Front Page Headlines
They’re planning murders of Israelis dressed as delivery employees
An organised network with the Azeri as the head was monitoring, photographing, and collecting information on targets.
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- Natural gas: It’s arrival now going to 2023
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Noose tightening for the President
The opposition is requesting the resignation of Nicos Anastasiades, referring to an international disgrace. AKEL organising mobilisations.
- Security Council members: Pressure towards Guterres for the appointment of an envoy
- Four arrests for the Azeri’s plans
- 90,000 suspicious bank accounts were closed
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The European Commission is being called to make legal moves against member states.
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Pandora flak ‘uncalled for’
Cyprus hits back at EP resolution, opposition parties, over its reputation
- Anastasiades tells EU Council it should question its ‘positive agenda’ with Turkey
For the first time Turkey is named in relation to Migration and Cyprus
New warning by the EU towards Ankara. President Anastasiades to EU: How can we talk of a positive agenda with Turkey? What the conclusions text of the ’27’ says.
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- Murder suspects: Another two accomplices of the Azeri behind bars
Main News
Anastasiades questions EU-Turkey positive agenda
Alithia, Cyprus Mail, Haravgi, Phileleftheros, Politis
EU Matters, Negotiations Process
OVERVIEW
President Nicos Anastasiades on Friday queried whether the EU should continue to pursue its positive agenda with Turkey, posing the question to his EU counterparts at the European Council summit in Brussels, the dailies report.
Alithia reports that Anastasiades said in a tweet that the EU stands in solidarity the Republic of Cyprus (RoC) in light of the existential threats it is experiencing from Turkey. On Twitter, Anastasiades said he briefed his fellow EU leaders about the latest Turkish actions in Varosha, the harassment of the Nautical Geo research vessel that was within the Cyprus EEZ for an EU project of common interest in the field of energy, and the intended development of a naval base at the Karpasia peninsula in the north.
Anastasiades also said he told EU leaders about Turkey’s insistence on a two-state solution and its refusal to a UN special envoy as agreed during the trilateral meeting with the UN General Secretary (UNSG) and TC leader Ersin Tatar in New York. He added that this does not allow for the resumption of negotiations on the Cyprus issue.
Anastasiades also said that Cyprus’ European borders need to be protected, adding that the EU will not tolerate attempts by third countries to instrumentalise migrants and will respond decisively. He noted that the RoC has long been facing the effects of hybrid threats by Turkey.
Cyprus Mail reports that in a statement that delved deeper into Anastasiades’ address before EU leaders, Government Spokesman Marios Pelekanos said that during his address before EU leaders, Anastasiades wondered whether we can speak of a positive agenda with Turkey given a series of negative actions by Ankara. He said Nicosia expected a document on the actions the EU may assume concerning Turkey’s illegal actions in Varosha.
Pelekanos said Anastasiades referred to the blocking of survey vessel Nautical Geo by two Turkish warships from carrying out surveys connected with the EastMed pipeline, the continued infrastructure projects in Varosha and the handing of an area of 145 square kilometres in occupied Rizokarpaso, which he said belongs to GC refugees, to the Turkish forces with the aim of constructing some sort of military infrastructure. He said this move is taking place simultaneously with the construction of a Turkish drone base and a naval base in the occupied areas.
Cyprus Mail reports that Pelekanos also said Anastasiades criticised the fact that Turkey continues the policy of settlement of the north aiming to change the island’s demographic composition.
According to Pelekanos, Cyprus’ EU partners expressed full support and solidarity, both in terms of the efforts to resume the negotiating process, as well as the increased migration pressures facing the country. According to Pelekanos, Anastasiades told his EU counterparts that “Turkey’s stance is accompanied by a series of new violations of international law in full contempt of the EU Council calls which not only obstruct the prospect of the resumption of settlement talks but escalate tensions in violation of the EU demands from Ankara.”
With regard to migration, Pelekanos said Anastasiades stressed that Cyprus is facing hybrid threats from Turkey in the issue of migration and pointed out that in 2021 alone more than 6,800 asylum applications had been received, of which 6,250 came from the north, with Cyprus recording the highest per capita rate of asylum applications in the EU. Haravgi reports that after a long discussion among EU leaders on migration and particularly on the issue of how Belarus is using migrants as a pressure tool, Anastasiades in his address linked Belarus’ practices with those of Turkey.
Pelekanos also said that Anastasiades highlighted that the increased migration flows are associated with the using of migrants by Turkey which deliberately and systematically channels them to the government-controlled areas through the Green Line in violation of its obligations stemming from the 2016 EU–Turkey statement.
In this context, he said, the Council adopted clear remarks for the first time invoking Turkey’s obligation to implement the EU-Turkey statement of 2016 vis-a-vis the Republic of Cyprus (RoC). In its remarks, the EU said it will not accept any attempt by a third country to instrumentalise migrants for political considerations, and that it condemns any hybrid attacks on the EU’s external borders, stating it will respond accordingly.
KEY ACTORS
Anastasiades
>> EU stands in solidarity the RoC in light of the existential threats it is experiencing from Turkey
>> Turkey’s refusal to see appointment of UN envoy does not allow for the resumption of negotiations on the Cyprus issue
>> RoC has long been facing the effects of hybrid threats by Turkey
>> Cyprus’ European borders need to be protected & the EU will not tolerate attempts by third countries to instrumentalise migrants and will respond decisively
>> Wonders whether we can speak of a positive agenda with Turkey given a series of negative actions by Ankara
>> Turkey continues the policy of settlement of the north aiming to change the island’s demographic composition
>> Turkey’s stance is accompanied by a series of new violations of international law in full contempt of the EU Council calls, which not only obstruct the prospect of the resumption of settlement talks but escalate tensions in violation of the EU demands from Ankara
UNSC mounting pressure on UNSG for appointment of envoy
Phileleftheros
Negotiations Process
OVERVIEW
UN Secretary General (UNSG) Antonio Guterres is receiving pressure from permanent members of the UN Security Council (UNSC) to move forward with the appointment of a special envoy in order to help move the process along, Phileleftheros reports.
The paper reports however that one month after the trilateral meeting in New York between the UNSG and the two leaders during which the appointment of a special envoy was agreed but never followed through, the UNSG does not appear to be in a hurry to move forwards with the appointment, since he is waiting for the two sides’ approach to change in a way that will assist his decision, given that as things stand today, his decision will only stir reactions.
Also contributing to the delay in the appointment of a special envoy, according to Phileleftheros, is the internal situation in each side, since the GC side is currently under the shadow of the Pandora Papers while the north is moving towards new ‘elections’. These situations appear to be affecting the two sides but not Turkey, which is moving forwards with its plans for the island, the paper reports.
The paper adds that the five permanent members of the UNSC (P5), and particularly Russia, appear to be concerned about developments in Cyprus, and particularly as regards Varosha, since they see Turkey taking advantage of the prolonged impasse to move forwards with faits accomplis on the ground. This is why the P5 are hiking up the pressure in an effort to bring about mobility with the aim of seeing negotiations resume.
This pressure, the paper reports, is directed towards not only the UNSG but also towards the two sides.