Category: Cyprus News Agency

Deputy Minister for European Affairs Marilena Raouna will participate on Monday, November 17, in the deliberations of the General Affairs Council of the European Union in Brussels, where she will also have a series of other contacts.

According to an official press release, the Council will focus, among other things, on the preparation of the European Council Summit, to be held on 18-19 December in Brussels, where important issues will be discussed such as developments in Ukraine and the Middle East, the new Multiannual Financial Framework, enlargement, migration and the competitiveness of the EU in light of the current geo-economic situation.

They will also exchange views on the European Commission’s work programme for 2026, as well as on EU-UK relations, focusing on the implementation of the commitments undertaken at the EU-UK Summit in May 2025, as well as on the full implementation of existing agreements.

Moreover, they will discuss about the new Multiannual Financial Framework with a view to examining the progress made in the negotiations under the Danish Presidency.

The Ministers will hold a discussion in the framework of the annual rule of law dialogue, focusing on the state of the rule of law in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Ireland and Germany.

The Deputy Minister will also participate in the 7th EU-Albania Intergovernmental Conference, which will take place earlier in the day.

In the context of the preparations for the assumption of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU in 2026, she will also have a series of contacts with her counterparts, as well as with European Commissioners and MEPs, the press release concludes.

A record turnout was recorded on Sunday at the 8th Radisson Blu Larnaka International Marathon, where more than 13,000 runners from 85 countries took part in one of the largest annual sporting events held in the city.

According to the organisers, around 3,000 runners travelled from abroad to participate, while a nationwide record was also set for the classic Marathon route, with more than 1,000 marathon runners.

The Marathon Race started at 7:00 a.m., launched by Larnaka Mayor Andreas Vyras, followed by the start of the 21-kilometre Half Marathon at 7:15 a.m.

Available were also a 10-kilometre road race, a 5km race, a 5km corporate race, a 1km Fun Race for adults and the 1km Mc Donalds Kids Race.

In his remarks, Larnaka Mayor Andreas Vyras expressed his ‘satisfaction at hosting thousands of people from around 85 countries and their participation in this cultural and sporting event.’ ‘Once again, Larnaka rose to the occasion, welcoming so many visitors who also provided an economic boost to the city’s tourism sector,’ he added.

Thousands of spectators flocked to Larnaka – particularly to the Finikoudes seafront – to watch the race up close.

Weather Temperature for Cyprus

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

Date 16/11/2025

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

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The National Guard General Staff has made all necessary representations in relation to the violation of the Cypriot airspace by Turkish F16 fighter jets on Saturday.

According to CNA sources, four Turkish F16 that took part in the “celebrations” in the Turkish occupied territories of Cyprus for the 42nd anniversary of the illegal declaration of the pseudo-state, violated the airspace of the Republic of Cyprus, while two of them flew over the Buffer Zone.

The General Staff of the National Guard has made all necessary representations, sources told CNA.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974. 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.

An illegal breakaway entity declared independence unilaterally, on November 15, 1983, in the areas under Turkish occupation, an action condemned by the UN Security Council and the international community as legally null and void.

The illegal declaration followed the partition of the island after the Turkish military invaded Cyprus in 1974, occupying one third of its territory ever since.

Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos, who is on a working visit to the US, will meet with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday.

According to an official press release, the meeting will focus on bilateral relations and ways to further deepen them, the Cyprus issue, the upcoming Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union, developments in the Middle East, energy and energy security issues, as well as next steps in the 3+1 cooperation scheme to promote regional stability and prosperity.

President Nikos Christodoulides said on Sunday that the Cyprus-Greece electricity interconnection falls under the implementation framework of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC). Within this context, he added, the electricity interconnection, as well as many other initiatives, would be announced by the EU during Cyprus’ EU Presidency.

Speaking to reporters after a memorial service in Nicosia, and asked whether the electricity interconnection project between Cyprus, Greece and Israel acquires a new geopolitical dimension through its link to the IMEC – following relevant statements by Greece’s Energy Minister – the President said that ‘the India-Middle East-Europe interconnection is an important project that brings both the EU and the US closer together, and within this broader IMEC framework, specific projects will certainly help advance its implementation.’

‘The electricity interconnection is within this framework, along with many other actions underway, as well as many more that will be announced by the EU during Cyprus’ Presidency,’ he said. He stressed that ‘we are not talking about declarations or goals, we are talking about concrete projects that will strengthen the IMEC’s prospects and at the same time demonstrate in action what we have long been working to achieve – and I am pleased with the results – the EU’s genuine and substantive interest in the wider Middle East.’

Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides on Sunday said that many things would ‘become clearer,’ particularly regarding how to move forward on the Cyprus issue, in relation to his upcoming meeting with the new Turkish Cypriot leader, Tufan Erhrman. He noted that the United Nations would announce details about the meeting on Monday.

Speaking to reporters after a memorial service in Nicosia, and asked to comment on the Turkish Cypriot leader’s statements on the Cyprus issue during his visit to Turkey, the President said he had listened ‘very carefully’ to what was said, but stressed that such a matter cannot be exhausted or defined by public statements.

‘I have listened very carefully to the new Turkish Cypriot leader’s remarks, as well as the statements made by the Turkish President during their recent meeting in Turkey. You understand that the Cyprus issue is a national matter, a very serious issue, the most important for our country, and certainly our major effort to end the occupation and achieve reunification cannot be exhausted or defined by public statements,’ he said.

He noted that on Monday, the United Nations would announce information regarding his first meeting with the Turkish Cypriot leader. ‘A first meeting which I consider particularly important, because within the framework of the discussion that will take place, I believe that many things will become clearer, especially regarding how we proceed, with a single goal: the resumption of negotiations from where they were interrupted in the summer of 2017, aiming at a solution to the Cyprus issue on the basis of the agreed framework,’ he added.

‘So, allow me – out of respect for the seriousness and responsibility with which we approach this major national matter – not to publicly comment on what has been said,’ he said, noting that though he could comment on many statements, he was focusing on the substance. ‘I am focusing on the meeting that will take place, where, I believe, many things will become clearer,’ he said.

Asked to comment on Erhrman’s reference to preconditions for returning to the negotiating table, President Christodoulides said, ‘I have answers for all issues. But I repeat, as a sign of the seriousness with which we approach the matter, I will not engage in public negotiations.’ If the Turkish Cypriot leader and Turkey genuinely wish for a solution to the Cyprus problem based on the agreed framework, ‘then progress will be made,’ he said. ‘If they wish otherwise or have other objectives, developments will certainly not be positive’, he noted. The Cyprus issue, he added, ‘will certainly not be resolved through public negotiations.’

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 due to Turkish intransigence. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.

In 2025 the Secretary-General hosted two informal meetings on Cyprus, in March in Geneva and in July in New York, while a tripartite meeting with the Cyprus leaders was also held in late September, at the end of the UN General Assembly High Level Week.

María Angela Holguín, the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy on Cyprus, is tasked to engage with the parties, while former European Commissioner Johannes Hahn, designated by the Commission as Special Envoy for Cyprus, is also expected to contribute to the settlement process, in cooperation with Holguín.

Cyprus’ Minister of Agriculture Maria Panayiotou will travel to Brussels on Monday to take part in the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council, where discussions will focus on food security, farmer income support under the post-2027 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), and key challenges in the fisheries sector.

According to a statement from the ministry, EU ministers will hold an orientation debate on strengthening food security and better targeting support for farmers and production sectors within the framework of the European Commission’s proposal for the CAP after 2027. Member states are expected to outline their views on income-support tools that could reinforce food security and on the main risks that could be addressed through strategic reserves of agricultural products without disrupting market orientation.

Panayiotou is set to underline the importance of inclusive support for all potential food producers and sectors in need, stressing that member states must retain flexibility to tailor policies to their specific priorities. She will also highlight the risks posed to food production by ongoing drought conditions in Cyprus, and refer to national efforts to bolster the resilience of the island’s agri-food sector, including plans to establish strategic stock mechanisms.

Ministers will additionally exchange views on food trade in light of the EU’s deepening relations with Ukraine.

On fisheries, the Council will discuss fishing opportunities-mainly for 2026-in the Atlantic, the North Sea, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Panayiotou is expected to stress the serious challenges Cyprus faces in the Eastern Mediterranean and to call for a fair and proportionate allocation of total allowable catches, particularly for large pelagic species such as bluefin tuna and for deep-water shrimp.

Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides said the continuous upgrading of the National Guard and the strengthening of its deterrent capability is a ‘conscious choice’ of his Government, speaking on Sunday, in Nicosia, at the memorial service for the fallen and deceased members of the Cyprus Army and during the prayer for the recovery of Lieutenant General Tasos Markou who went missing in 1974.

‘As long as our homeland remains under Turkish occupation, we have a duty and an obligation to defend it and shield it against any threat,’ he stressed.

He noted that beyond its responsibility for monitoring the ceasefire line, the National Guard today is tasked with a multi-layered role, including support in guarding the maritime borders of the Republic of Cyprus and participation in search-and-rescue operations.

At the same time, he said, as the EU member state closest to a region plagued by crises and of high geostrategic importance, the Republic of Cyprus is called to respond to humanitarian and other missions that require readiness and sufficient capabilities. In this context, he added, the ongoing upgrading of the National Guard-both in terms of personnel and technology-forms a key pillar of the Government’s strategy, supported by concrete actions.

President Christodoulides noted the decision for full utilization of the EU’s pound 1.2 billion SAFE financial instrument to cover defence needs and strengthen security. He also pointed to the procurement of equipment from the United States through defence programmes in which Cyprus now participates.

The President underlined that Cyprus’ growing role in the region, and that of the National Guard itself, is reflected in heightened international interest in upgrading the ‘Andreas Papandreou’ Air Base in Paphos and the ‘Evangelos Florakis’ Naval Base in Mari, projects he described as top priorities for the Government.

‘And I want, on this occasion, to repeat that I am truly particularly proud of the National Guard. I am proud of the men and women of the National Guard, the officers, reservists, national guardsmen and our conscripts, for everything they have done over the years, above all for safeguarding the Republic of Cyprus,’ he said.

Fifty-one years after the invasion, he added, the memory of the fallen and the missing remains a compass of unity and resolve for the liberation and reunification of the country. Their sacrifice, he concluded, is a lasting reminder of the duty to defend Cyprus’ independence and territorial integrity.

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.

Finance Minister Makis Keravnos welcomed the latest S and P Global Ratings assessment, attributing the improved outlook to fiscal discipline, the resilience of the Cypriot economy and the continued reduction of public debt.

‘I am once again in the very pleasant position of welcoming another important credit rating report for the Republic of Cyprus by Standard and Poor’s, through which the international agency not only confirms the credit rating of the Cypriot economy at the highest investment grade, ‘A-‘, but also upgrades its outlook from stable to positive,’ he said.

He expressed his satisfaction that Standard and Poor’s based its assessment on the strong resilience of the Cypriot economy, its positive fiscal and macroeconomic performance, and the ongoing reduction of public debt. This, he noted, ‘demonstrates the confidence that the major rating agencies with which the Republic of Cyprus maintains a contractual relationship show in the government’s economic policy.’

He added that the revision of the outlook to positive mainly reflects the potential for further upgrades of Cyprus’s investment-grade rating in future assessments, as continued fiscal consolidation and strong fiscal surpluses are expected to bring net public debt down to 35% of GDP by 2028.

‘The consistent positive assessments of the credibility of the Cypriot economy by all major agencies in recent years reflect not only the creditworthiness of the Republic of Cyprus in international markets, but also the dynamism of the Cypriot economy in an environment of heightened geopolitical risks, as a result of the government’s sound and rational economic policies, based on fiscal discipline and growth-oriented practices,’ the Minister stressed.

He concluded by emphasising that the government will continue to pursue an economic policy aimed at steady and sustainable growth, grounded in fiscal discipline and financial stability, while focusing on initiatives that support citizens – particularly vulnerable groups – through targeted economic measures.