Presidents of Cyprus

Career banker Christodoulos Patsalides was appointed governor of the Central Bank of Cyprus on Monday for a five-year term, the island's presidency said.

Patsalides, who will represent Cyprus on the rate-setting Governing Council of the ECB, takes up his duties on April 11, replacing Constantinos Herodotou.

Migration is top of the agenda this week in Cyprus, with President Nikos Christodoulides calling for the EU to step in to help Cyprus deal with a surge in arrivals on its shores. Cyprus is pressing Brussels to designate parts of Syria as safe for returns of migrants, and also to condition EU aid to Lebanon on its preventing migrants from departing.

Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides will discuss with the head of the European Commission on Sunday an unprecedented surge in arrivals of mainly Syrian refugees this week on the island and he will then visit Lebanon on Monday, officials said.

Nicosia has unveiled a set of targeted and broad-ranging measures aimed at alleviating the financial strain on citizens, in response to concerns over price hikes.

The United States and Cyprus said Tuesday they're formalizing their collaboration in fighting money laundering, sanctions evasion and other financial crimes with an agreement offering Cypriot law enforcement authorities US expertise.

Discussions are ongoing to decide whether EU-Turkey relations will be on the European Council's agenda at the two-day EU summit in Brussels starting Thursday. 

Cypriot president Nikos Christodoulides has expressed his "deep satisfaction" over the Cyprus-initiated joint multinational plan to open up a humanitarian aid corridor for Gaza in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Greek central banker Yannis Stournaras is to sign a memorandum of cooperation between the Bank of Greece and the Central Bank of Cyprus on Friday.

To this end, Stournaras will visit Cyprus at the invitation of the governor of the Central Bank of Cyprus (CBC), Constantinos Herodotou, accompanied by the deputy governor of the Bank of Greece, Christina Papakonstantinou.

At 6 a.m. on July 20, 1974, Turkish troops stormed into the Republic of Cyprus in accordance with Article III of the Treaty of Guarantee of the first constitution of 1960. This mandated each of the guaranteeing parties - Greece, Turkey and Great Britain - "to take action with the sole aim of re-establishing the state of affairs" if that were ever threatened.

Former Cyprus President Dimitris Christofias died on Friday in Nicosia General Hospital. He was 72.

He was admitted to hospital in critical condition with respiratory problems. 

He led the communist-rooted AKEL party as its general secretary for more than two decades.