London Greek Radio

UK Special Envoy on Cyprus Jonathan Allen is set to pay the island a two-day visit on Wednesday and Thursday during which he will hold contacts regarding the Cyprus talks.

“Jonathan Allen, the UK’s Special Envoy on Cyprus will visit Nicosia for 2 days on 29-30 March,” a British High Commission press release issued here today says.

During that time, it is added, “Allen will hold contacts with both sides in the Cyprus settlement negotiations, UN Special Adviser to the Secretary-General, Espen Barthe Eide, and meet representatives of civil society and the bi-communal technical committees whose work also makes an important contribution to rapprochement between the communities of the island.”

Speaking on the visit, British High Commissioner Matthew Kidd said that “the UK welcomes the commitment of Mr. Anastasiades and Mr. Akinci to resuming political level talks soon.”

“The two leaders have shown courage and dedication to get this far in their negotiations, and have made remarkable progress,” he added.

He also expressed the view that “with continued commitment and political will on behalf of the leaders, we continue to believe that an historic agreement is within reach.”

Allen has held the role of Special Envoy on Cyprus since the Geneva Conference on Cyprus in January 2017.

He served as Political/Communications Officer at the British High Commission from 1999 – 2002.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. UN led talks between the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot communities resumed in May 2015 with a view to reunite the island under a federal roof.

The talks were interrupted in mid February by the Turkish Cypriot side, which demands that a decision passed by the Cypriot Parliament relating to a 1950 referendum on union with Greece is revoked, claiming this indicates a shift in the Greek Cypriot side`s goal for a federal solution. The amendment provides that there will be a very brief reference one a year to the referendum at schools.

President Anastasiades has described the House decision as wrong and called on the leader of the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mustafa Akinci, who walked out of the talks, to return to the negotiating table to discuss pending issues with a view to reach a mutually acceptable agreement to reunite the country.

The UN SG`s Special Adviser on Cyprus is hosting a dinner for the two leaders on Sunday. This is the first time the two will meet since mid February.

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UN Secretary General`s Special Adviser on Cyprus Espen Barth Eide is set to host a dinner for Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci next Sunday, April 2, at Ledra Palace hotel, in Nicosia.

In a press release the UN SG`s Good Offices Mission in Cyprus announced on Monday that “Eide, will host a dinner for the Greek Cypriot leader, Mr. Nicos Anastasiades, and the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mr. Mustafa Akıncı, on Sunday 2nd April.”

“The dinner will be held at the Ledra Palace Hotel within the UN buffer zone,” the press release concludes.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. UN led talks between the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot communities resumed in May 2015 with a view to reunite the island under a federal roof.

The talks were interrupted in mid February by the Turkish Cypriot side, which demands that a decision passed by the Cypriot Parliament relating to a 1950 referendum on union with Greece is revoked, claiming this indicates a shift in the Greek Cypriot side`s goal for a federal solution. The amendment provides that there will be a very brief reference one a year to the referendum at schools.

President Anastasiades has described the House decision as wrong and called on the leader of the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mustafa Akinci, who walked out of the talks, to return to the negotiating table to discuss pending issues with a view to reach a mutually acceptable agreement to reunite the country.

Sunday will be the first time the two will meet again.

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Foreign Minister 0f Cyprus Ioannis Kasoulides and his British counterpart Boris Johnson discussed today the prospects for resumption of the negotiations to resolve the Cyprus issue, in the margins of the Council of EU Foreign Ministers, held in Brussels today. I.Kasoulides reaffirmed  President Anastasiades` will to return to the negotiating table as soon as possible, while pointing out that the new Turkish absurd claims such as the issue of the “four freedoms” further complicate the process.

Boris Johnson expressed confidence that mutually acceptable formula is feasible on the security issue and I.Kasoulides stressed that while they have filed several constructive ideas, clearly the right unilateral intervention of a third State and perpetual stationing of Turkish troops is out of the question. The Minister met with his British counterpart at the latter’s request to discuss the latest developments in the Cyprus problem.

During the main Council`s works, the Eu 28 discussed  security and defense issues, developments in the Western Balkans, migration and the implementation of the new framework of partnership with third countries, the peace process in the Middle East and the issue of EU – Egypt relations.  A joint meeting of the Foreign Ministers and Defence Ministers of the EU Member States, also took place, where defense and security issues, such as those arising from the EU`s global strategy.

The EU foreign Ministers also discussed developments in the Western Balkans. The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Frederica Mogherini informed them on the tour she has completed in the region. The EU28 also talked about migration, focusing on the 3rd progress report on the implementation of the new framework of partnership with third countries.

The 28 Foreign Ministers also invited the Foreign Minister of Egypt Sameh Hassan Shoukry during lunch,  for a detailed review of the EU – Egypt relations and their prospects.

In his speech I.Kasoulides welcomed the opportunity for comprehensive review of the relations with Egypt (regional, migration, human rights, economy etc.), underlining the strategic role of the country in a turbulent region and the need for the EU support reforms in the country.

Finally, the Foreign Ministers discussed the latest developments in the Middle East as well as how they shaped the roles and positions of the EU in the Peace Process in the Middle East.

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President Nicos Anastasiades has called on Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci to return to the negotiating table for a Cyprus solution with a productive stance, in order to continue the momentum of the talks and maintain all the positive elements that have been achieved in the past 22 months during the UN backed talks.

He also calls on Akinci to return to help reconvene the Conference on Cyprus as it was agreed last January during the first Conference in Geneva.

The Presidency of the Republic issued a statement on Tuesday, regarding the meeting the President had earlier today with the Bicommunal Peace Initiative. The President expressed his readiness for a new meeting to be set with the Turkish Cypriot leader to resume the talks from the point they were suspended to reach a just and viable solution on the basis of the February 11, 2014 agreement between the two communities, UN resolutions and the unanimous decisions of the National Council.

He also told his guests, as he has publicly stated, that the decision taken recently by the Cyprus House regarding the Union Referendum was not appropriate and unnecessary.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37% of its territory. Anastasiades and Akinci have been engaged in UN-backed talks since May 2015 with an aim to reunify the island under a federal roof.

Akinci walked out of a meeting in mid February, in the framework of the UN-led negotiations on the Cyprus problem. Anastasiades and Akinci had elaborated earlier on in that meeting their positions on an amendment passed by the Cypriot Parliament which includes a once a year reference of no more than ten minutes at schools to the 1950 referendum held in Cyprus, advocating enosis (union with Greece).

President Anastasiades has described the House amendment “wrong” and called on Akinci to return to the negotiating table. Akinci demands that the amendment is revoked before returning to the negotiating table.

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It has been confirmed that singer Demy will represent Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 which will be broadcast from Kyiv, in Ukraine. A song has yet to be publicly released however reports confirm that a song will be selected shortly.

Broadcaster ERT officially confirmed internally selecting Eurovision composer Dimitris Kontopoulos and creative stage director Fokas Evangelinos who were give the job of selecting an artist; they’d chosen Demy to fly the Greek flag.

25 year old Athenian born Demy is a Greek popular artist and Greek fans and local media are already referring to them as the dynamic dream team; suggesting the country has confidence in this years competition entry.

According to an official press release which was released by ERT, Demy aka Demetra Papadea will sing three songs composed by Dimitris live on Greek television on Monday 6th March. Moreover the official music videos to each song will also be revealed on this date.

The public won’t have a chance to listen to any of the songs before that live event, which leaves fans in eager anticipation. Viewers shall be tele-voting for their favourite song through SMS and phone-calls to make sure the best song chosen very wisely.

The information we have been given on the 3 songs is as follows: choice one ‘Angels‘ is a radio-friendly pop-rock ballad with lyrics written by Demy’s siter, Romy Papadea. Choice two ‘When the morning comes around‘ is an ‘American style ballad’ by lyricist John Ballard. The third choice ‘This is love‘ is up-tempo track, jointly written by Romy Papadea and John Ballard. The tunes have already been recorded with ERT’s string Ensemble orchestra whilst the video-clips have taken the song’s creators to the Ukrainian city of Odessa.

With Dimitris and Fokas behind Demy, this year feels for like it could be a strong come-back, for Greece. Not least to try to erase last year’s very early exit.

Fokas was in fact responsible for Elena Paparizou’s ‘My number one’ winning entry in the 2005 Eurovision Song Contest which was held in Kyiv. 12 years later we are back in Kyiv with Fokas (and Dimitris Kontopoulos) heading the team leaving fans with high expectations. Not to mention that Eurovision followers are hoping Kyiv itself is a lucky city for Greece as our only ever win happened there.

Demy is signed to the Panik records family; she won Best New Artist in 2012’s Mad Music Awards. Her hits have included Poses xiliades kalokairia, Tha meineis feugontas, Nothing better, O hlios featuring Alex Leon & Epsilon, Mono mprosta, I zoi, H alitheia moiazei psema, Kratise me and Emeis.

Demy is currently appearing in the musical Mamma Mia! alongside Despina Vandi. She also starred in Fame The Musical, Priscilla, The Sound of Music, and Addams Family.

The Greek entrant will compete in the Eurovision Song Contest’s first semi final, which will air on Tuesday 9th May, televised live on BBC 4, advancing hopefully to the Eurovision Final on Saturday 13th May 2017.

Article written by Tony Neophytou

President of the Republic of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades called on the Turkish Cypriot leader to abandon his accusations and return to the negotiating table in a constructive manner, with a view to reach a solution in Cyprus that would meet the expectations of both communities.

Speaking at the Presidential Palace, after Thursday`s meeting between himself and T/C leader Mustafa Akinci, President Anastasiades expressed sorrow for the outcome of the meeting.

During their short meeting in the framework of the negotiations for a Cyprus solution, which began at 1000 in the morning local time, Anastasiades and Akinci elaborated on their positions as regards a decision taken by the Cypriot Parliament on Friday to commemorate the 1950 Enosis Referendum in schools.

President Anastasiades stressed that while the discussion was taking place in a friendly and constructive manner, after a short break as a result of a disagreement between the Greek Cypriot side and the UN, the Turkish Cypriot delegation left the meeting without any reason.

The President said that the Turkish Cypriot leader`s claims as to what happened during today`s meeting are not the real facts and expressed his belief that UNSG`s Special Advisor for Cyprus Espen Barth Eide, who was present at the meeting, will set things straight.

Replying to a question, the President expressed the view that the stance of the Turkish Cypriot side during today`s meeting had been decided in advance.

He emphasized that the Greek Cypriot side and himself remain fully committed to the achievement of a viable and functional solution of the Cyprus problem, and the continuation of the dialogue as agreed before the UN Secretary General on the 12th of January 2017.

The President said that UNSG Envoy Espen Barth Eide tried to convince the Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci to return, however he was uncompromising.

President Anastasiades explained that during the meeting Akinci reiterated what he publicly has stated in relation to the concerns of the Turkish Cypriot community because of the decision taken by the House of Representatives, to commemorate in schools a referendum held in 1950 in favor of Cyprus` union with Greece. He pointed out that he explained to Akinci that these concerns are not justified and he referred to the unanimous statement by the National Council taken on Monday, which clearly underlines that the objective is not the union with Greece and is not of course the partition. He also repeated that the Turkish Cypriot side cannot doubt the will of the Greek Cypriots for a solution.

President Anastasiades said that the unanimous statement of the National Council speaks of the commitment to a solution that is fully compatible with the resolutions of the UN General Assembly as well as the Security Council resolutions.

He also repeated that he will not allow anyone to doubt or question our side’s sincere will for a solution that will be accepted by both communities.

The President said that during today’s meeting he referred to various incidents that disregard the sensitivities of the Greek Cypriot community, pointing out that he never sought to stop the dialogue, he did not ask the Turkish Cypriot leader to assume any responsibility or to correct the decisions taken by the political parties in the Turkish Cypriot community.

Furthermore, the President said that he highlighted the progress that has been achieved and the fact that it is important to focus on continuing the negotiations in order to address the remaining differences.

President Anastasiades added that in today’s meeting he pointed out that one should not seek excuses in order to avoid the assumption of responsibility that Turkey bears or to allow Turkey to raise demands that do not concern the interests of the Cypriot people.

He went on to say that such approaches undermine the whole process and are not consistent with is publicly proclaimed. The President called on Turkey once again to contribute to solving fundamental issues of the Cyprus problem that have to do with the concerns of the Greek Cypriot community.

He said that inappropriate or unnecessary decisions or statements give pretext to Turkey or the Turkish Cypriot community and they are exploited in order for them to avoid taking any responsibility.

The President of the Republic also went on to say that the Greek Cypriot side remains fully committed to finding a viable and functional solution and to the continuation of the dialogue as agreed before the UN Secretary General in Geneva on January 12, 2017.

He urged the Turkish Cypriot leader to return to the dialogue and show constructive spirit so that they can achieve a comprehensive solution that meets the expectations of both communities.

Invited to comment on a statement by the Turkish Cypriot leader that it was the President who first walked out of the meeting, he said that the journalists themselves are witnesses to what happened as they were informed from the Turkish Cypriot media that Akinci left the talks, while he (the President) arrived that the Presidential Palace at least half an hour later as he was waiting for Special Envoy Eide to convince Akinci to return to the negotiating table.
Asked about the UN stance and Eide’s efforts, the President said that Eide made an attempt to create an environment of understanding and while referring to the concerns expressed by the Turkish Cypriots, he suggested that they are maybe wrong or right.

He explained that he responded to that saying that it is not accepted for him to doubt the will and intentions of the Greek Cypriot side, especially having witnessed after two years, the stance of the Greek Cypriot side.

The President said that after that, he asked for a small break and while he was outside, the Turkish Cypriot leader and his team walked out. He went on to say that not even Eide himself realised what had happened, he remained in the room and he did not go out to greet the leaders and their teams, as he always does.

He pointed out that Akinci’s statements do not respond to the real situation, adding that he wishes to be really careful in what he says as he does not want to exacerbate the situation. He also expressed his hope that Eide will state the real facts, adding that he will also brief the UNSG on the incident and the accurate facts.

He also spoke about events that are celebrated by the Turkish Cypriots that offend the Greek Cypriots.
President Anastasiades also said that never before an issue was brought up about the celebrations for April 1st, which mark the anniversary of the Cypriot anti-colonial liberation struggle of 1955-1959 and represent the desire and objective for union with Greece.

He pointed out that if our wish is the reunification of our country, we must abandon any pretexts and focus on what is important and crucial in order to give our country hope.

The Republic of Cyprus has been divided since 1974. Anastasiades and Akinci have been engaged in UN-led talks since May 2015 with a view to reunite the island under a federal roof.

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For the first time in London, on Friday 3^rd March, London Greek Radio are hosting a spectacular evening.

Enjoy a traditional Bouat styled evening in a chilled and relaxed atmosphere.

Entertaining us on the night are the talented; Aggeliki Darra, Katerina Neocleous, Tony Panayi, Ploutarchos Manolessos & Nikos Ntintas.

Join us in the bar of the Cypriot Community Centre, Earlham Grove, Wood Green. Let’s have a drink and listen to the live music and have an amazing evening. You can even sing a long too and really let your hair down.

There will be drinks and nibbles available at the bar.

This will be an unforgettable night with our dearest London Greek Radio audience.

Doors will open at 7:30pm.

For more information and tickets please call LGR on 0208 349 6950

We look forward to seeing you all there.

This event is sponsored by: C. Michael & Co Accountants, Delphi Food Products, Nikos Transport, Anastasia Lodge & Autumn Gardens.

Article written by London Greek Radio

The Eurovision Semi-Final Allocation Draw carried out on 31^st January, at the Column Hall of Kyiv City State Administration, in Ukraine, officially launched the start to Eurovision season.

The Cypriot and Greek entry performers have been drawn to sing in the First Semi-Final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017, airing on Tuesday 9^th May live on BBC4 at 8 p.m. GMT.

We last visited Kyiv in 2005, that proved absolutely one of the best Eurovision song contests ever, with Elena Paparizou’s song ‘My Number One’ which won the Eurovision, bringing the only Greek victory in the competition.

The Semi-Finals will span Tuesday 9^th May to Thursday 11^th May concluding with the second semi-final, on that occasion. The Eurovision Final will go out live on Saturday 13^th May at 8 p.m. GMT to be held at the Kyiv International Exhibition Centre (IEC).

Cyprus and Greece is amongst 18 countries, conclude the first semi-final. How it works really… The Top 10 qualifiers who pass the round in each allocated semi, with 50:50 Tele-voting, and professional jury points. The semi-heats producing our lucky 20 qualifiers on both Tuesday and Thursday will be entered in the live final.

The 37 Semi-Finalists have been allocated into six pots, based on historical voting patterns as calculated by the contest’s official tele-voting partner Digame. Drawing from different pots helps to reduce the chance of so-called neighbourly voting and increases suspense in the Semi-Finals.

The UK, Spain, Germany, Italy, France, and host’s Ukraine thanks to Jamala’s winning song last year are direct finalists. The Big 5 has that upgraded status, as Eurovision’s biggest financial contributory members to the European Broadcasting Union, organisers of the Eurovision.

Hovig aka Hovig Demirdjian will represent Cyprus in Kyiv, internally selected by the CyBc broadcaster. He is a Cypriot pop singer with over 10 year’s music career; he went all the way to the live shows of Greek X-Factor in 2009, and has never given up on his quest to represent the Cypriot flag at the song contest. He will sing our Cypriot tune called ‘Gravity‘, composed by Swedish producer Thomas G:Son. His song has a Eurovision feel and potentially radio-friendly hit song, suggests the song-writer.

The official video is due to be released in March and we can’t wait to get our hand on it to share it with our listeners on LGR and through lgr.co.uk.

Demy aka Demetra Papadea will be the Greek representative, with her tune due to be separately selected by the tele-voting public, on Monday 6th March 2017. She has three songs exclusively written for her by the Eurovision legend Dimitris Kontopoulos with creative staging director Fokas Evangelinos, our dynamic team.  So what happened, Dimitris and Fokas appointed Demy, suggesting she was the best choice to the powers that be that’s how we have Demy, to fly the Greek flag to make a strong come-back to Eurovision this year…

She is signed to the Panik Records family, with a substantial volume of pop hits.

This year’s Greek trio is dubbed the ‘dream team’ surely working very hard to come up with a competitive song. Dimitris and Fokas, have a long illustrious run in the song contest with many Top 10s including Sakis Rouvas, to Sergey Lazarev, Russian entrant in 2016’s Eurovision Song Contest, finished Top 3 on finale night.

The viewers in the United Kingdom are able to vote for their favourites in the first semi-final, airing on BBC 4, so too, Italy and Spain. Meanwhile, Germany, Ukraine and France are voting in the second semi-final of Eurovision on the Thursday evening.

This year’s ‘Celebrating Diversity’ theme will define Kyiv Eurovision welcoming 43 countries, to the annual music event. Executive Supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest, Jon Ola Sand said: ”The notion of celebrating diversity builds on last year’s theme of ‘Come Together’ and is at the heart of Eurovision values: it is all-inclusive and all about countries around Europe, and beyond, joining together to celebrate both our common ground and our unique differences, as well as the love of great music”.

The running order will be determined by the producers of the show and approved by EBU’s Reference Group in mid-March.

Article written by Tony Neophytou

George Mazonakis, one of the biggest stars in Greece, is coming to London for the first time for a special show on February 28th.

The multi-platinum singer has experienced profound success throughout more than 20 years of his discography and live performances. He put himself in a continuously changing and evolving process concerning his personal style and his repertoire choices. He has always been known for his crystal clear opinion about his aesthetic directions, his sheer professionalism and the simplicity of his beliefs. It seems that is all about a singer which is hard to compromise in the stereotypical categories that already exist in the Greek music industry.

George’s temperament, unique interpretation and innovative views have changed the way of nightlife, with very successful appearances at famous nightclubs in Athens.

London-based Microtone Productions is happy to welcome George and his 10-piece band to London, for the first time in his career, for a special show at KOKO on February 28th. Tickets are available via the Ticket Web website, click here to purchase yours. Advance online tickets are £35 or you can purchase yours on the door for £40 per person.

Article written by London Greek Radio

Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci continued on Thursday their talks aiming to reach convergences on the issues which are still pending at the negotiations on the Cyprus problem by discussing the chapter of governance.

In statements upon his arrival at the Presidential Palace Anastasiades said that relative progress has been achieved adding at the same time that quite a lot of work remains to be done. Furthermore he said that the various chapters will be discussed interdependently.

Asked if the date for the convening of the next session of the Conference on Cyprus has been agreed, Anastasiades said that it will probably take place after the 13th of March.

In his statements, Anastasiades said that the negotiators of the two sides have written down “the convergences, the slightest divergences and the big divergences” and that on the basis of this preparation the two leaders began their discussion to see how more differences are transformed into convergences. He added that today they discussed the chapter of Governance.

He said that relative progress was achieved but quite a lot of work remains to be done. Furthermore he noted that discussion on the various chapters will take place interdependently “to achieve, on the basis of everything that has been also agreed in the past, the biggest possible convergences before the Conference on Cyprus”

Asked if the UNSG`s Special Adviser on Cyprus Espen Barth Eide informed them on his recent meetings with the guarantor powers, Anastasiades said that they have a picture about what happened in those meetings.

He added that “the general picture is that the intention of the involved parties is to reach a solution as soon as possible,” adding that this will become apparent at the negotiating table so that “we do not rest on the various assurances.”

Responding to another question, Anastasiades said that they did not discuss today about the issue of the four fundamental freedoms.

The Conference on Cyprus convened, on January 12, in Geneva, under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, with the participation of Anastasiades and Akinci, the Foreign Ministers of Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom as guarantor powers, and in the presence of the European Union as an observer, to address the issue of security and guarantees, a crucial chapter in discussions for a Cyprus settlement.

The Conference decided to establish a working group at the level of deputies to identify specific questions and the instruments needed to address them, and that the Conference will continue at political level immediately thereafter to review the outcome of the working group’s discussions.

In parallel, according to the decision, the negotiations on outstanding issues in the other chapters will continue between the two sides in Cyprus.

The working group of deputies met in Mont-Pelerin, Switzerland, on January 18-19, and according to Eide “successfully completed the mandate entrusted to it by the Conference.”

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37% of its territory. Anastasiades and Akinci have been engaged in UN-led negotiations since May 2015, with a view to reunite the island under a federal roof.

Article written by CNA