Category: Cyprus News Agency

Department of Meteorology

Today’s weather and temperatures for Cyprus according to the Department of Meteorology

Date 11/12/2025

Station

TEMPERATURE (C) (FROM 20:00 PC of the previous one until the time of the show)

Total government employment reached 55,367 persons in November 2025, recording a slight increase of 124 employees (0.2%) compared to November 2024, according to the Statistical Service.

Employment in the Civil Service and in the Security Forces declined by 0.9% and 0.5%, respectively, while employment in the Educational Service increased by 2.2%.

Compared to November 2024, the largest increase in total government employment is observed in the category of employees with contracts of definite duration (0.9%) and the largest decrease is observed in the category of hourly paid workers (-0.8%).

Focusing on employee categories by Service, the largest percentage increase in employment is recorded in employees with contracts of indefinite duration in the Educational Service (23.5%), while the largest percentage decrease in employment is observed for employees with contracts of definite duration in the Security Forces (-74%). It is noted that the significant decrease observed in the number of employees with contracts of definite duration in the Security Forces is mainly attributed to the completion and non-renewal of specific definite duration contracts in July 2025.

For the period January – November 2025 the average total government employment increased by 0.6%, compared to the corresponding period of 2024.

CYPRUS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY

FORECAST FOR THE SEA AREA OF CYPRUS (A)

FOR THE PERIOD FROM 0600 11/12/2025 UNTIL 0600 12/12/2025

Area covered is 8 kilometers seawards.

Winds are in BEAUFORT scale. Times are local times.

Atmospheric pressure at the time of issue: 1014hPa (hectopascal)

Low pressure is affecting the area. The weather will be at times mainly cloudy with isolated showers and/or thunderstorm.

Visibility: Good, but moderate to poor in showers

Sea surface temperature: 22°C

Warnings: NIL

Cypriot President, Nikos Christodoulides, presented in an interview with Politico a proposal to de-escalate tensions with Turkey, leveraging the country’s upcoming Presidency of the Council of the EU.

The key is getting Turkey to agree to let Cyprus into the Partnership for Peace program, which is seen as a first step toward NATO membership. Cyprus would then gradually remove impediments to closer cooperation between the EU and Turkey.

‘We can envision a step-by-step approach with steps by Turkey on Cyprus joining the PfP and in parallel positive steps on EU-Turkey relations, always in conjunction with the resumption of talks for a solution to the Cyprus problem within the agreed framework, ‘ he noted.

Christodoulides said he has already discussed this proposal with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

The Cyprus said that Cyprus joining the alliance is a ‘natural development’ but something that has not happened because of ‘political conditions.’ NATO members can veto a country’s bid to join the alliance and Turkey refuses to allow Cyprus in.

Referring to the EU SAFE financial instrument, Christodoulides noted that it’s ‘Turkey that has excluded itself’ from SAFE because it has not reached a security agreement with the EU. ‘There are specific conditions that should be met for SAFE participation, as in the EU accession process; it is not à la carte,’ he added.

As regards the forthcoming Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU, Christodoulides said his country is well aware of its institutional role and that he is ready to invite Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the informal Council meeting, which will be held in Cyprus on April 23-24.

On the peace plan for Ukraine being pushed by US President Donald Trump, Christodoulides said this effort is, ‘not perfect, but it is important that there is a proposal on the table.’

‘Trump’s election sends a message to the EU that America cannot be taken for granted, so as EU, we must do more and cooperate more with each other in order to be able to face any challenges. That way, you are also more useful to the Americans,’ he said.

Despite not being in the alliance, Christodoulides said that Cyprus is cooperating with the U.S. so that its armaments and the organization of its national guard meet NATO standards, until the political situation allows for its membership.

As regards the Cyprus issue, he referred to his meeting on Thursday with Turkish Cypriot leader, Tufan Erhrman with the participation of the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy, María Ángela Holguín.

‘On the one hand, we need to reaffirm the convergences achieved by 2017 and, on the other, to start negotiations. If there is real political will, I believe that a solution to the Cyprus problem is possible,’ he said.

Christodoulides also said that Cyprus aims to join the Schengen free-travel zone next year. ‘The goal is to be technically ready by the end of the year and then for the committee to make a recommendation to the member states in 2026.’

He also assured that ‘the free movement of our Turkish Cypriot fellow citizens across the ceasefire line will not [be] affected in any way.’

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.

CYPRUS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY

FORECAST FOR THE SEA AREA OF CYPRUS (B)

FOR THE PERIOD FROM 1200 11/12/2025 UNTIL 1200 12/12/2025

Area covered is 8 kilometers seawards.

Winds are in BEAUFORT scale. Times are local times.

Atmospheric pressure at the time of issue: 1013hPa (hectopascal)

Low pressure is affecting the area. The weather will be at times mainly cloudy with isolated showers and/or thunderstorm.

Visibility: Good, but moderate to poor in showers

Sea surface temperature: 22°C

Warnings: NIL

CYPRUS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY

FORECAST FOR THE SEA AREA OF CYPRUS (A)

FOR THE PERIOD FROM 0600 10/12/2025 UNTIL 0600 11/12/2025

Area covered is 8 kilometers seawards.

Winds are in BEAUFORT scale. Times are local times.

Atmospheric pressure at the time of issue: 1010hPa (hectopascal)

Low pressure system is affecting the area. The weather will be mainly cloudy with local showers and isolated thunderstorms at times. In thunderstorms the winds may be variable strengthening.

Visibility: Good, but moderate to poor in showers

Sea surface temperature: 22°C

Warnings: NIL

AREA PERIOD WIND STATE OF SEA

West Coast

Morning Northeast 3 to 4, at times locally 4 to 5 Slight to Moderate

Afternoon Northeast 3 to 4, at times locally 4 Slight

Night North to Northeast 3 Slight

South Coast

Morning North to Northeast 4 to 5, at times locally 5 to 6 Slight to Moderate

Afternoon Northeast 4 to 5 Slight to Moderate

Night Northwest to North 3, at times 3 to 4 Slight

East Coast

Morning Northeast to Southeast 4 to 5, at times locally 5 to 6 Slight to Moderate

Afternoon Northeast to East 4 to 5 Slight to Moderate

Night Northeast 3 to 4 Slight

North Coast

Morning Northeast to East 4 to 5, at times locally 5 Slight to Moderate

Afternoon Northeast to Southeast 3 to 4 Slight to Moderate

Night Variable 3 Slight

Greek Cypriot negotiator, Menelaos Menelaou, and the representative of the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mehmet Dana, met Wednesday with UN Secretary-General’s personal envoy, Maria Angela Holguin, for a review and preparation of the issues discussed during the two leaders’ meeting last month, CNA has learnt.

According to CNA information, during the meeting between Menelaou and Dana, on Wednesday morning, in which Holguin also participated, a general review and preparation of the issues discussed by the two leaders – President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman – during their previous meeting, took place. The discussion will continue tomorrow at the meeting of the two leaders, in the presence of the UN Secretary-General personal envoy, the same sources said.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017, at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.

Cyprus’ Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos and his Latvian counterpart, Baiba Braze, said Wednesday after a meeting in Nicosia that they identified opportunities to further deepen cooperation in the fields of security, defence, technology and the maritime sector. Kombos said bilateral relations ‘remain strong’ because the two countries have the same values and principles, ‘which, of course, are about our joint and mutual commitment to international law and to the UN Charter’.

Braze, whose country will start in January its two-year term as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, said Riga will be supporting Cyprus throughout the next steps and whenever the relevant resolutions are discussed.

In statements after their meeting at the Foreign Ministry, Kombos said they covered a number of issues such as bilateral relations.

He said President Nikos Christodoulides’ visit to Riga last June – the first visit of a Cypriot President there – provides the incentive ‘for advancing further our shared agenda’.

‘During our discussions, we identified opportunities to deepen further our cooperation, especially in the fields of security, defence, and the maritime sector. And, of course, to broaden further the progress that we have already witnessed in tourism and, in general, in relation to connectivity, education, and culture’, Kombos said. He added that ‘the potential exists, and so does the political will to fulfil that potential’.

He also said that he informed his Latvian counterpart about Cyprus’ priorities for the Presidency of the Council of the EU. ‘Unquestionably, the focus will remain on the situation in Ukraine’, he said, reiterating Nicosia’s ‘full support for Ukraine and its territorial integrity and sovereignty’.

For Cyprus, he said, the position in relation to what’s been happening there is dictated not only by principle, but also by historical experience. Kombos said that the Republic of Cyprus is the victim of an invasion and of ongoing occupation by Turkey for the last 51 years. ‘Supporting Ukraine cannot but be coupled by supporting also the victims of aggression like Cyprus, even more so from the European Union and from member states’, he added.

He also said that the Cyprus Presidency will also be focusing on furthering the engagement with the Middle East region, ‘not only because of the plethora of crises that we are facing, and which could at any moment become a source of further instability, but also because we see the region and the wider area as a possibility, as an area of opportunity, whether that’s in relation to free trade, energy, connectivity’.

Nicosia will also be focusing on the enlargement process, ‘always within the context of merit and strict conditionality’, he said.

Kombos said that he also discussed with his Latvian counterpart ‘the importance of intensifying pressure on Russia through sanctions’. He also stressed that Cyprus’ position is that ‘we need to focus even more on circumvention of sanctions, especially because that has many actors involved and it’s undermining our collective effort in relation to our support of Ukraine’.

In relation to the Cyprus issue, he thanked his colleague and the government of Latvia for their consistent support towards the principled position in relation to the Cyprus problem. He added that Nicosia was guided by the Security Council Resolutions on a bizonal, bicommunal federation, with political equality as prescribed by the relevant UN Security Council Resolution.

‘This is the only option, and it’s a very important point, given the fact that Latvia will be on the Security Council very, very soon’, he said.

On the situation in Gaza, he said that they agree ‘that the European Union can and needs to play a much more active role’. In relation to Syria, he said this was also ‘very important for the Republic of Cyprus’ not only because of geographical proximity. He referred to the need for ‘good neighbourly relations’, which, he said, necessitates that all parties agree to the fundamental principle of respecting international law, including all its manifestations.

He said he also briefed the Latvian Minister on migration, noting that despite the improved situation in Cyprus, it was important to remain alert ‘about any possible changes’. He said that this is a threat faced in different geographical parts of Europe and referred to the instrumentalization of migration.

The Latvian Foreign Minister, who invited Kombos to visit Latvia, said that they covered bilateral, EU priorities, part of the Security Council agenda and Ukraine.

She said that Latvia will support Cyprus in the UN Security Council whenever the next steps and relevant resolutions are discussed.

‘And we also support the constructive attitude that Cyprus has taken in the reunification issue and the close work with the UN special representative on that, and we are very supportive of a positive outcome’, Braze noted.

She added that both sides acknowledged untapped economic potential, particularly in areas such as maritime security, technology, and the management of ports and marine spaces, highlighting that there is significant scope for further cooperation.

She also said she was ‘pleased’ that Air Baltic, the Latvian national airline, flies to Cyprus throughout the year, noting that the country is ‘a very popular destination for Latvians’.

She also expressed her country’s support in Cyprus joining Schengen, ‘and we are pleased with the progress that we have achieved, so we are ready to share our lessons learned, but also our experience and knowledge and expertise in that’.

The Latvian Foreign Minister said she was in Ukraine last week, and that they reflected with Kombos on the next steps, and how to continue supporting Ukraine in a practical way, but also throughout the negotiations, throughout the way to peace.

Braze also noted that principles such as non-recognition of occupied territories as legally incorporated, and other parts, are very important for the Baltic states, Cyprus but also other countries.

She also referred to the need to support the US efforts to stop Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.

Russian ‘shadow fleet’

———————————

Replying to a question on Russian sanctions and proposals for a price cap on crude exports combined with a blanket ban on maritime services, the Latvian Foreign Minister said Riga has submitted several proposals to the European Commission and EU partners to strengthen sanctions. These focus particularly on the ‘shadow fleet’ and the ecosystem that sustains it – old uninsured vessels, untrained crews, and practices that help Russia bypass the price cap, she noted.

She said Latvia is open to constructive ideas but stressed the need to avoid harming legitimate operators. She added that the issue was also discussed with US counterparts, on ‘how to be more efficient on Russian oil exports’, given that oil and gas remain Russia’s main source of revenue for the war.

Braze noted that Russia’s access to money, technology and international support must be targeted, and that the shadow fleet poses serious risks to Baltic Sea states, as 70% of Russia’s oil shipments pass through the region en route to Asia and other destinations. Latvia therefore tables proposals in every sanctions package, targeting specific services, vessels, and practices used to evade sanctions, she noted.

Kombos noted that it is about efficiency and how to make sure there is a holistic approach.

He said that Nicosia has ‘a very strong opinion about circumvention’. ‘We believe that we need to have more information flow at the Council level, and also not just reporting, but how the Commission is trying to target and resolve these issues that are there’, Kombos said, adding that the approach of dialogue was important but at the same time more transparency was needed before any decisions are taken.

18th Meeting of the Industrial Relations and Human Resources Management Professionals Network (SLRNetwork)

More than 120 professionals took part in the 18th meeting of the Industrial Relations and Human Resources Management Professionals Network (SLRNetwork), which was held on 9 December 2025 by the Cyprus Employers and Industrialists Federation (OEB). SLRNetwork meetings are actions of the ‘Sound Labour Relations, Contemporary Enterprises III’ (SLR3) Project, which is co-funded by the EU within the framework of the Cohesion Policy Programme ‘THALIA 2021-2027’.

The meeting focused on employee well-being through awareness on menopause and multiple sclerosis, and on the promotion of safety and health in the context of teleworking. The event was addressed by Mr Michael Antoniou, Director General of OEB, who in his remarks provided an overview of current developments in labour relations.?

In her presentation, Ms Machi Solomou, Certified Menopause Champion at the British High Commission, provided information on the impact of menopause on women, the way it can affect the performance of their duties, and presented good practices to ensure their workplace well-being and empowerment.?

Subsequently, Ms Georgia Demofanous, President of the Cyprus Multiple Sclerosis Association, informed participants about the disease, the various ways in which it may manifest, and presented good practices through which affected employees can be supported.?

Finally, Dr Olga Nicolaidou, Labour Inspection Officer at the Department of Labour Inspection of the Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance, presented the OiRA online interactive risk-assessment tool, which will now also cover risks related to teleworking.?

After the presentations, a reception was held during which SLRNetwork’s members had the opportunity to network and converse with the speakers.?

The event’s presentations are available on the Project’s website at www.slr3.com.cy/ekdiloseis.

Around 20,000 visitors are expected to arrive in Cyprus from EU member states and other countries during the upcoming Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU, President Nikos Christodoulides said on Wednesday at the opening of the postcard exhibition ‘EU journey through the lens of time’ at Larnaca Airport.

Congratulating Hermes Airports, that runs the Larnaca and Pafos international airports, the President noted that both last year and this year Cyprus is seeing record-high passenger arrivals, stressing that this achievement was also due to the company’s close cooperation with the government.

The exhibition features 250 selected postcards from the past century depicting Cyprus and the other 26 EU member states. The collection belonged to the late collector Antonis Hadjipanayis and was curated by his son, journalist Panikos Hadjipanagis. President Christodoulides described it as a rare and interesting exhibition for Cyprus, offering a ‘virtual journey’ to the early 20th century, when communication relied on handwritten correspondence.

Organised in collaboration with Hermes Airports, he said the exhibition also serves as a symbolic farewell to the thousands of visitors expected during Cyprus’ EU Presidency, in the first half of 2026.