Updates from Cyprus
Nicosia expects to be informed when the UN Secretary -General`s special envoy on Cyprus, Jane Holl Lute, will be visiting the island. The UN official already had contacts on the Cyprus problem with Greece, Turkey, the UK and the EU.
Invited to say when Lute will be visiting Cyprus, Director of President Nicos Anastasiades` Press Office, Victoras Papadopoulos, told CNA that Lute was in Athens from Thursday until Sunday last week, and in Ankara on Monday.
Source: Cyprus News Agency
Bilateral relations between Cyprus and the United States, focusing on security cooperation, the Cyprus issue as well as developments in the region of Cyprus, were on the agenda of a telephone conversation between the Foreign Ministers of Cyprus and the United States, Nikos Christodoulides and Antony Blinken.
This was the first conversation between the two Ministers since Blinken took office. Christodoulides has met Blinken while the US official was serving in the Obama administration.
Source: Cyprus News Agency
In 2019, almost 97% of children between the age of 3 and the starting age of compulsory education at primary level were enrolled in early childhood education in the EU, according to data released today by Eurostat, the statistical service of the EU.
Early childhood education (ISCED level 0) is one of the first opportunities children have to develop learning, critical thinking and collaborative skills. Early childhood as well as primary education play a key role in potentially redressing life chances through tackling inequalities and raising proficiency in basic competences.
Source: Cyprus News Agency
The annual Bathing Water report published today shows that in 2020 almost 83% of Europe`s bathing water sites met the European Union`s most stringent ‘excellent` water quality standards. The latest assessment, put together by the European Environment Agency (EEA) in cooperation with the European Commission, is based on the 2020 monitoring of 22,276 bathing sites across Europe. These cover the EU Member States, Albania and Switzerland throughout 2020.
Source: Cyprus News Agency
Cyprus’ bathing waters were deemed to be of “excellent” quality, with a 100% compliance with the relevant directive of the EU, placing Cyprus in the first place in Europe for the swimming season 2020. Austria is in the second place with 97.7%, followed by Greece with 97.1% and Malta with 96.6%.
In a written statement, the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Costas Kadis says that Cyprus continues to hold the first place with 100% compliance with the provisions of the Directive on the Management of Bathing Water Quality.
The official results for the quality of bathing water in Europe were announced on Tuesday by the European Environment Agency.
The Minister notes that for the swimming season of 2020, which lasted from May 1 to October 31, 112 bathing waters were monitored throughout the coastal zone of the government-c
Source: Cyprus News Agency
The UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has described as “disappointing” the failure to reach enough common ground in the recent UN-led informal talks in Geneva to allow for the resumption of formal negotiations on the Cyprus issue.
In a response letter to Leonidas Leonidou, Chairman of the Cypriot refugees’ associations in the UK, seen by the Cyprus News Agency, Raab notes however that the UK welcomes “the prospect of further UN-led informal talks between the parties”.
He adds that before and during the talks he urged all sides to demonstrate “flexibility and compromise”.
Source: Cyprus News Agency
Cyprus’ Minister of Health Constantinos Ioannou has told CNA that the great improvement in the country’s epidemiological data allows the government to go ahead with a further easing of measures in place to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that both the economy and society are now unlocked and things are on the way to becoming normal. He stressed however that there should be no complacency.
“We are going ahead with building a wall of immunity with vaccinations,” Ioannou said in statements to the Cyprus News Agency, adding that the benefits of vaccinations are already evident in the results.
Source: Cyprus News Agency
The Council of Europe (CoE) and the Republic of Cyprus through the Press and Information Office co-organise 10 and 11 of June an online Ministerial Conference on «Artificial Intelligence – Intelligent Politics: Challenges and Opportunities for Media and Democracy».
President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades will address the Conference, while Minister of the Interior Nicos Nouris will preside over the meeting as Minister of the hosting country. Other Cypriot officials who will speak at the Conference are Government Spokesman Kyriakos Koushos and Deputy Minister for Innovation and Research Kyriakos Kokkinos.
Source: Cyprus News Agency