Nicos Christodoulides

Cypriot Foreign Minister Nicos Christodoulides on Wednesday expressed his appreciation for a report by the European Union's General Affairs Council calling on Turkey to be a better neighbor.

Foreign Minister Nicos Christodoulides says the Republic of Cyprus is not seeking membership into NATO or Partnership for Peace, reiterating that issues of security and defense are discussed inline with EU membership.

Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot administration are not yet prepared to resume talks to reunite the ethnically-split island stalled months ago, Cyprus government spokesman Nicos Christodoulides has told state broadcaster RIK.

Turkish warships continue to impede a rig from reaching a location off Cyprus where Italian energy company Eni is scheduled to drill for gas, the Cypriot government said Monday.

Spokesman Nicos Christodoulides told state broadcaster RIK that the rig remains anchored about 30 miles (50 kilometers) from the drilling target off the island's southeastern coast.

Cyprus's government spokesman says Turkish warships continue to impede a rig from reaching a location off the east Mediterranean island where Italian energy company Eni is scheduled to drill for gas.

Nicos Christodoulides told state broadcaster RIK Monday the rig remains stopped some 30 miles (50 kilometers) from the drilling target off the island's southeastern coast.

A visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Greece later this month will hopefully produce some results in relation to efforts for a Cyprus settlement, government spokesman Nicos Christodoulides said on Friday.

Cypriot President Nikos Anastasiades pays a two-day official visit to Moscow on October 23-24, at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

According to a statement, the President of Cyprus will meet with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on Monday and President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.

Turkey’s request to annex the Northern part of Cyprus was ascertained on Monday by deputy Prime Minister in charge of Cyprus Affairs, Recep Akdag, who said that such a plan is on the table.

The Cyprus problem, regional developments and bilateral relations with a focus on energy matters were the topics discussed by President Nicos Anastasiades and his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in an extensive phone conversation which took place on Tuesday.

Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades on Monday evening launched a fiery attack against UN Cyprus envoy Espen Barth Eide accusing him of lying about the failure of the talks in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, earlier this month.