Cyprus

President of the Republic Nicos Anastasiades has described as “unacceptable” remarks by the UNSG’s Special Advisor on Cyprus Espen Barth Eide who said that the best way to avoid “a hot incident” in relation to energy issues this summer is to resume negotiations.

The president of Greek Cyprus rebuked a United Nations envoy on May 30 for speaking of a possible crisis over the divided island's search for offshore oil and gas, calling the remark "unacceptable" and a "threat" amid faltering reunification talks.

U.N. special envoy for Cyprus Espen Barth Eide was in Ankara on May 30 where he held discussions on maintaining stalled Cyprus talks, which is believed to be "on the brink of collapse" due to an international conference. The talks are considered to be the "final stretch" to a comprehensive settlement of the dispute. 

The president of Cyprus on Tuesday rebuked a United Nations envoy for speaking of a possible crisis over the ethnically divided country's search for offshore oil and gas, calling the remark "unacceptable" and a "threat" amid faltering reunification talks.

A United Nations official says ethnically divided Cyprus remains "very, very close" to an agreement to reunite the island despite a breakdown in talks last week.

Commenting on the long expected and highly anticipated collapse of the Cyprus talks process, Turkish Cypriot President Mustafa Akıncı placed the blame on the shoulders of his Greek Cypriot counterpart Nikos Anastasiades. After, Anastasiades shot back with an equally blunt statement, claiming it was Akıncı who objected the modality of the talks and landed the process in a deadlock.

Greek and Turkish Cypriots hold hands on Saturday as they gathered across the Ledras main crossing point inside the United Nations bufferzone in the divided capital of Nicosia, urging rival leaders of the two communities to "Unite Cyprus Now." The gathering was held after United Nations envoy Espen Barth Eide called off talks with the rival leaders, dashing hopes that a solution could be found

Cyprus had to sign up for a bailout deal and adopt strict reforms and measures a little over two years after Greece did, but it still managed to come out from under foreign supervision first.

In that time and since its program ended, Cyprus has made significant strides and is now a major destination for Greek businesses thanks to its tax system and other important factors.

Soldiers hold framed portraits on coffins containing the identified remains of 17 Greek soldiers who were killed during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, at a formal ceremony on Friday in Nicosia. The remains were to be flown back to Greece on a Hellenic Air Force transport aircraft. Most of the 17 soldiers were serving with the Greek military contingent on the island.

Defense Minister Panos Kammenos Friday denounced Turkey as "the beasts on the other side who murdered without even respecting the rules of war and continue to do so today."