Cyprus wants 'as many boats as possible' to bring aid to Gaza

 

Mar 21, 2024. Posted by  Balkan Periscope - Hellas

Cyprus hopes as “many boats as possible” will leave its shores to take aid to Gaza as a second ship waits to depart from Larnaca, Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos said on Thursday.

February 13, Cyprus says Lebanon blocked return of 116 Syrian migrants

 

A file photo shows migrants sit on a Cyprus marine police boat as they’re brought to a harbor after being rescued from their own vessel off the Mediterranean island nation’s southeastern coast, of Protaras, Cyprus, Jan. 14, 2020. (AP)

 

Feb 13, 2024. Posted by  Balkan Periscope - Hellas

Cyprus said on Tuesday it was in discussions with Lebanon over the return of 116 Syrian migrants rescued off its coast after Beirut refused to accept them back.

February 6, UN chief's personal envoy for Cyprus visits the island

 

Feb 6, 2024. Posted by  Balkan Periscope - Hellas

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres's personal envoy for Cyprus visited the divİded island over the weekend, a UN spokesperson said on Tuesday.

Cyprus plan marks final stage of Israel's occupation in Gaza Strip, characterized by bloodshed and violence- Turkish media

Dec 21, 2023. Posted by  Balkan Periscope - Hellas

 As Israel persists in its violence against Gaza, with Hamas as its justification, the true motives behind its longstanding desire to control the region are slowly coming to light, writes the Turkish ahaber.

A British MP supports the Turkish positions on Cyprus

Dec 21, 2023. Posted by  Balkan Periscope - Hellas

 

British MP Sammy Wilson in his article on December 19, 2023 published in Reaction supports the Turkish positions for the definitive separation of the island of Cyprus and the recognition of the part occupied by the Turkish army as an 'independent state'.

Turkish publications reported extensively on the positions expressed by the British politician.

The article is titled: “After failure in the Middle East, the West must realise the danger of unresolved conflict”

The article:

 

At the end of the Cold War, many people decided to believe that the world had moved on from real conflict. That Western ideology and capitalism had been proved correct which would lead to the world becoming more peaceful and tolerant. War would be a thing of the past and division would die out.

 Events have proved that was a naïve and overly optimistic worldview. It led the West to ignore problems, crises and potential flashpoints that should never have been overlooked. This has consistently led to disaster. Disaster that, on many occasions, could have been prevented.

  In early October, terrorists once again attacked Israel. Hamas, backed by several regional powers has an explicit goal of exterminating Israel from the map. This is a conflict that has raged on for nearly 70 years and sadly shows no sign of a permanent resolution. The West has failed to truly engage with this conflict. Now, civilians are suffering as a result of this lassitude.

 All around the world, there are clear examples of where conflict has not been resolved, tensions and differences have festered resulting in fresh outbreaks of violence. We can look at the ongoing border skirmishes in the Kashmir region between India and Pakistan or the nearby Indian-Chinese border in Sikkim.

 In Africa, there are constant outbreaks of violence between governments and petty warlords. Between rival ethnic, tribal and religious groups. Earlier this year, war once again broke out between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.

  Closer to home, Kosovo remains an unresolved dispute in Europe. UN peacekeepers are still on the ground, doing their best to ensure that outright war does not break out again. The situation in Kosovo is remarkably similar to another frozen conflict in Europe – that of Cyprus.

 Cyprus also has UN peacekeepers maintaining a barrier between the two rival authorities that represent different ethnic groups. However, unlike in Kosovo – where the breakaway state has been largely recognised by the international community, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus remains isolated in its rejection.

 It is time that the West no longer ignores frozen conflicts. Instability helps no one and is one of the worse outcomes for civilians as they know that fresh violence could break out at any point.

  I see no reason why the UK does not recognise the TRNC as a legitimate authority for the Turkish Cypriot population. Indeed, I would argue that they represent a good partner for the UK because unlike the Greek Cypriot population, they have never targeted or campaigned against our Sovereign Military bases on the island.

 These SBAs are a crucial part of the UK’s international capabilities and have proved vital in recent years in creating no-fly zones in the Middle East and carrying out operations against terrorist groups like ISIS.

 Conflict should never be ignored. I am Northern Irish, and I am British. I know better than most the scars that intercommunal violence can create and the lasting scars of violence between different religious groups. However, lasting peace is possible.

There is a solution that will end the Cyprus issue once and for all. That is a two-state solution with treaties between the two sides that foster cooperation. Such a solution has worked before in Ireland and can work again in Cyprus. 

Sammy Wilson has been the Democratic Unionist Party MP for East Antrim since 2005 and was formerly Northern Ireland’s finance minister.

 

reaction.life

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Israel, Cyprus Discuss ‘Fast Track’ Maritime Lane for Aid to Gaza

Dec 20, 2023.  Posted by  Balkan Periscope - Hellas

Israel and Cyprus agreed on Wednesday to pursue ways to set up a maritime aid corridor to Gaza, a move Israel said was an "important step" towards disengaging economically from the enclave it has invaded to wipe out Hamas militants.

 

Armenia, Greece, Cyprus sign military cooperation programs for 2024

 

Dec 18, 2023. Posted by  Balkan Periscope - Hellas

 

Bilateral Armenia-Greece and Armenia-Cyprus consultations, as well as trilateral consolations between the three countries were held at the premises of the Armenian Ministry of Defense.

EU must accept there won’t be a united Cyprus, Turkish Cypriot leader says

 

Dec 11, 2023. Posted by  Balkan Periscope - Hellas

 Nicosia.

The EU is missing the point with cycles of diplomacy focused on a federal unification of Cyprus and has to accept a two-state solution on the divided island, Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar says.

Egyptian president receives Cypriot counterpart to discuss cooperation in energy sector

 

Dec 5, 2023. Posted by  Balkan Periscope - Hellas

Cairo.

President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi received Tuesday his Cypriot counterpart Nikos Christodoulides at Al Itihadiyah Presidential Palace as they discussed cooperation in the energy sector and bolstering relations on the bilateral level and the trilateral level with Greece.  

 

Serbia strengthens air defense, buys 11 Russian-made military helicopters from Cyprus

 

Nov 23, 2023. Posted by  Balkan Periscope - Hellas

 

Serbia has purchased 11 Russian-made Mi-35 military helicopters from Cyprus, which they have now received on special transport flights.

EU throws weight behind Cypriot plan to ship aid to Gaza

 

Cypriot city of Larnaca

Nov 10, 2023. Posted by  Balkan Periscope - Hellas

Cyprus' 25-page long plan, called Amalthea Initiative outlines how humanitarian aid would be collected in an operations center based in the southern Cypriot city of Larnaca | Amir Makar/AFP via Getty Images

Exploitation of hydrocarbons ‘critical’ for Cyprus

 

Energy Minister George Papanastasiou

Nov 7, 2023. Posted by  Balkan Periscope - Hellas

Nicosia.

It is of critical importance that Cyprus develops the necessary infrastructure to exploit its natural gas because at present its hydrocarbons cannot be effectively utilised, Energy Minister George Papanastasiou said on Tuesday.

Blinken visits Cyprus

 

Nov 5, 2023. Posted by  Balkan Periscope - Hellas

US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, kicked off his visit to Cyprus amid his diplomatic tour in the Middle East.

Four people and two companies linked to Cyprus included in new US sanction list

 

Nov 2, 2023. Posted by  Balkan Periscope - Hellas

Four people and two companies have been included on the latest list of entities sanctioned by the United States due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Two boats with over 200 migrants arrived in Cyprus

Oct 23, 2023. Posted by  Balkan Periscope - Hellas

 

Cyprus experienced a surge in arrivals of migrants via sea, as 40 individuals arrived on Saturday, followed by an additional 224 on Sunday, who arrived in two boats carrying 142 and 82 passengers, respectively.

President of Cyprus Christodoulides Meets Israeli PM Netanyahu and President Herzog

President Christodoulides' meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu in Tel Aviv. Image Credit: X/@IsraeliPM

Oct 22, 2023. Posted by  Balkan Periscope - Hellas

 

Trial of journalist an attempt to ‘silence’ Turkish Cypriot dissent

Turkish Cypriot journalist Ali Kismir

Oct 10, 2023. Posted by  Balkan Periscope - Hellas

 

Case centres on a meeting held by Turkey to sway 2020 Turkish Cypriot elections

The unprecedented criminal case that has raised eyebrows both locally and internationally, in which Turkish Cypriot journalist Ali Kismir faces up to ten years in prison for “insulting and defaming” the Turkish Cypriot security forces, began on Friday.

Cyprus: Presidential private jet undergoing €2 million maintenance

 

The presidential jet (PIO)

Oct 6, 2023. Posted by  Balkan Periscope - Hellas

 

The presidential private jet will be back in action at the end of the month after undergoing necessary maintenance work costing around €2 million, it emerged on Friday.

Our countries face similar challenges – Cypriot lawmaker tells Speaker Alen Simonyan

 

Okt 3, 2023. Posted by  Balkan Periscope - Hellas

Yerevan.

Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan has met with the delegation led by Harris Georgiades, the chairman of the Foreign and European Affairs Committee of the Cypriot Parliament and Chairman of the Cyprus-Armenia Interparliamentary commission for cooperation.

Kazakhstan supports Cyprus problem resolution in line with UN charter

 

Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister of Kazakhstan Roman Vassilenko with President Christodoulides

Sept 28, 2023. Posted by  Balkan Periscope - Hellas

 

Kazakhstan is in favour of finding a solution to the Cyprus issue in accordance with the charter of the UN and the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council, said the Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister of Kazakhstan Roman Vassilenko, in a meeting with the Vice-President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE Council) and Special Representative of the Convention for the Fight against Corruption, Irene Charalambides.