Fact: Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar stated that only a state solution can be the solution to the Cyprus problem during a meeting with the UN Secretary-General.
The embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Nicosia prepared and distributed 300 food parcels for Ramadan in collaboration with Sharjah Charity International.
– €90 million out of €101.6 million declared in cash transactions have no prosecutions before court.
– Most cash declarations at airport customs offices are for the purchase of real estate.
– In the beginning of 2023, 25% of entities were designated as high risk for money laundering, terrorist funding, and tax avoidance.
– There is currently no limit on the amount of cash someone can use to purchase something in Cyprus, as long as purchases over €10,000 are declared to the tax commissioner.
Fact: The memorandum of cooperation between Cyprus’ police and the FBI will strengthen Cyprus’ law enforcement with expertise to combat money laundering and investigate cases involving financial crime.
Cyprus has not received any request from Russia to assist in investigating alleged Western involvement in terrorist attacks on Russian soil. Russia’s General Prosecutor’s Office has sent official requests to Western countries, including Cyprus, the United States, Germany, and France, asking for cooperation in investigating the Nord Stream blasts and acts of terrorism in Russia. Russia claims to have direct evidence implicating Western countries, particularly the United States and Ukraine, in collaborating with ISIS and Ukrainian intelligence to carry out attacks in Russia. The Kremlin has called the situation regarding the investigations “close to absurd”.
The Open University of Cyprus and the University of Warsaw have signed a Memorandum of Collaboration to enhance education and research cooperation.
The Neocleous Tower in Limassol is a sustainable office building that has attained LEED certification, making it the first commercial building in Cyprus to do so.
The attack on members of the NGO World Central Kitchen has led to the suspension of the humanitarian aid delivery program to Gaza. Despite this setback, the government is determined to keep the initiative alive. President Christodoulides emphasized the importance of continuing to send aid to Gaza, calling for more efforts to assist the civilian population. The President also stressed the need for the EU to take action in the region. Metsola praised Cyprus’s leadership in the “Amalthea” initiative and highlighted the importance of protecting those providing humanitarian aid.
The Pournara First Reception Centre is currently dealing with high pressure due to a recent influx of migrants, with the population now at 1,182, the highest occupancy since last year. The Cypriot asylum services are granting temporary protection to Syrian nationals, allowing them to reside in Cyprus without the obligation of providing housing. Efforts are being made to urge the EU to provide financial aid to Lebanon to contain Syrian refugees within its borders, while also working on reclassifying certain regions in Syria as ‘safe’ for potential repatriation. Diplomatic efforts with Lebanon have not yet yielded significant progress, as an increasing number of Syrians are leaving Lebanon amidst the Gaza conflict.
Moldova’s domestic gas supplier Energocom will supply its consumers with test volumes of U.S.-origin liquefied natural gas (LNG) for the first time on Monday and Tuesday. Moldova has been diversifying its gas sources following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Energocom will purchase LNG from the Alexandroupolis floating terminal in Greece. Moldova does not currently buy gas from Russia, but its breakaway Transdniestria region relies on Russian supplies.