Cairo

On a lightning visit to Athens on Wednesday, the United Nations mediator for the Cyprus problem, Espen Barth Eide, said the presence of a Turkish seismic vessel off the island’s coast was hampering the resumption of stalled peace talks and fueling tensions.

Israel has closed two border crossings with Gaza, the army said on Nov. 2, after a rocket fired from the Palestinian enclave struck its territory.
      
"The crossing points for people and goods, Erez and Kerem Shalom, have been closed until further notice except for humanitarian aid," an army spokeswoman said.
      

The foreign ministers of Cyprus, Greece and Egypt meet Wednesday in Nicosia as a row over rights to hydrocarbons in the eastern Mediterranean continues.

The meeting between Ioannis Kasoulides, Evangelos Venizelos and Sameh Hassan Shoukry takes place as part of preparations for a trilateral summit between the leaders of the three countries in Cairo on November 8.

Egypt’s government “will damage the country and the people’s interests and prosperity” with its decision not to extend a comprehensive free trade agreement with Turkey, Turkish Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Tanju Bilgiç has said.

Everything would have come up roses between Ankara and Tehran. Certain things did come up roses. Trade, of both the conventional and shady varieties, actually did prosper. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, while he was still the prime minister, said he felt that Tehran was his second home.

The Egyptian government has decided not to extend a comprehensive free trade agreement signed with Turkey during the rule of the ousted ex-President Mohamed Morsi, the MENA news agency reported on Oct. 28.

BELGRADE - One-day exhibition 'Interactive Diaries: Belgrade' showcasing the work of nine artists from Egypt, Italy and Serbia who interacted in the virtual internet space this October will open on Saturday, November 1, at the Stab Gallery.

The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) has said it favors the return of Turkey’s ambassadors to both Israel and Egypt, stressing that the government should follow national interests instead of a foreign policy centered upon the Muslim Brotherhood.

Serbia pledges USD 50,000 for Palestine recovery

CAIRO -- A Serbian delegation headed by Ambassador Dragan Bisenić took part in a international donor conference in Cairo to raise funds for recovery of Gaza.

Serbia on the occasion promised USD 50,000 worth of aid for recovery of Palestine in 2015.

Greece and Cyprus have sealed a bilateral deal allowing for joint search-and-rescue operations between the two Mediterranean allies.

The agreement was signed Monday in Athens between Greek Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos and his Cypriot counterpart Ioannis Kasoulides.