Buffering – Episode 12: Elections, elections and animal welfare (27/1/2022)

They are back! Buffering podcast of the two Cypriot journalists, Esra Aygın and Yiorgos Kakouris, continue to bring you dispatches from the alternate Cypriot universe. In this episode, they provide you all the insights of the elections in the north and the latest developments towards the upcoming Presidential elections in the Republic of Cyprus. And they prove to be an animal friendly podcast!

Continue ReadingBuffering – Episode 12: Elections, elections and animal welfare (27/1/2022)

Decode Cyprus – Episode 1: Evaluating the Turkish Cypriot elections (25/1/2022)

Decode Cyprus - because in Cyprus, nothing is as it looks. In this first episode of Decode Cyprus, Esra Aygın and Lefteris Adilinis, two journalists from Cyprus discuss the Turkish Cypriot parliamentary elections that took place on 23 January 2022. The results are as follows: Faiz Sucuoğlu's UBP (right-wing nationalist): 39.61% -24 seats; Tufan Erhürman's CTP (left-wing social democrat): 31.91% - 18 seats; Fikri Ataoğlu's DP (right-wing liberal): 7.42% - 3 seats; Kudret Özersay's HP (centrist): 6.69% - 3 seats; Erhan Arıklı's YDP (right-wing of the Turkish origin voters): 6.44% - 2 seats. Total 50 seats. TDP (left-wing social…

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Nicosia Uncut – Episode 34: Cyprus: The land of pipe dreams (14/1/2022)

Cyprus is the land of impossible fantasies. One side thinks that the international community is now ready to accept a "two-state solution" in Cyprus, the other tries to play a global chess-game with a non-feasible, unrealistic "East Med Pipeline Project", something which was doomed to fail from the beginning. In this episode of Nicosia Uncut, Andromachi Sophocleous and Kemal Baykalli discuss how the East Med Pipeline Project has falsely been promoted as a diplomatic success story for the internal consumption by the Greek Cypriot politicians. In the local scene, we have the elections mood in the air: The Turkish…

Continue ReadingNicosia Uncut – Episode 34: Cyprus: The land of pipe dreams (14/1/2022)

Nicosia Uncut – Episode 33: TCs hit by currency, RoC’s illusions on EU sanctions collapsed (20/12/2021)

The Turkish Cypriot economy is badly hit following the meltdown of the Turkish lira. Being an import oriented economy based on services, economy in the north was already fragile due to the pandemic. The depreciation of the Turkish lira affected northern part of the island even more than Turkey since the slider at the volume of trade is almost maxed on the import side, whereas the Turkish Cypriot exports are almost non-existent. In this episode of Nicosia Uncut, Andromachi Sophocleous and Kemal Baykallı also talk about the EU's Green Line Regulation which regulates the crossing of people, goods and…

Continue ReadingNicosia Uncut – Episode 33: TCs hit by currency, RoC’s illusions on EU sanctions collapsed (20/12/2021)

Nicosia Uncut – Episode 32: Cyprus problem: What do the leaked UN minutes tell us? (3/12/2021)

In this special episode of Nicosia Uncut, Andromachi Sophocleous and Kemal Baykallı discuss and analyse the content, context and the implications of the leaked UN minutes with the delegations on the last day (6 July 2017) of the Cyprus conference in Crans Montana which ended without any agreement. Also known as "Crash Montana", the failure effectively ended the efforts to find a solution to the Cyprus problem, leading to a blame game between the sides since then. The leaked UN minutes, as collected on this episode page - www.islandtalks.fm , demonstrated how the chapter on security and guarantees was the main source of disagreement in an environment heavily fortified with mistrust. The leaked documents also shed some light on the role of the UN and the EU in the latest talks.

Continue ReadingNicosia Uncut – Episode 32: Cyprus problem: What do the leaked UN minutes tell us? (3/12/2021)

Nicosia Uncut – Episode 31: Rivalries in UBP & DISY; Erdoğan’s deteriorating popularity (3/11/2021)

In this episode of Nicosia Uncut, Andromachi Sophocleous and Kemal Baykallı explore the reconciliation initiatives in Cyprus - Home for Cooperation, Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage in Cyprus, Cyprus Dialogue Forum, Famagusta Avenue Garage and The Base by Cyprusinno are few to name. In the local politics, Turkish Cypriot right wing UBP party had a leadership race, electing Dr.Faiz Sucuoğlu as the new leader of the party and the new PM until the early elections which is expected to take place in early 2022. 2023 presidential elections of RoC enhanced the rivalries within the Greek Cypriot right wing DISY party, some independents have already announced that they are running. Last but not least, the West is cautiously waiting for the 2023 elections in Turkey, and it seems that Erdoğan is finally losing steam according to the latest polls.

Continue ReadingNicosia Uncut – Episode 31: Rivalries in UBP & DISY; Erdoğan’s deteriorating popularity (3/11/2021)

Nicosia Uncut – Episode 30: More elections, more tensions (14/10/2021)

Summer is over and all sides are now focused on upcoming elections on both parts of the divide in Cyprus and in Turkey. Turkish Cypriot minority coalition finally collapsed the day after this episode was recorded. Both Turkey and the Republic of Cyprus have presidential elections in 2023 and the tension around the waters of Cyprus is likely to rise again. Turkey put its diplomatic skills at test on multiple fronts but the prospects for Turkish-American and Turkish-Russian relations do not look very promising. In the meantime, both communities are feeling the economic effects of the pandemic, Turkish Cypriots…

Continue ReadingNicosia Uncut – Episode 30: More elections, more tensions (14/10/2021)

Nicosia Uncut – Episode 29: Back to the 1960 constitutional order? Really? (2/9/2021)

Anastasiades invited the Turkish Cypriots back to the 1960 constitutional order as a response to Tatar's statements in a never-ending tit-for-tat blame game. This caught everybody by surprise, including his own cabinet members. In this episode of Nicosia Uncut, Andromachi Sophocleous and Kemal Baykallı discuss the latest in Cyprus politics with a particular focus on the upcoming elections on both sides of the divide.

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Buffering – Episode 9: Trump when it’s no longer in fashion (4/2/2021)

Cypriot journalists Yiorgos Kakouris and Esra Aygın are bringing you dispatches from the alternate Cypriot universe. Trumpization of Cypriot politicians and public figures, Freudian comparison of temples' sizes, attack on journalists and media, arbitrary destruction of historical Nicosia house, never-ending Cyprus talks, and good old corruption in the island of Aphrodite.

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Nicosia Uncut – Episode 17: Fed up with the CYprob yet? (12/1/2021)

The first episode of 2021. Andromachi Sophocleous & Kemal Baykallı talk about their favorite topic: The Cyprus problem!.What is the UN's strategy to revitalize the solution process? What should we expect from the informal 5+1 conference which is expected to take place soon? How should we read the latest Cyprus report of the UN Secretary General to the UN Security Council? Which are the elephants in the room? Will Turkey's new foreign policy attempts work? Latest statements from Greek Cypriot politicians, party feuds in the Turkish Cypriot politics. All in this episode of Nicosia Uncut.

Continue ReadingNicosia Uncut – Episode 17: Fed up with the CYprob yet? (12/1/2021)