‘We attach great importance to the Gulf region,’ Cyprus official tells Arab News

A Cypriot National Guard soldier wearing a face mask stands guard at a security outpost near the buffer zone in Nicosia, the world's last divided capital, on November 26, 2020. (AFP/File Photo)
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Updated 04 December 2020
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‘We attach great importance to the Gulf region,’ Cyprus official tells Arab News

  • Demetris Samuel, foreign ministry spokesperson, offered the government’s perspective on tensions in eastern Mediterranean
  • Samuel described Saudi-Cyprus relationship as “very dynamic and “based on our mutual respect for international law”

DUBAI: Turkey’s latest decision to halt prospecting for oil and natural gas in the Mediterranean Sea comes just days before a meeting of European Union leaders to decide whether to penalize it for its plans for drilling activities in what Greece and Cyprus consider as part of their territorial waters. The EU leaders will decide during the Dec. 10-11 summit potential sanctions over Ankara’s activities.

Tensions between the duo, both EU members, and Turkey remain high over the latter’s sporadic forays into the contested waters. After a brief halt, Turkey resumed in mid-October its survey activities, sending back the Oruc Reis to the eastern Mediterranean. On Monday, the Turkish government announced that the vessel had completed seismic surveys and was returning to the port of Antalya.

In a Zoom interview with Arab News, Demetris Samuel, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus, gave his government’s perspective on the gamut of issues, including diplomatic and economic ties with the Gulf countries.

Q: Turkey has been drilling for oil and gas off the coast of Cyprus, within what it calls “its continental shelf.” What can Cyprus do beyond protests and EU warnings?

A: We have gone to great lengths to delimit our maritime zones with our neighbors. We believe there needs to be dialogue with Turkey on the basis of international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. We have delimited our maritime zones with Egypt, Israel and Lebanon and we have repeatedly called on Turkey to enter into dialogue so that we can delimit our maritime borders with Turkey as well. 

Turkey has refused so far, claiming that they do not recognize the Republic of Cyprus. Over the last year and a half, Turkey has conducted six illegal drillings in either the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) or continental shelf of Cyprus. They have even drilled in the territorial waters of Cyprus, within the 12 nautical miles of Cyprus. They have drilled mostly to the south of Cyprus within Cyprus and Egypt. Turkey has no right to drill where they have (drilled). They have been condemned for it (by the EU), as has the international community.




This handout photograph released by the Turkish Defense Ministry on August 12, 2020, shows Turkish seismic research vessel 'Oruc Reis' heading in the west of Antalya on the Mediterranean Sea. (AFP/Turkish Defense Ministry/File Photo)

Q: NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said Turkey’s latest withdrawal of the vessel Oruc Reis will “reduce tensions and make it easier to make progress also on deconfliction.” Do you see it as a positive development for the region as a whole, including Cyprus? 

A: If you look at the situation on its own, it is a positive development but let’s not forget that it is a development we have seen in the past by Turkey. We know how it ends up. Turkey pulls the vessel away a few days before the next European Council in order to show our European partners that they are stepping back and giving space to dialogue. Then as soon as the council meeting is over, the drilling ship or the exploratory vessel is back out there continuing its mission. Turkey has not admitted publicly that it has pulled the ship back. 

Q: Turkey has criticized the agreement between Cyprus and the US State Department on establishing a joint security training center, saying it will “damage the solution to the Cyprus problem.” What kind of a solution do you think will satisfy Turkey, which is not a party to the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea? 

A: Turkey’s aim from the beginning, when it invaded Cyprus in 1974, was to have an influence and a say in what happens on the island. They have used the Turkish Cypriot community as a pretext for involvement in the island. (President) Erdogan’s only concern is to use the Turkish Cypriots to control what happens in Cyprus. Following the election in the occupied area of Ersin Tatar as the new Turkish Cypriot leader in October, the Turkish side is now even publicly speaking about a two-state solution.

Q: The recent US moves are seen by many as part of Washington’s efforts to wean Nicosia away from Moscow’s influence. Does Cyprus feel pressure from both sides to keep them happy or does it view the competition for its loyalties as entirely to its advantage? 

A: Neither. We go about our foreign policy on the basis of a positive agenda. We don’t think it would be beneficial to play the US against Russia and vice versa. It is one of the pillars of our foreign policy to maintain our excellent relations with the UN Security Council members and we are very mindful that that is not affected by anything we do in a particular direction. 

We are a small country with an existential problem. We have 40,000 foreign troops on our soil. We are a country that believes in international law. We attach great value to Security Council resolutions, and given that the US and Russia are both members of the UN Security Council, we are careful not to let our actions have any impact these important international actors. We do not see our foreign policy as a zero-sum game. 

Q: During meetings held in August, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan reiterated Riyadh’s support for Cyprus’ sovereign rights while his Cyprus counterpart said the “the solidarity and support of countries such as Saudi Arabia” as imperative to Cyprus. How would you describe the relationship? 

A: If you look at the hard facts, you can understand the importance we attach to the Gulf region. Cyprus is one of the smallest member states of the European Union yet we have one of the most extensive diplomatic networks in the region. We invest a lot in our relationship with the Gulf countries, in particular Saudi Arabia. It is worth noting that our bilateral relations have evolved rapidly over the last several years. (Since the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Cyprus in 2016), we have established embassies in each other’s capitals and we have exchanged a number of high-level visits. 

Business relations have also thrived and, if it were not for the pandemic, we would now have direct flights between Cyprus and Saudi Arabia. Over the last four years we have covered ground that normally takes 20 to 30 years to cover in terms of rebuilding a diplomatic relationship. We have an excellent relationship with Saudi Arabia and it is one that is very dynamic and based on our mutual respect for international law. 

We are present with resident missions in the entire Gulf except for Bahrain. We are now looking at the possibility of opening a diplomatic mission and an embassy in Bahrain. We attach great importance to the Gulf and we consider the Gulf to be part of the region that we are in and a very important part. We believe that what happens in the Gulf has a great impact on the broader region. We also see that there is a lot of potential in the greater region, in the Eastern Mediterranean, the Middle East and the Gulf. 

Through enhancing cooperation, we feel that we can tap into this potential for the benefit of our people in the region, for the benefit of stability and security in the region. This is a region that is crucial for stability and security on a global level. If we can increase and enhance stability, cooperation and security in this region, then we will have gone (a long way toward) enhancing security and stability globally. 




A picture taken on June 24, 2019 in the Mediterranean Sea off Cyprus approximately 20 nautical miles north-west of Paphos shows the drilling vessel Fatih, which was deployed by Turkey to search for gas and oil in waters considered part of the EU state's exclusive economic zone (EEZ). (AFP/File Photo)

Q: Saudi Arabia and Cyprus were keen to promote the signing of a series of bilateral agreements, to hold two business forums by the end of the year, and launch direct flights between the two countries. Are the plans on track? 

A: Yes, everything is on track, but we have experienced a few delays due to COVID-19 restrictions, particularly in regards to the business forum. 

Q: Cyprus and Egypt intend to build a direct marine pipeline as part of their efforts to transport natural gas from your country’s Aphrodite gas field to plants in Egypt and re-export it to Europe. Are these plans on schedule or have been disrupted by the eastern Mediterranean situation? 

A: There is disruption but it is not because of the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean but because of the market situation in general in world markets when it comes to energy. The intergovernmental and legal framework for implementing these projects has been laid. However, it all depends of course on the market and how the market situation evolves. But the development of the infrastructure, because it is all going to be done with private investment, will be determined by the market factors. 

The pandemic has disrupted the functioning of the market and it has affected prices, so decisions are being re-evaluated. But what does not change and will always be there is the legal framework and the intergovernmental framework that is necessary for these projects to proceed and materialize as the market determines. 




Cypriot Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides (R) and his Slovak counterpart Ivan Korcok (L) hold a joint press conference following their meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Nicosia, on November 23, 2020. (AFP/File Photo)

Q: In retrospect, do you think it was a mistake in January 2019 to keep Turkey out of the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum and deny it the advantages of lower costs and competitive prices of a regional gas market? 

A: There is no country that would want to include Turkey in regional cooperation mechanisms, including energy and security networks more than we do. Why? Our approach is a pragmatic one. Geography is destiny.

If anyone would like to have a neighbor that respects international law and behaves in a way that is in line with good neighborly relations, it is us. We would like to have such a neighbor. We are the biggest supporters of Turkish EU accession process, more than anyone we like to see Turkey adjusting its foreign policy and its outlook in a way that would make it a neighbor that anyone would like to have. 

We are fully supportive of including Turkey in this regional network of cooperation. Without Turkey this cooperation would never be complete; Turkey is an undeniably big and important player in the region. 

However, we cannot talk about this while Turkey is threatening and violating the sovereign rights of its neighbors and disregarding flagrantly international law and UN Security Council resolutions. Look at the relations that Turkey has with countries in the region, including Egypt, Israel, Iraq, Greece and Armenia. When Erdogan came to power in 2003 his mantra was “zero problems with our neighbors.” They have gone from that to problems with every single neighbor. 

Turkey wants to have this hegemonic role in the region and dictate to everyone in the region how things will be decided and determined, including how cooperation with work. This is not the model that the rest of us are working on. 

Q: Do you think Turkey’s ongoing disputes with Cyprus will push Greek and Turkish Cypriots further apart or bring them closer at an emotional level and indirectly help the island’s reunification in the long run? 

A: If Turkey was out of the equation, and things were left between Greek and Turkish Cypriots, the two communities on the island, we could solve the problem very quickly, even in a matter of days. Turkey uses the existence of the Turkish Cypriot community on the island as a pretext to promote what it understands as its own national interests. It doesn’t care about the well-being of the Turkish Cypriots. 

Cyprus lies under the strategic belly of Turkey. Therefore, (Turkey’s) insistence to have a role in the affairs of an independent and sovereign state, a federal Cyprus that will evolve from a resolution of the Cyprus problem, is the main factor that is preventing the reunification of the island.


Law firm that helped ban pro-Palestine protests on UK campus assisting other universities

Updated 12 sec ago
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Law firm that helped ban pro-Palestine protests on UK campus assisting other universities

  • Shakespeare Martineau LLP helped Cardiff University obtain 12-month ban on protests
  • Students, staff face unlimited fines, up to 2 years in prison amid ‘chilling precedent for academic institutions’

LONDON: A law firm in the UK that helped a university ban pro-Palestine protests on campus has been assisting other higher education institutions considering legal action against their students.

Shakespeare Martineau LLP represented Cardiff University in a case that resulted in a year-long ban on unauthorized campus protests from June.

The case could result in unlimited fines for staff and students found in breach of the injunction, as well as prison terms of up to two years.

Those wishing to hold protests on Cardiff’s campus will be required to apply for permission up to three weeks in advance.

Earlier this year, similar 12-month injunctions were granted to two colleges at Cambridge University

The Guardian reported on Monday that the law firm promoted the type of injunction, known as a “newcomer injunction” because it can be used “against persons unknown,” to other universities during a webinar held in October.

According to a freedom of information act obtained in conjunction with Liberty Investigates, it was found that representatives of Reading, Exeter, Northumbria, Hertfordshire, Birkbeck, Bath Spa and Liverpool John Moores universities registered for the webinar.

The Guardian reported that lawyers acting in the case against Cardiff warned that the injunction was too broad and could affect industrial action.

A UN watchdog, the newspaper reported, said the move is a “flagrant violation of international human rights law,” while Gina Romero, UN special rapporteur for freedom of assembly, said: “Profiting from the … curtailing of human rights is despicable.”

A spokesperson for Shakespeare Martineau said the injunction relates to “unlawful encampments,” and “lawful” protest would not be affected.

Smita Jamdar, head of education at Shakespeare Martineau, said: “Universities are dealing with complex situations on campus every single day. Understandably, many institutions are seeking guidance on how to manage a whole host of situations effectively and safely, while upholding the law and balancing the rights and freedoms of the whole campus community.”

But the European Legal Support Centre called the use of the injunctions a “chilling precedent for academic institutions,” adding that they are “legally complex and financially impractical for affected students to challenge in court.”

Last week, England’s Office for Students warned universities against “sweeping” limits on protest in a new set of guidelines due to take effect in August.


Most Filipinos in favor of rejoining ICC, study shows

Updated 30 June 2025
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Most Filipinos in favor of rejoining ICC, study shows

  • Philippines withdrew from the ICC in 2019 under ex-president Rodrigo Duterte
  • 57 percent of respondents support rejoining the court, while 37 percent are against it

MANILA: The majority of Filipinos support the Philippines rejoining the International Criminal Court, the results of a new opinion poll showed on Monday.

The Philippines withdrew from the ICC in 2019 under ex-president Rodrigo Duterte, as the court’s prosecutors began to look into his “war on drugs” campaign in 2016-22, which they estimate has resulted in the extrajudicial killings of 30,000 Filipinos.

Despite the Philippines’ withdrawal, the court has issued an arrest warrant against Duterte, as it keeps jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed while a country was a member.

The current administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. complied with the arrest warrant and Duterte has been in ICC custody since March, awaiting trial. The Marcos’s spokesperson, Claire Castro, said earlier this month that he was also “open to talking about” rejoining the ICC.

The move would be supported by 57 percent of Filipinos, according to the latest survey by OCTA Research.

“A clear 57 percent of Filipinos support the Philippines rejoining the ICC. In contrast, 37 percent are opposed, and 6 percent remain undecided, indicating broad, though not unanimous, public backing for renewed engagement,” the Quezon City-based polling and research firm said in its report.

The study was conducted between April 20 and April 24, on 1,200 respondents in Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

In Mindanao, where Duterte traces his political roots and despite detention won the mayoral election last month, the support for rejoining the ICC was the lowest.

“In Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, and the Visayas, at least 60 percent of respondents express support,” the OCTA Research report said. “In Mindanao, however, is an exception — with only 30 percent supporting the move and 66 percent expressing opposition, the highest rate of opposition recorded across regions.”

The highest rate of support for reengagement with the ICC was among people aged 25-34, with 62 percent of them in favor of the move, while the lowest support was among those aged 45-54, at 50 percent.

Duterte’s arrest has likely contributed to awareness about the ICC across the Philippines, with 85 percent of adult Filipinos claiming to have seen, read, or heard about the court and only 13 percent reporting being unaware of it.

“This widespread awareness sets the stage for significant national conversations on justice, accountability, and the Philippines’ potential reengagement with the ICC,” OCTA Research said.

“Awareness levels are consistently high nationwide. In Metro Manila, 89 percent of respondents indicated familiarity with the ICC, followed closely by Balance Luzon (86 percent), Mindanao (85 percent), and the Visayas (77 percent).”


EU warns Armenia about Russian ‘hybrid threats’

Updated 30 June 2025
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EU warns Armenia about Russian ‘hybrid threats’

YEREVAN: The EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas urged Armenia to protect its democratic values amid “hybrid threats” from Russia on a visit to Yerevan on Monday.
Ties between Armenia and its traditional ally Russia have been strained since Azerbaijan’s 2023 offensive on Nagorno-Karabakh, in which Moscow did not intervene.
Russia has for years been the main mediator between Armenia and Azerbaijan. But Brussels has played a stronger role recently, with Russia tied up with its Ukraine invasion.
Kallas visited several days after Armenia arrested a powerful cleric accused of plotting a coup against Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
She said she discussed “Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and specifically Russian hybrid activities in all countries” with Armenia’s foreign minister Ararat Mirzoyan.
“Armenia’s commitment to democracy and freedom is key. These values must be protected, especially in the face of hybrid threats, disinformation, and foreign interference,” she said.
Mirzoyan warned Moscow against interfering in its internal political affairs after the arrest of powerful cleric Bagrat Galstanyan.
But speaking in Kyrgyzstan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned Armenia against turning away from Moscow and against “attacks on the canonical, millennia-old Armenian Apostolic Church.”
“We do not put any pressure on Armenian authorities, we will wait for clarity on all these issues,” Lavrov said according to Russian news agencies.
“But we all understand that if Armenia turns away from its allies, its closest partners and neighbors, it will hardly be in the interests of the Armenian people,” he added.
Mirzoyan said Lavrov “would do better not to interfere in Armenia’s internal affairs and domestic politics,” calling on Russian officials to “show greater respect for the sovereignty of the Republic of Armenia.”
Kallas said “the EU and Armenia have never been as close as we are now.”
She announced a new EU-Armenia partnership and a 270-million-euro “resilience and growth plan for 2024-2027.” She also welcomed Armenia’s move to initiate an EU accession process earlier this year.
Kallas re-affirmed the EU’s support to normalizing relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.


Cyprus invites Turkiye’s Erdogan to summit despite long rift over 1974 invasion

Updated 30 June 2025
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Cyprus invites Turkiye’s Erdogan to summit despite long rift over 1974 invasion

NICOSIA: Cyprus said on Monday it would invite arch-foe Turkiye to a summit during its European Union presidency next year despite a decades-long rift over Ankara’s 1974 invasion and its backing of a breakaway state on the divided island.
Nicosia will hold the rotating EU presidency in the first six months of 2026 and plans a summit of regional leaders, including Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, on issues related to the Middle East, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides said.
“You can’t change geography — Turkiye will always be a neighbor state to the Republic of Cyprus .. Mr.Erdogan will of course be welcome to this summit to discuss developments in the area,” he told journalists in Nicosia.
Christodoulides had earlier said the same in a British podcast aired on Monday in response to a question, saying the summit was planned for April 2026.
The Turkish presidency did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the invitation to Erdogan.
Cyprus and Turkiye have no diplomatic relations and hosting a Turkish president might prove challenging both because of the diplomatic tightrope arising from past conflict and logistical issues.
The eastern Mediterranean island was partitioned by a Turkish invasion in 1974 sparked by a brief Greek-inspired coup, and Ankara supports a breakaway, unrecognized state in north Cyprus where it stations thousands of troops.
Christodoulides heads a Greek Cypriot administration that represents all of Cyprus within the EU but with its powers stopping at a ceasefire line splitting the island into northern and southern sections. Erdogan has never visited the south.


A hard right lawmaker is sworn in as Greece’s migration minister

Updated 30 June 2025
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A hard right lawmaker is sworn in as Greece’s migration minister

  • Thanos Plevris, 48, is expected to maintain Greece’s hard line in migration policy

ATHENS: A hard-right lawmaker was sworn in Monday as Greece’s migration minister, replacing a fellow right-wing political heavyweight who resigned following accusations of involvement in the distribution of European Union farm subsidies.
Five high-ranking government officials, including the previous migration minister, Makis Voridis, three deputy ministers and a secretary general, resigned last Friday following allegations they were involved in a scheme to provide EU agriculture subsidies to undeserving recipients.
The funds, which were handled by a government body known by its Greek acronym OPEKEPE, were allegedly given to numerous people who had made false declarations of owning or leasing non-existent pastures or livestock.
Thanos Plevris, 48, succeeded Voridis and is expected to maintain Greece’s hard line in migration policy. Both Plevris and Voridis joined the conservative New Democracy party in 2012, from the right-wing populist Popular Orthodox Rally, or LAOS, party.
Voridis has denied any involvement in the alleged farm subsidy fraud and said he resigned in order to clear his name.
The European Public Prosecutor’s Office, which has investigated the case, passed on a hefty file to the Greek Parliament last week that includes allegations of possible involvement of government ministers. Lawmakers enjoy immunity from prosecution in Greece that can only be lifted by parliamentary vote.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said his New Democracy party had failed to stamp out graft.
“Significant reform efforts were made,” Mitsotakis said in a social media post. “But let’s be honest. We failed.”
He said anyone found to have received EU funds they were not entitled to would be ordered to return the money.
“Our many farmers and livestock breeders who toil and produce quality products, and all law-abiding citizens, will not tolerate scammers who claimed to have non-existent pastures and livestock, or those who enabled them to do so,” Mitsotakis said.