Nicos

“Anastasiades took the other side by surprise. The negotiations had progressed to a certain point, but with a sudden shift, he changed the agenda.”

Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades is facing surgery to repair a heart valve, an official said Wednesday.

Government spokesman Nicos Christodoulides said Anastasiades will undergo mitral valve surgery “very soon.”

Christodoulides said doctors spotted the problem while Anastasiades was undergoing a routine health check.

Greece, Cyprus and Israel might hold a tripartite summit soon, following the talks between the Greek, Cypriot and Egyptian leaders in Cairo on Saturday.

The absence of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during the last few days changed the news coverage in Turkey. Major political issues were temporarily put on the back burner. Admittedly the row over the cost of the White Palace continued without respite, but the Turks chose to project social issues and human stories rather than high politics.

Greek Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades on Nov. 8 accused Turkey of "provocative actions" that he said are hindering the island’s peace talks and compromising security in the eastern Mediterranean.

Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades are due to continue talks in Nicosia on Friday after the New Democracy leader arrived on the Eastern Mediterranean island yesterday to back Cyprus’s right to explore for hydrocarbons in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Big business needs to repay debt to struggling banks if Cyprus is to enjoy a sustained economic recovery, Central Bank chief Chrystalla Georghadji (photo) said on Tuesday.

Greece will send a frigate and a submarine to the eastern Mediterranean region under its UN and NATO obligations, Greek Foreign Minister Evangelos has said.

Venizelos, who is also deputy prime minister, made the statement on Wednesday after a meeting with Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades in Nicosia.

Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades was on Friday expected to be discharged from a hospital in Brussels to which he was admitted after suffering nosebleeds caused by high blood pressure.

Anastasiades, who had been due to attend a European Council meeting, was admitted to the hospital, discharged and then readmitted on Thursday as high blood pressure problems persisted.

European Union leaders are expected to express “serious concern” on Friday at Turkey’s breach of Cyprus’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) as it emerged on Thursday that a third Turkish warship is now sailing in the waters south of the island.