Cyprus

France on Friday backed Cyprus’ calls for the European Union to consider imposing tougher sanctions on Turkey.

Mike Pompeo said part of how President Donald Trump and his administration have achieved many of the foreign policy successes the past few years has been by working outside various “multilateral institutions” that are often bogged down by bureaucracy and inaction.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told his French counterpart and NATO ally Emmanuel Macron on Saturday “not to mess” with Turkey, as the two continue to spar amid rising tensions in the Mediterranean.

ATHENS, Greece (AP) – Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is preparing to outline Saturday the details of a program to boost Greece’s defence capabilities, amid heightened tensions with neighbouring Turkey over rights to resources in the eastern Mediterranean.

NICOSIA, CYPRUS (AP) — Cypriot authorities have expressed alarm over the arrival of four boats carrying Syrian and Lebanese migrants in waters off the east Mediterranean island nation’s coastline within a 48-hour span.

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday warned Greece to enter talks over disputed eastern Mediterranean territorial claims or face the consequences.

Istanbul — Turkey’s big push into the Mediterranean featuring controversial gas drilling, tough rhetoric and warships is rooted in a grand vision of a “Blue Homeland” that takes over waters claimed by EU neighbours.

ATHENS, Greece (AP) – Greece’s prime minister warmly thanked France Thursday for boosting its military presence in the eastern Mediterranean, where Greek and Turkish warships are closely shadowing each other over a Turkish energy exploration bid in waters Athens claims as its own.

ATHENS, Greece (AP) – Greece’s prime minister is to convene the government’s national security council after Turkey announced its research vessel would be conducting exploratory drilling in the eastern Mediterranean in an area between Cyprus and Greece.

Admiral Kosmas Christidis has claimed that the Greek armed forces are fully capable of taking on Turkey militarily, as tensions remain high between the two countries in the Mediterranean.

The government of Cyprus is launching an investigation into allegations of the sexual assault of underage girls at a migrant centre.  

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi said this week that his government desires peace and stability in neighboring Libya, but might be prepared to intervene with military force to protect Egypt’s western border and thwart the ambitions of Turkey and its militia allies.

JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his Greek counterpart Tuesday he hoped to open Israel’s skies as soon as August after a prolonged closure due to the coronavirus, and that Greece would be among the first destinations for Israeli tourists.

The Orthodox Church of Cyprus has rejected a government ordinance banning gatherings of over 75 people, saying it would continue to hold its divine liturgy as usual for all who desire to participate.

Reuters filed an exclusive report on Monday citing three “senior Western security officials” who blamed a recent wave of cyberattacks in Europe and the Middle East on “hackers acting in the interests of the Turkish government.”

Israel, Greece, and Cyprus signed a historic agreement Thursday for the Eastern Mediterranean project that will see Israeli gas delivered to Europe via an undersea pipeline, overturning Turkey’s efforts to thwart the deal.

A Swedish family is grateful after an alleged thief in Paralimni, Cyprus, returned something very precious to them last week.

A court found a UK woman guilty of falsely claiming she was gang-raped by a group of Israeli tourists in the holiday resort of Ayia Napa.

President Donald Trump spoke with Egyptian President Abdel Fatah el-Sisi by telephone on Thursday and agreed to oppose “foreign exploitation” of the situation in Libya, where terrorists, warlords, and rival governments have been fighting ever since the fall of dictator Muammar Qaddafi in 2011. 

ATHENS, Greece (AP) – Greece´s prime minister says he will ask other NATO members at the alliance´s London summit to support Greece in the face of fellow member Turkey´s attempts to encroach on Greek sovereignty, notably last week´s agreement with Libya delimiting maritime borders in the Mediterranean.

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Cypriot police have confiscated a van reportedly loaded with sophisticated surveillance equipment and have questioned its Israeli owner following media reports that the vehicle was being hired out to spy on people.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned European nations Tuesday they should “revise” their thinking towards his country or risk being flooded by Islamic State terrorists now being held in Turkish jails.

As migration routes in the Mediterranean sea change, the island of Cyprus is now being inundated with migrants and has the most arrivals per capita.

Yasin Aktay, a senior adviser to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his AKP party, fumed at Saudi Arabia on Thursday for allegedly “favoring the Europeans and non-Muslims” over Turkey and Islamic countries because the Saudis do not appear to support Turkish claims on Cyprus.

A 19 year-old British woman pleaded not guilty Tuesday in a Cyprus court to a public mischief charge for making what prosecutors say was a false claim that she was raped by 12 Israelis at a holiday resort on the east Mediterranean island nation.

TEL AVIV – In a case that has roiled Israel, a British tourist was remanded in custody Monday after being arrested the day before on suspicion of falsely accusing 12 Israeli teenagers of gang-rape in Cyprus. 

(AFP) — Seven Israeli tourists held in Cyprus are to be released after a British teenager who accused them of gang rape was arrested on suspicion of making a false allegation, a police source said Sunday.

Turkey on Tuesday rejected as “worthless” European Union sanctions against Ankara as it readied to send a new vessel to the eastern Mediterranean to lift its efforts to drill for hydrocarbons off the island of Cyprus.

Turkey on Tuesday hit back at E.U. measures designed to punish Ankara for its illegal drilling operations off Cyprus, alleging anti-Turkish “prejudice and bias” in the decision while adding the fine will “in no way” affect the country’s activities in the eastern Mediterranean.

When Turkey dispatched a second ship to drill for oil and gas in disputed waters off Cyprus last month, it drew fire not just from rival Nicosia but also the rebuke of Western allies and threats of EU sanctions.