About: Northern Cyprus Archives

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ordered the Turkish government on Monday to pay €90 million in compensation to Cyprus over human rights abuses committed during and after Turkey's invasion of the island in 1974.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed support yesterday (25 February) for opening a new chapter in Turkey’s paralised EU accession talks, but crossed swords with Ankara on the deadlock surrounding divided Cyprus.

Cyprus licenced Italy's ENI and South Korea's Kogas for offshore gas exploration yesterday (24 January), in a boon to an economy in line for an international bailout because of its exposure to debt-crippled Greece.

Cyprus will not accept a bailout from international lenders if it involves privatisations and social welfare cuts, President Demetris Christofias said yesterday (3 October), with the indebted government that holds the rotating EU presidency set to propose alternative savings.

Turkish Cypriot leader Dervi? Ero?lu said yesterday (25 September) he would present a new plan to the UN secretary-general for gas explorations surrounding the divided island, resources that could change its economic landscape.

Hundreds of people from Northern Cyprus are expected today (27 June) to dress as ghosts to protest what they say is the indifference of the European Union to the division of their island and the hardships in the Turkish region.

Turkey has indicated its intention to veto the EU's participation in the upcoming NATO summit in an apparent sign of growing disenchantment with the Union before the rotating EU presidency is taken up by Cyprus, a country that Turkey refuses to recognise.

Turkey would consider annexing northern Cyprus, which is technically EU territory, if talks between Greek and Turkish Cypriots fail to reach a deal on reunification of the island, Turkey's European Affairs Minister Egemen Ba??? told a Turkish Cypriot newspaper.

As UN-mediated talks on the reunification of Cyprus stagnate, representatives from both sides of the divided island accused each other of bad faith during separate visits to Brussels.

A European Commission spokesperson said today (8 November) she was unable to confirm media reports about "secret negotiations" aimed at unblocking Turkey's accession talks, in which Enlargement Commissioner Štefan Füle reportedly played a central role.

Egemen Ba???, Turkey's chief EU negotiator, sought yesterday (29 September) to unblock Ankara's accession bid by calling on European Union countries to call referenda on the country's EU membership. Turkey may also chose to consult its citizens, he said.

A row over cats has erupted between Cyprus and Turkey, adding a surprising new flavour to a long-standing stalemate between the communities of the divided island and its difficult relationship with Turkey, the divided EU country's biggest neighbour.

Ankara believes that stalled negotiations on Turkey's EU accession can be unblocked swiftly if the Cyprus talks make headway, the minister of European affairs and Turkey's chief EU negotiator, Egemen Bagi?, told EURACTIV in an exclusive interview.

As leading EU countries are advocating alternatives to full EU membership for Turkey, Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn told Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week that Ankara should speed up reform instead of breeding unrealistic expectations during its accession process.

Cyprus said on 10 June it would press on with offshore oil exploration, despite strong objections from Turkey, and would open new fields for hydrocarbon research by early next year.

Turkish scholars yesterday (19 May) categorically rejected calls by France and Germany to replace the country's planned EU accession with a "privileged partnership".

Turkish Cypriot hardliners swept to victory in parliamentary elections in northern Cyprus on Sunday (19 April). The result could hamper reunification talks with Greek Cypriots, which are essential for Turkey's EU membership ambitions.

Cypriot officials have rejected demands from the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to hand two seats in the next European Parliament to MEPs hailing from the breakaway northern part of the island, which has so far only been recognised by Ankara. EURACTIV Turkey contributed to this article.

Cypriot President Dimitris Christofias told EURACTIV he was "happy" that Ankara accepted his proposal to cancel military exercises that take place annually on both sides of the divided island, sparking recurring tension in the Aegean.

Talks held yesterday (13 October) between Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders in the buffer zone of the divided island made good progress, with the two sides symbolically deciding to scrap annual military exercises that have frequently sparked tensions in the Aegean.

Turkey has a huge role to play in ensuring that the historic talks, launched earlier this month to reunite the divided island, are a success, Nicholas Emiliou, Cyprus’s chief diplomat to the EU, told EURACTIV.

Greek and Turkish Cypriots agreed on 25 July to begin direct talks aimed at reunifying the island, prompting applause from the EU. A newly appointed UN mediator arrived yesterday (27 July) in Cyprus to help launch the historic talks on 3 September.

Cypriot President Demetris Christofias and the leader of the Turkish community Mehmet Ali Talat have made a significant breakthrough in negotiations aimed at reunifying the divided island, according to reports in international and local media.

Cypriot President Demetris Christofias has issued a warning to his European counterparts over Turkish interference with his efforts, together with the leader of the Turkish community Mehmet Ali Talat, to achieve a historic reunification of the island country.