Day: March 22, 2024

ISTANBUL: China is currently under 'unprecedented pressure' from the US and the European Union over its banks accepting payments from Russian companies, the Kremlin said Thursday. 'Of course, unprecedented pressure from the United States and the European Union on China continues, including in the context of relations with us,' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in a press briefing in Moscow. Peskov said that this creates 'certain problems, but it will not become an obstacle to the further development of trade and economic relations' between Russia and China. The spokesman further said that they have the necessary potential to overcome these difficulties thanks to the high-level ties between Moscow and Beijing, as well as the 'special nature' of their relationship. Earlier, a report in Russia's Izvestia newspaper said that payments in yuan from Russia have stopped going through several Chinese banks due to tightening sanctions against Moscow. Peskov also touched on the issue of the confiscatio n of Russian assets in the West, saying that Moscow will use 'all possible judicial mechanisms' to respond. 'We will use all possible judicial mechanisms, those that are available now and those that will become available in the future,' he said. Peskov further expressed that they will not mirror the steps taken by the West but rather use other methods for 'retaliatory' action 'to the extent that it corresponds to our interests.' Source: Anadolu Agency

President of the Hellenic Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou sent a message to the expatriate Hellenism, on the occasion of the upcoming national holiday of March 25, stressing the importance of the unity of the ecumenical Hellenism and the constant defence of the national sovereignty of the country. At the same time, she made a special reference to the Cyprus problem, stressing that Greece does not forget that "a part of Cyprus remains, for half a century, under Turkish occupation - an unacceptable situation that hurts us". "We continue to fight for a just and viable solution to the Cyprus problem, on the basis of international law, UN Security Council Resolutions and the principles of the European Union", Sakellaropoulou said. She also noted that as Greece proudly celebrates the anniversary of the 1821 Revolution, it continues to stand "on the side of all those who defend their own independence against revisionism and authoritarianism". "From Ukraine to the Middle East, our compass remains respect for in ternational law and humanitarian principles". Source: Cyprus News Agency

President, Nikos Christodoulides, has said that the discussion on the EU - Turkey relations will take place in April, expressing hope that there will be developments in relation to the Cyprus issue that will also help the strategic dialogue that will take place at the EU - 27 level. In an interview with Euronews, on the sidelines of the EU Summit in Brussels, published on Friday evening, President Christodoulides said that during the meeting he had with the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres informed him "of his plans for the next few days together with his personal envoy, so that that there are some positive developments" adding that the UN SG has some ideas to help restart the negotiations. Regarding the Cypriot initiative "Amalthea" that was recently implemented for humanitarian aid to Gaza through the port of Larnaka, he expressed satisfaction for the fact that it received the support of the 27 EU leaders as well as the UN SG during the Brussels European Council, and said that it is important that the Republic of Cyprus' role is being recognised. He stressed that there is an important factor that characterizes the operation and explained that "it is the first time in 17 years that the naval blockade of Gaza is lifted by Israel, only for ships leaving from Cyprus." "Our goal now is to strengthen it even more, because there is a humanitarian crisis" he pointed out and stressed the need to create the circumstances for restarting the political process to resolve the Middle East problem. Replying to the journalist's remark that "Amalthea" can play a role the day after the war, the President said "precisely; It can play a role in the reconstruction of, for example, Gaza, because it is a model, an example that can be applied in many crises in the region." The President said that there are other important issues as well and recalled that he was in Cairo with the President of the Commission, together with four other leaders of EU member states. 'We are now working with the Commission to present something si milar in relation to Lebanon, to go to Lebanon together. There is an immigration issue there, let's see how we can deal with it. How can the European Union, as it did in the case of Egypt, deal with it in the case of Lebanon," he said. He added that he also discussed the matter with French President Emmanuel Macron who expressed readiness to be part of the visit to Lebanon. Replying to questions, he said that discussions on EU-Turkey relations will be discussed at the April European Council. He referred to his meeting with the German Chancellor and said that the interest shown by Germany is not only in the EU-Turkey issue, but also in the Cyprus issue. EU - Turkey relations, he added, will be discussed in April so that a strategic discussion can take place on the future of those relations, not simply to adopt some conclusions, "and by April we will see some developments. We hope to see developments in relation to the Cyprus issue that will help the dialogue that will take place, the strategic dialogue tha t will take place at the level of the 27 as well as the conclusions." He also referred to his meeting with the UN Secretary General, noting that Guterres informed him about his plans so that, "we will see some positive developments. He has some ideas." President Christodoulides added that during the meeting he expressed his support and his readiness to respond to what the UN SG has in mind. Invited to elaborate on what they discussed he said that they exchanged some views "some ideas that he himself had in mind to help the whole process to help resume the negotiations." Asked if the Turkish President's recent statements about Cyprus are in line with the positive message that Germany and other countries initially wanted to send, he said "no they are not" adding that nobody saw a positive sign in Erdogan's statements. "The German Chancellor was aware of Erdogan's statements and the French President as well, who was also involved in the discussion we had with the Germans, both on the EU-Turkey issues and on the Cyprus issue" he pointed out. Asked about the idea of a special EU envoy for the Cyprus issue, he said that it was discussed in detail with the German Chancellor as well and expressed satisfaction that "it is not ruled out by the European Union". 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. In January, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres appointed María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar of Colombia as his personal envoy for Cyprus, to assume a Good Offices role on his behalf and search for common ground on the way forward in the Cyprus issue. Source: Cyprus News Agency

CYPRUS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY FORECAST FOR THE SEA AREA OF CYPRUS (A) FOR THE PERIOD FROM 0600 22/03/2024 UNTIL 0600 23/03/2024 Area covered is 8 kilometers seawards. Winds are in BEAUFORT scale. Times are local times. Atmospheric pressure at the time of issue: 1010hPa (hectopascal) Weak low pressure affects the area. The weather will be mainly fine. Visibility: Good Sea surface temperature: 19°C Warnings: NIL Source: Cyprus News Agency ANKARA: Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, that Ankara condemned Friday's "heinous terrorist attack" in the Moscow region, according to Turkish diplomatic sources. Fidan expressed Trkiye's condemnation of the attack in a telephone call to Lavrov while conveying his condolences to the Russian people and government, sources said. The Turkish Foreign Ministry said separately in a statement: "It is with great sadness that we learned of the many deaths and injuries resulting from the attack on a concert hall in Moscow this evening." In addition, Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz wrote on X: "I condemn in the strongest terms the terrorist attack on a concert hall in Moscow, the capital of Russia, in which many people lost their lives and were injured." "Terrorism targeting innocent people is a crime against humanity, no matter where it is in the world or who commits it," he said. He offered condolences "to the families of those who lost their lives and the Russ ian people, and wish a speedy recovery to the injured." Yilmaz characterized terrorism a 'scourge' on the entire world. 'Therefore, we need to increase international cooperation on terrorism,' he said. He urged countries not to engage with terror organizations but work together against them. 'Whatever guise it may be under, religious, ethnic, or ideological, we condemn terrorism. Let me once again emphasize that terrorism is an inhumane method,' he added. Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus also condemned the 'heinous terrorist attack' targeting civilians and extended condolences to Russia and its people. Akif Cagatay Kilic, chief advisor to the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, also condemned the attack "targeting innocent people at the concert hall in Moscow." "Wherever in the world it may occur, we will stand against terrorist attacks targeting innocent civilians," he said on X. "Our condolences to the Russian people and the Government of the Russian Federation," he added. Trkiye's Amb assador to Moscow Tanju Bilgic 'strongly' condemned the attack and offered condolences to Russia and its people on X. Attack during concert Gunmen killed 40 people and injured over 147 others in a shooting at a concert hall near Moscow, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) announced late Friday. The incident took place in Krasnogorsk, the administrative center of the Moscow region, where the music band Picnic was performing at Crocus City Hall, according to preliminary information. The group was uninjured in the attack, law enforcement agencies said. An explosion at the venue later caused a large fire. The country's Emergency Ministry said that about a third of the building was engulfed in flames, with several helicopters working to extinguish the blaze. The fate of the shooters remains unknown, with reports claiming they managed to flee the scene. Over 100 people have so far been evacuated from the building, the ministry added, with more people awaiting assistance on the roof. After the US had s aid that Ukraine was not involved in Moscow concert hall attack, Russia said that "investigation" carried out too quickly, the culprits to be found by the Russian law enforcement. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned "in the strongest possible terms" a deadly attack targeting a concert hall northeast of central Moscow in Russia. Russia had criticized the organization over its earlier statement, saying the UN should be "appalled" not "saddened" over the attack. The foreign ministries, leaders of several European, Latin American, Eurasian and Middle Eastern countries, among others, expressed their condolences to the families of those killed or injured in the attack. The French ministry, for its part, described the images as horrific and said, also on X, that "our thoughts go to the victims and injured, and the Russian people. All the light must be shed on those heinous acts." EU spokesperson Peter Stano said on X that the bloc was "shocked and appalled by the reports of a terrorist attack" in Mo scow. "The EU condemns any attacks against civilians. Our thoughts are with all those Russian citizens affected," he added. Spain also condemned "any form of violence," saying: "We are dismayed by the news coming from Russia." Source: Anadolu Agency

Europe and funding highlight our roots and safeguard our national origins, European Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas said on Friday, during his guided tour in Zouchouri Square in Larnaca. In his statements, Schinas congratulated the Mayor and his team for the 'very impressive work', adding that "in this fourth visit to Cyprus during my mandate, I wanted to get to know the very important work that has been done in Larnaca, the restoration of historical monuments with Community funding, because culture is part of my portfolio." At the same time he wished "Larnaca to succeed in becoming the European Capital of Culture for 2030", adding that "we will help as much as we can in this effort" and congratulated all responsible parties. Replying to a question on EU funding, Schinas said that "as is the system in Cyprus, we have both the traditional Cohesion Fund and the resources for the Turkish Cypriot community, since many restorations were funded. The result is that the European taxpayer supports and highlights our roots," he said. He also noted that "as we approach the European elections and the Europhobic and extreme voices of some people who want to convince us that Europe is destroying our roots are growing, I invite them to come to Larnaca to see that Europe and funding are highlighting our roots, they are safeguarding our national origins." Greek Cypriot Co-Chairman of the Technical Committee for Cultural Heritage Sotos Ktoris expressed his gratitude to the European Commission 'for its unwavering support and generous aid which over the last 15 years has allowed for the conservation of over 140 monuments across the island's territory." "This is an effort that does not just contribute to the preservation of the monuments bequeathed to us by history," he noted. He also underlined the "crucial role that the European Union plays in Cyprus, through the support it gives us, in promoting conditions of peace and reconciliation between the communities of the island." For his part, Mayor of Larnaca Andrea s Vyras expressed his satisfaction for the presence of the Vice-President of the European Commission in the city, adding that without these funds 'it would be impossible to improve the quality of life of our fellow citizens, to beautify and change our city." He noted that in recent years 'Larnaca has received more than 70 million euros for important projects and works with which we have solved important daily problems of the city, such as flooding", adding that several other projects have been carried out which have strengthened the culture and economy of the city. Source: Cyprus News Agency

ISTANBUL: Ukraine said Friday that it was not involved in a deadly shooting attack that target a concert hall in Russia's Moscow region. "Ukraine certainly has nothing to do with the shooting/explosions in the Crocus City Hall (Moscow Region, Russia). It makes no sense whatsoever," Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak said in a statement on X following the late-night shooting that Russia has declared a "terrorist attack." Underlining that Kyiv has been at war with Moscow for over two years and that the Russia-Ukraine war would be decided "only on the battlefield," Podolyak said "terrorist attacks do not solve any problems." He further said that Ukraine never resorted to the use of terrorist methods, and that its government heard of public warnings from foreign embassies in Moscow about the possibility of such incidents long before the shooting in Crocus City Hall took place. "There is not the slightest doubt that the events in the Moscow suburbs will contribute to a sharp increase in military pro paganda, accelerated militarization, expanded mobilization, and, ultimately, the scaling up of the war. And also to justify manifest genocidal strikes against the civilian population of Ukraine," he added. In a separate statement, Ukraine's Defense Intelligence (HUR) claimed the shooting to be a "planned and deliberate provocation by the Russian special services" at the behest of Russian President Vladimir Putin. "Its purpose is to justify even tougher strikes on Ukraine and total mobilization in Russia. The public execution of people in Moscow should be understood as Putin's threat of an even greater escalation and expansion of the war," the HUR said on Telegram. A later statement by Ukraine's Foreign Ministry rejected accusations by Russian officials claiming Kyiv was involved in the shooting and explosion at the concert hall in Krasnogorsk. "We consider such accusations to be a planned provocation by the Kremlin to further fuel anti-Ukrainian hysteria in Russian society, create conditions for increased mobilisation of Russian citizens to participate in the criminal aggression against our country and discredit Ukraine in the eyes of the international community," it said. "We call on the international community to strongly reject Russia's false accusations of Ukraine's alleged involvement in the shooting in Krasnogorsk and to strengthen its support for our country in countering Russia's criminal aggression," it added. Gunmen killed 40 people and injured over 100 others in a shooting at the Crocus City Hall near Moscow, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) announced earlier based on preliminary information. Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of the Russian Security Council, said in a statement on Telegram that Ukrainian officials should be targeted if Kyiv is found to be involved in the attack. Source: Anadolu Agency

ISTANBUL: At least 70 Rohingya community members are missing or dead after a boat carrying them capsized off Indonesia, a joint statement by two UN agencies said Friday. Indonesian authorities in West Aceh on Wednesday reported arrival of six refugees who were rescued by local fishermen from the capsized vessel, said the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the UN Migration Agency (IOM) in a joint statement. The incident of boat capsize had reportedly occurred in the early hours of the same day, approximately 12 nautical miles offshore, said the statement. The Indonesian authorities launched search and rescue mission, and some 75 people were safely brought ashore, the statement added. But the agencies expressed 'extreme concern about the scale of potential loss of life as the rescued refugees reported a total of 151 on board.' The agencies said if the death of missing Rohingya was confirmed, 'this would be the biggest loss of life so far this year.' 'This incident comes amid a notable increase in Rohingya refug ee boat arrivals in Indonesia. In 2023 alone, more than 2,300 Rohingya refugee arrived, with a significant surge observed from November onwards. This surpasses the number of arrivals in the previous four years combined,' the statement added. Source: Anadolu Agency

ISTANBUL: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday that he will discuss the potential military operation on the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip with Israeli officials next week. Speaking to press at the end of his visit to Israel, Blinken said that a Rafah operation "risks killing more civilians" and "further isolating Israel around the world and jeopardizing its long-term security and standing." The US will present a different way for Tel Aviv to achieve its objectives when an Israeli delegation comes to Washington next week, The Times of Israel cited Blinken as saying. Regarding the possibility of reaching an agreement between Israel and Hamas, Blinken said that closer we get to reaching a deal, the more difficult the negotiations will be. Blinken arrived in Israel on Friday from Egypt on the third leg of his fresh Middle East tour. The visit is dominated by efforts to reach an agreement on a hostage swap deal between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, to establish a permanent cease-fire in Gaza, and discuss the risks of Israeli army's ground assault in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. Israel detains at least 9,100 Palestinians in its prisons, according to official Palestinian sources, while the total number of hostages held in Gaza ranges between 240 and 253, with three liberated and 105 released by Hamas during a November deal. However, the Palestinian resistance group said 70 hostages were killed as a result of Israeli attacks on Gaza. Blinken arrived in the Egyptian capital Cairo on Thursday for talks with Arab foreign ministers about a Gaza cease-fire. A new round of indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas is underway in Doha, mediated by Qatar and Egypt and with the participation of the US, to reach a cease-fire and hostage exchange deal. Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack led by Hamas in which some 1,200 Israelis were killed. More than 32,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since bee n killed in Gaza, and more than 74,200 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities. The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza's population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of most 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 ensure its forces do not commit acts of genocide, and guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza. Source: Anadolu Agency

The Central Bank of Cyprus (CBC) publishes short educational videos, aiming to raise public awareness and promote financial literacy, in the context of the annual Global Money Week 2024 campaign, which it is coordinating for Cyprus. The videos were prepared with the valuable contribution of the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, and the Governor of the Central Bank of Cyprus, Constantinos Herodotou, CBC said in a press release on Friday. "The videos express the strong support of the two institutions to the important work of strengthening financial literacy in Cyprus, emphasizing the need for continuous training, education and information of the public on financial issues," it added. The videos were designed based on this year's Global Money Week 2024 theme, "Protect your money, secure your future", which focuses on the need to manage people's money safely and stresses the importance of adopting a responsible and informed approach. According to the press release, in the first vide o, the President of the Republic refers to the reasons for the increase in product prices and the measures taken to curb inflation. At the same time, he urges citizens to know basic financial concepts in order to make better decisions for themselves and their families. Source: Cyprus News Agency