Category: Cyprus News Agency

Today marks 52 years since that Saturday morning of July 20, 1974, when Turkish forces, in defiance of international law, divided the island of Cyprus by force of arms and violence.

The people of Cyprus, who still experience the consequences of that tragic day, condemn today the crime and honor the fallen. Sirens sounded in all cities at 5:30 in the morning, when Turkey invaded Cyprus in 1974 in violation of the United Nations Charter.

Turkish invaders bombed, destroyed, looted, raped, vandalized churches and monasteries and forced 200,000 Greek Cypriots to abandon their ancestral homes. To date, 37% of the territory of the Republic of Cyprus is still under Turkish occupation.

In all towns in the government – controlled areas of Cyprus, remembrance and honor events are taking place for the fallen and church masses are being held for the determination of the fate of the missing persons of the Cyprus tragedy.

Political parties and citizens’ organizations have issued statements condemning the Turkish invasion and are organizing events of remembrance and honor for the fallen of the Cyprus tragedy.

On this day, 52 years ago, Turkish soldiers land on the coast of northern Cyprus in what they called a “peacekeeping operation” codenamed “Attila”.

Turkish transport planes transport military parachutists between 5.15 and 5.20 in the morning in the area of the Turkish enclave of Nicosia-Saint Hilarion. A large number of paratroopers land while Turkish infantry forces arrive on the beaches of Kyrenia. At 5.20 in the morning, the landing of Turkish forces begins at Pente Mili and soldiers advance towards Kyrenia.

With the slogan ‘Ayse can go on vacation’, Turkey spreads destruction on the island, while the “government” of the coup d’etat of Nikos Samson resigns due to the developments on July 23, 1974.

In the afternoon of July 20, in New York, the UN Security Council meets and approves Resolution 353, which calls for a ceasefire and the withdrawal of foreign troops from Cyprus, an end to all foreign military intervention, and the start of talks between the three Guarantor Powers of Cyprus to restore peace and a constitutional government on the island.

Meanwhile, the Council of Permanent Representatives of NATO member countries meets in Brussels, but does not take any substantive position.

In Geneva, feverish consultations began to reach a peaceful solution under the auspices of British Foreign Secretary John Callaghan. The Greek Cypriot side, represented by Glafkos Clerides, demanded for the first time since 1963 the implementation of the Zurich-London Treaties and the Cyprus Constitution.

Turkey refused and put forward its permanent demand for the geographical separation of the island. Turkish Foreign Minister Turan Gnes counter-proposed a plan according to which the Republic of Cyprus would be a bi-communal federal state of several cantons, in which Turkish Cypriots would control approximately 34% of the island.

Clerides requested a postponement of 36 or 48 hours, in order to consult the Council of Ministers. The Turks rejected his request and then, in a pre-planned move, after first withdrawing their delegation at 3:30 am on 14 August 1974, less than 1 1/2 hours later (4:35 am on the same day) they proceeded with the second invasion under the code name “Attila 2” with the occupation of Morphou, Famagusta and Karpasia.

The most tragic consequence of the Turkish invasion is the missing persons. Thousands of Greek Cypriots were arrested and detained in concentration camps in Cyprus while over 2,000 prisoners of war were illegally transferred and held in prisons in Turkey. The fate of a significant number of missing persons has not yet been ascertained to this day.

Members of the Famagusta Association of Great Britain held a peaceful protest outside the Turkish Embassy in London on Friday to mark the 52nd anniversary of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus.

The demonstrators condemned the continued occupation of the northern part of the Republic of Cyprus, calling for the withdrawal of Turkish troops and the removal of Turkish settlers. They also reiterated their demand for the return of displaced persons to their homes and properties under conditions of peace and security, under the sovereignty of the internationally recognised Republic of Cyprus.

In a statement, the Famagusta Association of Great Britain said its commitment to justice and the restoration of human rights remains unwavering, adding that it would continue to condemn what it described as Turkey’s violations of human rights in Cyprus.

The peaceful demonstration was attended by members of the Cypriot community in the United Kingdom, who called on the international community to keep the Cyprus issue high on the international agenda and to support efforts aimed at achieving a just and lasting settlement.

?he Association’s President, Dr Vasilis Mavrou, said Turkey “continues to occupy 37% of our homeland, to settle the occupied areas, and to disregard United Nations resolutions.” He paid tribute to those who lost their lives during the 1974 events, as well as to the missing persons, the enclaved, and the displaced, and pledged that the community would continue its campaign until the withdrawal of Turkish troops, the implementation of United Nations Security Council resolutions, and the liberation of all occupied territories of Cyprus.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ Personal Envoy on Cyprus, María Ángela Holguín, will meet in Brussels on Wednesday, with European Commission Executive Vice-President for Cohesion and Reforms Raffaele Fitto at 14:00 local time. Fitto recently assumed the additional role of the European Union’s Special Representative for the Cyprus issue.

The meeting was confirmed on Monday morning by the European Commission to CNA. However, the agenda of Holguín’s visit and any other meetings she may hold in the Belgian capital have not yet been made public.

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.

After informal meetings in 2025, followed by a hiatus of several months, deliberations are underway for a new meeting in broader format to be held, as the term of the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres nears its end. María Angela Holguín, Guterres’ Personal Envoy on Cyprus, is tasked to engage with the parties.

The Cyprus Stock Exchange (CSE) All Share Index closed at today`s stock exchange meeting as follows:

MEETING DATE: 20/07/2026

INDICES BASE VALUES: FTSEMed=5000, OTH

EURO (pound )

TRADED VALUE:

260.084,79

INDEX

VALUE

% DIFF.

VALUE (pound )

FTSE/CySE 20

180,240

-0,310

251.601,250

MAIN MARKET INDEX

243,830

0,020

189.139,140

INVESTMENT COMPANIES MARKET INDEX

2.993,730

0,320

6.248,600

CSE GENERAL INDEX

306,630

-0,320

253.900,190

HOTELS INDEX

1.846,860

-4,510

5.201,300

ALTERNATIVE MARKET INDEX

2.035,900

-1,110

65.880,050

* The second column presents the percentage variation of the indices as compared to the last meeting.

The number of Greek Cypriots that are still deprived of their homes, 52 years since they were forcibly uprooted during the Turkish invasion in July-August 1974, stands at 247,552 today, according to 2025 data from the Population Archive of the Ministry of Interior.

Four generations of displaced Cypriots have been counting their sorrows for 52 years, struggling to heal wounds, and trying to create a framework of normalcy to raise their families in a state of prolonged waiting, while simultaneously clinging onto memories with the hope of return.

Refugee housing settlements have been the backdrop of this ongoing tragedy, since the overwhelming majority of the displaced Greek Cypriots were temporarily housed there and ended up staying for decades. According to the Ministry of Interior, the displaced have been housed in 69 government settlements across Cyprus, built after 1974.

These temporary conditions have obtained a sense of permanency for a large part of the first generation of displaced Greek Cypriots, who passed away, while still waiting for the day of the return to their homeland.

With the passage of 52 years, and entire generations being born and raised within the settlements, bearing the unshakeable weight of displacement, time leaves its mark. Beyond the aging of buildings, there seems to be a change in the demographic composition of the 69 settlements, too.

According to the Ministry of Interior, given that we are now in the fourth generation of refugees, it is unclear how many of the displaced, from the first to the fourth generation, still reside in the refugee settlements. The Ministry, which is unable to know either the exact demographic composition of the settlements or the average number of residents, notes that many of the displaced may be renting their apartments, others may have sold them, some of the original beneficiaries may still live there alone, and others may live there with family members.

A significant factor in this development has been the regulation for granting property titles to displaced persons for residences in government settlements and self-housing settlements, from 2006 onwards. Until then, the displaced lived in settlements under a regime of use or lease grants.

For the tens of thousands of families who suddenly found themselves without shelter, without support or guarantees, the right to ownership of these temporary residences has been a last refuge, after more than 30 years since their uprooting.

Living with temporary solutions, 52 years later…

In recent years, maintaining and safeguarding the suitability of residences in the settlements has been a primary issue of concern, mainly for the residents themselves, and for the State institutions as well.

According to the Ministry of Interior, upgrades and/or repairs have been conducted through the scheme for “Reconstruction, Repair/Strengthening and Radical Improvement of Buildings in Eight Government Settlements,” which was implemented after 2000 in eight Government Settlements (Pano Lakatamia, Strovolos II, Agios Pavlos and Agios Mamas in Nicosia, Agioi Anargyroi I in Larnaca, and Agios Athanasios, Makarios III, and Linopetra in Limassol). These eight housing settlements were built first and, therefore, faced the most problems.

As part of this scheme, the construction of 47 apartment buildings and 187 houses has been completed so far, as well as the repair/radical strengthening of 50 apartment buildings and 2,200 houses. The Ministry notes that this scheme is still in progress.

An Elevator Installation Scheme in existing apartment buildings of the Government Settlements for Displaced Persons involved the installation of elevators in 368 existing apartment buildings nationwide. To date, the installation of elevators has been completed in 124 existing apartment buildings. It is noted that there are 202 elevators installed (124 in existing apartment buildings and 78 in new apartment buildings) in government settlements nationwide.

This scheme has been terminated, as it has been incorporated into the latest scheme that grants beneficiaries pound 90,000 per apartment building since 2023.

The grant scheme is being implemented in three phases, based on the degree of risk for each of the 358 apartment buildings in refugee settlements nationwide.

The first phase involves 43 apartment buildings deemed unsuitable and dangerous, which are under evacuation and demolition in order to be replaced with new ones. The second phase concerns 70 apartment buildings that need repair, with a state grant of up to pound 300,000 (plus pound 90,000 for elevator installation). The third phase involves 245 apartment buildings with less urgent issues, which are being repaired with a state grant of pound 300,000 (plus pound 90,000 for elevator installation).

According to the Ministry of Interior, the first two apartment buildings in the Apostolos Andreas settlement in Latsia and Kokkines in Strovolos are expected to be delivered in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, construction is underway for another six apartment buildings in Nicosia and Limassol, while the construction of two more in Limassol and Larnaca will begin this coming fall.

At the same time, the start of the second and third phases of the scheme has been expedited. So far, the Ministry notes, there is interest from 26 apartment buildings in the second phase and 30 in the third phase. General Maintenance Contracts for refugee settlements in the districts of Nicosia, Larnaca-Free Famagusta, and Limassol-Paphos, through which repair/maintenance work is carried out on residential units to ensure the safety and health of the eligible refugees residing in them, are also conducted by the Ministry’s departments.

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.

During his forthcoming visit to Cyprus, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres will meet twice with the President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, and the Turkish Cypriot leader, Tufan Erhürman.

The first meeting will take place during a private dinner on the evening of Tuesday, 28 July, at the residence of the Secretary-General’s Special Representative in Cyprus. The second will be held on the morning of Wednesday, 29 July, during a joint meeting at the offices of the UN Good Offices Mission in the UN-controlled area of Nicosia International Airport.

Guterres is due to arrive in Cyprus on the evening of Monday, 27 July, accompanied by two UN Under-Secretaries-General, Rosemary DiCarlo and Jean-Pierre Lacroix. The Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy on Cyprus, María Ángela Holguín, will also be on the island during his visit.

According to information obtained by CNA, on the morning of Tuesday, 28 July, Guterres will meet President Christodoulides at 10:30 a.m., followed by a meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman at 11:45 a.m.

At midday, he will lay a wreath at the memorial to fallen UN peacekeepers outside the Ledra Palace Hotel, in the Nicosia buffer zone. Early in the afternoon, he will visit the Committee on Missing Persons’ anthropological laboratory. Later, he is scheduled to meet the two sides’ negotiators, the heads of the bicommunal Technical Committees, and representatives of civil society.

In the evening, the Secretary-General will host a private dinner with the two leaders. According to CNA sources, the dinner will not be open to media coverage.

On the morning of Wednesday, 29 July, Guterres will hold a joint meeting with the two leaders at the offices of the UN Good Offices Mission at Nicosia Airport. This will be followed by a press conference by the Secretary-General, after which he and his delegation will depart Cyprus.

The visit will be the first by a UN Secretary-General to Cyprus since February 2010, when Ban Ki-moon visited the island and met the then leaders, Demetris Christofias and Dervis Eroglu.

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.

After informal meetings in 2025, followed by a hiatus of several months, deliberations are underway for a new meeting in broader format to be held, as the term of the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres nears its end. María Angela Holguín, Guterres’ Personal Envoy on Cyprus, is tasked to engage with the parties.

The video at the centre of the so-called “videogate” case appears to have been produced with the aim of harming the Republic of Cyprus, Independent Criminal Investigator Andreas Paschalides said on Monday after submitting his report to the Attorney General.

Paschalides said the evidence secured so far does not indicate any breach of the Criminal Code by Cypriots featuring in the video.

The Legal Service said the report was submitted to the Attorney General on July 17 and that its findings, together with the recommendations and reservations of Paschalides and the police investigation team, will be examined and assessed. It also said the Attorney General approved a request to extend Paschalides’ appointment until December 31, 2026.

According to the report, “the footage made public on January 8, 2026, is not authentic but the product of editing and, therefore, apart from having been obtained through unconstitutional acts and consequently constituting inadmissible evidence, is of negligible, if any, evidential value.”

It adds that “three Cypriot individuals feature prominently in the footage, two of whom are known for their active involvement in the country’s political affairs, while the third is known for his activities in the business sector.”

The report says “the objective behind the production and creation of the video appears to have been to harm the Republic of Cyprus rather than private interests.”

Based on the evidence available at this stage, “the conclusion is warranted that the video constitutes a form of hybrid attack aimed at harming the Cypriot state,” it says.

Paschalides said claims that the Cypriot government intervened to keep a Russian oligarch off the European Union sanctions list were thoroughly investigated.

“The matter was investigated in depth, including at the level of senior government officials, but no wrongdoing was found. On the contrary, the investigation established that the Cypriot authorities acted lawfully throughout,” the statement said.

The report says “the original video, which it should be noted is not free of the factors that significantly affect the evidential value of the edited footage, is approximately 26 hours long.”

It adds that “the video was produced by a privately owned foreign company, registered abroad, whose identity and details are known to investigators. According to the evidence, the company operates globally in the field of intelligence gathering and information services in return for substantial fees.”

“The company maintains and employs agents in numerous countries. In this case, non-Cypriot agents were deployed to produce the video, and investigators have also established their identities.”

On allegations relating to a construction project in Limassol district, the report says “the matter was brought to the fore by allegations made by one of the Cypriot protagonists in the original video, claiming preferential treatment of a member of the family concerned and the securing of an advantage through improper means and/or under circumstances suggestive of corruption.”

It adds that “when the particular Cypriot ‘protagonist’ was asked to comment on those allegations, he declined to do so”, while noting that “despite this, investigators proceeded to examine the allegations in depth.”

It ultimately found that “not only were the claims found to be unfounded and baseless, but in the only case identified involving a construction project linked to the family concerned, the decisions taken by the authorities were found to be entirely proper and, moreover, no member of that family bearing the name referred to actually existed.”

On cash donations during the presidential election campaign of the three main candidates – Nikos Christodoulides, Andreas Mavroyiannis and Averof Neophytou – the report says “the issue featured prominently in the interviews with two of the Cypriot ‘protagonists’ and therefore could not be ignored, as the way it was presented left no doubt that it appeared tainted by corruption.”

It notes that “despite persistent claims to the contrary, at least by one of the two, the investigation found no wrongdoing in this area, let alone corruption.”

On the Independent Social Support Body Fund, the report says “the need to investigate this aspect of the case arose from allegations portraying the Fund, managed by the First Lady, as an ‘easy and safe’ channel through which money could be funnelled in exchange for improper favours.”

It adds that “among other steps, the criminal investigator, in cooperation with the Police, obtained the Audit Office’s report, which includes findings on the operation of the Fund and the identification of donors.”

It further states that “a donor register was also obtained, the examination of which, together with the rest of the investigation, demonstrated that the allegations in question were unfounded.”

The report says “the investigation has identified the original video, the producer and those used as agents, and established the full content of the interviews, but has not been able to identify the client of the company that produced the video.”

It adds that “identifying the company’s client would shed light on this aspect of the case and, in particular, on the client’s objectives and motives.”

The report recommended that the investigation into this aspect of the case continue. According to the Legal Service, the Attorney General approved the recommendation by extending Paschalides’ appointment until December 31, 2026.

CYPRUS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY

FORECAST FOR THE SEA AREA OF CYPRUS (C)

FOR THE PERIOD FROM 1800 20/07/2026 UNTIL 1800 21/07/2026

Area covered is 8 kilometers seawards.

Winds are in BEAUFORT scale. Times are local times.

Atmospheric pressure at the time of issue: 1007hPa (hectopascal)

Seasonal low pressure is affecting the area. The weather will be mainly fine with increased low cloud coverage overnight and during the morning, with risk of local mist and/or fog patches mainly over the southern and the eastern coasts.

Visibility: Good, but moderate to poor in mist and very poor in fog

Sea surface temperature: 28°C

Warnings: NIL

AREA PERIOD WIND STATE OF SEA

West Coast

Night Northwest to Northeast 3, locally offshore West to Northwest 3 to 4 Smooth to Slight, locally offshore Slight

Morning South to Southwest 3, gradually Southwest to West 3 to 4 Smooth to Slight

Afternoon West to Northwest 3 to 4, locally 4 to 5 Slight

South Coast

Night Southwest to Northwest 3, locally offshore West 3 to 4 Smooth to Slight, locally offshore Slight

Morning Southeast to Southwest 3, gradually Southwest to West 3 to 4 Smooth to Slight

Afternoon Southwest to West 4 to 5, locally 5 to 6 Slight

East Coast

Night Southwest to Northwest 3, locally Variable Smooth to Slight

Morning Southeast to South 3, gradually South to Southwest Smooth to Slight

Afternoon South to Southwest 3 to 4, locally 4 to 5 Smooth to Slight

North Coast

Night Southeast to Southwest 3, locally offshore South to Southwest 3 to 4 Smooth to Slight

Morning South to Southwest 3, gradually Southwest to Northwest Smooth to Slight

Afternoon Southwest to Northwest 3 to 4, locally 4 Smooth to Slight, locally Slight

Time of issue: 1700

Date: 20/07/2026

Seventeen-year-old Cypriot waterski athlete, Andreas Constantinou, secure two gold medals at the Greek Waterski Championships, while his performance in the slalom event placed him at the fifth place in the European U17 rankings and seventh in the world.

According to the Cyprus Waterski Federation (CWSF), Constantinou starred at the championships, held from July 10 to 12 at Lake Stratos in Agrinio, Greece, winning both the U17 and the Open (Men’s) categories.

The Federation said Constantinou’s slalom performance of 5.00/58/11.25 in the Open category highlights his continued competitive progress and places him among the world’s leading athletes in the U17 age group.

Construction material prices rose by 3.12% in June 2026 compared to June 2025.

According to the Statistical Service, the Construction Materials Price Index for June 2026 stood at 122.74 points (base year 2021=100), marking an increase of 0.55% compared to the previous month.

For the period January-June 2026, the index rose by 1.62% compared to the corresponding period in 2025.

By major product category, in June 2026, compared to June of the previous year, increases were recorded in metal products (5.02%), wood products, insulation materials, chemicals, and plastics (4.07%), electromechanical products (2.99%), minerals (2.49%), and mineral products (0.61%).