Day: February 20, 2024

WASHINGTON: The Turkish Coast Guard said Monday that it apprehended 42 irregular migrants who were traveling by boat in the Aegean Sea, including 15 children. The migrants were nabbed off Dikili district in Izmir province on Trkiye's Aegean Coast while they were trying to go abroad via illegal ways, according to a statement. ??????? They were taken to the provincial migration authorities. Trkiye has been a key transit point for irregular migrants who want to cross into Europe to start new lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution. Source: Anadolu Agency

The next European Council summit needs to agree on a text of conclusions on the situation in the Middle East, Deputy Minister for European Affairs, Marilena Raouna, said during the General Affairs Council (GAC) of the EU, held in Brussels on Tuesday. EU's European Affairs ministers discussed the situation in the Middle East in the context of the preparations of the agenda of the next European Council (21 - 22 March). The ministers also discussed rule of law in Poland, following the presentation of proposals by the new government to reverse the previous government's violations of the rule of law. In the context of the discussion on the Middle East, Cypriot Deputy Minister referred to the extremely worrying humanitarian situation in Gaza, according to a PIO statement. Raouna also said that the next European Council should agree on conclusions for the Middle Est that will include the EU's support for a two-state solution in line with UN Security Council Resolutions, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid, the condemnation of all terrorist acts, and the need to avoid further escalation and possible spillover of the crisis, according to the statement. During the broader discussion on the agenda of the next European Council, Ministers exchanged views on the ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine, on European Defence and Security as well as in relation to the European Semester and fomation of the EU's Strategic Agenda. Regarding the situation in Ukraine, Raouna said that Cyprus looks forward to the adoption of the 13th package of sanctions, with particular emphasis on the need to effectively address circumvention of sanctions. In her intervention during the debate on Poland and the Article 7 procedure against the country, Raouna welcomed the new government's action plan, stressing that the rule of law is a fundamental principle of the EU. Before the meeting, the 27 ministers had an informal working breakfast with Borjana Krišto, Chairwoman of the Co uncil of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Bosnian leader briefed ministers on the progress the country has made in relation to EU accession criteria. According to the statement, Raouna welcomed the progress made by Bosnia and Herzegovina towards fulfilling the conditions for the accession process, and expressed Cyprus' support for the accession of the Western Balkan countries to the EU on the basis of the conditions and criteria set. Source: Cyprus News Agency

ANKARA: Trkiye and Albania are two members of the NATO alliance who play a role in maintaining peace and stability in the Balkans region, said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday. 'Trkiye and Albania are two NATO allies contributing to the preservation of peace and stability in the Balkans,' Erdogan told a joint news conference in the capital Ankara with Edi Rama, Albania's prime minister, who is paying a one-day official visit. Erdogan further said that Albania was on 'the right side of the history' in a UN General Assembly vote last December in favor of an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, stressing the crucial importance of its solidarity with the 'oppressed Palestinian people' at this time, over four months into Israeli onslaught in Gaza, which has taken nearly 30,000 lives. On the subject of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), a group that mounted a failed coup in Trkiye in 2016 but continues to infiltrate and threaten other countries, Erdogan said: 'We will no t allow the nefarious network attempting to poison our relations through the FETO terrorist organization to succeed; we will continue our fight against them.' About bilateral relations between Trkiye and Albania, the Turkish president said that "multifaceted cooperation" between Ankara and Tirana continues to evolve on the 'basis of a strategic partnership.' He added that Trkiye has elevated its trade volume with Albania to the level of $1 billion, and now they seek to double it to $2 billion. "With the first meeting of the council we conducted today, we once again affirmed our determination to elevate our relations to further levels,' Erdogan said. 'We are eager to deepen our collaboration in the defense industry and military field,' he added. Erdogan further stated that Trkiye's support for projects aimed at the development of Albania through the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) will continue. He added that Trkiye and Albania will maintain their contacts as part of initiatives to be undertaken in the upcoming period. A number of agreements were also signed between the two sides. They included a cooperation protocol between Trkiye's national broadcaster TRT and Albanian Radio Television, a memorandum of understanding on media and communication cooperation between Trkiye's Communications Directorate and Albania's Media and Information Agency, and a memorandum of understanding on sustainable management of forests and protected areas between the Turkish government and Albania's Council of Ministers. Also signed are a military framework agreement between the Turkish government and Albanian government, an agreement between the Turkish government and Albania's Council of Ministers on development cooperation and the status of the TIKA Program Coordination Office in Albania, a memorandum of understanding on environmental cooperation between Trkiye's Environment, Urbanism and Climate Change Ministry and Albania's Tourism and Environment Ministry. Turkish relations with the Balkan nation of Alba nia derive their strength from shared history and strong social and cultural bonds, according to the Turkish Foreign Ministry.? Source: Anadolu Agency

Minister of Transport, Communications and Works, Alexis Vafeades told CNA on Tuesday that he was pleased by the interest and response of the public to the grant schemes for the purchase of an electric vehicle, adding that that the optimistic target of 80,000 electric vehicles by 2030 now seems achievable. "We are pleased with the interest shown by people. We have to admit that it has exceeded our expectations. It shows that the public has understood the benefits of electric mobility and that's why they are moving with such interest in this direction," Vafeades said. According to data released earlier today by the Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis, a total of 2,254 applications had been received by Tuesday morning since the application process opened on Saturday. Vafeades said that the big changes in the electric mobility sector are expected to take place when the purchase cost of electric vehicles is further reduced, which "we expect to happen in 2025-2026". He noted, however, that "the res ponse we are seeing now is very encouraging in terms of reaching the target of 80,000 by 2030." Source: Cyprus News Agency

ISTANBUL: Trkiye and Albania are two members of the NATO alliance who play a role in maintaining peace and stability in the Balkans region, said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday. 'Trkiye and Albania are two NATO allies contributing to the preservation of peace and stability in the Balkans,' Erdogan told a joint news conference in the capital Ankara with Edi Rama, Albania's prime minister, who is paying a one-day official visit. Erdogan said Albania was on 'the right side of the history' in a UN General Assembly vote last December in favor of an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, stressing the crucial importance of its solidarity with the 'oppressed Palestinian people' at this time, over four months into Israeli onslaught in Gaza, which has taken nearly 30,000 lives. On the subject of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), a group that mounted a failed coup in Trkiye in 2016 but continues to infiltrate and threaten other countries, Erdogan said: 'We will not allow th e nefarious network attempting to poison our relations through the FETO terrorist organization to succeed; we will continue our fight against them.' Erdogan added that Trkiye has elevated its trade volume with Albania to the level of $1 billion, and now they seek to double this to $2 billion. Turkish relations with the Balkan nation of Albania derive their strength from shared history and strong social and cultural bonds, according to the Turkish Foreign Ministry. Source: Anadolu Agency

CEOs in Cyprus appear to be more optimistic about economic growth, despite the significant prevailing headwinds and disruption, according to PwC's 13th annual survey for CEOs in Cyprus, presented at a dedicated event on Tuesday entitled 'Thriving in the age of continuous change: Accelerating the reinvention of our businesses'. According to a PwC press release, a key observation from the survey, compared to last year, is the fact that CEOs in Cyprus (alongside 4,702 global CEOs from the 105 countries who participated in PwC's Annual Global Survey) appear to be more optimistic about economic growth despite the significant prevailing headwinds and disruption. CEOs seem to apply more confidently a mindset of adaptability and agility, focusing their efforts on the reinvention agenda of their businesses, the survey finds. Specifically, 40% of CEOs in Cyprus believe global economic growth will improve in the next 12 months, 43% consider that local economic growth will also improve, while 45% stated they will incre ase their organisation's headcount. The findings represent a significant recovery in optimism from last year's survey results, in which CEOs (globally and in Cyprus) recorded historic levels of pessimism. PwC also notes that 43% of CEOs in Cyprus recognise that their organisations will not be economically viable beyond the next ten years if they maintain their current operating model. This realisation is directly associated with CEOs' experience that technological change (66%), changes in customer preferences (53%) and government regulations (43%) have significantly impacted companies in the last five years and will continue driving the need for reinvention over the next 3 years in an accelerated manner. "The findings from this year's survey highlight the complex environment within which CEOs are called upon to make those strategic decisions that will safely navigate their businesses into the new era of continuous reinvention. Concerns about major challenges remain acute", PwC notes, highlighting inflation as the main concern with 23%. Geopolitical conflicts and cyber attacks follow with 21%, and then macroeconomic volatility at 18%. Revenue and headcount growth ----------------- Despite the above mentioned concerns about the long-term viability of their organisations, business leaders in Cyprus appear to be more optimistic regarding their own organisation's revenue growth over the next 12 months. At the same time, 41% are very optimistic about their company's revenue growth prospects, marking a slight increase compared to last year's 38%. Regarding employee headcount, 45% of survey participants in Cyprus responded that they plan to increase numbers and 49% will not make any changes for the next 12 months. The Artificial Intelligence landscape ------------- The rapid technological advancements and their influence on business operations are also a cause for uncertainty. The fast emergence of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) is creating expectations to the majority of CEOs that it will provide th e means to tackle the great administrative inefficiencies currently within their organisations and also improve the quality of their services and products over the next 12 months. These results highlight the significant need for workforce upskilling. Reflecting on the survey results, CEO of PwC Cyprus, Philippos Soseilos stated that 'the PwC CEO survey reveals that CEOs in Cyprus demonstrate agility and adaptability as they are becoming increasingly more confident about the prospects of the Cyprus economy especially when compared to the rest of the Eurozone." Source: Cyprus News Agency

ISTANBUL: Russia on Tuesday designated the US-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) an 'undesirable' organization. RFE/RL became the 142nd organization to be added to the Russian Justice Ministry's list of 'undesirable organizations." The organization suspended its operations in the country soon after the start of the Russia-Ukraine war on Feb. 24, 2022. Reacting to the Russian move, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Russian ban on RFE/RL shows that Moscow does not 'want their people to have information about what the Russian regime does abroad, what the Russian regime does to its own people.' 'We have seen Russia continue to crack down on free press, continue to crackdown on transparency,' he added. Source: Anadolu Agency

The 12th and 13th volumes of the multi-volume project 'Cyprus File' implemented within the framework of the Cooperation Protocol for Access to the Material of the Investigative Committee of the Hellenic Parliament on the Cyprus File signed by the parliaments of Cyprus and Greece in January 2016, were published today on the website of the House of Representatives. A House of Representatives press release says that the volumes, which are being printed at the government printing office and are expected to be soon available on bookstores, include the minutes of the meetings of the aforementioned Investigative Committee between 4 and 11 December 1986, as well as 16 December 1986 and January 13, 1987, in which L. Stathopoulos, Ev. Karagiannis, Ev. Lagakos, G. Tsoumis and K. Haniotis, as well as Mr. Bonanos, were called to testify. According to the press release this is valuable historical material presented verbatim through the photo reprinting of the 1987 typed oral witness statements. Cyprus has been divided s ince 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

ISTANBUL: Police in Australia have charged at least eight pro-Palestine activists, including seven women, over rooftop protests against alleged military supplies set to go to Israel. Police in the southeastern Victoria State said the people, age 26 to 62, were charged after protesting on top of an aerospace factory in Bayswater on Monday. The Whistleblowers, Activists and Communities Alliance (WACA) activists are facing charges of criminal, trespassing, and being disguised with unlawful intent. 'It is believed the group climbed the roof … about 6 am (1900GMT Sunday), before allegedly refusing to come down for a number of hours,' the police said. The protesters came down from the roof of the factory after some hours. 'Officers organized a cherry picker to ensure those involved were brought to the ground safely,' said the police. They will have their day in court on July 11. According to the activists, they called on 'workers to refuse to manufacture F-35 parts bound for Israel and for the government to cancel all weapons contracts and F-35 parts contracts to be exported for use by Israel.' - Over 12 hours The WACA said the protest on the roof of Rosebank Engineering lasted for over 12 hours. 'No making weapons components for the genocidal Israel regime today!' it said on X, urging an end to the arming of Israel as well as freedom for Palestine. Donning Palestinian keffiyehs, the activists raised the flag of Palestine and chanted slogans demanding the cancellation of all weapons contracts for Israel. 'We call on Rosebank Engineering workers to refuse to be complicit in genocide… That the relevant unions embargo all weapons and weapons parts exports to Israel… That Rosebank Engineering cancel all F-35 contracts and parts to be exported for use by Israel (and) that the Australian government stop all weapons and weapons parts exports to Israel,' the activists demanded. Australia has seen widespread protests in favor of Palestine and calls have been made to the government of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to end arms supplies to Israel, which has bombarded the enclave of Gaza since last Oct. 7, killing nearly 30,000 people. Australian weapons exports to Israel in the last five years totaled $13 million, according to the latest figures. Last November, Greens Senator David Shoebridge told the Australian Parliament: 'Few people know that Australia has one of the most secretive, unaccountable weapons export systems in the world." Israel has launched a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip following an attack by Hamas on Oct. 7. The ensuing Israeli bombardment has killed 30,000 and injured 69,028 with mass destruction and shortages of necessities. The Israeli war on Gaza has pushed 85% of the territory's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN. Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to sto p genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza. Source: Anadolu Agency