Cyprus
Interviews
European election results show EU is at an inflection point
A few days after the European Parliament elections, Marilena Raouna, Cyprus’ Deputy Minister for European Affairs, sat down with NE Global on the sidelines...
Transport
The Schengen Zone expands conditionally, for air and sea travelers
Europe’s passport-free Schengen Zone took an important step forward on March 31 with the partial inclusion of Romania and Bulgaria. Travelers arriving in the...
Democracy & Human Rights
Intellexa Commercial Spyware Consortium sanctioned
The U.S. Government announced on March 5 a new set of sanctions on the members of the Intellexa Commercial Spyware Consortium based across Europe....
Cyprus
EU invests over €110 million in environment and climate protection in 11 member states
The European Commission announced on February 17 an investment of over €110 million into LIFE program integrated projects for environmental and climate protection, selected...
Cyprus
The Cyprus Connection: EU funds EuroAsia electric link
Planning to create well-integrated energy infrastructure networks, EU countries have agreed on a European Commission proposal to invest €1.037 billion in 5 cross-border infrastructure...
Cyprus
Impact of high energy prices on industry in the East Med region
Europe is still roiling under the impact of high energy prices that do not seem to be going away any time soon. Dutch hub...
Archive
Israel, Greece, Cyprus seeing green energy future
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades met in Jerusalem on December 7 where they reaffirmed...
Archive
Ukraine and the Pandora Papers
The recent publication by a worldwide consortium of news organizations regarding those in Ukraine who benefited from offshore tax shelters, bypassing domestic banking procedures,...
Archive
Egypt, Cyprus and Greece ink deal to construct electricity interconnector
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades and Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el–Sisi met in Athens, Greece, on October 19 where they...
Analysis
Defense pacts and energy in the Eastern Mediterranean
The Greeks have finally come to the realization that despite a period of relative calmness Turkey is not about to abandon its assertive behavior...
Archive
Time is not on our side: EUMed 9 leaders discuss climate crisis
ATHENS - Meeting at Greece's capital on September 17, the EUMed 9 summit leaders signed on September 17 the Athens Declaration on climate change...
Cyprus
Greece, Israel and Cyprus talk enhanced cooperation
Amid continuing regional and global challenges, the foreign ministers of Greece, Israel and Cyprus met on August 22 in Jerusalem and discussed enhancing their...
Analysis
Erdogan’s visit to the Turkish-occupied northern district of Cyprus
Whatever Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expected to come out of his visit to the occupied part of Cyprus – on the day that...
Archive
US condemns Erdogan, Tatar move to transfer Varosha to Turkish Cypriot rule
On July 21, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken released an official statement regarding Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's decision to violate two UN...
Afghanistan
When the “New Middle East” meets the “New Europe”
Middle Eastern experts have commented widely on the “new” foreign policy of the United Arab Emirates. Many of these same commentators have gone so...
Archive
EU Council agrees on new rules in connecting energy infrastructure
The European Council has reached a general approach on the revision of the Trans-European Networks for Energy (TEN-E) Regulation.According to the Council, the objective...
Archive
Sanctions have to hurt
Can the EU topple Alexander Lukashenko, the dictator of Belarus, with new sanctions? Probably not, but after the forced landing of Ryanair Flight 4978,...
Afghanistan
Turkey: A state sponsor of terrorism?
Turkey functions like a state-sponsor of terrorism (SST), fueling Islamist extremism domestically and deploying jihadist mercenaries to Syria, Libya and Nagorno-Karabakh. Listing Turkey as...
Analysis
The “Europeanization” of Greek-Turkish relations: Why the Greeks favor Ankara’s EU membership
Harmonious relations with Greece has become an objective of Turkish diplomacy. The European Union’s policy of conditionality linking progress in EU-Turkey relations to Ankara’s...
Albania
Dialogue for mutual recognition will succeed when the EU joins the US in its Kosovo approach
After the snap parliamentary elections of February 14, Kosovo has a new government facing the EU's facilitated dialogue with Serbia for normalization of relations...
Analysis
The Eastern Mediterranean sideshow
We have just been through a week in which the world focused its attention completely on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Second place went to Afghanistan...
Archive
A Bridge Not Too Far: Connecting Serbia-Greece-Cyprus
Focusing on close ties, the foreign ministers of Greece, Serbia and Cyprus discussed new opportunities for greater cooperation in energy, transport and tourism as...
Cyprus
Cyprus fast-tracks green economy transition
Across the West, the mantra voiced by policymakers is ‘build back better’. Covid has taken its toll on all our industries, services and markets,...
Cyprus
Conditional cooperation: The EU’s ‘positive agenda’ and Turkey’s policies in the Eastern Mediterranean
Once again, relations with Turkey took center stage at the European Union’s summit meeting. ”We are ready to put more concrete proposals on the...
Archive
Saipem partners up with Hyperion Systems Engineering in Eastern Mediterranean
Italy’s Saipem and Cyprus’ Hyperion Systems Engineering have joined forces to create Saipem-Hyperion Eastmed Engineering, a jointly controlled company based in Cyprus.The new company...
Archive
EU offers Turkey deeper ties but threatens sanctions over East Med drilling
On March 25, EU leaders held a discussion via video conference on the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean and on the European Union’s relations...
Archive
Israel, Cyprus plan to share Aphrodite gas field, talk first
Israel and Cyprus have reached an understanding over gas reserves in the Mediterranean Sea straddling their maritime border, resolving a long-time dispute over the...
Cyprus
From Ayia Napa to digital data, Cyprus turns its focus from tourist mecca to business hub
Tourism has often been touted as the lifeblood of the Cypriot economy, but after COVID-19 sent airport arrivals plunging by 84% last year, the...
Archive
Deep Water: Greece-Cyprus-Israel will connect longest undersea power cable
Cyprus Energy, Commerce and Industry Minister Natasa Pilides, Israel’s Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz, and Greece’s Environment and Energy Minister Kostas Skrekas signed on March...
Analysis
Is Turkey Biden’s “ally from hell”?
Ten years ago, The Atlantic ran as its cover story a piece titled “The Ally From Hell”. The article followed the raid that killed al-Qaeda...
Cyprus
A calmness of sorts in the East Med
With no exploration activities taking place, other than in Egypt, and Turkey refraining from provocations, the East Med is a sea of relative calmness....
Archive
Greece and Cyprus detect infections of new COVID strain
The new strain of Coronavirus, first identified in Britain in December, has been detected in Greece and Cyprus, officials from the two Health Ministries...
Analysis
Secretary Pompeo lets Turkey know what Washington really thinks
In an exchange that warmed the hearts of all Greeks and Greek Cypriots everywhere and was reported as front-page news, US Secretary of State...
Archive
Cyprus, Egypt, Greece join efforts to stop Turkish actions in East Med
Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades, Egypt President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met in Nicosia, Cyprus, on October 21 where they...
Archive
East Med Gas Forum to enhance regional ties, boost EU energy security
Egypt, Israel, Greece, Cyprus, Italy, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority established the East Mediterranean Gas Forum (EMGF) as an intergovernmental organisation in a virtual...
Albania
Short Greece vacation for two Balkan leaders
Taking the opportunity to visit Athens in conference speaker mode, the leaders of Albania and North Macedonia paid stealthy visits to Athens September 15-16...
Archive
France steers EU attention to Greece-Turkey standoff in East Med
French President Emmanuel Macron has taken a strong position in support of the rights of Greece and Cyprus, calling on Turkey to stop unilateral...
Archive
Greece-Egypt EEZ deal doesn’t sit easy with Turkey
Greece and Egypt signed a maritime border deal on August 6 with Turkey saying the deal falls in its continental shelf.Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh...
Archive
Cyprus moves ahead with LNG terminal works eyeing EU market
Natural Gas Infrastructure Company of Cyprus (ETYFA) has issued the Notice to Proceed to the Consortium that was awarded the construction works of the...
Archive
Brussels' action plan to support Greece
EU Vice-President Margaritis Schinas and the Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson announced that Brussels has adopted an action plan for Greece that would...
Archive
EU imposes sanctions on 2 individuals over Turkey's hydrocarbon drilling off Cyprus
On Thursday, the Council of the EU added 2 individuals to the Turkey sanctions list, over involvement in planning, directing and implementing offshore hydrocarbon...
Archive
EU officials meet Cyprus' Anastasiades amid growing tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean
Amid growing tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean, the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nicos Anastasiades met with EU officials in Brussels, where he...
Archive
Cyprus, Portugal among states rebuked by EU over delays in money-laundering reforms
Legal warnings have been sent to Cyprus, Portugal, the Netherlands, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain over delays in turning anti-money laundering rules into national laws, the...
Archive
Macron accuses Erdogan of breaking promises on Libya
French president Emmanuel Macron accused his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of breaking the promise and meddling in the Libya conflict.
"I want to express...
Archive
Italy, Cyprus call Turkey-Libya maritime deal ‘unacceptable’
Italy’s foreign minister Luigi Di Maio and his Cypriot counterpart Nikos Christodoulides said the maritime border deal between Turkey and Libya’s UN-backed government is...
Archive
East Med Gas Forum makes Cairo HQ
Egypt, Cyprus, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan and Palestinian Authority signed in Cairo on 16 January the East Med Gas Forum (EMGF) foundation charter, creating...
Archive
Greece, Egypt, Cyprus, France call Turkey-Libya deals "void"
Greece, Cyprus, France and Egypt condemned on Wednesday the two agreements signed between Turkey and Libya on maritime boundaries and military cooperation, calling them...
Archive
Foreign Ministers of Greece, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Italy to meet in Cairo
The Foreign Ministers of Greece, Cyprus, France and Italy travelled to Cairo on Wednesday morning to participate in a five-sided meeting along with the...
Analysis
Greek Prime Minister meets President Trump amid Mid-East turmoil
The January 7 White House meeting between US President Donald J Trump and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis did not yield any new US...
Archive
Energean, DEPA sign EastMed pipeline gas purchase deal
ATHENS - Several hours before the leaders of Greece, Israel and Cyprus signed an intergovernmental agreement to construct the EU-backed gas pipeline, Energean and...