Cyprus

The number of building permits issued in Cyprus in the first 11 months of 2023 dropped by almost 6% year-on-year, the Statistical Service of Cyprus (CyStat) reported on Friday, with the area and value registering annual gains, driven by the increased prices in construction materials, as well as increased interest in apartment blocks.

The Cyprus Statistical Service (CyStat) revealed on Thursday a significant uptick in motor vehicle registrations in Cyprus.

Total registrations of motor vehicles in Cyprus numbered 4,243 in January, compared to 3,128 in January 2023, recording an increase of 35.6%, according to data published by the CyStat.

Ankara has expressed its expectations for a fair and objective report on Cyprus from the U.N. special envoy, the diplomatic sources told Hurriyet Daily News.

A senior U.N. envoy with a special task on reporting about whether there is ground for a new initiative to resolve the decades-old Cyprus problem has held talks with senior Turkish officials in Ankara, including Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

The obstacles to rekindling talks on the Cyprus issue, let alone to reaching a mutually acceptable settlement, were the focus of a meeting in Athens on Tuesday between María Ángela Holguín Cuellar, the UN chief's new personal envoy for Cyprus, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis.

In the immediate aftermath of Turkey's invasion of Cyprus in 1974, American foreign policy became focused on three areas: a) preventing a war between Greece and Turkey; b) keeping NATO's southern flank intact; and c) averting Soviet involvement. In other areas, it allowed developments to take their own course, so that a new balance of power was created between Greece, Turkey and Cyprus.

Cyprus is considering participating in the ambitious Great Sea Interconnector project, formerly known as EuroAsia, according to statements from government officials. The proposal, jointly submitted by the ministers of energy, commerce and industry, George Papanastasiou, and finance, Makis Keravnos, signals Cyprus' readiness to join forces with Israel and Greece in the massive project.

The lifeless bodies of two more people washed up on the beaches of Turkish Cyprus in the last two days, increasing the number of bodies washed up on the country's beaches to five in the month of January alone.

Europol's Operational Task Force (OTF) in Limassol, Cyprus uncovered a criminal network orchestrating sham marriages in Cyprus for irregular migration into the EU on Monday.

The investigation suggested that the criminal network was also involved in human trafficking and money laundering activities, as well as forcing victims into bogus marriages for immigration purposes.

Türkiye has expressed its discontent with the recent decision by the U.N. to extend the mandate of its peacekeeping force in Cyprus "without consulting the Turkish Cypriot side."