Prodromos Prodromou

Cyprus' president is pledging to revoke any passports that were "mistakenly" granted to wealthy investors who were found to have committed wrongdoing.

President Nicos Anastasiades says "errors" may have been made in granting such "golden passports" under an earlier, less-strict version of a lucrative investment program.

A Cypriot official says United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has invited the rival leaders of the ethnically split island nation to meet in Berlin later this month.

Government spokesman Prodromos Prodromou said Friday that the Nov. 25 meeting in the German capital will aim to map out the next steps towards a possible resumption of formal peace talks.

A Cyprus government official says national passports granted to wealthy investors could be revoked if a new probe determines they didn't meet eligibility criteria.

Cypriot passports have added appeal because holders become citizens of the European Union.

Cypriot government spokesman Prodromos Prodromou has condemned Turkish activities inside Cyprus' exclusive economic zone (EEZ) describing it as an invasion of the Mediterranean island's maritime domain.
"This is certainly an invasion of Cyprus' territorial waters," Prodromou told Skai radio on Wednesday.

Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades received assurances of Greece's unwavering support for Nicosia's positions vis-a-vis growing tensions with Turkey in a "lengthy" telephone conversation between the two heads of state.

Cypriot government spokesman Prodromos Prodromou has welcomed calls by the US State Department late Monday for Turkey's Yavuz drillship to cease its activities off Cyprus' northeastern coast and its removal from the island's territorial waters.

The coming period will be "decisive" for Cyprus, government spokesman Prodromos Prodromou told reporters on Saturday amid mounting expectations of a new United Nations-mediated bid to reunify the divided island.

Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades is meeting with party leaders on Monday at his residence in Troodos, ahead of a meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci on August 9.

An official says the Cyprus government is "greatly troubled and dismayed" by an Orthodox Christian bishop's comments on homosexuality, which he said were needlessly stirring up social tensions on the Mediterranean island nation.

The informal meeting between Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci is scheduled to take place on August 9 at 10.30 p.m., according to government spokesperson Prodromos Prodromou.
The UN has urged both sides to come to an agreement on the way forward in the hope that this time around negotiations will be fruitful.