Why were the peace talks interrupted?
For the entire week the media was actively following the conflict between the Cypriot authorities and leader of the occupied territories. The two sides failed to resolve the controversies, which were synthetically created last week.
What happened was that Mustafa Akinci quite aggressively reacted to the decision of the Cyprus Parliament to celebrate the anniversary of Enosis referendum, which took place back in 1950 when the island was still under colonial rule. Akinci demanded from Anastasiades to publicly deny this decision. Such attempt to put pressure caused significant irritation of the Cyprus authorities. As the result, the meeting between Akinci and Anastasiades, which was scheduled for Thursday, was cancelled by the Turkish side, despite the intervention from the UN.
The experts point out that it appears as if the authorities of the occupied territories lost interest in the negotiations. All of this started after the failure at the big conference in Switzerland, where it became apparent that there just too many disagreements. Moreover, the surveys also revealed that the residents of the Northern Cyprus are not that interested in the reunification anymore.
The latest survey revealed that on 25% of the population in the occupied side would’ve voted for the creation of the single state. On the other hand, the Cyprus authorities still believe that negotiations will yield the results- Nicos Anastasiades confirmed his willingness to continue.
Safety first: ban on the kites in certain areas.
The department of Civil Aviation urges the resident of Cyprus to refrain from launching kites near Larnaca and Paphos Airports because they can distract pilots and affect flight safety.
This announcement was made on the Green Monday Eve, which is the first day of Lent and the day when traditionally Cypriots are organising picnics and launching kites. This year the Lent will start on 27th of February and Easter will be celebrated on the 16th of April, which coincides with the Catholic Easter.
16 Million Euros for 6 numbers. Highest ever jackpot in Cyprus
The highest ever jackpot in the history found its owner. A resident of the island won 16 million Euros.
The lucky winner lives in Limassol and he managed to guess the 5 digit combination out of 45 and 1 correct Joker digit. Previously, the maximum amount won in Cyprus was 10 million Euros.
The Grand Carnival in Limassol
It is still carnival time in Cyprus. This weekend two parades are planned in two cities. Hundreds of participants will gather in Paphos on Poseidonas Avenue, which will accommodate vivid carnival platforms accompanied by the local orchestra.
Of course there will also be Grand Parade in Limassol. Organisers are planning to set a record this year – 15,000 individuals will gather on the Makarios Avenue and the event will feature 100’s of carnival platforms, which will created an atmosphere of the endless celebrations. Good weather will help the celebrations. Skies will be clear and it will be quite warm, but not too hot yet. Also no precipitation is expected over the next few days.