London Greek Radio

It is unacceptable to shift the burden of responsibility for the migration crisis on the shoulders of the Republic of Cyprus, President Nicos Anastasiades stressed on Tuesday.

The President held a meeting in Nicosia with the President of the European Council Donald Tusk, who is preparing the ground for this week`s EU – Turkey Summit on the migration crisis.

“Ι conveyed to President Tusk our position that the Republic of Cyprus does not intend to consent to the opening of any chapters, if Turkey does not fulfill its obligations as described in the Negotiating Framework and the Ankara Protocol,” President Anastasiades said.

He underlined that he explained to President Tusk “it is unwarranted, counter-productive, not to mention unacceptable, not by President Tusk, to shift the burden of responsibility for the migration crisis on my shoulders or on the shoulders of the Republic of Cyprus.”

In his statements, Tusk said that he is not in Nicosia to exert pressure on Cyprus. “I am here to listen to your positions ahead of the EU Council this week,” he noted.

He stressed that when it comes to accession, “I want to make it clear that the rules have not changed. The same strict conditionality applies and moving forward will still require the agreement by all 28.”

“No third country can ever be more important to me than any of our member states,” Tusk pointed out. Furthermore he expressed his full support to the ongoing efforts for a settlement in Cyprus.

In his statements, Anastasiades expressed his absolute satisfaction for the objective stance he adopted both during the recent European Councils and during today`s meeting. “A stance that corresponds with the President`s institutional capacity as the guardian of the EU`s principles and values,” he added.

He said that during today’s meeting they had the opportunity to exchange some thoughts, ideas and concerns as regards the upcoming European Council and, among others, I informed the President of the position of Cyprus as regards Turkish requests.

He noted that Cyprus, “as Turkey’s EU closest neighbor, has always been a strong supporter of Turkey’s full accession to the EU, on the condition of course that Turkey fulfills its obligations, as described in the negotiating framework, including the full and non-discriminatory implementation of the Ankara Protocol.”

“At the same time, I conveyed that we fully understand the problems EU member states face as a result of the unprecedented flow of migrants, and in particular the serious problems faced by Greece following the closure of routes to Europe,” he said.

Anastasiades said that “in this regard – and despite the fact that the migration crisis is in no way connected with the discussion on the re-energisation of Turkey’s accession process -, Cyprus has maintained a very constructive stance”.

He recalled that Cyprus consented to the opening of Chapter 17, accepted Turkey’s participation in informal Summits
on migration and consented to the Action Plan.

He said that during their deliberations, he reminded to President Tusk the well-known fact that since 2004 Turkey has persistently refused to fulfill any of its obligations vis-à-vis the EU and its member states, including the Republic of Cyprus, Turkey’s refusal to implement fully the Additional Protocol vis-à-vis Cyprus is the reason the Council decided unanimously to freeze 8 negotiating chapters in December 2006 and that in addition to its refusal to implement the Additional Protocol towards Cyprus, Turkey has submitted letters, by which Cyprus is characterized as “defunct”. Further, most recently on 29 November 2015 the Turkish Prime Minister reiterated Turkey’s position that they do not recognize the Republic of Cyprus, he added.

To this end, he stressed, it must be understood by our EU partners that possible acceptance of the Turkish demands, without implementation of Turkey’s long pending obligations would in essence constitute – with my own consent – acceptance that the Republic of Cyprus is, indeed, “defunct”.

Anastasiades said that he underlined to President Tusk that “at this critical phase of the negotiations for a solution of the Cyprus problem such a proposal leads me – without my intention – to come to a confrontation with Turkey. In fact, any confrontation with the Turkish Government, particularly at this critical phase in the negotiations, is the last thing we are looking for.”

“In this regard, I explained to President Tusk that it is unwarranted, counter-productive and not to mention unacceptable to shift – not by President Tusk – the burden of responsibility for the migration crisis on my shoulders, or on the shoulders of the Republic of Cyprus,” he added.

“In view of what I have mentioned, I conveyed to President Tusk our position that the Republic of Cyprus does not intend to consent to the opening of any Chapters if Turkey does not fulfill its obligations as described in the negotiating framework and the Ankara Protocol,” he stressed.

On his part, Tusk said the main purpose of his visit to Cyprus today is to discuss further steps in the European Union`s cooperation with Turkey on how to handle the migration crisis. “I am not here to exert pressure on Cyprus. I am here to listen to your position ahead of the European Council this week,” he added.

He recalled that “at our EU summit last week, we discussed a further strengthening of our cooperation with Turkey,” noting that “this is an important pillar of our common and comprehensive European strategy. But it is never wise to build a plan on one pillar only. We should not, and we will not. The other pillars of our common European strategy consist of getting back to Schengen, ending the wave-through-policy, including along the Western Balkans route. And also massively stepping up humanitarian assistance to the most affected countries, not least Greece,” he noted.

“Last week I was mandated to prepare an agreement between Turkey and the European Union on further strengthening our cooperation in the migration crisis. I am now working on the details. This is why I am here today in Nicosia. And this is why I will continue to Ankara this evening,” Tusk went on.

He said that the Turkish proposal worked out together with Germany and the Netherlands still needs to be re-balanced so as to be accepted by all 28 Member States and the EU institutions. The objective is to conclude the negotiations Thursday and Friday this week but we are not there yet.

“One of the issues to be sorted out is the key question of legality. We need to ensure that any new large-scale return scheme between Greece and Turkey fully complies with EU law and our international commitments. This means that we must ensure that all get an individual assessment in Greece before a decision to return them to Turkey. And it also means that we must ensure that those in need of international protection receive appropriate protection in Turkey. Another issue to be addressed is that of possible alternative routes from Turkey to other EU countries such as Bulgaria. This also has to be factored in for the agreement to be effective,” he noted.

“But our cooperation with Turkey goes much beyond migration. The current dynamics offers an opportunity to re-energise the relations between the European Union and Turkey”, he said.

At the same time, he stressed that “the European Union is a Union of 28 Member States. Cyprus is as important as Germany, France, the Netherlands or any other Member State. No third country can ever be more important to me than any of our Member States. We should use this opportunity, and make sure that all benefit from this new dynamics, also Cyprus.”

Furthermore he noted that when it comes to accession, “I want to make it clear that the rules have not changed. The same strict conditionality applies and moving forward will still require the agreement of all 28.”

Tusk also said that they discussed the ongoing efforts in the Cyprus settlement negotiations, “which have my full support. I listened carefully to President Anastasiades and reassured him we fully understand that the negotiations are at an important juncture and that all EU actions are directed at facilitating these negotiations. A successful outcome, with support from both sides of the island, would give a fresh start not only to Cyprus, but to the whole of Europe and the wider region,” he noted.

Referring to Cyprus `s economic recovery, he noted that “only three years ago, you were standing on the brink of a financial abyss. Today you are standing on your own feet again, without having used all the resources made available to you by your eurozone partners and the IMF. This success is a result of your own efforts. It is a good sign for Cyprus, the euro zone and Europe.”

Article written by CNA

Greek government puts into effect what Shipping and Island Policy Minister Theodoros Dritsas said on Sunday concerning Greece’s intention to equally distribute the refugees and immigrants throughout the country, if there is no European solution.

With 25,000 immigrants and refugees trapped in many places all over Greece, the government is looking for places to host them.

One of the solution announced on Monday morning is hosting a large group of refugees at Antonis Tritsis Park in Ilion, Athens.

As mayor Nikos Zenetos confirmed to protothema.gr, Greek army has started setting up tents for about 800 refugees and immigrants, while the army has been setting up tents since Sunday at former Greece’s airport at Elliniko and particularly at Baseball Centre, according to information.

Article written by Proto Thema

Greek singer Pantelis Pantelidis died and two female passengers were seriously injured in a car crash early on Thursday.

According to media reports, the singer driving a Mercedes lost control of his vehicle and crashed against the crash barriers at around 8.30 am on Vouliagmenis Avenue, southern Athens.

Pantelidis was transferred to the nearest hospital, where he was pronounced dead. One of the two women on board was severely injured and has undergone surgery, while the other, according to local media outlets, is in critical condition.

Pantelidis, a self taught musician, was born in 1983 in Athens.

Article written by LGR

EasyJet has opened a 25p store in Park Royal, North West London called the easyFoodstore. The store opened on the 1st February and sells everything from digestive biscuits to chickpeas and pasta.

Every item in store has been priced at 25p; this price will remain throughout February as an introductory offer. However, an easyJet spokesman has suggested that they may increase products to 50p thereafter.

The owner of EasyJet entrepreneur, Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou is hoping that this store he has launched will rival Aldi and Lidl who are also discount stores. Haji-Ioannou also added that “this is another way the ‘easy’ brand can serve the less well-off”.

True to this, the store motto is ‘No expensive brands, just food honestly priced’.

Richard Shackleton, communications director for easyGroup said that the reason for this store opening is to help people who are on low paid jobs or on benefits and can’t use food banks any more. If this store is successful then they are hoping to open another store inside the M25.

Article written by Chantel Georgiou

In December 2015 the parliament in Athens had introduced relevant legislation to allow same-sex marriages in Greece.

Nearly 200 of a 300 seated parliament voted in favour for this legislation despite opposition from some political parties and the Orthodox Church. Other European countries such as Britain, Cyprus and Spain had already passed this legislation before Greece.

At noon on Monday 25th January 2016 the first same-sex civil partnership certificate was signed by the Mayor of Athens, Giorgos Kaminis. This was a symbolic day as it was an important day for ‘human rights’. It is known that Mr.Kaminis signed five civil partnership certificates in total on Monday. This is a positive step forward.

“Today is an important day for human rights” announced the Mayor of Athens Giorgos Kaminis. He also uploaded a picture onto his Twitter account, signing the first civil partnership certificate.

Article written by Chantel Georgiou

Entrepreneur Alex Loizou, age 28 is the first Cypriot to make it onto Forbes 30 under 30 list. Alex is originally from Nicosia and his hard work over the last three years in London has paid off. It has earned him a place in the ‘Technology’ category in the famous Forbes magazine.

After finding out about the news, Alex Loizou took to Facebook and Twitter, writing “Awesome to be selected in the Forbes 30 under 30 consumer tech list! Trouva ftw!”

Alex is the co-founder of StreetHub now called Trouva, which is a marketplace that brings independent shops together on the same platform giving them the right technology to fight back against larger chains in the industry. StreetHub got going in 2013 by helping independent fashion retailers find online buyers and drive them to physical stores.

Alex, who graduated from the University of Cologne and the London School of Economics, spoke to Sigma Live English about what this means to him and he explains what Trouva is and the philosophy behind it all.

The main aim is to help urban places in cities such as London to have a platform in selling their unique items. He found that individual shops in London have no real technology to sell their products globally and people can only buy their unique products from the shop itself as they are not well versed with technology and marketing.

‘Trouva.com’ enables these small individual companies to sell globally through this website. Alex says that technology is something these shops need in order to branch out and gain more customers. The Trouva website therefore helps independent boutiques stand out and sell their unique products to more people. “We make boutique shopping simple,” the Trouva website proclaims. “Shop 150 of the UK’s best independent boutiques. All in one place. All online.”

Article written by Chantel Georgiou

A Cypriot Politician is widening his efforts to save the A level Modern Greek Exam by writing to all the Members of Parliament on the House of Commons Education Select Committee.

Stephen Alambritis is the Aradippou born Council leader at the London Borough of Merton and he has today written to Mr Neil Carmichael MP, the Chair of the Education Select Committee in Parliament.

In his letter to Mr Carmichael (copied to all ten cross party MP’s on the Select Committee) Cllr Alambritis reminded the Education Select Committee Chair of the recent inquiry into the work of Ofqual that his committee was undertaking.

Alambritis stressed the importance of languages in the workplace. He said children of Greek background taking A level language exams have to plan their schooling in advance and it was important to come to a decision on the Modern Greek A level language Exam which is currently in limbo.

Britain’s first ever Cypriot council leader is once more writing to the Chair of Ofqual, Amanda Spielman urging her to announce a permanent decision to help in saving the crucial language exam from abolition by examining authorities. Spielma has only committed to the exams until the Summer of 2019.

Commenting on efforts to save the A Level Cllr Alambritis said “ Members of Parliament on the influential Education Select Committee should be made aware of our plans to save the Greek exam. There are many Greek Community schools that help towards community cohesion in the UK. Working towards the Greek Exam helps our young children of Greek origin and others to develop a lifelong appreciation of the richness of Greek culture. Education Select Committee MP’s will also be aware of the critical importance of language qualifications in the search for work and how prized language skills are by employers both large and small”

Article written by LGR

The remains of six Greek soldiers who were killed in Cyprus during the period of 1963 and 1967 and the 1974 Turkish invasion and were missing since then, returned to Greece ον Τθεσδαυ after being identified with the DNA method.

In the Greek Ministry of Defence in Athens a special ceremony took place in the presence of the Ministers of Defence of Greece and Cyprus, Panos Kammenos and Christoforos Fokaides respectively, members of the Cypriot House Committee on Defence, members of the Greek political parties, as well as relatives and friends of the soldiers.

The Greek state, `with an inexcusable delay of many years` the Greek Minister said, honours today the six Greek soldiers with flags flying at half-mast.

The Cypriot Defence Minister said that “there is no worse time than this one, when a hero returns home dead, dead but immortal`.

`The 6 heroes we welcome today are now deleted from the list of the missing persons, and added to the list of heroes”, he went on to say.

Wreaths were laid on behalf of the Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and the President of the Hellenic Parliament Nikos Voutsis.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. As a result of the invasion, 1,619 Greek Cypriots were listed as missing, most of whom soldiers or reservists, who were captured in the battlefield.

A Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) was established, upon agreement between the leaders of the two communities, with the scope of exhuming, identifying and returning the remains of missing persons to their relatives. According to CMP, the total number of identifications has reached 625, 476 of whom were Greek Cypriots and 149 Turkish Cypriots.

The CMP `s list includes a total of 77 Greek missing persons 73 of whom had gone missing since the 1974 Turkish invasion and 4 of them since the period 1963-`67. The remains of 14 of the 77 have already been identified through DNA testing.

Article written by CNA

There was a development in the unresolved case of a 17 year-old rape and murder in 1982, a man has been arrested in connection with the rape and murder, confirmed Metropolitan Police.

Yiannoula Yianni was found dead at the family house in Belsize Park, which immediately triggered a murder enquiry by the Met on Friday, 13th August 1982.

The 56-year old man, linked to an address in Golders Green, was detained on 12th January, for an unrelated matter. His detection seemed to have come about by matching him on the National DNA database.

The police recollecting the fateful day’s events of 1982, Yiannoula initially spent the morning with her mother, at about 12:30 they walked to nearby family shop where they brought lunch to Yiannoula’s father and brother.

Later, that afternoon 13:30 Yiannoulla had gone back home this time without her mother in order to fix dinner. Her parents returning home made a gruesome discovery only a couple of hours later, found Yiannoula’s body, at 15:00.

Yiannoulla was a pupil of the Quintin Kynaston School, in St John’s Wood, and was employed part-time in Finchley Road’s Woolworth’s branch.

This represents the biggest breakthrough in the case, with police reviewing the case from time to time, and more than 1,000 witness statements have been accounted for in the intervening years.

Det Insp Julie Willats, of the Met’s Homicide and Major Crime Command, said: “The Met never close unsolved murders and regardless of the passage of time cases can and will be reviewed, for any new opportunities to develop previously unknown lines of enquiry, and follow-up any fresh information which has become known to us.

“Yiannoulla’s family – who understandably are still devastated by the loss of their beloved daughter and sister more than three decades ago – have been fully informed of this new development.”

Article written by London Greek Radio

The 6th January is known as the day of the “feast of Epiphany”. Epiphany comes from the Greek word Epiphaneia (Ἐπιφάνεια), meaning Manifestation.

This is the 12th day of Christmas also known as the end of the festive season. The feast of Epiphany, is a Christian feast that celebrates the revelation of God the Son as human in Jesus Christ.

This day marks two important events. It is the day that the three wise men followed the star to Bethlehem leading them to visit Jesus for the first time when he was revealed to the world. The three wise men were called Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar who brought Jesus gifts of myrrh, frankincense and gold. It is also the day that marks the baptism of Jesus Christ by John the Baptist. Pope Francis is holding the annual mass today in Vatican City in St Peter’s Basilica in Rome to celebrate these two historical events.

Epiphany is mainly celebrated by Catholics and Orthodox Christians. It’s a big and important festival in Spain, where it’s also known as ‘The festival of the three Magic Kings’.

According to Greek Orthodox Church’s traditions, a priest will bless the waters by throwing a cross into it as worshippers try to retrieve it. In Prague, there is a traditional Three Kings swim to commemorate Epiphany Day at the Vltava River.

Article written by Chantel Georgiou