Front Page Headlines
Halloumi/hellim as an informal CBM
Borrell secured a move of goodwill ahead of the five-party, but Tatar is not understanding anything. The file for the geographical certification of halloumi/hellim is expected to be completed before the informal 5+1 meeting, as a symbolic move that sends a message of cooperation between the two sides. Turkey and the T/C side will have to stay away from the rhetoric of two states in Cyprus, since such a solution will never be accepted by the EU, Josep Borrell said. Tatar reiterated to Borrell that the EU is not welcome at the informal 5+1 as an observer and reiterated the same things regarding sovereign equality and a solution of two states that will cooperate.
- Corruption: ‘Safety net’ for whistleblowers
- Prospect for new relaxations alive: We’ve ‘turned red’ but… we’re holding out
- Vaccines: Vote of confidence to Johnson&Johnson
Offences being cleared
Letter by Odysseas (Auditor General) on the Coop Bank: The government’s rights to claim compensation are being lost. He’s calling on the general director of the Finance ministry to request an opinion from the Legal Service on Harris Georgiades and others.
- Message from Borrell: The EU is asking to be present at Geneva
- They sent the Health ministry invoices for pseudo-tests: They charged €400,000 for molecular tests that clinical laboratories never conducted
- Tones remain high for rapid tests on students
- Personal lawsuit against Yiolitis over the parody account case
- File of Eleftheriou’s report completed
Exploratory contacts for agreement on a common base for the resumption of negotiations
Lute in Cyprus tomorrow to record the two sides’ final positions.
- Problematic rapid test batches and chaos at schools with false results
- Police investigating 16 reports of sexual harassment
Brits gearing up for Cyprus
Tour operators are attempting to drive up bookings with tempting offers.
- Borrell: there is a real opportunity that needs to be seized in Cyprus
- Will much-hyped East Med pipeline bypass Cyprus?
- Mayor of mixed village says Pyla a microcosm of the whole island
- Minister lays it out for anti-testing parents
Borrell: You must seize the opportunity!
Message from the High Representative to the people of Cyprus. Confrontation between Tatar and Borrell, he wants two states again, registration of halloumi and non-EU participation at five-party. President Anastasiades is asking for honest will and de-escalation from Turkey. Lute and Dendias coming to Cyprus next week.
- Enthusiasm in Britain for holidays in Cyprus
- ‘My child is starving’: Three demonstrations in the occupied areas against the ‘government’
- Police: Sexual harassment reports reach 16
- Thriller: ‘The Ghosts of Monday’ the new movie being shot in Cyprus
Main News
Borrell: New Cyprob process a ‘real opportunity’ that must be seized
Alithia, Cyprus Mail, Haravgi, Phileleftheros, Politis
Negotiations Process, EU Matters
OVERVIEW
The dailies report that the EU High Representative Josep Borrell said on Friday following a meeting he had in Nicosia with President Nicos Anastasiades that there was “a real opportunity” that needed to be seized.
Borrell tweeted after the meeting that he had a very good discussion with Anastasiades on the Cyprus issue. He added that engaging in the UN 5+1 talks is essential, for the benefit of all Cypriots, the region and the EU.
Government spokesman Kyriacos Koushos said that Anastasiades and Borrell discussed the Cyprus problem prospects in view of April’s informal five-party summit and the forthcoming European Council (EUCO) in March. Koushos said that Anastasiades conveyed what was expected from Ankara regarding EU-Turkish issues, adding that if Turkey wanted to have a positive agenda with the EU it would have to show a practical and sincere will to improving its relations with the bloc and all member states, including through its stance on the Cyprus issue.
Anastasiades also said that any de-escalation of tensions stoked by Turkey, including its illegal actions, both in relation to the fenced area of Famagusta and within the Cypriot exclusive economic zone, should be lasting, Koushos said, according to Cyprus Mail.
Cyprus Mail reports that Koushos said that Anastasiades also insisted on discussing immigration, one of the issues to be raised at this month’s EUCO, and called for solutions at an EU level for the problems caused by the flow of refugees stemming from Turkey.
Cyprus Mail reports that Borrell said that the March EUCO would be an opportunity for EU leaders to assess Euro-Turkish relations and that de-escalation, as well as progress on issues such as the Cyprus problem were key to developing a mutually beneficial value-based relationship between the EU and Turkey.
Borrell reiterated the EU’s readiness to be represented at the new process and, in general, to actively assist in the effort to achieve a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem within the framework set by the UN and in line with the EU founding values and acquis.
Citing information, Phileleftheros reports that during his meeting with Anastasiades and government officials, Borrell laid clearly laid down the EU’s positions on the Cyprus problem, and highlighted that the co-occurrence of the informal five-party meeting and the March EUCO offers an opportunity for efforts to continue.
Phileleftheros reports that Borrell stressed that the basis of a bizonal bicommunal federation (BBF), that would give rise to a bicommunal state that would function without complications within the EU, cannot be changed. Given the EU’s interest in safeguarding the solution framework, Phileleftheros reports that Borrell told his interlocutors in Nicosia that the EU must be present in Cyprob processes from the outset, starting from the Geneva conference.
Phileleftheros reports that Borrell presented the EU’s position as beneficial for Turkey as well, as it would assist in enhancing EU-Turkish relations both at the upcoming EUCO and later on. The paper writes that Borrell understands the Cyprus problem as an EU matter and as such it has a bearing on EU’s relations with Turkey. Phileleftheros reports that the report to be submitted by Borrell at the EUCO in March will revolve around two axes: migration and geopolitics, with the Cyprus problem to be included in the latter.
Politis reports citing information that Borrell’s meeting with the Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar was characterised by disagreement on several points. Cyprus Mail reports that after his meeting with Borrell, Tatar reiterated his calls for a two-state solution and questioned the EU’s role in the peace process, saying that the Republic and Greece exert internal pressure on the bloc. Politis reports that Tatar reiterated that the EU cannot participate in the informal conference as it cannot guarantee that it will be impartial, since both the Republic and Greece are member states.
Tatar said that his solution proposal will help create lasting peace across the island but also a safer and more secure region, Tatar said. Politis and Alithia report that Tatar stressed that he will not accept that one sovereignty and two authorities are created in Cyprus. Politis reports that Tatar also said that “of course we have alternatives if a solution is not found,” as the TC side can continue as ‘TRNC’.
Politis reports that Borrell’s contacts also featured discussions on the issue of the registration of halloumi/hellim as a product of protected designation of origin (PDO). Citing information, the paper reports that the process is moving along positively and is expected to be completed in the coming period. The matter is important for both sides, the paper reports, as Tatar said that achieving the PDO for the cheese is important for creating a climate of trust between the two sides ahead of the five-party summit.
Politis reports that the hold-up on the halloumi issue is a legal matter involving the checks that would have to be carried out by a licensed body to certify that all is running smoothly in the production of halloumi on both sides. Citing information, Politis reports that the body would have to be appointed by the GC government, something that Tatar rejects, as it would signal that the Republic would check up on processes going on in the north. Tatar said the north wants to export halloumi and other dairy products to the EU through the Green Line Regulation, but it would never accept that the GC side has jurisdiction in the north.
Politis reports that in his meeting with Borrell, Tatar also highlighted the matters of potato trade, hydrocarbons, and securing adequate numbers of vaccines from the EU. Alithia reports that Tatar that the north should have so far received three times the quantity of vaccine it has so far received. Tatar reiterated his position that the north would like to secure vaccines directly from the EU and not through the GC side, but bypassing the GC side on an EU level is not something that can be achieved, Politis reports. Politis adds that Tatar also requested for an increase in EU funds being received by the north to tackle the consequences of the pandemic. Alithia reports that Tatar also told Borrell that that GC side is blocking passage through checkpoints due to the pandemic and is violating the Green Line Regulation.
Earlier in the day, following a meeting with the UN Secretary-General’s (UNSG) Special Representative in Cyprus Elizabeth Spehar, Borrell said the EU was strongly committed to supporting efforts to resume talks on the Cyprus issue. In a post on Twitter, Borrell said he started his mission to Cyprus with a briefing by the UN. “The UN work on the ground is essential for confidence building,” he said.
Anastasiades also discussed the Cyprus problem with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday evening. Haravgi reports that the German government’s spokesperson Steffen Seibert said that during her meeting with Anastasiades, Merkel expressed her full support to the informal five party conference on the Cyprus issue, stressing that broad-mindedness and willingness to compromise from both sides are needed in order to make progress.
Meanwhile, the UNSG’s special envoy Jane Holl Lute is set to hold sperate meetings with the two leaders next week. Lute is scheduled to meet Anastasiades on Monday morning. She is expected to visit Athens on Wednesday for meetings with Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias and other officials. Dendias is set to arrive in Cyprus on Monday for a short visit for consultations with his Cypriot counterpart on the Cyprus problem and the eastern Mediterranean.
KEY ACTORS
Borrell (EU)
>> New Cyprob process a real opportunity that must be seized, and one that is beneficial for Cyprus, the region, and the EU
>> March EUCO constitutes an opportunity for EU leaders to assess Euro-Turkish relations
>> Progress on issues such as Cyprob are key to developing a mutually beneficial value-based relationship between the EU and Turkey
>> EU ready to be represented at the new process and to actively assist in efforts to achieve a comprehensive Cyprob settlement within UN framework and in line with the EU founding values and acquis
Anastasiades
>> If Turkey wants to have a positive agenda with the EU it has to show a practical and sincere will to improving its relations with the bloc and all member states, including through its stance on the Cyprob
>> De-escalation of tensions stoked by Turkey, including in Varosha and the Cyprus EEZ, should be lasting
Tatar
>> After meeting with Borrell, reiterates call for two-state solution with sovereign equality, which would create lasting peace across the island but also a safer and more secure region
>> The EU cannot participate at informal conference as it cannot guarantee that it will be impartial, given that the Republic and Greece are member states
>> Rejects the creation of one sovereignty and two authorities in Cyprus
>> North has the alternative of continuing as TRNC in the event of a non-solution
>> Achieving the PDO for halloumi/hellim cheese is important for creating a climate of trust between the two sides ahead of the five-party summit
Merkel (Germany)
>> In videoconference with Anastasiades, expresses her full support to the informal five party conference on the Cyprus issue
>> Broad-mindedness and willingness to compromise from both sides are needed in order to make progress