GCC Press Review 25 May 2021

Front Page Headlines

Politis

The suspension of vaccinations would be a risk to our lives

The extremely rare thromboses put the vaccination plan at risk. The death of the 39-year-old increased the concerns of the citizens about the vaccination, even though a handful of thrombotic incidents were recorded in Cyprus. More than 500,000 vaccinations have been carried out so far with a record of 181 side effects and only five thromboses. The Ministry of Health will not change its strategy on the issue of vaccinations following the recommendations of EMA and the ECDC. No indication of withdrawal of the AstraZeneca vaccine or for introducing age restrictions since the right to choose a vaccine is available.

  • Elections: The night will be long as regards results
  • Election campaign: Mari added fuel to fire
  • Belarus: Sanctions for the plane ‘highjack’

Phileleftheros

They are calling for age restriction

Scientists insist on changes to the vaccination with AstraZeneca, the health ministry will not change anything. The death of the 39-year-old woman has heightened people’s concerns.

  • Jane Holl Lute will be back in Cyprus after the elections
  • The Turkish government is behind Adali’s murder
  • The  youth are paying the price of the crisis caused by the pandemic
  • Back to Mari, the scandals but also GESY – The parties are making the final strike back with heavy artillery.

Haravgi

They left paediatricians without vaccines for children

Amateurism and constant change of mind by the health ministry put at risk the vaccination coverage of children. Many paediatricians are dealing with shortages because they were not able to arrange their orders in time.

  • Cyprus problem: Sergey Lavrov: The security guarantees (to be transferred) to the ‘five’ of the Security Council
  • Natural gas: Donmez announced news drillings in the Eastern Mediterranean
  • Dynamic mobilisation tomorrow and a march to the Presidential Palace (by the owners of entertainment businesses over the impact of the pandemic)

Cyprus Mail

Woman, 39, dies after vaccination

Medical details have been sent to EMA to see if there’s a possible link to AZ jab.

  • President accused of meddling in elections
  • Belarus faces sanctions over ‘state piracy’, airlines to shun it

Alithia

Mari, the containers, Nicolas (Papadopoulos)’ 700 passports and… Nicolas’ latest gaffe!

Last battles: Accusations just before the ballot speaks. The outing of DIKO chairman by (head of the president’s press office) Victoras Papadopoulos on the citizenship by investment scheme. Averof: DIKO-AKEL had three containers to handle and blew up Cyprus.

  • Mafia revelations: The file of Kutlu Adali’s murder reopens
  • Parliamentary elections: The great battle for voter mobilisation – The parties’ last moves. The last gatherings before the election campaign comes to an end and the great battle on social media.
  • Problems now with the use of the vaccination certificate for travel

Main News

Lute to return after elections

Alithia, Haravgi, Phileleftheros
Negotiations Process, EU Matters

OVERVIEW

Phileleftheros reports that UN special envoy Jane Holl Lute is expected to arrive in Cyprus in early June, after the parliamentary elections, as part of the new round of contacts aimed at a second informal summit on the Cyprus problem.

Lute is expected to be in Athens on Friday for consultations at the Greek foreign ministry and in Ankara on Monday.

Citing information, Phileleftheros reports that Lute will consult with all parties to see if a second, five plus one informal summit is possible.

The daily also reports that Nicosia remains against anything that could question the UN resolutions and parameters and the agreed form of solution, which is something President Nicos Anastasiades reiterated last Saturday in response to statements by the Turkish president who had called for recognition of realities on the island and talks for two states.

The paper also reports that the Cypriot government supports during all its contacts that a new informal meeting should take place as soon as possible. However, it is estimated that such a thing will not be possible before the end of June because Turkey has reconnected any developments in the Cyprus issue with June’s European Council. That is why Ankara insisted and still insists that the informal five-party summit takes place at a later stage, the paper reported.

Meanwhile, British High Commissioner Stephen Lillie continues his contacts with political parties in Cyprus and declared after a meeting in the north with the leader of the Republican Turkish Party that his country continues to favour a bizonal bicommunal federation (BBF) based on relevant UN resolutions, the daily reports.

Haravgi reports that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, during a meeting in Sochi with his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias, stated that the issue of security and guarantees as regards the Cyprus problem could be transferred to the jurisdiction of the Security Council’s five permanent members.

Lavrov also reiterated Russia’s position on a solution on the basis of UN Security Council resolutions for a BBF. He also conveyed Russia’s willingness to act as mediators on the issue.

Dendias thanked Lavrov for Russia’s support and briefed him on the latest developments including the summit in Geneva last April.

The Greek foreign minister also briefed Lavrov about Athens’ relations with Ankara and conveyed his concerns over Turkey’s practice of promoting itself as the heir of the Ottoman heritage, and as the leader of Muslims globally, which destabilises the wider region. Dendias also said that Russia’s contribution to promoting stability in the region, especially as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and the Quartet, is of massive significance.

Dendias also expressed the Greek government’s wish that the relationship between the EU and Russia is restored and not worsen, arguing that Russia is an integral part of the safety architecture of Europe and plays a significant role in tackling regional and international challenges.

Alithia also reports on the meeting but focuses on Dendias’ statements.

Phileleftheros also reports that Lavrov, when asked about the forced landing of the Ryanair plane in Minsk for the arrest of journalist Roman Protasevich, said Belarusian authorities were acting within the international framework.

KEY ACTORS
Lillie (UK)
>>
UK continues to support a BBF solution based on relevant UN resolutions.

Lavrov (Russia)
>>
Security & guarantees could be transferred to the jurisdiction of the SC’s P5.
>> Russia continues to support a BBF solution based on UN resolutions & is willing to act as mediator if asked.

Dendias (Greece)
>>
 Turkey’s practice of promoting itself as the heir of the Ottoman heritage & as leader of Muslims globally destabilises the wider region.
>> Greece wishes to see an improvement of EU-Russia relations since Russia is an integral part of Europe’s safety architecture & plays a significant role in tackling regional and international challenges.


Request to TC side to allow the enclaved cross for elections

Alithia, Cyprus Mail, Haravgi, Phileleftheros, Politis
CBMs

OVERVIEW

According to Politis, the Presidential Commissioner has filed a request through the UN so that the enclaved can cross from the north on Sunday to vote for the parliamentary elections.

Presidency Commissioner Photos Photiou has turned to Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) in Cyprus, Elizabeth Spehar, with a request that all enclaved are allowed to cross through the crossing points for the elections. The government now waits for the response of the TC side, that, as it well known, does not allow crossings, except for students and workers, the daily reported.

There are 247 enclaved eligible to vote, the daily reports, and the presidency is thinking of transporting them to the government-controlled areas in buses, depending on how many will express interest to cross.

Eligible to vote are also 712 TCs who have a registered permanent address in the free areas, the daily reports. There are in total 558,589 registered voters.

The dailies also report that just a few days before the elections, the parties are attacking each other, on social media and through statements, each pointing out the mistakes of the other in a bid to mobilise their voters.

On the spotlight on Monday was again the Mari explosion, with DISY accusing AKEL and DIKO of being unable to handle the containers with the explosives, leading to a disaster.  AKEL and DIKO attacked the government over its failed economic policies, and corruption with the Presidential Palace fighting back and saying that Nicolas Papadopoulos’ law office used to advertise through associates abroad it could secure foreign investors Cypriot passports for €900,000. The Presidential Palace said DIKO should first take a hard look at its own people’s actions before accusing the government of corruption due to the citizenship by investment scheme, arguing that Papadopoulos’ law office, in a letter to the president, had requested speeding up of the process for examining 700 applications for passports citing the need to tackle the financial consequences of the pandemic.

According to Politis, the Greens are calling on people to “vote Green and not Black”, referring to far-right ELAM, while EDEK attacks the Greens and ELAM.


Discovery of medieval tombstone in south that was initially in north  

Phileleftheros
Human Rights

OVERVIEW

The daily reports that a man delivered to Tasoula Hadjitofi, the founder of Walk of Truth that repatriates looted artefacts from Cyprus, a 14th century tombstone he found years ago in a riverbed in Larnaca and which it seems had been in the past part of the collection of the museum housed in Apostle Varnavas monastery in the north.

The tombstone belongs to a man from the Syrian town of Tyre, Joseph de Sur, who died in Famagusta in the 14th century AD. It was found around 12 years ago by a man in a riverbed while he was searching for stones for a construction.

After keeping it for years, because, according to the paper, he feared that if he delivered it to authorities it would end up in a box in a storage room, he decided to hand it over to Hadjitofi. He said that over the years he was offered large sums by collectors and antiques sellers to sell the tombstone.

After a search, the Walk of Truth experts found that the tombstone in question is mentioned in a French language publication, Lacrimae Cypriae, Les Larmes de Chypre, published in 2004 in Nicosia. According to the daily the tombstone had been presented in a so-called ‘ancient medieval museum’ of the monastery of Apostle Varnavas. This means that the tombstone along with other antiquities was in the occupied areas, the daily reported, adding that questions arise as to how it ended up in Larnaca, who took it there and how many other antiquities have been smuggled from the occupied to the free areas and where are they today.

Hadjitofi called on authorities to allow the use of rooms of the Limassol archaeological museum for the temporary storage of Cypriot and foreign antiquities retrieved by the Cultural Crime Watchers Worldwide organisation.

 She also called on the state to honour the man who delivered the tombstone to encourage others who possess cultural treasures do the same. Hadjitofi also called on people who have information about undeclared private collections of such artefacts, illegal excavations or smuggling to inform Walk of Truth, promising they would protect their anonymity.


Bicommunal art exhibition in Larnaca

Phileleftheros
CBMs, Human Rights

OVERVIEW

A group of six up-and-coming artists are taking part in a bicommunal art project where each narrate in their own way the issue of conflict and the crisis of democracy, the paper reports.

As the crossing points remain closed for more than a year and interaction between communities is limited to electronic communications, Cyprus-based NGO Visual Voices, focusing on international arts-based peace programmes, is organising the group exhibition Mirrored Reflections-Memories of Tampered Identities. Participating artists are Zoe Polykarpou, Stephanie Lemesianou, Nurtane Karagil, Memo, Lenia Georgiou and Hayal Gezer.

The exhibition will take place at EVOHK gallery in Larnaca between June 1 and 6.


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