Month: December 2022

India Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has reaffirmed his country’s support and solidarity to the efforts to bring about a settlement to the Cyprus problem on the basis of the UN Security Council resolutions.

Jainshakar who is visiting Cyprus, was received Thursday by the acting President of the Republic, House of Representatives President Annita Demetriou, who expressed gratitude over India’s steadfast and principled position regarding the Cyprus problem, highlighting that the Greek Cypriot side is focused on the resumption of the talks with a view to reaching a just and viable solution which would reunify Cyprus in conditions of sustained peace and security.

According to a press release issued by the House of Representatives, Demetriou briefed the Indian Foreign Minister on the escalating Turkish provocations against the Republic of Cyprus both in its exclusive economic zone as well as on the ground, namely in the fenced-off city of Varosha.

During the meeting both sides stressed the historic and close ties between Cyprus and India based on joint principles. The meeting stressed the joint will to further deepen the excellent relations between the two countries and the collaboration in a wide range of fields both on a bilateral and international level.

In this context the meeting highlighted the prospects of India’s participation in the bilateral and trilateral mechanisms developed by Greece and Cyprus with countries of the region, stressing the importance of the further strengthening of bilateral cooperation and exchanges between the two countries both as regards Parliamentary Presidents as well as parliamentary friendship groups.

Referring to the war in Ukraine, Demetriou pointed out that due to its past experiences, Cyprus is aware of the painful consequences of war and occupation and has stood at the side of Ukraine and its people from the outset based on the principles of international law, despite the significant cost for the country.

On his part, India’s FM noted the range of the relations between the two countries, saying that in today’s globalised world the term big or small country is obsolete, recalling that Cyprus enjoys investment activity in India well over its size.

According to the press release Jaishankar reaffirmed his country’s solidarity and support to the efforts to bring about a solution to the Cyprus problem based on the relevant UN resolutions.

He also expressed gratitude over Cyprus’ solidarity to India and particularly its support to the relations between India and the EU.

Following the meeting, Demetriou on behalf of the President of the Republic, presented to Jaishankar a commemorative stamp issued by the Cyprus Post to mark the 75th anniversary since the independence of India and the 60th anniversary from the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

The condition of a four-year-old girl infected with Streptococcus A who was transferred by an air ambulance during the evening of December 21 from Cyprus to Israel for treatment has slightly improved according to Health Minister, Michalis Hadjipantela.

In statements to Famagusta General Hospital, in Paralimni, where he paid a visit on Thursday, and replying to a question, the Minister said that he was informed yesterday that there was a slight improvement of the girl’s health condition.

“We hope that this improvement will continue and that the girl will soon be back home,” he added.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

A letter of intent on migration and mobility partnership was signed on Thursday at the Cyprus Ministry of Foreign Affairs between the Ministers of the Interior, Nicos Nouris, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of India, Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, formalizing the start of the process to sign an agreement between the two friendly countries on migration. The letter of intent was signed during the official visit of the Indian Foreign Minister in Cyprus.

According to a press release by the Ministry of the Interior, the signing was made following the recent contacts of the Minister of the Interior, Nicos Nouris, in India with the Deputy Minister of the Interior responsible for Migration, Shri Nityanand Rai.

It is noted that the texts of the agreement have already been exchanged and are being processed by the competent Ministries with the aim of signing the agreement within February 2023.

It is added that the agreement is expected to regulate not only irregular immigration and return issues, of those applicants whose applications are rejected, but also legal migration as well as employment and residence opportunities for nationals of the two countries.

The press release states that the Ministry of Interior of Cyprus expresses its satisfaction with the willingness and response of the Indian Government to regulate the serious issue of migration on the basis of a comprehensive agreement.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Cyprus Health Minister, Michalis Hadjipantela, and WHO Regional Director for Europe, Hans Kluge, had on Thursday afternoon a telephone conversation about the COVID-19 situation in China.

According to the Health Ministry, they decided to stay in touch during the next days about joint actions by EU member states.

Hadjipantela and Kluge “discussed the situation up until now with regard to the COVID-19 disease in China and decided to stay in touch during the next days for joint actions by European member states,” the Ministry noted.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

The Ministry of Health has announced the establishment of a special scientific committee on Long Covid after acknowledging the significance and systemic character of the medical and social problem of the prolonged syndrome of COVID-19 (Long Covid) and adopting the relevant World Health Organization guidelines.

According to a press release, the committee’s mission is to research and assess the prevalence of Long Covid syndrome in society and offer suggestions to increase public awareness. In partnership with stakeholders, including the Pancyprian Medical Association, the State Health Services Organization, and the Federation of Cyprus Patients’ Associations, the committee will also assist those afflicted.

Dr. Konstantinos Fellas, a professor at the University of Nicosia, has been chosen to lead the Long Covid Cyprus Committee and serve as the project’s coordinator.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Bilateral cooperation agreements between the Republic of Cyprus and India were signed on Thursday at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Nicosia. Indian Foreign Affairs Minister, Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, who is paying a working visit to the island, described the agreements as important while expressing his country’s commitment to a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation, based on UN resolutions.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ioannis Kasoulides, and his Indian counterpart, Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, signed a Memorandum on Defense and Military Cooperation between the two countries and a framework agreement for Cyprus’ participation in the International Solar Alliance Agreement. Before that, Kasoulides and Subrahmanyam held talks at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Also, the Minister of the Interior, Nicos Nouris, signed with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of India, a declaration of intent formalizing the start of the process to sign an agreement between the two countries on migration and mobility.

After the signatures the Foreign Ministers of Cyprus and India made statements to the media. Kasoulides said that Cyprus and India are bound by their parallel historical experiences, such as the anti-colonial movement and the common paths to independence. “The excellent level of relations between our two countries is also anchored by our shared vision for a world of peace, freedom, democracy and the rule of law,” Kasoulides added.

He said that three important agreements were signed, with the aim to “foster our cooperation in effectively addressing issues of mutual concern”. He referred to the MoU on defense and military cooperation, which he said will help develop the relevant dialogue. In addition, he added, with the International Solar Alliance Agreement, we join a collective platform, along with a number of other countries, that aims to address an issue that affects the globe, that of the energy transition. We have also, he said, signed a Declaration of Intent on Migration and Mobility, which demonstrates our willingness to start a substantive dialogue with the aim of concluding an agreement that will tackle the issue of illegal migration and facilitate mobility in a proper manner.

He further noted that he personally expressed his heartfelt gratitude and sincere appreciation “for India’s longstanding principled stance in our continued efforts for the reunification of Cyprus, expressed by your country’s support in the UN Security Council, on the issue of Varoshia and the resolutions for the renewal of the UNFICYP’s mandate”.

He further stated that the political obstacles that emerged as a result of the partition of India stand as a historical example that serves as a guide to our efforts to reach a comprehensive settlement in Cyprus. ” As we have seen with the case of India, the country’s partition was just the beginning of a perilous journey and certainly not the end,” he said. Therefore, he added, a two-state solution cannot be accepted for Cyprus and its people.

The Cypriot Foreign Minister also stated that a number of regional issues were mentioned, such as the situation in Ukraine and Afghanistan. He concluded referring to the framework of EU-India relations, which over the years have evolved into a strategic partnership with both sides working together to address common challenges, promote peace and security.

On his part, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of India stated that their meeting demonstrates the commitment to deepen the bilateral cooperation between Cyprus and India.

The India-Cyprus partnership, he said, is of immense importance and is rooted in our shared values of democracy, diversity, pluralism and respect for law. The strategic aspects of the relationship, he said, have taken on new meaning in recent years, as reflected in our bilateral engagements. He noted that the exchange of views on the various critical challenges facing the international community today was particularly useful.

Subrahmanyam stated that the Republic of India reiterates its commitment for a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation based on UN resolutions as a solution to the Cyprus issue.

He added that they had very productive discussions on Cyprus-India bilateral relations, “on our multilateral cooperation, on geopolitical and regional challenges. So we exchanged views on our respective neighborhoods, on the Indo-Pacific, on the Middle East or West Asia as we call it, on Europe, on India-EU relations”.

Subrahmanyam emphasized that the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing conflicts demand that we address new challenges. Energy security and food security are particularly pressing issues. As a responsible member of the international community, he said, “India has joined its other partners in working towards extending humanitarian aid, medicines, vaccines, food grains and other forms of assistance. We face these challenges today as really conscientious members of the global order and it is important that we work collectively to find common solutions,” he concluded.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

From the beginning of September until the middle of November, 16 activists from Europe participated in the autumn campaign of the Committee Against Birds Slaughter in Cyprus, according to a statement from the Committee.

The Committee’s teams reported to the Cypriot authorities a total of 135 bird trapping sites and 76 poaching incidents.

According to the press release, 60 people were prosecuted of whom 44 for trapping birds and 16 for illegal hunting. In addition, trapping devices were seized and 573 birds were saved and released from the traps, mainly small birds.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

From October 3, until December 27, 2022, a total of 10,558 applications were submitted for first registration in the electoral roll, while during the same period, 10,737 declarations were submitted to exercise the right to vote in cities abroad, the Chief Returning Officer has announced.

According to a press release, in the context of the last quarter of the supplementary electoral roll, before the upcoming Presidential Elections, i.e. from 3 October 2022 until 27 December 2022, a total of 10,558 applications for first registration in the electoral roll were submitted, of which 1,728 declarations were submitted electronically, through the relevant service.

In addition, during the same period, 10,737 declarations were submitted to exercise the right to vote in cities abroad, based on which, polling centers will operate in the following cities: In Greece: Athens, Volos, Heraklion, Thessaloniki, Ioannina, Komotini, Larissa, Patras , Rethymno, in the United Kingdom: Glasgow, Leeds, London – High Commission’s Building, London – Cyprus Community Centre, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol and in the rest of the countries: Berlin, Vienna, Brussels, New York, Dubai, Luxembourg, Paris, Sofia, Stockholm, The Hague.

Those who have submitted a declaration to vote in any other city abroad, should inform by January 5, 2023, if they wish to exercise their right to vote in any of the above cities. Those who wish to do so are requested to send the following information to the Ministry of the Interior, either to the email address electoralroll@moi.gov.cy, or by fax to the number 22678486 stating their name, ID number, original city of declaration and new city of declaration.

It is noted that those who do not submit a new declaration will remain registered in the electoral roll in Cyprus.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Greek Cypriot member of the Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) Leonidas Pantelides expressed belief that in 2023 it would be possible to locate large burial sites of missing persons, pointing out that they have relatively good information on 2-3 cases.

“We are constantly doing a little better and I hope that in 2023 we will be more effective in identifying more people,” Pantelides said when asked by CNA about the progress of the CMP work.

He said that in 2022, 63 excavations were carried out by the Committee’s crews compared to 79 in 2021 and 65 in 2020.

He added that they have located remains of 19 persons, compared to 17 in 2021 and 10 in 2020 and underlined that the accuracy rate has improved significantly.

Elaborating on that he said that they have found remains in 9 of the 63 excavations they have done, with an accuracy rate of 14.3%. In 2021 that rate was 5%, and in 2020 it was 4.6 %.

Noting that there is an improvement as regards the information they receive, which affects the degree of accuracy, he said that not only accuracy but also the number of persons identified must also increase and the way to do that is to locate large burial sites.

Pantelides noted that they would like to locate more remains since there are still too many missing people and their families are waiting.

No matter how intensively we work with seven crews the rate at which we locate and return the remains to the families is not satisfactory, he went on to say.

He added that “in 2023 we hope to locate some large graves because we have relatively good information on 2-3 cases maybe more”.

Pantelides expressed hope that, “in 2023 we will also have a significant improvement in the numbers that will reflect the greater accuracy we achieve in locating the sites because we will also attempt some of the big cases that we know are many people in one site’.

He noted that currently teams are working in Kyrenia, Paphos, Gypsu, Karmi, Assia, Dikomo, Myrtou and Agia Erini.

“We hope to proceed with excavations in Strovolos in 2023 and we also have ten military sites in the occupied areas as we do every year. There are important military areas that we have requested to be excavated, but we still have no answer”, he added.

Regarding the problems they face, he said that over time witnesses and families are gone, the sites that are of interest are altered due to residential activity, road constructions, agricultural works and other reasons.

Another problem, he added, is that many times they find only few remains because the graves are not as they were in their original state and explained that “some of the burials were superficial and have been disturbed even with agricultural work and so on”.

He pointed out that the more information they receive, the better they can focus on the right site and urged people to give any information they may have that could help and add to the overall effort.

Concluding, Pantelides said that there is cooperation with the Red Cross, which often sends scientists and other officials from different countries to Cyprus to see how the CMP program works.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37% of its territory. Since then, the fate of hundreds of people remains unknown.

A Committee on Missing Persons has been established, upon agreement between the leaders of the two communities, with the scope of exhuming, identifying and returning to their relatives the remains of 492 Turkish Cypriots and 1,510 Greek Cypriots, who went missing during the inter-communal fighting of 1963-1964 and in 1974.

According to statistical data published on the CMP website by August 1, 2022 out of 2002 missing persons 1,185 were exhumed and 1,027 were identified. Out of 1510 Greek Cypriot missing persons 735 were identified and 775 are still missing. Out of 492 Turkish Cypriot missing persons 292 were identified and 200 are still missing.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

The budget for subsidising the purchase of electric vehicles and withdrawing old cars, motorbikes, mopeds and bicycles is at €10 million, Minister of Transport, Communications and Work, Yiannis Karousos, said.

Karousos said in a statement in Larnaka, that, on Wednesday, the second phase of the subsidies programme for electric vehicles and withdrawal of old ones was announced, with the grant amounting to €10.16 million for 2,518 cases of all kinds of vehicles.

He added that “there are 17 categories for electric vehicles with the subsidy starting at €10,000, while the subsidy for the withdrawal program is €7,500”.

The Minister explained that the difference between this programme and the previous one, is that, regarding the electric vehicles, there will be no priority order and people do not need to rush to submit applications, since in the event that those interested exceed the number of available subsidies, there will be a draw.

“In order to apply, those interested in buying an electric vehicle will need to provide a certificate from a vehicle seller that they have been informed of the price of the car,” he added.

Regarding the vehicle withdrawal program, which gives up to €7,500 for a car, the Minister said that “the order of priority will be with the oldest vehicle to be retired. In other words, the older the vehicle that is withdrawn, the greater the chances of someone being approved.”

Source: Cyprus News Agency