Front Page Headlines
Green cred but only on paper?
Cyprus has a bit of a schizophrenic approach to its Natura 2000 sites.
- Coffeeshop: Doing a lot to get nowhere (opinion piece)
End to tax-payers overpaying
Authorities are mulling over the annulment of contracts through the EU Commission. The last 10 years taxpayers have been burdened with around €20m, while the overpayment could reach €40m.
- Position: The worst is yet to come (editorial on Greek-Turkish relations)
- Appeal to The Hague: The weak ones’ refuge
- Municipality mergers: Reactions even reached the UN
- Behind the Turkey-Libya agreement
- Savvas Iacovides: Turkey demands to control the entire Mediterranean (opinion piece)
The EEZ bonanza, the trilaterals and Turkey
What developments are expected in the East Med. International Relations Associate Professor Soteris Roussos analyses the new checks of balance Turkey is trying to create in the region. He questions the strategic importance of the trilaterals arguing that they cannot shield Cyprus. The big states such as the US and Russia, even EU members will not bother Turkey.
- The value of natural gas (analysis by Charles Ellinas)
- Turkey: Libya has woken Greece from its slumber
They are militarizing the tension
Turkey is assessing Greece’s reaction after the memorandum with Libya and is sending a research vessel to Crete. The way out for Athens and Nicosia is the delimitation of the EEZ between them.
- The Cyprus problem is being put on ice
- Names and addresses are being submitted for sanctions – Letter by (FM Nikos) Christodoulides to (EU High Commissioner) Borell.
- East Med: Turkey is attempting new faits accomplis (analysis by three academicians)
- Phileleftheros celebrates 65th anniversary
- Anna Marangou: In occupied Karpasia you feel the love…
- Eddie Zemenides: The US-Cyprus interests are aligning
- Nikos Moudouros: Why do the middle-lower class people commit suicide in Turkey
Blessings from Anastasiades to Harris (Georgiades)
Mr Georgiades’ return to Pindaros street (DISY HQ) signals reshuffling within DISY.
- Margaritis Schinas: It is very important to maintain open channels with Turkey
- (Greek Energy Minister) Costis Hadjidakis: Cyprus is not alone in the energy issue
- Oguzhan Hasipoglu: New formulas ought to be sought
- Achilleas Demetriades: Legally, the state is operating in a peculiar way
- Athens is going through all scenarios – Turkey is attempting, albeit clumsily, to project claims.
The minimum wage is a safety net
The rapid economic growth, and of the passport and tower industry benefits only specific groups of citizens of the upper strata of economic activity. The majority of workers in the lower strata is underpaid. The national minimum wage will be a safety net, trade unions say. The free market is the regulator of wages, say (employers and industrialists) OEV and KEVE. The labour ministry is waiting for the report of the International Labor Office.
- How does the new state of affairs in NATO affect Cyprus
The ‘hot potato’ in parliament’s hands
The chapter of municipality mergers remains wide open. No one questions that the current local government model must change but each is counting changes their own way and mainly based on their interests.
- Analysis: The final buffer against a confederation and a two-state solution
- Erdogan carries on: He sent the agreement with Libya to the UN
- Averof Neophytou: The appeal (to The Hague court) also reinforces our political arguments
Main News
Schinas: Energy issue will be resolved only with Cyprob solution
Kathimerini
EU Matters, Energy, Negotiations Process
OVERVIEW
The daily reports that the new Vice-President of the EU Commission, Greek Commissioner Margaritis Schinas said that Turkey’s activities as regards Cyprus are mere provocations and sensationalism moves but that they do not help Turkey or her relations with the bloc, or helped achieve some of the goals the country had announced.
He added that there has been European reaction and there will be every time Turkey acts up, but the energy issue will be resolved only when the Cyprus problem is solved.
As long as there is no solution prospect, these unilateral tactics will intensify without contributing to something specific, he said.
On the EU-Turkey relations, Schinas who is travelling to Ankara this week for a meeting also with the Turkish president, said that the fact that Turkey hosts over 3.500.000 Syrian refugees ought to be acknowledged, though usually, this is not the case. As long as the wider EU-Turkey relations remain unclear, the migration issue will cause tensions, he said.
He said he believes that the EU ought to invest in the restoration of relations with Turkey on the migration and other issues, arguing that Turkey’s insecurity as regards Europe leads to moves and rhetoric that do not honour the cooperation the bloc expects from Turkey on the migration issue.
KEY ACTORS
Schinas (EU)
>> The EU has reacted and will continue to react to Turkey’s activities off Cyprus which are mere sensationalism moves but as long as there is no solution to the Cyprob they will intensify despite they have not helped achieve some of the goals Turkey had announced.
>> The energy issue will be resolved only when the Cyprob is solved.
>> Believes the EU should restore relations with Turkey on issues such as migration and others since Turkey acts up due to the insecurity she feels as regards Europe.
‘There is no gas where Turkey is drilling and she knows it’
Politis
Energy, Negotiations Process
OVERVIEW
The daily reports that natural gas expert Charles Ellinas argues that in the case of a two-state solution Turkey will not agree for each side to have its own exclusive economic zone (EEZ) because there is no natural gas the north and she knows it.
In an interview with Politis, Ellinas said that there is no gas where Turkey is drilling off Cyprus but is doing it anyway to create faits accomplis and be able to make claims when the issue will be discussed at the talks.
Ellinas said there is no natural gas in the areas Turkey is claiming. Natural gas, he said, is close to the line separating the Cypriot and Egyptian EEZs and close to the Greek island of Crete but not in the area Turkey is now claiming through the agreement with Libya.
According to Ellinas, even if Cyprus is partitioned into two states, Turkey will never agree to a solution whereby the south EEZ belongs to the GCs and the north EEZ to the TCs since there is no gas in the north part and she knows it.
He added that Turkey is making long-term plans and is aware that at the moment natural gas markets are problematic.
Ellinas also said that he did not believe Turkey would buy Cyprus’ natural gas after the solution if it is not in her financial interest to do so.
The expert wondered why so much fuss and conflict over natural gas both in Cyprus and Greece given that it will not be easy to sell it while the quantities to be sold will be at very low prices and will not make any of the two countries rich.
“So why are we doing what we are doing and not have the Cyprus problem as priority and find a solution without the natural gas in the way?” he asked, according to the daily.
Cyprus, Greece enhance trilateral cooperation to tackle Turkish provocations
Phileleftheros, Simerini
Regional/International Relations
OVERVIEW
The tense relations between Greece, Turkey and Libya due to the agreement of the two latter on delimitating their exclusive economic zone (EEZ) are among the main items in Sunday’s papers.
Simerini reports that Nicosia and Athens are planning on tackling Turkey’s latest move by enhancing trilateral cooperation.
Citing sources, the daily reports that consultations are underway by Athens and Nicosia with countries in the region but also other powers such as France to further upgrade their relations and find ways to jointly react to the Turkish aggression.
The daily reports that there will be contacts between the defence ministers of the cooperating countries and will intensify military exercises as per the agreements between them.
Although the strategic choice of the cooperating countries – Cyprus, Greece, Egypt and Israel – is the non-militarisation of differences with Turkey the ‘deterrence’ factor is deemed as very important given that Ankara is trying to enforce her illegal faits accomplis in the region, the paper reports.
According to the daily, the substantive upgrade of trilateral cooperation with more active involvement by big countries such as the US and France will become more visible.
The daily also reports that Greece is preparing to address not only a ‘hot episode’ but even the possibility of a conflict in the Aegean since the country’s leadership feels that Turkey’s behaviour has overstepped the limits and Greece must promote her own red lines with determination.
Phileleftheros, in an analysis piece reports that that the best way to respond to Turkey’s latest provocation is the delimitation of Greece and Cyprus of their EEZ. Such a move, the daily said, would be a fait accompli in the region and would be in line with international law thus it will not be possible to reverse it.
Nicosia is has been ready for this for years but Athens is reluctant fearing Turkish reactions, the daily reports.