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EU Comments on Cyprus Null and Void, Says Turkey

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell during a press conference in Belgrade, Serbia, January 31, 2020. (AP)
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell during a press conference in Belgrade, Serbia, January 31, 2020. (AP)
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EU Comments on Cyprus Null and Void, Says Turkey

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell during a press conference in Belgrade, Serbia, January 31, 2020. (AP)
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell during a press conference in Belgrade, Serbia, January 31, 2020. (AP)

Turkey on Tuesday dismissed statements from the EU's foreign policy chief on Cyprus as "null and void" and said Brussels had no role to play in settling the decades-old dispute.

The foreign ministry said in a statement that criticism of Turkey from the EU's Josep Borrell showed he was "acting as spokesperson or advocate for the Greek Cypriot administration and Greece who abuse their right to veto within the EU", according to Agence France Presse.

Earlier in the day, Borrell slammed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's statements on reopening the Cypriot ghost town of Varosha made during a controversial visit to the divided Mediterranean island and warned against "unilateral actions in breach of international law and renewed provocations".

Erdogan vowed that "life will restart in Varosha" as he took an uncompromising stance during a visit to mark 47 years since the invasion that split Cyprus.

The Turkish foreign ministry said Borrell's statement was "another proof of how much the EU is disconnected from the realities on the Cyprus issue," adding with this approach the bloc cannot play any positive role in solving the problem.

The ministry also said Ankara extended "full support" for Turkish Cypriot authorities' decision on the issue of Varosha.

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Trump Campaign Says it Was Hacked, Blames Iran

Republican presidential nominee and former US President Donald Trump attends a campaign rally in Bozeman, Montana, US, August 9, 2024. REUTERS/Jim Urquhart/File Photo
Republican presidential nominee and former US President Donald Trump attends a campaign rally in Bozeman, Montana, US, August 9, 2024. REUTERS/Jim Urquhart/File Photo
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Trump Campaign Says it Was Hacked, Blames Iran

Republican presidential nominee and former US President Donald Trump attends a campaign rally in Bozeman, Montana, US, August 9, 2024. REUTERS/Jim Urquhart/File Photo
Republican presidential nominee and former US President Donald Trump attends a campaign rally in Bozeman, Montana, US, August 9, 2024. REUTERS/Jim Urquhart/File Photo

Donald Trump's US presidential campaign said on Saturday some of its internal communications were hacked and blamed the Iranian government, citing past hostilities between Trump and Iran without providing direct evidence.
The Republican's campaign statement came shortly after news website Politico reported it had begun receiving emails in July from an anonymous source offering authentic documents from inside Trump's operation, including a report about running mate JD Vance's "potential vulnerabilities."
"These documents were obtained illegally from foreign sources hostile to the United States, intended to interfere with the 2024 election and sow chaos throughout our Democratic process," Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement.
Reuters has not independently verified the identity of the alleged hackers or their motivation.
The Trump campaign referred to a Friday report from Microsoft researchers that said Iranian government-tied hackers tried breaking into the account of a "high-ranking official" on a US presidential campaign in June. The hackers had taken over an account belonging to a former political advisor and then used it to target the official, the report said. That report did not provide further details on the targets' identities.
A Microsoft spokesperson declined to name the targeted officials or provide additional details after the report was published.
Iran's permanent mission to the United Nations in New York said in an email that "the Iranian government neither possesses nor harbors any intent or motive to interfere in the United States presidential election."
"We do not accord any credence to such reports," it added in response to the Trump campaign's allegations.
On Friday, in response to Microsoft's findings, Iran's UN mission told Reuters its cyber capabilities were "defensive and proportionate to the threats it faces," and that it had no plans to launch cyberattacks.
The former president had tense relations with Iran while in office. Under Trump, the United States killed Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani in 2020 and withdrew from a multilateral Iran nuclear deal.
"The Iranians know that President Trump will stop their reign of terror just like he did in his first four years in the White House," Cheung said.
Trump survived an assassination attempt in July. While there have been no suggestions that the suspect was linked to Iran, CNN reported last month that the US had intelligence about an Iranian plot against Trump. Iran has denied such charges.
Late last month, a senior intelligence official told reporters in a briefing that Tehran and Moscow maintain their same presidential preferences as in past cycles, where Iranian operatives will attempt to tear down the Republican ticket while Russia has made efforts to smear Democrats, according to prior intelligence community assessments.