Day: September 29, 2021

Cyprus has described the bilateral defence deal signed between Greece and France as a positive development.

Replying to a question by CNA, Government Spokesman, Marios Pelekanos, said that this deal is a positive development as Greece`s defence capabilities are being reinforced in case the country faces an attack. “This is a positive step for the defence capabilities of Greece,” he added.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Nicosia expects that the agreement that was reached during the lunch which the UN Secretary – General, Antonio Guterres, hosted on Monday, in New York, for Cyprus President, Nicos Anastasiades, and Turkish Cypriot leader, Ersin Tatar, for the appointment of a special envoy on Cyprus by the UNSG will be implemented, Cyprus Government Spokesman, Marios Pelekanos, has told the Cyprus News Agency (CNA).

Pelekanos said that the UNSG had said during the lunch that he would appoint a special envoy and explained the reasons why a special envoy should be appointed that have to do with the fact that the UN Security Council has to have a say on the issues discussed before it.

The Spokesman said that even though Tatar raised at the beginning objections as regards the appointment of a special envoy, he finally accepted the appointment during the discussion that took pl

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Nominee to become US ambassador to Turkey Jeff Flake has committed to speak out both publicly and privately against Turkey’s UN violations in Cyprus.

Flake was replying to a question by President of the US Senate Committee of Foreign Relations, Bob Menendez during a Committee hearing on ambassador nominees.

“More than 35,000 Turkish troops remain in northern Cyprus, now almost five decades after Turkey first invaded in 1974,” Menendez said.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Nicosia expects the UN Secretary General`s readout about the informal meeting among Antonio Guterres, Cyprus President, Nicos Anastasiades, and Turkish Cypriot leader, Ersin Tatar, that took place on Monday, in New York.

Invited by CNA to comment on the fact that no readout has been issued yet, even though this was expected on Tuesday, according to what the UNSG`s spokesperson has said, Cyprus Government Spokesman, Marios Pelekanos, said that “the information that we have is that the UNSG is looking into everything that was discussed during the lunch (in New York) and will issue a readout.”

Pelekanos also noted that “we reiterated (in New York) our positive response to the UNSG`s proposal for the appointment of a special envoy, as we had expressed it from the beginning during the Informal Meeting in Geneva,” last April.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

UAE Ambassador to Cyprus Ahmed Ghanem Al Suwaidi has said that the leadership of our two countries is aware of the high strategic value of UAE-Cyprus relations and is continuously working to further develop and strengthen bilateral ties based on mutual respect.

Al Suwaidi, was speaking during a virtual meeting organised by the embassy this week on Expo 2020 Dubai, which will take place from October 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022.

In his speech, a UAE embassy press release reads, the ambassador said that “the leadership of our two countries is aware of the high strategic value of UAE-Cyprus relations and is continuously working to further develop and strengthen bilateral ties based on mutual respect.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Between January and August this year, a total of 36 cruise ships berthed at Limassol port compared to 19 in 2020, DP World Limassol has said, adding that it is expecting a surge in bookings in 2022.

“As tourism continues to feel the impact of the pandemic for a second year, cruising is making a comeback in Cyprus and other parts of the world. On this World Tourism Day, DP World Limassol reiterates its commitment to further bolster the country’s cruise industry and turn the Limassol port into a top cruise hub in the Eastern Mediterranean,” the terminal operator says in a press release.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Landlines recorded a drop in the first six months of this year compared to the second half of 2020, while fixed broadband access and users of mobile telephony, data released by the Office of the Commissioner for Electronic Communications and Postal Regulation (OCECPR).

In particular, according to the data during the first six months of 2021 a drop of 2.7% was observed in total connections of landlines in relation to the second half of 2020.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

EU research ministers met on Tuesday 28th September to discuss the creation of an effective governance framework for the European Research Area during the first day of the meeting of the Competitiveness Council in Brussels.

Cyprus was represented by Deputy Minister for Research, Innovation and Digital Policy Kyriacos Kokkinos. The meeting was presided by Slovenian Minister for Education, Science and Sport Simona Kustec and the European Commission was represented by Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth Mariya Gabriel.

Source: Cyprus News Agency