GCC Press Review 26 Jan 2021

Front Page Headlines

Politis

The door of relaxations opens slightly

The lifting of some restrictive measures will be announced by a presidential announcement. Epidemiologists suggest small and stable de-escalation steps due to delays in the delivery of vaccines but also fear of the new virus variant. The two SMS outings will continue also into February while the ban on home and social gatherings is expected to be lifted at the beginning of March. Primary school pupils and lyceum seniors are the ones to most probably go back to school first. Pressure for the return of high school pupils too. Behind-the-scenes consultations also for the malls.

  • Informal summit: At Greentree for a positive outcome
  • Greece-Turkey: They continue contacts under observation
  • Greece-France: The contracts have been signed for the Rafales

Phileleftheros

The EU sees Turkey as being positive

Officials in Brussels and Berlin see a constructive approach by Ankara. Moves to create grey zones in the eastern Aegean.

  • Return to Greentree for the five-party summit
  • “Open the gates already,” TC workers shout outside the crossing points
  • They are looking into colchicine also in Cyprus

Haravgi

Reform with the people’s participation

Reform of local government with the citizens’ participation was decided yesterday by the majority of parties in the House internal affairs committee, promoting in practice participatory democracy. AKEL’s proposal to hold a referendum in December 2023 on the scenarios of mergers of municipalities and communities was adopted.  

  • Berlin does not wish for new sanctions now
  • The five-party summit on the Cyprus problem will be held at Greentree, the final vote on UNFICYP will take place on Thursday
  • The epidemiologists are positive on the introduction of colchicine to the (coronavirus) treatment protocol

Cyprus Mail

EU: AstraZeneca not doing enough

EU locks horns with vaccine company over deliveries amid ‘supply shock’.

  • Turkey and Greece resume tough talks over Aegean
  • Optimism over use of gut drug for treating Covid patients

Alithia

Full freedom in March

Suggestions by scientists at yesterday’s meeting with the president. Tomorrow, the cabinet will decide on a conservative de-escalation of the restrictive measures for coronavirus. The plan sees the lifting of all measures in March. Two people without underlying conditions have died.

  • The Greece-Turkey talks are blocking Cyprus’ sanctions – While the Cyprus problem returns to Greentree 10 years later. Borrell: The ships and drillings are gone so that we can keep the momentum. Maas: The positive signals from the Greece-Turkey exploratory talks must not be burdened with sanctions.
  • Full speed ahead for the parliamentary elections – (Former DISY MP) Andreas Themistokleous runs on ELAM’s ticket.
  • 13,000 couples are waiting to get married this year

Main News

Five-party summit to be held at Greentree

Alithia, Cyprus Mail, Haravgi, Phileleftheros, Politis
Negotiations Process

OVERVIEW

The dailies report that the informal five-party summit will be held at Greentree in New York.

The revelation of the venue was made by chief negotiator of the GC side and Cyprus’ outgoing permanent representative to the UN Andreas Mavroyiannis during a farewell online event organised in his honour by the Federation of Cypriot American Organisations and the International Coordinating Committee – Justice for Cyprus (PSEKA).

Mavroyiannis said that the informal  5+1 meeting on Cyprus which the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres intends to convene was an ambitious project. “We must not lose the window of opportunity that lies before us,” he stressed.

He added that this demands a lot of effort during the next weeks and if this is attainable then the meeting will take place in Greentree, “where we will try to create a conducive climate for the negotiations and halt the faits accomplis which Turkey creates on the issue of Varosha, drilling activities in Cyprus EEZ, etc.”

He added that due to the change in the leadership of the TC community and other factors, including the change of Turkish policy, the UNSG asked for an informal 5+1 meeting to see how they can return to the negotiations.
 
Mavroyiannis said that if the sides can reach the stage of substantive negotiations, then there will be a real possibility to reach a settlement. He said that there is now some possibility for progress if Turkey revises and re-examines its offensive policy.

Mavroyiannis will return to Cyprus after the vote by the UN Security Council of the resolution for the renewal of UNFICYP’s mandate. He said President Nicos Anastasiades deemed that, due to the pandemic restrictions, it would be difficult for him to exercise both the duties of the negotiator and the Permanent Representative to the UN, so it was decided to return to Cyprus. He will be replaced by Ambassador Andreas Hadjichrysanthou who served in the past in New York as the deputy Permanent Representative.

The dailies report that Greentree hosted twice before talks between the sides; the last one was nine years ago, in January 2012, between then leaders Demetris Christofias and Dervis Eroglou. Prior to that meeting, the leaders had met there also in October 2011.

Phileleftheros reports that after nine years, the sides return to where nothing positive came out as regards the Cyprus problem. Over the years, the meetings’ leading figures change but not the result, the daily reports.

Citing information, the paper reported that Greentree was deemed as an ideal venue given the  pandemic, as there not many hotels in the city of New York that could offer the facilities demanded due to the circumstances. The final date is expected to be announced within the week, the daily reports.

Haravgi reports that Nicosia’s attention is now on the wording of the Security Council’s resolution for the expected renewal of UNFICYP’s mandate as regards references to a bizonal bicommunal federal solution and the UN framework, with consultations underway between the Security Council’s permanent members. The resolution is expected to be approved on Thursday while Nicosia is focusing on the consultations as it considers the resolution a crucial document on the Cyprus issue in view of both the five-party conference and the intentions of the Turkish side to change the basis of the discussion, the daily reports.

KEY ACTORS
Mavroyiannis (GC negotiator)
>>
Guterres’ initiative for a five-party summit is an ambitious project but this window of opportunity must be utilised.
>> Efforts at the Greentree summit will focus on creating a conducive climate for the negotiations & put a stop to the faits accomplis which Turkey creates in Varosha, Cyprus’ EEZ. There is some possibility for progress if Turkey revises its offensive policy.
>> If the sides can reach the stage of substantive negotiations, there will be a real possibility to reach a settlement.


EU FMs delay sanctions talks after Ankara shows goodwill

Alithia, Cyprus Mail, Haravgi, Phileleftheros, Politis
EU Matters, Negotiations Process, Energy

OVERVIEW

The dailies report on the preparatory talks between Greece and Turkey on their disputes in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterreanean, which the EU has linked with developments on the Cyprus problem but also the sanctions Nicosia wants against Ankara.

The first meeting of the two delegations for this round of talks was held in Istanbul with the two sides agreeing to hold the second in Athens.

Alithia reports that the Turkish president’s close associate, Ibrahim Kalin, was also there, a sign of Erdogan’s indirect presence at the negotiations table. Phileleftheros reports that Kalin’s presence was more for publicity reasons.

Citing Greek state broadcaster ERT, the papers report that the Turkish delegation raised issues such as the demilitarisation of the islands, grey zones (uninhabitable islands that have not been nominally assigned to Greece), airspace and the creation of a mechanism for the migrant issue. Athens wants to only discuss the delimitation of maritime zones (EEZ, continental shelf, and territorial waters), the papers report.

Citing statements by EU officials and member states’ ministers after the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) held in Brussels on Monday, the dailies report that the bloc has linked Greek-Turkish relations with the Cyprus problem while the Athens-Ankara talks also affect discussion on sanctions on Turkey for its provocative actions in the Cypriot exclusive economic zone.

High Representative Josep Borrell said after the FAC meeting that the exploratory talks between Greece and Turkey were an important step towards EU-Turkey rapprochement. He said that the UNCLOS Convention on the Law of the Sea provides the appropriate basis for the talks, noting “we are talking about compliance with international law after all” and “this is part of international law.”

He also stressed that the UN-led talks on resolving the Cyprus issue should begin immediately and noted the EU’s intention to attend the negotiations as an observer, as it has done in the past.

He said that he would continue to prepare the report assigned to him by the European Council (EUCO) with its December conclusions, including options on sanctions, noting that the EU would continue to monitor developments in Turkey in the coming weeks ahead of March’s EUCO.
He said that the list of sanctions was not ready yet, but it has not been put aside and work on it continues.

Referring to Turkey, he said that the “irritancies that poisoned” relations with the member states have been removed. “We do not have ships, we do not have drillings, we must maintain the momentum and use it to find solutions.”

Cyprus Mail cites Borrell’s statements to Reuters. The international news agency reported that Borrell, expressing guarded optimism, told Reuters he saw a window of opportunity but that Ankara needed to abandon this line of confrontation and seek dialogue.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said the EU foreign ministers decided to hold off on those measures for the time being.

“We did not decide to sanction Turkey today, because we see that there are positive developments,” he said. “There are no Turkish ships in the contested areas in the eastern Mediterranean anymore; exploratory talks between Turkey and Greece have begun this evening in Istanbul. Those are all positive signals that we had waited for a long time, which should now not be strained by sanctions,” he said.

Phileleftheros, citing information, reported that during his meeting on Monday with his Irish counterpart Simon Coveney in Brussels on the sidelines of the FAC, Foreign Minister Nicos Christodoulides sent a message to Turkey’s FM, Mevlut Cavusoglu.

Christodoulides told Coveney, who is set to visit Ankara, to convey to Cavusoglu that Cyprus and the EU are ready to work towards a positive agenda with Turkey on the country’s relations with the bloc as long as there are no new violations of Cypriot maritime zones and given that Turkey will show willingness to work towards a BBF solution within the UN Security Council’s resolutions.

The paper, citing sources, also reports that Borrell and Maas briefed the ministers of their recent meetings with Cavusoglu and that among other things, it emerged that Turkey seems to be positive as regards the EU’s involvement in the Cyprob talks and for resumption of the negotiations while it is not dogmatic as to the sought-after goal of the talks.

The FAC’s first impression is positive as regards Turkey’s statements and actions but it was noted that further actions were necessary. The EU ministers also assessed Turkey’s new approach was most probably either due to the threat of sanctions, the country’s dire financial situation, or the election of Joe Biden as the new US President, the daily reports.

Alithia reports that Greek-Turkish relations are blocking sanctions. According to the daily, Cyprus’ European partners have linked the Cyprus problem with Greek-Turkish relations and are not willing to proceed with sanctions against Turkey, at least not now when the exploratory talks between Greece and Turkey have started.

Haravgi also reports that Berlin has rushed to send messages to Nicosia and Athens not to insist on sanctions on Turkey now that there are positive signals from Ankara.

KEY ACTORS
Borrell (EU)
>>
The talks between Greece & Turkey is an important step towards EU-Turkey rapprochement but they need to be in line with UNCLOS which is part of international law.
>> The EU is ready to attend as an observer the Cyprob talks that should begin immediately.
>> The withdrawal of vessels & cessation of drilling activities in the East Med removed poisoned relations between Turkey & member states so the momentum must be used to find solutions but the bloc will continue to monitor developments in Turkey ahead of March’s EUCO.
>> Sees a window of opportunity but Ankara needs to abandon confrontation and seek dialogue.

Maas (German FM)
>>
EU FMs decided to hold decisions on sanctions for now since Turkey has shown positive signals and so as not to strain relations between Greece & Turkey that launched a new round of exploratory talks.


Street names in TC quarter linked with Cyprob, Larnaca mayor says

Politis
Negotiations Process

OVERVIEW

The Larnaca municipality is not thinking of changing the street names of the town’s TC neighbourhood since this is an issue related with the overall management of the Cyprus problem, Mayor Andreas Vyras said, the daily reports.

According to the paper, there have been calls for the renaming of Bozkurt street in Larnaca’s TC quarter since it reminds people of the Grey Wolves.

Vyras told the daily that the majority of the area’s residents call for the renaming of other streets such as the Piale Pasa, Istanbul and Barbaros streets but that this issue concerns the foreign ministry as it is part of the management of the Cyprus problem.

The mayor said that these street names were given at the beginning of the 20th century, way before Cyprus’ independence. “Legally, changes to street names are the responsibility of the respective municipal council, but the policy of the Republic of Cyprus is not to proceed with name changes in the TC neighbourhoods because such a thing would cause problems in the management of our national issue,” he said, according to the paper.


Greece purchases 18 French fighter jets

Phileleftheros, Politis
External Security

OVERVIEW

The dailies report that Greece and France signed on Monday the contracts for the purchase by Athens of 18 French Rafale fighter jets.

The agreement was signed by French Defence Minister Florence Parly and her Greek counterpart Nikos Panagiotopoulos in Athens.

Panagiotopoulos referred to the role of deterrence the aircraft will play in the Hellenic Air Force. He said that the advanced electronic systems of the jets, in tandem with their weapons of a strategic nature, make them a significant factor of supremacy in the air.

He added that the agreement would contribute to further strengthening the combat capability and deterrent power of the Air Force and the Armed Forces, whose main mission is to defend the territorial integrity and sovereign rights of the country.

The agreement confirms a long-standing tradition of excellent collaboration between the two countries on bilateral level as well as at the level of regional and international organisations, he said.

Parly said Greece is the first European country to purchase Rafale aircraft. She added that France would participate in Greece’s ‘Skyros’ and ‘Iniochos’ defence exercises with eight Rafale jets, while the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier will be patrolling the eastern Mediterranean, with a Greek frigate possibly accompanying it during this operation, the dailies report. 

Greek pilots will be trained in France on how to handle the Rafale aircraft.

Politis reports that the acquisition of the Rafales by Greece was a game-changer to the balance of power in the Aegean.


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