Current Events

The Cyprus situation is a problem for all concerned, including Russia, if the words of its ambassador to the Russia are anything to go by.

Leonidas Markides, ambassador of Cyprus in Russia, who recently Mr. Kirill, the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia to discuss the Cyprus situation, recently expressed the latter’s concerns on the matter.

After being briefed on the latest developments in the Cyprus situation, the Patriarch called the apparent non-solution an “open wound”, which affects not just Cypriots, but all the people who belong to the Orthodox world.

According to a press release that was issued by the Cyprus PIO, the discussion that took place between Mr. Kirill and Ambassador Markides included the destruction of religious and cultural heritage in the island nation, as well as the various efforts that both the Church and Government of Cyprus are making to curb the illegal export and trade of religious heirlooms on international markets.

In what is being a considered a breath of fresh air in the Iran-Cyprus diplomatic scene, Petros T. Nacouzis, Cyprus’ new ambassador to Iran has submitted his Credentials to President Hassan Rouhani in Tehran.

Forwarded warm greetings from the island country’s President Anastasiades, Ambassador Nacouzis extended his best wishes for prosperity and progress of the Iranian people, and also briefed the latter on the Cyprus issue’s latest developments.

In the post-ceremony meeting, the two exchanged their views on Iran-Cyprus bilateral relations, and after much discussion, mutually arrived at the conclusion that they must strive to further improve their relations.

During recent years, both Cyprus and Iran have placed considerable stress on expanding their bilateral relations across several fields. Both sides say that this should not be too difficult a task, given that the two countries already share a great bilateral relationship, especially in the parliament division.

Marios Demetriades, the Transport Minister of Cyprus has resigned from his post as on Monday. He made this news public on his Facebook page.

Announcing the development on his social media account, Demetriades expressed his desire to make a return to the private sector but thanked President Nicos Anastasiades for the generous offer of staying on in his new cabinet.

He added that while he had a great run as the Transport Minister, his term has come full circle and he feels that it is best for him to end things while the going is good. He went to express great gratitude to President Anastasiades for the faith he had in him when taking care of things during a time when Cyprus was going through a difficult time.

Demetriades’ resignation isn’t something entirely new, though. In fact, his is the official secondary resignation, following Ioannis Kassoulides (Foreign Minister) who recently announced that he did not want to stay on after his term.

February 28 will be the final date for the present minister’s council. Members of the new cabinet will be sworn in the next day on March 1.

The recent resignations, however, have churned a lot of speculation as to who will take up the mantle of various ministers. With 11 different ministerial posts, many things are expected and many anticipated. Many experts are of the opinion that Kassoulides may be replaced by government spokesman Nicos Christodoulides, or even by Finance Minister Harris Georgiades, who has previously expressed interest in taking the job.

Invited by His Beatitude Archbishop Chrysostomos, Primate of Church of Cyprus, American Archbishop Demetrios made a visit to the island nation, where he received one of the most prestigious medals of the Order.

On the 11th of February, His Eminence officiated the Liturgy with His Beautitude as well as hierarchs from the Church of Cyprus. This was done in a suburb in Strovolos at the church of God’s Wisdom in Saint Sophia.

The Archbishop was accompanied by Archdeacon Panteleimon Papadopoulos and from Pittsburgh His Eminence Metropolitan Savas and Kyriacos Papastylianou, President of the Federation of Cypriot American Organizations.

His Eminence was awarded the Gold Medal of Saint Barnabas by the Church of Cyprus. Nicos Anastasiades, President of the Republic of Cyprus the First Lady Andri Anastasiades and several leaders from politics and academia were also present during the ceremony.

His Eminence will meet and speak with the President Nicos Anastasiades later on, and also plans to deliver a lecture at the Theological School of the Church of Cyprus on – “Modern Theological Challenges and Opportunities.”

The Mayor of Pahpos has announced that the famous Paphos carnival parade which was set to take place on Saturday has now been to Sunday.

Making the announcement on social media, Mayor Phedonas Phedonos said that the parade will be held on Sunday afternoon (instead of Saturday afternoon), due to unprecedented bad weather. The news was duly confirmed by a spokesman for the municipality.

The Paphos carnival will be held along Poseidonos Avenue in Kato Paphos on Sunday.

The Paphos environment is currently undergoing a lot of turbulence, with less-than-desirable weather conditions and pollutant levels as high as a ‘3’.

With a high volume of small-sized particles floating around the atmosphere, authorities are advising vulnerable groups like elderly, children, and pregnant women and patients to avoid going out into open spaces, especially when the pollutant levels are high.

According to the spokesman, the dust, which has originated from Africa, will remain till Friday evening and will only move away once the rain comes in.

According to several political experts in both Egypt and Nicosia, the increasing closeness and cooperation between Cyprus and Egypt as well as the maritime demarcation deal between them will raise severe concerns in Turkey, whose capital has strained relations with both Nicosia and Cairo.

As a repercussion to the ongoing cooperation, Turkey declared that it would reject a maritime border demarcation agreement from 2013 involving Cyprus and Egypt which was set to allow exploration for natural fuel sources.

Cairo responded to the rejection as Turkey’s deliberate attempt to prevent Egypt’s from entering the Eastern Mediterranean’s E.E.Z., which is in fact its maritime right.

According to Mevlut Cavusoglu, foreign minister of Turkey, their country sees the maritime border demarcation agreement as violating the continental shelf of Turkey and therefore declares it as non-active. He added that no other vessel, company or foreign country has any right to conduct any unauthorized scientific and/or hydrocarbon research activity on said continental shelf.

According to Tarek Fahmy, political science professor at Cairo University, both Cyprus and country of Turkey disagree in matters of territory, and Ankara’s pass on the Egypt-Cyprus demarcation issue shows that the country plans to make gas explorations of its own.

In a new development for the Cypriot economy, the island country is trying to win the coveted the Youth Capital Title.

The Youth Capital is a respected title which is awarded to a European city for a year-long period. During this period the city gets a chance to form a multi-faceted programme and show its social, cultural, political and economic activities that are centered around development of the youth.

Nicosia recently entered the race to win the title, which is being supervised by Cyprus’ foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides, who has recently pledged the support of his ministry

to the cause.

The EYC is a unique initiative which aims to encourage cities to both continue as well as expand the implementation of novel ideas and creative that help involve the active participation of the society’s youth.

The current incumbent of the title is Cascais, a municipality in the suburbs of Lisbon, Portugal.

There is optimism and positivity in the air with the new year in Cyprus. However, the weather for the island country has not quite followed suit. The nation continues to face blustery weather, thanks to grey skies and showers being visible in various parts of the country.

The people don’t seem to have been taken aback by this, however, and plan to go through with their New Year’s Eve parties, many of which are set to be held at outdoor venues. The most anticipated party here will be in Ayia Napa, which is famous for its annual end-of-year party. As part of the celebration, the resort will be hosting several programmes, having various musical groups, entertainers and dancers set to perform on the stage.

This free and highly anticipated by thousands every year. Visitors include Scandinavian long-stayers, expats and locals, all of whom join for a night of various festivities.

Crime in Cyprus has been rising, and recent events prove that this problem is not reducing soon. In a very concerning news, Paphos police have been very busy after being alerted to three different burglaries in the Paphos district on Sunday. Two of these were done in Peyia while one was done in Tsada.

Reported by a A-year-old Peyia homeowner, the incident has unknown people entering her home in her absence (between 6.15pm and 7.30pm). They got away with €220 and with jewelry whose value has not yet been determined.

The perpetrators did not stop at this, having gone on to rob another residence that was located opposite to the former. This residence belongs to a British couple who were abroad at the time. Stolen items for this property are as of yet unknown.

It was later found the thieves also managed to break into a Tsada residence between 4.15pm and 6.30pm. They took valuables worth €4,800 and €200 in cash.

The thieves were identified by their method which in all three cases was forcing open the doors with the help of sharp objects.

The number of crimes have increased significantly in Cyprus, and recent events only prove that the situation is indeed getting worse by the day. The latest news in this regard being the fatal stabbing of a 27-year-old man outside a nightclub in Nicosia.

The victim, whose name has not been released due to security reasons, is currently in critical condition at the Nicosia general hospital where he has been recuperating after being stabbed by two men outside a night club in the early hours of Sunday.

Occurring at around 1.30am, the incident involved the man’s hands grabbed by one of the assailants, while the other was said to have stabbed him on multiple areas of his body. The police said that the two assailants fled thereafter.

The 27-year-old man was found by his friends, who transferred him to the hospital. He underwent surgery, but has been in critical condition since.

In what is being regarded as great news for Turkish Cypriots and for The European Commission, the E.C.   announced that it would offer EU Scholarships as part of the Turkish Community Program for the Cypriot Academic Years of 2018 and 2019, which will be funded under the Aid Programme.

The EU Scholarships Programme plans to grant scholarships to around 140 Turkish Cypriot graduates, professionals and students, in addition to the 1,050 individuals who have received the EU Scholarship since its inception in 2007.

This year’s edition of the Turkish Cypriot community programme will be held to fund undergraduate and postgraduate studies, language courses, short-term programmes and various internships held in countries that are members of the EU. The 2018/19 edition mentions a list of high-priority areas, which will receive extra preference during the evaluation process.

Funded entirely by the EU, the EU Scholarships Programme will be implemented by the British Council. Those applicants who are interested and eligible can apply online via the official website of EU Scholarships Programme (www.abburs.eu). Applications must be sent latest by March 15, 2018, 23:59 (Cyprus time).

For more information and/or to make enquiries, please contact the relevant authorities at euscholarships@abburs.eu

In a bid to improve the level of marine security and improve the military relations between Italy and Cyprus, the island nation’s EMERGENCY services have started a new joint exercising program along with crew from the Italian Navy.

Supervised by the Joint Rescue Coordination Center in Larnaca, the exercise was conducted near the Cyprus coast and had helicopters simulating a situation of emergency.

The Ministry of Defense in Nicosia says that the joint exercise was held as a part of the ongoing actions to promote cooperation development, and aims to improve upon response of Search and Rescue incidents and other emergency situations which may arise in the course of operations within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) as well as the Cyprus’ Search and Rescue Region.

This exercise comes right after the all-important announcement in November which declared that the trilateral cooperation between Cyprus, Egypt and Greece and Egypt will expand a quadrilateral one after the inclusion of Italy – a move that has been initiated by President Anastasiades.

Cyprus has indeed been keen on furthering its foreign relations. Last month the island country had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (also known as a M.O.U.) with Israel, Greece, and Italy to help in the construction of EastMed, which is a gas pipeline that will run under the sea to Europe from the Eastern side of the Mediterranean Sea.

Strikes always have a devastating effect wherever they take place, and Cyprus and its aviation system is no exception.

In what is being considered as a major hiccup for Cyprus’ aviation industry, around eight flights going to and coming from Cyprus will be rescheduled courtesy a strike in Greece. Said strike was enforced by Greek air traffic controllers on Monday for three hours – from 12 noon till 3pm.

According to Adamos Aspris, an airport operator for Hermes, the flights which have been affected from the three-hour-strike include four arrivals from Athens, Heraklion and Thessaloniki, and four departures to Athens and Heraklion.

The airport operator further added that the flights have been rescheduled and will take off or land on the same day, albeit at different times. He also said that further information about flight schedule changes can be obtained from travel agents and airlines.

In a bid to improve upon bilateral relations between Cyprus and Australia, the island country’s High Commissioner in Australia, Martha Mavrommati, visited the Greek Centre on Lonsdale Street in Melbourne on Wednesday, the 3rd of January. Marina Theodorou, a representative of the Cypriot Community of Apostolos Andreas, accompanied her on the trip.

As a part of her visit to the Greek center, the High Commissioner also met with the top officials of the Greek Community of Melbourne and Victoria (GCMV), which included Bill Papastergiadis (the president), Theo Markos (the Vice President), Kostas Markos (the General Secretary) and Dimitris Bosinakis – an esteemed board member.

Mavrommati discussed several pertinent issues with the GCMV leaders, which included (but were not limited to) the progress of the Cypriot reunification issue and the pending elections for the next president in Cyprus, which will be held on the 28^th of January and have a second round that will probably be held on the 4th of February.

The meeting consisted of the GCMV’s board member in conjunction with the president offering a detailed account of the activities of the organization. They further affirmed that the Greek Centre will always remain open and would love to host events that have been organized by the Cypriot Community Associations and the High Commission.

The traffic police chief of Cyprus Spyros Spyrou has announced that the narcotest will become active from January 25 this year.

Speaking at a press conference, the law enforcement officer announced that this measure is being taken to reduce the high number of accidents and deaths on the road. He also showed a demonstration of the test, and said that the police have already been trained to carry the tests out and that the device has been distributed to every city.

The device will give a negative result if the one being tested is not under influence, and positive if it finds traces of cocaine, opioids, amphetamines, methamphetamines or cannabis.

Should the device give a positive result, the officer at the scene will take a saliva sample and send the same to the state laboratory. The state laboratory will then take at most 15 days to find out the drug the driver was under the influence of, after which the case will go to court.

Drivers caught up in such cases face punishment according to their crime, from up to €3,500 in fines, up to a three-years of imprisonment and/or losing their driving licenses till 3 years at most.

Those who refuse to give the saliva tests after they have been tested positive will also be subjected to the same fines.

According to Chief Spyrou, these tests have been introduced to prevent accidents from happening, and not to punish the people without reason. That being said, punishment will be inevitable for those driving while under the influence.

Legislation for the Narcotest first began in March 2016.

In what is being considered a rather surprising news, both for Cypriots and for people across Europe, people from the island country are prone to taking sick leaves than others.

According to a study conducted by Eurostat, Cyprus had the most number of paid sick leaves across the EU in 2015.

The figures say that Cypriots received a total of 8.5 per cent of all total social benefits spent on paid sick leave, which is more than twice of that of the average in the European Union.

While these developments are not new, they are worrisome for employers as well as the economy at large.

Second on Eurostat’s list were the Netherlands and Germany, both of which paid a total social benefit of 6.1 per cent for paid sick leave. Lowest on the list was Greece at 0.7 per cent, followed by Italy, Portugal and Romania at 1.2, 1.4 and 1.6 per cent, respectively.

According to a news release from the municipality in Paphos, five urban regeneration projects in the city that have been in planning will finally be inaugurated by President Nicos Anastasiades.

A spokesman for the President revealed that the island nation’s leader will be visiting Paphos on Sunday to preside over the celebrations which will be held at Kennedy Square. He added that these projects, which have been meticulously planned and thoroughly well-kept, have already changed Paphos and will give its image a much-needed makeover that will change the lives of people for decades to come.

The projects include a number of tasks, from improving sections of Evagoras Pallikaridis Avenue and Andreas Tselelepou and Zenonos Kitionos Streets, remodeling sites in Mouttallos,  and upgrading the Governor’s Square and its nearby buildings, to upgrading Kennedy Square and the traditional center.

The upcoming inauguration event will have greetings from Phedonas Phe-donos (the mayor of Paphos), a speech by the director of European and investment funds of European programmes, a short film portraying the upcoming projects, a musical programme presented by the Paphos music school and the Philharmonic orchestra of the municipality of Paphos, and of course, a speech by the Cypriot president.

The spokesman further added that the President would be taking a tour of the works before the event which is set of be an open reception. President Anastasiades will be revealing a commemorative plaque as well.

In addition to the municipality’s issuance, the news of the inauguration ceremony was also announced by Phedonos on social media using his famous slogan: “Paphos is changing and celebrating!”

According to Nicos Christodoulides, a spokesman for the government of Cyprus, the island nation is hopeful of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Greece yielding positive results for the never-ending process of the island’s reunification.

Briefing reporters after a meeting that was presided over by Cyprus’ President Nicos Anastasiades and US State Department Deputy Assistant Secretary Jonathan Cohen, Christodoulides revealed that the two were supposed to meet Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci later that day. He added that the meeting went exceedingly well and discussed much about security, defense, bilateral relations, energy, and of course, the Cyprus issue.

The spokesman also said that this meeting has put a lot of attention on the upcoming meeting between Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Erdogan – specifically on the discussion security and Cyprus reunification-related issues.

Speaking more on the Cyprus problem, Christodoulides said there was no fresh news from the US in this regard. The only hope here is for the upcoming meeting between the Greek prime minister and the Turkish president to yield results that are tangible and beneficial for the situation. In fact, as of now, this meeting is the only priority, especially considering the constantly-failing round of constant negotiations.

Notably, the most recent round of reunification talks, which took place at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana between June 28 and July 6 disintegrated due to disagreements on guarantees security and guarantees, with either side blaming the other for the collapse.

Cyprus has seen its fair share of refugee arrivals. And from the looks of it, the island country will also be impacted by the migrant crisis.

In a shocking new reveal, a group of 38 refugees (reportedly Syrians) were found to have unexpectedly arrived on the island country’s northwestern shores on Tuesday – being the 7th such group to have arrived by sea in 2017.

According to the police, the small boat, which was seen approaching the island a few kilometers off the coast carried 33 men, 1 woman and 4 children. The police sent a patrol once the boat carrying the refugees reached 2 nautical miles off the shore. The former then directed the man at the wheel to follow them.

According to some sources, the man, who was probably petrified ignored the directions of the police and did his best to evade them. It was then that that the commander of the local marine police made his message clear by firing two warning shots.

According to the police’s statement, however, said the boat was towed and brought to a small port at the fishing and agricultural community of Kato Pyrgos with very little hassle. The statement made no mention of any warning shots being fired.

The refugees, who were reported to have been at sea for 2 days, were offered food and water by the local authorities and the Social Services department. Then were then transferred to a refugee reception center near Nicosia for due processing.

With the arrival of these refugees, their number in the island country has raised to almost 700 this year. Most of these are Syrians, who arrived on the island after having sailed from Turkey.

In what is being considered an eye-opening news for institutions and the common public alike, a study has found out that e-payment is yet to catch on in Cyprus as people prefer to make their transactions in cash.

According to a study conducted by the European Central Bank (ECB), Cypriots are likely to pay for their services or goods in cash as compared to their counterparts in other countries in the Eurozone. In fact, the island country ranks just below Malta, whose citizens have been identified as most likely to make their transactions in cash.

The study, which was conducted throughout the first half of 2016 among more than 65,000 people found that bloc itself more prone to using cash to pay bills, though the extent of this varies greatly across the states. Malta ranks first in this regard, with over 92% of transactions being made in coins or notes. Close behind are Greece and Cyprus at 88 percent. The lowest rate of cash transactions was found to be done in the Netherlands at only 45%.

The study revealed that the Maltese made an average of 1.6 cash transactions during the survey period, as opposed to 0.1 per day cashless and traceable transaction. It was also found that while 15% used cash to pay their rent, more than 60% used it to pay their medical bills, and just above 20% percent said used cash to pay for their electricity and water bills.

The tendency to use cash (or not) also varied significantly by gender and age. While men were found to carry an average of 12 euros (i.e. 14.27 USD) more than women, older people had an average of 43 euros more cash than their younger counterparts.