General News
Meropi Kyriacou Honored as TNH Educator of the Year
NEW YORK – Meropi Kyriacou, the new Principal of The Cathedral School in Manhattan, was honored as The National Herald’s Educator of the Year.
With the United States warning against interference in drilling for oil and gas off Cyprus where the American energy giant ExxonMobil is operating, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar nevertheless warned Cyprus – and Greece – not to encroach on his country’s interests.
Turkey’s Anadolu news agency reported that Akar, following Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other Turkish officials – including a rival who suggested a military response would be necessary – declaring that Turkey has the right to hunt for oil and gas in parts of Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) that Ankara doesn’t recognize.
Akar said that Turkey will continue to safeguard its rights and interests both in the Aegean Sea and the eastern Mediterranean where the prospects of lucrative energy finds are upping the ante between the countries seeking riches there.
Showing more signs of frays with Turkey, US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Wess Mitchell told Kathimerini that Cyprus has a right to hunt for energy in its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and warned against any attempt to obstruct it.
That came after the Dec. 14 first US-Greece Strategic Dialogue in Washington where President Donald Trump’s leading official on Greek-Turkish affairs and the Eastern Mediterranean said the US regards Greece, as well as Cyprus and Israel, as essential partners in the region.
“Greece, Cyprus and Israel are very important countries for the US because they are stable, democratic, western allies in a region where you don’t find a lot of stable, democratic partners,” Mitchell said, adding that it was a “natural step” for the US to deepen its cooperation with all three countries. “Our line has been consistent. Cyprus is a sovereign country and just like any other sovereign country it has resources and can develop those resources,” Mitchell said.
Turkey’s view “is a minority of one versus the rest of the world,” he said. “The rest of the world has a very clear, straightforward view that the Exclusive Economic Zone of Cyprus is grounded in international law.”
With Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other Turkish officials escalating their rhetoric and suggesting military force could be used – and as they complained the US wants to build a military presence on the island where Turkey has been occupying the northern third since an unlawful 1974 invasion – Mitchell said the US would “not take a friendly view to any kind of harassment in Cyprus waters especially when US ships are involved,” referring to Turkish warships earlier this year driving off a vessel chartered by Italy’s ENI company.
NEW YORK – Meropi Kyriacou, the new Principal of The Cathedral School in Manhattan, was honored as The National Herald’s Educator of the Year.
CLOSTER, NJ – The well-attended Greek Independence Day Celebration in Closter, NJ, took place on March 25, beginning with the Flag Raising Ceremony at Ruckman Park in Closter.
While the Prime Minister of the country was in Canada, the leader of PASOK – the third party according to the latest elections – raised the issue of mistrust in the government, followed by the other.
ALBANY – New York State Assemblyman Michael Tannousis (R, C-Staten Island/Brooklyn) on March 26 was joined in Albany by His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America to recognize Greek Independence Day and the 50th anniversary of the illegal Turkish invasion and continued occupation of Cyprus.
ATHENS - Historic member of PASOK and passionate advocate of the recognition of Pontian Greek genocide Michalis Charalambidis died on Wednesday aged 73.
ATHENS - While the New Democracy government denied audio files from the 2023 head-on train crash in Tempe which killed 57 had been tampered with, five managers at the state-run OSE railways agency reportedly had access to them.