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Cyprus News Agency: News in English, 07-03-27Cyprus News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Cyprus News Agency at <http://www.cyna.org.cy>CONTENTS
[01] BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY - CYPRUS OCCUPIED AREAS - DIRECT FLIGHTSBritish Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said on Tuesday that ``legally there are great difficulties`` in commencing direct flights to the Turkish occupied areas of Cyprus.Speaking in Ankara during a joint press conference with Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullah Gul, Beckett said Britain never said there would be direct flights to the occupied areas but would request legal advice on the issue. Beckett added that the advice she received was that ``legally there are great difficulties`` in this issue. Gul said ``we are very thankful to the United Kingdom for its support`` towards Turkey`s bid to join the EU, adding that ``Turkey-UK relations are very strong, the two countries have been allies in NATO for decades and share similar views on many topics.`` He noted that they also discussed ``bilateral relations, war on international terror, Cyprus, the Palestinian-Israeli dispute, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Iran and other international issues.`` Beckett said Britain will continue to support Turkey in EU-related matters and noted that the EU process may be a long and difficult one for Turkey. ``We will be the most important supporter of Turkey,`` she said, adding that ``Turkey`s EU membership will be to the benefit of both Turkey and the EU.`` Cyprus, an EU member, has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. [02] EP COMMITTEE - WOMEN`S RIGHTS - CYPRUSChairwoman of the European Parliament Committee on Women`s Rights and Gender Equality Anna Zaborska expressed on Tuesday her admiration for the effort of the Cypriots to overcome the wounds of the war, forget the past and improve their future.In a press conference given by the delegation of the Committee currently visiting the island, Zaborska said Cyprus` integration to the EU27 is even more difficult than for other member states, as it is a divided state which had the recent experience of war. The MEP said that this morning she told Nicosia Mayor Eleni Mavrou that she admires her courage for becoming Mayor of a divided town, adding that ``what I see and admire is the fact that the Cypriots are trying to heal the wounds of war, as well as the enthusiasm with which they are trying to forget the past and improve their future.`` [03] OSCE FORUM - SPECIAL MEETING - CYPRUS CHAIRMANSHIPA special meeting of the OSCE Forum for Security and Cooperation (FSC) was held recently under the chairmanship of Cyprus to discuss ways of combatting the illicit trafficking of small arms and light weapons by air.This meeting, held on March 21, was the first on an international level to deal with this specific aspect of the problem of the illicit trafficking of small arms and weapons. Minister Plenipotentiary Spyros Attas, who chairs the FSC on behalf of Cyprus, said ``the topic of illicit trafficking of small arms and light weapons by air is new on the international security agenda, and the OSCE aspires to play a role in this field.`` [04] CBC GOVERNOR - EURO-MEDITERRANEAN CONFERENCECentral Bank of Cyprus Governor Christodoulos Christodoulou departed on Tuesday for Valencia, Spain, to participate in the 4th high level Euro-Mediterranean Conference, organised by the European Central Bank and the Bank of Spain, on 28 March.In a press release, the Central Bank says that the Conference is to be held in the context of the provisions and aims of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership and will be attended by Central Bank Governors from Mediterranean countries, including EU members, as well as representatives from the European Commission, the EU Presidency and the European Investment Bank. Cyprus News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |