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Cyprus Parliament calls on the international community for #ArmenianGenocide recognition

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Ahead of the 102nd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, the Parliament of Cyprus has called on the international community to recognize the Armenian Genocide, Ermenihaber reports citing Kibrispostasi news agency.

At the beginning of the Parliament session, Speaker Demetris Syllouris delivered a speech noting that Turkey has implemented a policy of ethnic cleansing against the Armenian people, and although 100 years have passed since the committal of the Armenian Genocide, Turkey continues to deny it.

Syllouris noted that Cyprus was among the first states in the world to recognize and condemn the Armenian Genocide, and in 1990, the Parliament of Cyprus declared April 24 as Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day. The Parliament has also adopted the law on the criminalization of the genocide denial and the war crimes against the humanity.

Armenian MP Vartkes Mahdessian also delivered a speech at the Parliament, noting that the perpetrators of the Armenian Genocide still remain unpunished.

“More than one hundred year has passed. We do not seek vengeance, we seek justice. We want the historical facts over this tragedy to be unanimously accepted,” he added.

Armenia, Cyprus mark 25 years of diplomatic relations

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The foreign ministers of Armenia and Cyprus have exchanged messages in connection with the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations.
In his address to Ioannis Kasoulides, Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan highlights the country’s special role for Armenia, appreciating the centuries-old friendship between the two peoples and the close interstate relations anchored on a deep respect and warmth, reports the Foreign Ministry’s press service.
For his part, Mr Kasoulides promises his country’s best efforts to further deepen the bilateral relations, opening up new prospects of cooperation in the best interest of the two nations.

Cyprus: Hovig performs an Armenian song

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The Cypriot singer and 2017 representative, Hovig has accepted a challenge from the Armenian entrant Artsvik to sing in Armenian, after she sang a Cypriot song!

It all began when Artsvik performed a German song titled Das Wandern ist des Müllers Lust. After that, she challenged the German entrant Levina to sing in Armenian, something that she accepted! Then, Artsvik sang the Cypriot song To γιασεμίν (The Jasmine) and challenged Hovig to sing in her own language! He accepted it and the result is right below!

Hovig, who is also of Armenian descent, posted a video on his official Facebook page with him singing the Armenian song Yeraz im hayreni (My Dream Homeland) by Robert Amirkhanyan.

Hovig, with his entry Gravity, is set to participate 15th in the first semi-final of the 62nd Eurovision Song Contest. Under the flag of Cyprus, he is hoping for one ticket to the final of 13 May at the IEC in Kyiv, Ukraine.

source: http://esctoday.com/143679/cyprus-hovig-performs-armenian-song/

Hovig Demirjian’s Eurovision 2017 song for Cyprus released

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Hovig Demirjian, a Cypriot performer of Armenian origin, who represents Cyprus at Eurovision Song Contest 2017, will perform the song Gravity, which has already been released.

Hovig will perform during the first Semi-Final on May 9. On the same day representative of Armenia Artsvik will also have a performance.

To note, this year Eurovision Song Contest is set to be held in Kyiv on 9, 11 and 13 May. A total of 43 countries take part in the contest. Artsvik (Artsvik Arutyunyan) has been selected to represent Armenia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 through the show “Depi Evratesil” (To Eurovision).

Cyprus peace talks break up over Enosis controversy “1950 referendum on Enosis”

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A round of UN-brokered peace talks between the rival leaders on divided Cyprus broke up in acrimony on Thursday, February 16 over a 1950 referendum, the Turkish Cypriot leader said, according to AFP.

Tensions have soared over the approval by the Greek Cypriot parliament in the south of the divided island for schools to mark the 1950 referendum on Enosis, or union with Greece.

Mustafa Akinci said that when the issue came up of cancelling the decision to mark the 1950 referendum, his Greek Cypriot counterpart Nicos Anastasiades said there “was nothing else to say, slammed the door and left.”

“At that point there was nothing more to do as this meeting needs to be conducted in an atmosphere of respect so we also left the meeting,” he told reporters.

But Anastasiades expressed confusion over the situation.

Akinci’s “withdrawal was unwarranted and without cause or reason”, he said on television, adding that UN envoy Espen Barth Eide, chairing the meeting, was also “unaware of what happened”.

The 1950 referendum — before Cyprus won independence from colonial ruler Britain — overwhelmingly approved Enosis but had no legal value.

The schools legislation, sponsored by the far-right ELAM party, essentially calls for secondary school pupils to mark the referendum anniversary by learning about the event and reading leaflets dedicated to understanding the Enosis cause.

In a letter to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday, Akinci warned that the move would cause “great damage” to the peace process.

The two sides had in recent weeks been engaged in fragile peace talks that observers have seen as the best chance in years to reunify the island.

In January, the UN hosted talks in Geneva bringing both sides together for the first time with the three “guarantor powers” of Britain, Greece and Turkey.

Much of the progress until now has been based on the strong personal rapport between Anastasiades and Akinci, leader of the breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus who was born in Limassol which is now in the south.

“The Greek (Cypriot) leader has acted from time to time hotheadedly,” said Akinci.

“In the past we tolerated it until the last drop. It was not possible to tolerate this now,” he added. “This is a way to behave in a meeting.”

The UN envoy was due to make a statement later in the day.

The eastern Mediterranean island has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded the northern third in response to an Athens-inspired coup seeking Enosis.

Related links:

AFP. Cyprus talks break up over schools controversy

Greek Cypriot President Anastasiades and Turkey’s Erdogan clash over troops on Cyprus

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The presence of Turkish troops on a potentially reunited Cyprus has split leaders taking part in UN-sponsored talks. Ankara has said a Greek Cypriot call for Turkish troops to leave the island was “out of the question.”

After a week-long conference in Geneva on the possible reconciliation of Cyprus’ Greek and Turkish halves, statements from Greek Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have left a possible reunification in serious doubt. At the center of the disagreement are the approximately 30,000 Turkish troops stationed on the island.

“Our position remains… that we must agree on the withdrawal of the Turkish army,” Anastasiades told reporters in Geneva on Friday.

The Greek Cypriot foreign minister, Nikos Kotzias, also said there was no way to reunify the island while “occupation” troops are still stationed on it.

“A just solution [to division] means, first of all, eliminating what caused it, namely the occupation and presence of occupation forces,” Kotzias said.

At the same, Erdogan said the removal of all Turkish troops from northern Cyprus was “out of the question.”

The Turkish president’s strong words came after Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu gave reporters a more muted statement Thursday night, telling them that “the reality is that Turkey’s guarantorship is vital to Turkish Cypriot people” and that troops are “a force of stability” that must remain on the island.

The 1960 Treaty of Guarantee gave both Greece and Turkey along with Great Britain the right to intervene in the Republic of Cyprus in order to defend the new nation’s sovereignty. Ankara justified its 1974 invasion of the island on these grounds. Since then, Cyprus has remained divided between an internationally recognized Greek south and the north, which is recognized only by Turkey.

Though Greece and Greek Cypriots would like to see the guarantor system abolished, Erdogan also pushed that possibility aside.

“We have told Cyprus and Greece clearly that they should not expect a solution without Turkey as guarantor,” the Turkish leader told reporters Friday in Istanbul. “We are going to be there forever.”

Tempered optimism

Nevertheless, the Greek Cypriot president and other international leaders remain cautiously hopeful that the Geneva conference will provide clear steps to end to the island’s division.

“We are on a path that creates hope,” Anastasiades told reporters in Geneva after talking with his Turkish Cypriot counterpart Mustafa Akinci.

British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson, who also attended the conference, said real progress has been made.”

“With continued commitment and political will, I believe a historical agreement is within reach,” he said in a statement. Britain would agree to abolish the guarantor system and remove its military from the island if requested by Cyprus to do so. Cyprus was a British protectorate and Crown Colony from 1878 through 1960.

Guterres’ debut

The Geneva Conference also marked the first foreign trip of Antonio Guterres in his new position as Secretary-General of the United Nations. He said a final peace agreement was “close” but that there would not be a “quick fix,” noting that implementing and securing an enduring peace deal would take significant work.

“You cannot expect miracles or immediate solutions,” Guterres said. “We are looking for a solid sustainable solution.”

Officials from involved parties will come together again on January 18 to work on technical security issues while simultaneous negotiations over still-contested issues such as land swaps and the composition of a unified government take place.

Greece: Cyprus: Athens excludes settlement without withdrawal of Turkish troops

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Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias reaffirmed that a settlement in Cyprus was conditional on the withdrawal of Turkish troops stationed on the island, whose leaders are trying to revive dialogue for reunification.

Any agreement to end the division of the island must include a “clause” providing for the departure of Turkish troops, said the minister on the Greek radio Alpha. He stressed that Athens did not require an “overnight” withdrawal, but within an “adequate” timeframe. He noted by way of example that the withdrawal of Soviet troops during the German reunification took “four years”.

Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish-Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci are currently seeking to revive their dialogue after their failure to reach an agreement during ten days of negotiations in Switzerland under the aegis of the UN.

Greece, Mr Kotzias said, did not intervene in these inter-communal negotiations, which particularly affected the territorial division between the two entities. But it has a voice on the issue of the security of the island because of the regime in force since its independence granting a right of intervention to three “guaranteeing powers”, Britain as former colonial power , Greece and Turkey.

According to Kotzias, London agrees with Greece on the need to end the guarantor regime, judged “anachronistic” by Athens.

To clear the way for a settlement on this chapter, which must be submitted to a multilateral agreement, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras proposed this week a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

No date has so far been fixed but Greece remains asking for such an appointment, Kotzias said. However, he said that since the failed coup d’état of 15 July, the Erdogan regime no longer demonstrates the “willingness to compromise” on Cyprus.

Cyprus has been divided since the invasion in 1974 by the Turkish army in the northern part of the island in reaction to a coup aimed at linking the country to Greece.

Friday, December 2, 2016,
Stéphane © armenews.com

Talks on Cyprus unification break up without agreement

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unification-breakupThe latest round of talks on ending Cyprus’ 42-year-old division have reached an impasse without agreement. The island has been divided since 1974.

Talks aimed at reunifying the Mediterranean island of Cyprus broke up after two days of meetings between Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades and his Turkish Cypriot counterpart Mustafa Akinci at Mont Pelerin on the shores of Lake Geneva in Switzerland. The two leaders had made it to the second round of talks this month after 18 months of negotiations, and had announced earlier that they were hopeful to find a solution by the end of the year.

“Despite their best efforts they have not been able to achieve the necessary further convergences on criteria for territorial adjustment that would have paved the way for the last phase of the talks,” UN spokesman Aleem Siddique said in a statement.

“The two sides have decided to return to Cyprus and reflect on the way forward.”

The island was divided in 1974 when Turkish troops occupied its northern third in response to a military coup seeking union with Greece. The Turkish invasion resulted in thousands of Greek and Turkish Cypriots being displaced while a resettlement program made sure the Turkish presence on the north of the island remained strong.

The division has become one of the world’s longest-running political disputes.

“Despite their best efforts they have not been able to achieve the necessary further convergences on criteria for territorial adjustment that would have paved the way for the last phase of the talks,” UN spokesman Aleem Siddique said in a statement.

“The two sides have decided to return to Cyprus and reflect on the way forward.”

The island was divided in 1974 when Turkish troops occupied its northern third in response to a military coup seeking union with Greece. The Turkish invasion resulted in thousands of Greek and Turkish Cypriots being displaced while a resettlement program made sure the Turkish presence on the north of the island remained strong.

The division has become one of the world’s longest-running political disputes.

The island of Cyprus has been divided since 1974, with the Turkish north only recognized as a political entity by Turkey

40 years in the making

Anastasiades and Akinci had met earlier in November already, to address the key issue of potential territorial readjustments. Territory has been at the heart of the talks, since any peace deal would involve a redrawing of existing boundaries, resulting in some members of both communities being ousted from their current homes.

The percentage of territory to be governed under Turkish Cypriot jurisdiction has been the main sticking point, with Akinci suggesting 29.2 percent of the island and the Greek Cypriots proposing 28 percent. Furthermore, the role of the Turkish military in protecting that territory has also caused a lot of disagreement between the two parties.

Reaching a deal on the issue of territory would have paved the way for a final summit to bring together Greece, Turkey and Cyprus’ former colonial ruler the United Kingdom to agree on how to implement security arrangements on the reunified island. Outgoing UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was hoping to leave the solution to the Cyprus conflict as part of his legacy.

However, numerous rounds of talks over the past four decades have always ended in failure.

ss/bw (AFP, AP)

Source: dw.com

It’s an Armenian, Hovig who represent Cyprus in Eurovision-2017

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cyprus-hovegThis is an Armenian living in Cyprus, Hovig Demirchian (27 years) who sings under the name Hovig who represent Cyprus in the Eurovision-2017 to be held in Kiev (Ukraine) in May. This is the CyBC Cypriot television channel decided that Hovig represents Cyprus in Eurovision-2017. Hovig sing a song of Swede Thomas G. It will be presented shortly to the Cypriot television. In 2009 Hovig had participated in the X Factor Greek taking 7th place. Hovig had unsuccessfully tried twice to represent Cyprus at Eurovision. It is thus rewarded for his efforts.

Krikor Amirzayan

Cyprus, Egypt to build gas pipeline

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cyprus-egypt-piplineCyprus and Egypt have announced they’re aiming to build a natural gas pipeline between the two Mediterranean countries. Talks on the project will be sped up, but the pipeline will not be operational before 2020.

Cyprus and Egypt signed a deal in Nicosia Wednesday paving the way for detailed negotiations on a pipeline to export natural gas from Cyprus to its energy-starved neighbor.

“It’s one of a series of legal arrangements, which will further support the sale of Cypriot natural gas to buyers in Egypt, provide certainty to investors and complement relevant commercial discussions now underway,” a joint statement said.

Natural gas reservoirs have been discovered below the seabed south of Cyprus, with exploitation not expected to start before 2018.

Lucrative business

Cyprus’ Energy Minister, Georgios Lakkotrypis, said given the planned start of exploitation, the aim was to get the new pipeline operational sometime between 2020 and 2022.

Nicosia has been eager to secure alternative ways to exploit its offshore reserves after confirmed finds so far were insufficient to make a liquefied natural gas plant on the island’s southern coast financially viable. By contrast, Egypt already has the option of turning the raw material into LNG, which can be transported over long distances far better.

Egypt is expected to use the gas imports primarily for domestic consumption, but in part also for re-exporting.

Since its first offshore gas find back in 2011, Cyprus has held a series of exploration licensing rounds, hoping to discover new deposits. In the latest round, US giant ExxonMobil with Qatar Petroleum are among a total of eight major energy players bidding to look for offshore oil and gas.

hg/sri (AFP, dpa)

Source: DW.com