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سفارت قبرس (Cyprus)

reporter 1222 — Mon, 29 Apr 2019 17:38:13 +0000

سفارت قبرس (Cyprus)

آدرس: تجریش- خیابان ‏دزاشیب- خیابان ‏کریمی- پلاک ۳۲۸‏

تلفن: ‏۲۲۲۱۹۸۴۲‏

فکس: ‏۲۲۲۱۹۸۴۳‏، ‏۲۲۲۰۱۲۴۰‏

سایت: http://www.mfa.gov.cy/mfa/embassies/embassy_Tehran.nsf/

ایمیل: cyprus@parsonline.netcyprus@parsonline.net / tehranembassy@mfa.gov.cytehranembassy@mfa.gov.cy

روز و ساعت کاری: یکشنبه تا پنجشنبه ۱۱- ۹‏

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‘Wander About Me’ to go on screen at Cyprus Intl. Filmfest.

reporter 1222 — Sun, 24 Jun 2018 13:00:09 +0000

Iranian feature ‘Wander About Me’, directed by Ghazaleh Soltani will be screened at 13th edition of Cyprus International Film Festival to be held June 23-July 1 in Cyprus.

Soltani’s film narrates the story of a woman who tries to reach her goals in Tehran as she is pushing 30. Her role is played by actress Meharveh Sharifinia.

Besides the lead actor, Behnaz Jafary, Soosan Maghsoodlou, Nasrin Nakisa and Negar Fathi play in the movie.

The Cyprus International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Cyprus. The festival takes place in Nicosia and Pafos in cooperation with the Cultural International Festivals. The International Film Festival of Cyprus operates since 2006 as an independent non-profit organization. CYIFF is the first international film festival held in Cyprus with a “competition section” in categories that include feature, short, animation, video art/dance/music, humanitarian, sport, and children films, devoted exclusively to independent emerging filmmakers.

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Cyprus on frontline against lionfish invasion of Med

reporter 1222 — Wed, 11 Apr 2018 07:30:47 +0000

Equipped with harpoons and waterproof notebooks, Louis, Carlos and Antonis dive deep into the crystal clear waters of Konnos Bay in Cyprus on a mission to capture predatory lionfish.

After colonising parts of the Atlantic on the east coast of the United States and the Caribbean, lionfish are now invading the Mediterranean.

After two dives, the marine biologists from the Enalia Physis Environmental Research Centre surface with nearly 20 brown-and-white striped specimens.

Armed with venomous dorsal spines and fan-shaped pectoral fins, the exotic looking lionfish, a favourite at aquariums, has no known enemies in the Mediterranean.

The reef fish, whose sting is painful but not deadly, is native to the Indian Ocean.

But an outbreak in the Mediterranean has scientists, fishermen and divers so worried that they have launched a campaign to reduce its numbers.

The lionfish first appeared in the waters off Cyprus in 2012, Louis Hadjioannou, research director at Enalia, told AFP.

“Since then it has spread everywhere,” he said. “All over the island, almost wherever you dive you can now see the lionfish in masses.”

The same is true in Lebanon where Alain Najem, who runs a diving club north of Beirut, told AFP he sees greater numbers with each trip to the sea.

The lionfish has also been sighted off the coasts of Greece, Turkey and Tunisia.

The lionfish’s “exponential rise” in the area was facilitated by the widening of the Suez Canal — completed in 2014 — and warming regional water temperatures, according to Jason Hall-Spencer, a marine biology professor at Britain’s University of Plymouth.

The lionfish has also been sighted off the coasts of Greece, Turkey and Tunisia.

“The invasion is under way” in the eastern Mediterranean, said Demetris Kletou, director of the Cyprus-based Marine and Environmental Research Lab.

The cooler waters of the western Mediterranean, he said, have largely been spared for the moment.

– First line of defence –

Together with Enalia and several other partners, including the University of Cyprus and the Department of Fisheries and Marine Research, the two scientists are running a pilot project called “Relionmed” funded by LIFE, the European biodiversity protection programme.

Their aim is to make Cyprus “the first line of defence” against the lionfish invasion.

Along with habitat loss and overexploitation, invasive species are among the top five leading causes of biodiversity loss across the globe, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Such a loss disrupts ecosystems and the human activities that depend on them.

Since the 1980s, the lionfish has caused “significant damage” to the US and Caribbean coastlines, said marine biologist Carlos Jimenez, a senior research coordinator at Enalia.

Environmental research firm VertigoLab estimates the lionfish invasion in the French West Indies — a string of seven small islands in the Caribbean — has cost “more than 10 million euros ($12 million) per year”.

Local fish are easily caught off guard by the adept predator.

In two years, lionfish in the western Atlantic have reduced 40 species of coral reef fish by about 65 percent, according to a 2012 study funded by Canada’s Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council.

Fishermen’s catches of certain species, including grouper, have slumped accordingly.

– ‘Voracious’ –

Fear is rife across the Mediterranean, a “small sea” in relative terms but a veritable jewel of biodiversity with some 17,000 species.

“We are worried because they are so voracious,” said Jimenez, as he dissected lionfish in his Nicosia office.

“They’ll put additional pressure on ecosystems that have already been disrupted” by over-exploitation of marine resources, pollution and tourism.

The entrails of the dissected fish are analysed to determine their favourite Mediterranean prey.

Biologists also examine their otoliths — tiny mineral concentrations in their ears, akin to black boxes revealing their age and other data.

Cypriot fisherman are also concerned because many of them have been stung. Aside from the pain, the pricks can cause allergic reactions.

But Theo Koutsavakis, who runs a diving club and has lived by the sea his entire life, said the lionfish, a favourite among divers, rarely attacks humans.

He is, however, concerned by the impact on marine life in Cyprus, “already limited” by fishing and tourism.

Koutsavakis is an avid supporter of efforts by the EU-funded Relionmed project to raise public awareness and monitor how the species is spread.

Inspired by similar projects in the United States, the group also plans to organise events — including harpoon fishing contests — aimed at reducing the species’ population and to find economic incentives for fishermen.

If chefs learn how to cook them without pricking their fingers, restaurants could put lionfish on the menu, while the spines could be used in jewellery.

“We know it’s nearly impossible to end the invasion at this point,” said Louis Hadjioannou, the biologist. “The aim of the project is not to eradicate but to control.”

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‘The Iron Dream’ goes to Cyprus’ Travel filmfest

reporter 1222 — Mon, 02 Oct 2017 09:10:03 +0000

TEHRAN– Iranian short documentary ‘The Iron Dream’ by Yasser Talebi has been accepted into the screening program of the 1st edition of Travel FilmFest international film festival in Cyprus.

Talebi’s documentary will compete with other titles from UK, Italy, Australia, France and Czech Republic in the Travel Feature Documentary section of the festival.

‘The Iron Dream’ focuses on the role of Iran’s national railway in the victory of Allies against Nazi Germany. “When Iran’s North-South railway was inaugurated in 1938, it didn’t just change a part of southwest Middle East, but the whole world as it came to be known as the bridge of victory for Allies against Nazi Germany,” the film’s synopsis reads.

Talebi’s documentary has already won the Best Director of a Short Documentary award at the 2017 Nice International Filmmaker Festival.

The Travel FilmFest (TRAFF) international film festival is dedicated to films about travelling, both in a modern and historical context. All the best films selected during the online festival will be shown on the big screen during the final ceremony on October 19-22, 2017 in Limassol on the island of Cyprus.

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Iran, Cyprus hold talks on expanding ties

reporter 1222 — Thu, 28 Sep 2017 08:11:26 +0000

TEHRAN –Chief of staff to Cyprus’ President has traveled to Tehran and met with Deputy Foreign Minister Morteza Sarmadi.

During the meeting, Iranian deputy minister and chief of staff to Cyprus’ President emphasized developing bilateral cooperation in economic, political, cultural and educational areas.

Sarmadi pointed to European Union’s support of nuclear deal and said the collective reaction of the EU can prove effective against American officials’ remarks. He stressed that removing obstructions in banking transactions between Iran and Cyprus can provide the groundwork to expand economic relations. Cyprus as a member of EU can, in turn, help the union to better understand extremism and terrorism.

The Cypriot official, for his part, thanked Iran’s stance on Cyprus negotiations and stressed EU’s support of the JCPOA. Pointing to Cyprus’ determination on expansion of economic and political ties with Iran, he said Cypriot officials’ trip to Iran signifies their government’s resolve in this regard.

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