Front Page Headlines
Yavuz left, dialogue coming?
Merkel pressures in exchange for no imposition of sanctions bore fruit. Turkish drill ship suddenly withdrew from Cypriot EEZ where it had been “boring holes” since last May and is heading towards port of Tasucu. Angela Merkel warned us in Brussels to not insist on sanctions so that she could convince Erdogan to withdraw Yavuz and enter dialogue with Greece. Developments in the region create the necessary conditions for Guterres’s initiative on the Cyprus Problem to unfold, which is expected to happen in mid-November.
- Antiquities department: “Amnesia” about Yerokipia
- Coronavirus in Cyprus: Low cases – accusations
Ankara lifted Yavuz
Nicosia monitors and waits for Merkel promises to be confirmed. Strong push for Cyprus Problem also pursued.
- Interference in occupied areas: Tries to determine “election” result
- In danger of becoming refugees for a second time
- Search for person found positive to coronavirus
A big scam with government backing
They took investment properties and named them primary homes. They changed the interpretation of tax bulletin. Brokers and buyers hid millions of euros.
- “Settlement of Famagusta will have disastrous consequences”
Erdogan vs Akinci
“Elections” in the occupied areas on Sunday. All moves by Turkish President are against the T/C leader and in favour of Ersin Tatar. Erdogan avoids meeting Akinci for the past two years while he meets with Tatar who is absolutely faithful to him. Main reason of Erdogan’s hostility is the Cyprus Problem.
- Fever in party headquarters for 2021 legislative elections: Which names “in play” for which parties – Intense backroom dealing and name games over putting together ballots – Party leaders promise surprise announcements of names
- Yavuz: Lifted its anchor out of Cypriot EEZ
- Coronavirus: 13 new cases yesterday
Main News
Yavuz leaves Cypriot EEZ amid speculations of Turkish de-escalation
Alithia, Haravgi, Phileleftheros, Politis
External Security, Energy, Regional/ International Relations, EU Matters
OVERVIEW
Turkish drillship Yavuz has left plot 6 of the Cypriot EEZ and is returning to port, the dailies report, connecting the move to the result of Thursday’s European Council and possibly to German chancellor Angela Merkel’s initiative towards de-escalation.
Yavuz is reported to have sailed away from Cyprus’s EEZ at noon on Sunday, together with on of its accompanying ships.
Politis notes that the government did not react to the news on Sunday, and that there had been no official announcements on the development from Turkey itself. The newspaper reports that the ship passed by the Akamas peninsula on Sunday night, and that its destination seems to be the Turkish port of Tasucu.
Phileleftheros writes that Yavuz’s withdrawal is the price Turkey is paying to avoid sanctions over its illegal actions in the Cypriot EEZ, while it was also the price for Cyprus to withdraw its demand for sanctions.
The newspaper reports that Merkel had asked President Anastasiades to not insist in sanctions in order to give her time to convince Turkey to withdraw its drill ships. She had also told Anastasiades that Turkey had assured her there would be no new NAVTEX issued by Ankara.
The newspaper reports that the government is closely following Yavuz’s moves and monitoring Turkey’s actions.
Opposition AKEL intensely criticised the government over its handling of the sanctions issue. Spokesperson Christos Christofides said that the government failed to reach the goals it had set itself. He added that, despite the fact the government was not pursuing sanctions that could have a real effect on Turkey, it still increased expectations in Cyprus and managed to fall short and to disappoint the people.
AKEL accused the government of creating confusion both in Cyprus and abroad regarding its aims, and said that the predictable outcome should become a lesson. The government, Christofides noted, should stop conducting foreign policy for an internal audience and focus on how to effectively counter Turkey’s provocations and how to maintain focus on the goal of reunification. It would be unacceptable to retract from previous positions, grandstand or adopt submissive approaches such as that of a two-state solution, he added. The AKEL spokesperson added that the prospect of the T/Cs opening Varosha was real and that the government should take action and not underestimate the dangers.
Meanwhile Minister for Defence Charalambos Petrides said during an event on Sunday that the European Council’s October 1st conclusions have sent a clear message of EU solidarity to Cyprus and Greece, and that Turkey is brought face-to-face with the results of its actions. He noted that the EU leaders condemned the infringement of Cypriot sovereignty and called for maritime delimitation through negotiations.
He also noted that the European Council called for a return to negotiations and took a clear position on the issue of Varosha. He said that efforts to restart negotiations so far meet the resistance of Turkey.
Displaced living on T/C properties face legal troubles
Phileleftheros
CBMs, Human Rights, Property
OVERVIEW
Phileleftheros reports that G/C refugees (displaced) living on T/C-owned properties, which do no longer fall under the remit of the Ministry of the Interior’s Guardian of T/C properties, are in danger of losing their homes due to no fault of their own.
These cases concern properties belonging to T/Cs that left the island before the Turkish invasion or even before independence, and have thus been judged by the courts to have a right to the properties that were used by the state to house G/C displaced after 1974.
The newspaper notes that there are not many such cases, but that in cases where the properties have value it is almost impossible to find alternatives. The report refers to the Ktima Makenzy case as such a case, where the owner of the restaurant is expected to receive assistance to begin operations on a new plot of land.
According to the report, in a case in Pera Chorio Nisou, the user of a T/C property was called by the inheritors of the original owner to pay rent of up to 62,000 euros for the period between 2014 and 2020. The property belonged to a T/C judge who had left Cyprus for the UK before 1974 and whose children are British citizens.