans Montana. He added that those negotiations are over and that the priority now is options beyond a federation, such as a two-state solution or a confederation. “If we were to continue with a federation there would be no reason to conduct the 5 plus 1 conference” he said, referring to a five-party conference with the UN.
The Turkish Foreign Minister also repeated his position that the country is drilling in the Eastern Mediterranean because the G/C side began drilling first and never took a positive step towards sharing energy.
Government spokesperson Kyriakos Koushios said that Cavusoglu’s claim were completely fake, and asked why Turkey is making such statements during a time when there are efforts to return to negotiations, and why it is continuing to invade the Cypriot EEZ and to threaten to settle Varosha. Koushios added that the G/C reiterates its decisiveness to enter new negotiations on the basis of the agreement reached between Anastasiades and T/C leader Mustafa Akinci during their meeting in Berlin in November 2019, from the point where negotiations stopped in Crans Montana, given that Turkey ends its illegal actions.
Politis reports, citing a diplomatic source, that the international community seems to have realised that the status quo in Cyprus is causing much bigger problems in the region, including to EU relations and to the functioning of NATO.
Phileleftheros points out in an analysis that UNSG Antonio Guterres gave indications regarding his intentions on the Cyprus Problem in recent statements. On the one hand he said that there is a consensus to restart a negotiation process after the T/C elections, while on the other he said that all sides should avoid unilateral moves and work towards agreeing on confidence building measures.
In another development, Cyprus has issued a NAVTEX to counter the one issued by Turkey to extend the presence of research vessel Barbaros in the Cypriot EEZ until October 18th. In its NAVTEX, Cyprus points out that Turkey’s announcement constitutes an illegal act.
In related news, “prime minister” and candidate for T/C leader Ersin Tatar told Kathimerini in an interview that if elected he will only enter negotiations after an agreement is reached on sharing natural gas. He also said that he will bring up alternative proposals for a solution if elected, based on the fact he disagrees with the aim to establish a federation and with getting rid of the system of guarantees. Tatar also said that the T/Cs and Turkey have taken a decision to move ahead with opening Varosha, and that only the date is pending.
RoC insists on sanctions on Turkey while EU seeks de-escalation
Alithia, Kathimerini, Politis, Simerini
External Security, Regional/ International Relations, Energy, EU Matters
EU High Representative Josep Borrell will be briefing the EU’s Foreign Ministers on the situation regarding Libya, Belarus, Turkey, Lebanon and China among other issues on Monday, the dailies report.
According to the coverage, the RoC is expecting support from France to adding further names on a list of sanctions against people and companies involved in illegal actions in the Cypriot EEZ, while Germany and the Commission want to prioritise de-escalation with Greece and a return to dialogue.
Alithia reports on a Tweet posted by French President Emmanuel Macron, in which he says that Turkey seems to have gotten the necessary messages and that it’s time for dialogue. Macron wrote, in French and Turkish, that during the MED7 summit, the southern countries of the EU sent a message to Turkey seeking an open, well meaning dialogue without naivety, and that this message was also sent by the European Parliament. “It seems this message has been heard. Let’s move ahead” he added.
Politis reports that the prospect of negotiations between Greece and Turkey is real and that the two countries could announce their initial contacts before the European Council. In this context, the newspaper reports, there is a real possibility for pressure to be applied on the G/C side given that Turkey succeeded in separating Greek-Turkish relations from the developments in the Cypriot EEZ, in order to negotiate an end to provocations with an interim deal on natural gas with the T/Cs.
Meanwhile, Kathimerini also reports in a story by the Greek edition’s diplomatic correspondent, that Greece and Turkey are close to establishing a 24-hour hotline for constant communication in order to avoid possible accidents in Evros, the Aegean or the Eastern Mediterranean. This agreement comes after weeks of negotiations between military representatives in NATO headquarters in Brussels.
The dailies also report that Greek President Ekaterini Sakellaropoulou will be visiting Cyprus on Monday on an official visit. Sakellaropoulou is going to meet President Anastasiades, as well as Archbishop Chrysostomos and House of Representatives president Dimitris Syllouris. Sakellaropoulou will stay in the country until Wednesday.