Cyprus News Agency: News in English, 08-11-25

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From: The Cyprus News Agency at <http://www.cyna.org.cy>

CONTENTS

[01] PRESIDENT GREECE OFFICIAL VISIT

[02] PRESIDENT CHRISTOFIAS TALAT MEETING

[03] FRANCE CYPRUS ISSUE

[04] CY FLEET

[01] PRESIDENT GREECE OFFICIAL VISIT

Christofias and the official delegation will arrive on Wednesday morning at Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport where an unofficial welcoming ceremony will take place at the presence of Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Yiannis Valinakis on behalf of the Greek Government.

The official welcoming ceremony will take place at the Presidential Palace at noon. A private meeting between President Christofias and his spouse and Greek President Karolos Papoulias and his spouse will take place.

A meeting with the participation of delegations of the two governments will follow. Later on the two Presidents will make statements to the press.

Christofias will later on lay a wreath at the Monument for those who have been killed in Cyprus.

In the evening Christofias and his entourage will attend a dinner hosted by Papoulias and his spouse for President Christofias and his spouse.

On Thursday morning Christofias will lay a wreath at the Monument of the Unknown Soldier at Syntagma Square.

Later Christofias and his entourage will be received at the Hellenic Parliament where Christofias will meet the President of the House Demetris Sioufas

At 1230 Christofias will have a private meeting at Maximou Palace with the Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis. Later on delegations of the two governments will meet and after the conclusion of their talks, Christofias and Karamanlis will make statements to the press.

At 1330 Karamanlis and Christofias will attend a working lunch. Later on he will have a meeting with PASOK leader George Papandreou. He will also have a meeting with the Federation of Cypriot Organizations in Greece (OKOE).

At 1800 Christofias and his entourage will attend a Business Conference organized by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Athens.

In the evening, President Christofias and his spouse will give a reception.

On Friday President Christofias will have a meeting with the General Secretary of the Greek Communist Party Aleka Papariga, Synaspismos President Alexis Tsipras and the parliamentary leader of the wider Coalition of the Radical Left Alekos Alavanos and with the President of the Popular Othodox Rally (LAOS) George Karatzaferis.

Later on Christofias and his spouse will have a private meeting with President Papoulias and his spouse at the Presidential Palace. At 1320 the official farewell ceremony will take place.

At 1600 President Christofias will give a press conference at the Union of Foreign Press Correspondents.

President Christofias and the other members of the Cypriot delegation will leave Greece at 1845.

In the framework of the visit, Cyprus Foreign Minister Marcos Kyprianou will have a meeting on Thursday with his Greek counterpart Dora Bakoyannis.

Meanwhile, President Christofias has said that during his first official visit to Greece, November 26-28, the real and final strategic goal of Turkey regarding the Cyprus issue will be investigated.

In an interview with the Athens News Agency Macedonian News Agency, President Christofias stressed that Nicosia and Athens should investigate in more depth the real, final, strategic goal of Turkey regarding the Cyprus issue, to see if todays tactic followed by Ankara is related with this final goal.

The Cypriot President said he does not rule out the possibility that Ankara aims at the recognition of the pseudostate in the Turkish occupied areas of Cyprus and at one form of confederation in Cyprus.

Turkey has been giving such signs he noted and reassured that this can not be accepted by our side.

In his interview, President Christofias expressed the view that recent Turkish obstructions against a Norwegian vessel, which was conducting exploratory survey for hydrocarbon reserves within Cyprus exclusive economic zone, are linked with obstructions in the Aegean Sea, in Greece.

The Cypriot President said that the relations between Greece-Turkey and Cyprus Turkey, will be discussed during his visit to Greece.

He added that during his contacts in Athens he will examine all prospects regarding the ongoing direct negotiations, which began early September between himself and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat, with a view to reach a Cyprus solution.

The Cypriot President said that in Athens concrete decisions will be made, but he did not elaborate further.

President Christofias noted that there is a continuous coordination between Nicosia and Athens as regards the Cyprus problem and other international issues.

Regarding the issue of guarantees in the framework of a future solution of the Cyprus problem, he said that Cyprus and Greece share a common position on that, which is that no guarantee powers are needed for a country which is a member state of the EU.

Referring to the direct negotiations, he said the outcome so far is not negative, adding I would expect it to be more positive.

He also referred to the executive power of the future federal state, saying that the Turkish Cypriot leaders proposal is a repetition, a copy of the provision in the Annan plan, and even a worse version.

The goal, he said, should not be to reach a formula without a solution of the Cyprus problem, but rather to reach a solution of the problem and the participation of Turkish Cypriots in the Euro elections of 2009.

[02] PRESIDENT CHRISTOFIAS TALAT MEETING

President Christofias was commenting on Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talats written statement, which Talat read out during Tuesdays tenth meeting between the leaders on the framework of the UN led Cyprus talks. In his statement, Talat was criticizing the recent official visit President Christofias has paid to the Russian Federation, as well as the common political declaration signed between President Christofias and the Russian President.

The Cypriot President said also that during Tuesdays meeting between himself and Talat, an agreement was reached on issues concerning federal offenses. In statements after the leaders tenth meeting, President Christofias said that regarding the discussion on federal offenses and way of handling ``we have an agreement.

We also discussed the issue of federal police, where we have noted convergence but also deviations. We will continue the discussion, he added.

[03] FRANCE CYPRUS ISSUE

Jouyet also underlined that France maintains its firm position that Turkey cannot join EU before a solution to the Cyprus problem is found. Frances Minister of State was speaking during a meeting he held with a delegation of the Cyprus-France parliamentary Friendship Group paying an official visit to Paris at the invitation of the French National Assembly.

The delegation, comprising members of parliament Demetris Syllouris, Takis Chatzigeorgiou, Andreas Aggelides and George Varnava, held Monday a series of meetings at the French Foreign Ministry, accompanied by Cyprus Ambassador to France Pericles Nearchou. According to an official announcement issued here today, during their meeting with Jouyet, Cypriot MPs congratulated French presidency both for its successful handling of difficult issues on the international scene and for the progress achieved in high priority issues set by the French Presidency.

[04] CY FLEET

The Airbus 319 will be given the name Larnaca and will carry 126 passengers, 12 of which in the business class.

According to a Cyprus Airways press release, the 2,5 years old aircraft will come from the US and is leased with an agreement for six years by the International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC). The agreement is expected to give Cyprus Airways an important commercial advantage and economic benefit, the press release says.

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