GCC Press Review 15 Dec 2019

Front Page Headlines

Sunday Mail

A bitter fight for the buses

Arson and court cases stymie bus system overhaul.

  • Drones in north another destabilising action by Turkey says spokesman
  • Future of gas: How the market will develop in Asia and what that means for Cyprus

Simerini

Moves in the deterrence chessboard

Reaction measures to Turkish aggression. The Cyprus problem in the backburner. Nicosia, that is lowering the bar of expectations as regards the Cyprus problem, remains oriented in tackling Turkey that has completely overstepped the limits. Effort to utilise the clear positions of the US and the EU against Turkish provocations. What do the EU conclusions on Turkish drillings and the exploitation of natural gas mean. Upgrade of the Cyprus-Greece defence relations and utilizing the interest of other countries such as France, in the region. The political philosophy of deterrence is linked with the strategic decision for the EastMed construction in which Israel is also involved. The prevention of any incident in Green Line which Turkey might attempt to cause is τηε primary goal.

  • Position: Pax Turca (editorial)
  • Nicosia-Athens: First, sorting out things with Turkey, then the Cyprob
  • Analysis: If Turkey invades again, how will the UN react?
  • Greek-Turkish relations: State of Emergency
  • Nikos Katsourides: With all our powers (opinion piece)

Politis

An assessment of GESY, truths and lies

Six months after the implementation of the health scheme.  Group and coordinated full frontal attack against the scheme by political groups and politicians. Will it withstand? The rumours circulating in political and journalist offices and in what way AKEL is implicated in the whole issue.  The misunderstanding on the pay of family doctors (GPs) and doctors working in state hospitals.

  • Mustafa Akinci: The strategies on the way to the elections
  • The Archbishop on Politis: Chrysostomos II telling his story
  • Constantinos Nicolaou: Energean promises cheap natural gas
  • Chronicle: Glafcos Clerides: The ideologist visionary (free supplement given with Sunday’s Politis)

Phileleftheros

Greying and ‘legitimising’

Turkey attempts to drag Greece in talks on her illegal claims. Third parties favour the dialogue. Greece was informed on October 7 on (the appeal at) The Hague.

  • Cyprus in Cronos’ orbit: Nine drillings are scheduled within 2020
  • The energy giants and defending the EEZ
  • Greece’s dead ends and the anti-Cypriot fire
  • (Margaritis) Schinas-Ursula (von der Leyen) are turning a blind eye: The are ‘cooking up’ a new economic boost to Turkey
  • The Libya crisis and the agreement with Turkey
  • Michalis Ignatiou: The servility of our politicians (opinion piece)

Kathimerini

How Erdogan is testing Greece’s patience

Possible dispatch of the Barbaros south of Crete to test the waters.

  • Main article: Tightrope (editorial on the Turkish-Libyan agreement aftermath)
  • (Gov. Spokesman) Kyriacos Koushios: Those seeing shadows in Athens-Nicosia (cooperation) will be disappointed
  • New Turkish plans: They will circle Cyprus with the ‘Mediterranean Shield’
  • Diplomacy: Gunboats as a Turkish tool
  • Geopolitics: Cyprus, The Hague and the indicated solution

Haravgi

They are organising fiestas instead of (setting) clear goals

AKEL speaks of the government’s “audacity” to set up fiestas over signing an agreement that might lead to the implementation of the project on the import of LNG with a seven-year delay. The biggest problem, it points outs, is that despite delays, it is not certain the agreement will secure a price that would lead to a reduction of the electricity price.

  • The labour and sweat of GCs and TCs is the same (article on AKEL’s bicommunal photo competition)
  • (Stefanos Stefanou): Cultivation of the prospect for a solution and not of its demonization
  • Turkey’s “precious loneliness” abroad

Alithia

Drone lair

The Turkish army and Tatar’s ‘government’ are turning the Lefkoniko airport to a drone lair. Flights start as of tomorrow over the EEZ and the eastern Mediterranean. Government: “Another destabilizing action by Turkey and another proof that it is Turkey that defines what is going on the occupied areas.”

  • Davlos: Together with Myrianthis in an experiment for the return (of refugees to their homes)
  • Marios Eliades: Peace attack on Turkey now (opinion piece)
  • Christos Panayiotides: The native contradictions in the GC positions (opinion piece)
  • Analysis: On the occasion of The Hague – From the South China Sea to the East Mediterranean.
  • UN report: Turkey breaks the arms embargo on Libya

Main News

‘Setting up a drone base in the north yet another destabilising action by Turkey’


Alithia, Haravgi, Phileleftheros, Simerini, Sunday Mail
External Security, Energy

OVERVIEW

According to the papers the government said would take action on Turkey’s decision to fly drones out of the Lefkoniko airport in the north.

Citing reports in the TC media press, the dailies report that the drones are expected to start flying from the airport on Monday and will be escorting Turkey’s drill ships and exploration vessels in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Government spokesman Kyriacos Koushios said they would be looking into it and, after consultations with the foreign minister, decisions would be made.

Koushios said this was another destabilising action by Turkey in the area, which is already facing serious stability issues.

He also said it was another example of how Ankara is interfering in and controlling the occupied areas while it does not help in de-escalating the situation.

KEY ACTORS
Koushios
>>
Turkey’s decision to fly drones from the south is yet another destabilising action which does not help in de-escalating the situation & another example of how Ankara is interfering in and controlling the occupied areas.
 


Athens concerned by Nicosia’s way of handling things

Kathimerini
Regional/International Relations, Negotiations Process

OVERVIEW

The daily, citing Greek diplomatic sources, reports that Athens would like Nicosia not to be so reckless when it comes to moves concerning foreign policy.

According to the daily, despite reassurances given this week by Nicosia that relations and coordination with Athens are excellent after a report in the Greek media that the latter is not happy by the Cypriot government’s moves, sources say the truth lies in the middle.

Greek diplomatic sources told the paper that while there is no rupture at the moment in the two countries’ relations, Athens is disturbed by Nicosia’s frivolous moves on foreign policy issues.

The tip of the iceberg was Cyprus’ move to take the lead by sending the UN and EU letters of protest after Turkey signed the EEZ agreement with Libya, the daily reports, citing sources in Athens saying the issue first and foremost concerns Greece not Cyprus. It is Greece that should lead the way in this case and Cyprus supporting any moves, the sources said.

Greece’s frustration was also due to the arguments in those letters which Athens felt were straying from the essence of the problem.

The paper also reports that Nicosia had informed Athens of its intention to file an appeal against Turkey at the International Court of Justice at the The Hague since last October. Greece, however, was not happy by Cyprus’ decision to send the note verbale to the Turkish embassy in Athens on the issue of the ICJ case through a messenger, the paper reported.

In addition, Athens is troubled by Nicosia’s true aspirations on the Cyprus problem, the same sources told the paper, adding that there was tension between President Nicos Anastasiades and Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides during their latest visit to Athens. The two men reportedly had a heated argument when Anastasiades had told Greek PM Kyriacos Mitsotakis, who had expressed reservations on his participation to a five-party meeting, that they could discuss the internal issues at the trilateral and the international ones at the five-party one. Christodoulides had expressed his disagreement which led to a heated argument, the paper reported. Nicosia sources however told the daily that there was no tension but an argument between the two men who have their own code of communication due to their close relations.

In Athens however, concerns are being expressed over Greece’s role if the Cypriot president and foreign minister do not see eye to eye.

The Greek prime minister’s office is also not eyeing positively the especially close relations between Christodoulides and the diplomacy consultant of former PM Alexis Tsipras, Evangelos Kalpadakis the sources said.

As regards trilateral cooperation with countries of the region, Athens circles believe that while there is no issue with the trilaterals, the noise created around them, mainly by Nicosia, has given Turkey the excuse to claim she is surrounded by enemies and try to justify her latest moves including the agreement with Libya.

Diplomatic circles in Cyprus told the paper that this whole discussion can only harm the excellent relations between the two counties, acknowledging however that there is always room for better coordination.


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