Cyprus

Cyprus’s Minister of Defense, Vassilis Palmas, in statements to the Cyprus News Agency, mentioned that the upgrade of the “Andreas Papandreou” airbase in Paphos could be completed within one to one and a half years, while the “Evangelos Florakis” naval base in Mari, near Limassol, will be upgraded gradually, with the goal of completing the works around 2027.

Liquefied natural gas tanker ETYFA-Prometheas is currently stationed in the Malacca Strait in Malaysia, where it is undergoing technical inspections, according to Cyprus' Energy Minister George Papanastasiou. The ship, which departed Shanghai on December 14, has been anchored since Christmas Eve, where independent evaluators are assessing its condition.

Delegations representing the Greek and Cypriot governments met in Athens on Friday for talks, within the framework of an understanding between Athens and Nicosia regarding the electrical interconnection project between the two countries, known as the Great Sea Interconnector (GSI). 

Hosting the meeting was Greek Environment and Energy Minister Thodoros Skylakakis. 

Specialists in airbase technology will come to Cyprus in January to give their views on the upgrade of the Andreas Papandreou airbase in Paphos, the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, said in an interview with the newspaper “Phileleftheros”.

Cyprus is once again making headline news as Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides becomes the first leader in the region to appoint a special representative - Ambassador Thessalia Salina Shambos - for religious freedoms and the protection of minorities in the Middle East. 

The dynamic entry of Turkey into the developments in Syria creates new challenges for Nicosia and Athens, as Turkey’s effort to establish faits accomplis by enforcing its own “law in the Eastern Mediterra

Cyprus warned that any potential maritime agreement between Turkey and Syria must comply with international law, especially the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and respect Cyprus' sovereignty.

Reactions are mixed in Nicosia about the reported agreement between Greek grid operator ADMIE and French fund Meridiam for the acquisition by the latter of a 49.9% stake in the venture to implement the Cyprus-Greece electricity interconnection.