DISY party

Conservative New Democracy party leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis was in Helsinki on Wednesday for the congress of the European People's Party (EEP) which will on Thursday elect its candidate to lead the European Commission.

Greece's main opposition leader will have a series of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the congress.

Just a few days before the stalled Cyprus peace talks are set to resume, the Greek Cypriot parliament overturned the law that called for the celebration of a 1950 referendum seeking unification with Greece to be celebrated in schools, the main cause that led to a breakdown in talks.

 Anastasiades plans to visit Athens, according to reports

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades on Monday sought to play down a recent row between Greek Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos and Cypriot MEP Eleni Theocharous amid reports that he plans to visit Athens for talks with the Greek premier in late July.

Cyprus returned to international debt markets on Wednesday, just a little over a year after being forced to accept a 10-billion-euro bailout, with a five-year bond issue.

Finance Minister Harris Georgiades said on Twitter: “It’s done. Cyprus back to the markets.”

The bond, he said, was for 750 million euros at an interest rate of 4.75 percent.

Cyprus's recently appointed Defence Minister Tasos Mitsopoulos died in hospital on Saturday after suffering a brain haemorrhage, state media said.

State radio said Mitsopoulos died at Nicosia General Hospital at 1.30 p.m.