Cyprus

According to a report in the Turkish daily Milliyet entitled “They are coming in July! 600-metre wall”, despite the American and Nato threats the procurement of the Russian missile system will act as a deterrent in the Aegean

The Senate bill is part of a comprehensive strategy in the region that relies in great measure on the Greece-Cyprus-Israel energy and security cooperation while at the same time drawing distinct red lines for Turkey’s actions.

'By lifting the U.S. Arms Embargo on Cyprus and extending necessary Foreign Military Assistance to Greece, this legislation brings forth a comprehensive approach to the stability of key regional partners,” said Senator Mark Rubio.

Compared to one year ago, there was a 1.34bn euro drop in deposits, and compared to two years ago 2.65bn euros of Russian money was withdrawn from Cyprus’ banking system.

Greece’s position for decades has been that the only issue up for negotiation with Ankara is the delimitation of the Aegean continental shelf and has constantly rejected Turkish demands for a no-hold-barred dialogue.

It is unclear which part of Turkey’s Exclusive Economic Zone the minister was referring to as all drilling so far has occurred in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the Republic of Cyprus.

With persistence and consistency and in the face of continual Turkish provocations the Republic of Cyprus insisted on its effort to explore its natural resources and today it has been vindicated.

Maintaining that Ankara is attempting to solve problems with Greece through dialogue, Aksoy demanded the extradition to Turkey of individuals allegedly related to the “Gulenist” movement

The element of “political equality” between the two communities has long been in the vocabulary of the UN in its countless settlement efforts, but it has taken on a new meaning now that rich offshore gas and oil deposits have been detected in Cyprus’ EEZ.

Admiral Apostolakis spoke of “razing” any Greek rock islet that Turkish troops may dare to land on, and Kammenos spoke of a “crushing defeat”

The Americans view Turkey as an unstable ally and are thus transferring strategic weight and focus to Greece, expanding the areas of military and economic cooperation.

US Assistant Secretary of State Wes Mitchell reiterated Washington’s firm position that as a sovereign country the Republic of Cyprus has every right to exploit its natural resources.

Greeks spend 16.9 percent of their income on buying food and non-alcoholic beverages, whereas the average among the 28 EU member-states is 12.2 percent.

The Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has traveled to Jerusalem for a summit meeting...