Latest news with #YiannisKourtoglou
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Greeks mourn, Turks celebrate anniversary of invasion that split Cyprus
Find out what's new on ST website and app. A woman walks next to the graves of soldiers killed in the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus at the Tymvos Makedonitissas military cemetery in Nicosia, Cyprus July 20, 2025. REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou NICOSIA - Greek and Turkish Cypriots marked on Sunday the 51st anniversary of Turkey's 1974 invasion of Cyprus, an event that split the island and remains a source of tension between NATO partners Greece and Turkey. Air raid sirens sounded across the southern Greek Cypriot-populated parts of Cyprus at 5:30 a.m. (0230 GMT), the exact time when Turkish troops landed on the northern coast in a military intervention triggered by a brief Greece-inspired coup. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan was due to attend celebrations in north Cyprus, a breakaway state recognised only by Ankara. Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides attended a memorial service in the south to commemorate the more than 3,000 people who died in the Turkish invasion, which also drove tens of thousands of Greek Cypriots from their homes. "Despite those who want us to forget, we will never forget, or yield an inch of land," Christodoulides said, calling celebrations in the north "shameful". Efforts to reunify Cyprus as a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation have repeatedly failed amid deep-rooted mistrust and competing visions for the island's future. Before the invasion, clashes between Turkish and Greek Cypriots saw Turkish Cypriots withdraw from a power-sharing government and prompted the deployment of U.N. peacekeepers in 1964. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore 1 in 3 vapes here laced with etomidate; MOH working with MHA to list it as illegal drug: Ong Ye Kung Singapore HSA extends hotline hours, launches new platform to report vaping offences Singapore 2-in-1 airport police robot on trial can patrol and serve as PMD with ride-hailing feature Asia Tearful relatives await news of victims in Vietnam boat capsize Singapore ComfortDelDro to discipline driver who flung relative's wheelchair out of taxi Multimedia How to make the most out of small homes in Singapore Asia Over 380,000 people affected by autogate glitch at JB checkpoint over 2 days Singapore Minor Issues: Why I didn't send my daughters to my brand-name primary school Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar said the invasion had brought "peace and tranquility" to the island following the "darkest years" for Turkish Cypriots. "Their (Greek Cypriots) goal was to destroy the Turkish Cypriots," he said in a video address posted on X. The simmering conflict complicates Turkey's ambitions to foster closer ties with the European Union, of which both Cyprus and Greece are members. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said last week the two sides would continue discussions on trust-building measures, warning that "there is a long road ahead". REUTERS
The Star
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
Greeks mourn, Turks celebrate anniversary of invasion splitting Cyprus
A woman walks next to the graves of soldiers killed in the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus at the Tymvos Makedonitissas military cemetery in Nicosia, Cyprus July 20, 2025. REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou NICOSIA (Reuters) -Greek and Turkish Cypriots on Sunday marked the 51st anniversary of Turkey's 1974 invasion of Cyprus, an event that split the island and continues to shape geopolitics in the region. Air raid sirens wailed across the southern Greek Cypriot populated parts of Cyprus at 0530 local time (0230 GMT), the hour Turkish troops landed on the northern coast in a military intervention triggered by a brief Greece-inspired coup. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan was due to attend celebrations in north Cyprus, a breakaway state recognised only by Ankara. Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides attended a memorial service in the south for people who died. Efforts to reunify Cyprus as a bizonal, bicommunal federation have repeatedly failed amid deep-rooted mistrust and competing visions for the island's future. The simmering conflict is a source of tension between NATO partners Greece and Turkey and complicates Turkey's ambitions to foster closer ties with the European Union, of which both Cyprus and Greece are members. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday the two sides would continue discussions on trust-building measures. "There is a long road ahead," he said. (Writing by Michele Kambas; Editing by Aidan Lewis)
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Greeks mourn, Turks celebrate anniversary of invasion splitting Cyprus
Find out what's new on ST website and app. A woman walks next to the graves of soldiers killed in the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus at the Tymvos Makedonitissas military cemetery in Nicosia, Cyprus July 20, 2025. REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou NICOSIA - Greek and Turkish Cypriots on Sunday marked the 51st anniversary of Turkey's 1974 invasion of Cyprus, an event that split the island and continues to shape geopolitics in the region. Air raid sirens wailed across the southern Greek Cypriot populated parts of Cyprus at 0530 local time (0230 GMT), the hour Turkish troops landed on the northern coast in a military intervention triggered by a brief Greece-inspired coup. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan was due to attend celebrations in north Cyprus, a breakaway state recognised only by Ankara. Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides attended a memorial service in the south for people who died. Efforts to reunify Cyprus as a bizonal, bicommunal federation have repeatedly failed amid deep-rooted mistrust and competing visions for the island's future. The simmering conflict is a source of tension between NATO partners Greece and Turkey and complicates Turkey's ambitions to foster closer ties with the European Union, of which both Cyprus and Greece are members. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday the two sides would continue discussions on trust-building measures. "There is a long road ahead," he said. REUTERS
The Star
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
Cyprus leaders to continue discussions on confidence building, says UN
An abandoned outpost is seen near the UN-controlled buffer zone in Nicosia, Cyprus July 17, 2025. REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou (Reuters) -Leaders of ethnically split Cyprus have agreed to continue discussions towards confidence building, U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday, in a dispute which has kept NATO partners Greece and Turkey at odds for decades. The Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities will press ahead with attempts to open new crossing points between the two sides and cooperating on solar energy initiatives, Guterres said after hosting the Cypriot leaders at U.N. headquarters in New York. "It is critical to implement all these initiatives as soon as possible, for the benefit of all Cypriots," Guterres said. The two sides had agreed in an encounter with Guterres earlier this year to open four additional crossing points, demine, establish a youth affairs committee, and launch environmental and solar energy projects. There are presently nine crossing points along a 180-km-long (116-mile-long) ceasefire line splitting the two sides. Guterres said there was a "question of itinerary" in relation to one of the new checkpoints opening but that there had been important progress on the issue. Cyprus was split more than 50 years ago in a Turkish invasion after a brief Greek-inspired coup, following years of sporadic violence between Greek and Turkish Cypriots. Reunification talks collapsed in mid-2017 and have been in a stalemate since. The Cyprus conflict is a key source of disagreement between NATO allies Greece and Turkey, fiercely defensive of their respective kin on the island. (Writing by Michele Kambas; Editing by Sandra Maler)
Straits Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Cyprus leaders to continue discussions on confidence building, says UN
An abandoned outpost is seen near the UN-controlled buffer zone in Nicosia, Cyprus July 17, 2025. REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou Leaders of ethnically split Cyprus have agreed to continue discussions towards confidence building, U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday, in a dispute which has kept NATO partners Greece and Turkey at odds for decades. The Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities will press ahead with attempts to open new crossing points between the two sides and cooperating on solar energy initiatives, Guterres said after hosting the Cypriot leaders at U.N. headquarters in New York. "It is critical to implement all these initiatives as soon as possible, for the benefit of all Cypriots," Guterres said. The two sides had agreed in an encounter with Guterres earlier this year to open four additional crossing points, demine, establish a youth affairs committee, and launch environmental and solar energy projects. There are presently nine crossing points along a 180-km-long (116-mile-long) ceasefire line splitting the two sides. Guterres said there was a "question of itinerary" in relation to one of the new checkpoints opening but that there had been important progress on the issue. Cyprus was split more than 50 years ago in a Turkish invasion after a brief Greek-inspired coup, following years of sporadic violence between Greek and Turkish Cypriots. Reunification talks collapsed in mid-2017 and have been in a stalemate since. The Cyprus conflict is a key source of disagreement between NATO allies Greece and Turkey, fiercely defensive of their respective kin on the island. REUTERS Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Driverless bus in Sentosa gets green light to run without safety officer in first for S'pore World US strikes destroyed only one of three Iranian nuclear sites, says new report Business 5 things to know about Kuok Hui Kwong, tycoon Robert Kuok's daughter and Shangri-La Asia head honcho Asia Air India probe into Boeing 787 fuel control switches finds no issues Singapore Man charged over manufacturing DIY Kpods at Yishun home; first such case in Singapore Singapore Sex first, then you can sell my flat: Women property agents fend off indecent proposals and harassment Singapore Two women jailed for submitting fake university certificates to MOM for employment passes Singapore Fatal abuse of Myanmar maid in Bishan: Traffic Police officer sentenced to 10 years' jail
