TURKISH CYPRIOT AND TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW
C O N T E N T S
No. 130/13 12/07/2013
1.
Trade unions react to Turkey’s
interference in the “early elections” of June 28
2.
Trade cooperation between Iraq
and “TRNC” will start
3. YDU signed protocols for cooperation with sixteen
universities of Kazakhstan
4. Summit held at Turkish Prime Ministry on settlement process
4. Summit held at Turkish Prime Ministry on settlement process
5. Turkish military officers test A400M transport
aircraft
6. Turkish Foreign Policy after the Coup in Egypt
1.
Trade unions react to Turkey’s
interference in the “early elections” of June 28
According to Turkish Cypriot daily
Afrika (12.07.13), the trade unions of Turk-Sen, KTOEOS, Dau-Sen and Kamu-Sen,
evaluating at the news portal Kibris Postasi the interference of Turkey in the
“early elections” in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus,
all agreed on the interference of Turkey.
Tuluy Kalyoncu, deputy chairman of
Turk-Sen, said that the difficulties that they experience on the issue of free
political willpower are a result of the structure of a non-solution
environment, which has been continuing since 1974. He added this is the time
for radical political and financial changes.
Kalyoncu claimed that all the
indications show that the ruling government of Justice and Development Party
(AKP) interferes in the “early elections” in favour of the National Unity Party
(UBP). He also said that UBP is the only candidate party, which implements
unconditionally the AKP policies.
The general secretary of the Turkish
Cypriot Primary Teachers’ Union (KTOEOS), Tahir Gokcebel, said that Turkey makes
any kind of interference in “north Cyprus”, as he refers to the
occupied part of the Republic
of Cyprus, political,
financial as well as culture.
Noting that the Turkish Cypriot
community doesn’t deserve to be called “lazy”, “atheist” or “dependable”,
Gokcebel said that they should stand on their own feet.
Mehmet Ozkardas, chairman of Kamu-Sen
trade union, said that the political parties open the way to the interferences
of Turkey’s
governments, adding that Turkey
plays with some “deputies” as she wants.
2.
Trade cooperation between Iraq
and “TRNC” will start
Turkish Cypriot daily Halkin Sesi
(12.07.13) reports that the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce (KTTO) in
cooperation with the Turkey-Iraq International Investors Association (TURIYAD)
has decided to cooperate in order to improve the trade relations between the
breakaway regime and Iraq.
The chairman of KTTO Gunay Cerkez, who
carried out contacts in Mersin between 3-4 July as guest of TURIYAD, said that
during the meeting with the Chairman of TURIYAD Ferdudun Gunduz, it was stressed
that the exports from Turkey to Iraq are currently at the level of 15 million
dollars, and that there is possibility to develop a joint investment
cooperation.
Cerkez explained that an agreement has
been obtained so as joint investments and bilateral trade to be developed through
a Joint Committee with the participation of some members of KTTO to the TURIYAD
in north Iraq.
He added that their aim is to increase their trade volume towards Turkey and
through Turkey
to Iraq
and other third world countries.
3. YDU signed protocols for cooperation with
sixteen universities of Kazakhstan
Turkish Cypriot
daily Vatan newspaper (12.07.13) reports that the illegal Near East University
(YDU) signed protocols for cooperation with sixteen universities of Kazakhstan.
The paper writes
that a delegation of YDU, headed by Chairman Irfan Suat Gunsel is currently
holding contacts in Kazakhstan.
The protocols
signing ceremony started with the “national anthem” of Kazakhstan and
of the breakaway regime’s, writes the paper.
4. Summit held at Turkish Prime Ministry on
settlement process
Turkish daily
Zaman (11.07.13) reported that the Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay
convened a meeting in Ankara to discuss the roadmap for the ongoing settlement
process aimed at resolving the country's long-standing Kurdish problem.
The meeting was
attended by Deputy Prime Ministers Bulent Arinc and Bekir Bozdag, Interior
Minister Muammer Guler, Justice Minister Sadullah Ergin, Justice and
Development Party (AKP) deputy chairman Numan Kurtulmuş, AKP spokesperson
Huseyin Celik and AKP deputy group chairman Mahir Ünal.
Participants at the
meeting did not make a statement to the press about the content of the meeting;
however, they were expected to discuss issues such as laws that will be
prepared during the settlement process for democratization and whether those
laws have any relation with 48 articles for the new Constitution on which the
four political parties have reached a consensus. Parliament is expected to
approve these articles following a recent call from Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan.
A similar
meeting on the settlement process was held under the leadership of Erdogan last
Tuesday and no statements were made to the press following that meeting
either.
In addition, the
paper also reports that one of the chiefs of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)
has said that if the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) continues to
behave as it has been in the past few months, the ongoing settlement process
might be irrevocably damaged.
The PKK's larger
network, the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), changed its top brass recently.
It appointed Murat Karayilan, a long-term senior commander, to a body it calls
the “executive council” of the KCK. In his initial statements following his new
position, Karayilan said the settlement process began last year in October
through talks between the government and the PKK's imprisoned leader, Abdullah
Ocalan.
Speaking to the
PKK-affiliated Firat News Agency, Karayilan said the common opinion that came
out of a recent meeting of Kongra-Gel, another organ of the PKK that is short
for the Kurdish People's Congress, was that the settlement process has been
blocked.
Karayilan said
the PKK made important decisions during that meeting. “Kongra-Gel gave the
authority to follow the settlement process to the Executive Council. It gave it
the authority to decide on its own based on spontaneous developments. For
example, if the government doesn't take any steps, it might decide to freeze
the process or continue it.” Karayilan also reiterated the group's demands that
an independent group of doctors go to Imrali, where Ocalan is imprisoned, and
examine the PKK leader.
Turkish daily
Today's Zaman newspaper (11.07.13) reported that two Airbus Military A400M
transport aircraft, that were in Turkey for two days for test drives in Ankara
and Kayseri provinces returned to France on Thursday, according to media
reports.
Turkey has ordered at least 10 of the next-generation in
military transport aircraft from Airbus Military. The long-awaited tactical
airlifter has seen a series of delays and budget hikes, and as of June Military
Airbus hadn't delivered on any of its 174 orders.
The first test
flight was held in Etimesgut Air Base in Ankara
province, the second in the 12th Military Airbase Command in Kayseri province. The A400M is designed for
military use but can also serve civilian purposes.
The high-tech
A400M can cover large distances in a short period of time and is highly
maneuverable. Turkey
has been working with France
during the A400M's production phase. The first deliveries of the aircraft to Turkey will
start in September.
6. Turkish Foreign Policy after the Coup in Egypt
Turkish daily Hurriyet
Daily News (09.07.13) published the following article by Murat Yetkin:
“Since the coup d’état
in Egypt that toppled the elected president Mohamed Morsi on July 3, the
Turkish government has been following an extremely rare, if not unique line in
the history of diplomacy. With the motivation of bitter Turkish experience,
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan is persistent on not accepting the fait accompli
by the Egyptian army and has been asking world leaders and institutions for the
reinstallation of Morsi; in other words, undoing the coup.
This is perhaps
a climax of the ‘politics of principles’, which Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet
Davutoglu has been repeating to describe the foreign policy of the ruling
Justice and Development Party (AKP) government through its 11 years in power.
This is also how Turkey's
policy of involvement in the Syrian civil war has been explained. Not only the
Turkish government, but also the opposition and civil society, have condemned
the coup in Egypt,
in such a way as to say that they would not allow a military coup in Turkey anymore.
Aside from domestic political concerns, the Turkish point of view of not
accepting the toppling of an elected president by the army, no matter what
authoritarian tendencies he might have developed during his one year in power,
is approved by the Turkish people.
But is Erdogan's
persistence in trying to undo the coup a mission impossible? Recent reports
show that the U.S.
administration had been in contact with both Morsi and the army for some time,
to find a compromise to avoid a coup. It should also be noted that the White
House has reiterated its position of being equidistant from all political
parties in Egypt,
even after receiving Ankara's
messages that it should back Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood administration.
So, we can assume that a radical shift in the U.S. position regarding Egypt is not
likely. Similarly, the European Union, which needs the unanimity of its now-28
members, is not likely to take the same position as Ankara either.
Actually,
Erdogan seems more hurt by the stances of fellow Muslim countries - especially Saudi Arabia
and Qatar,
Turkey's
partners in the Syrian situation, who have also helped Turkey, cope with the
eurozone crisis for the last few years by backing it up with financial
resources. Perhaps Ankara failed to read the full details of the power shift in
Qatar on June 25, (possibly because of the major crisis it had with Germany and
the EU over the Gezi Park incidents), which played a role in the diplomatic
support that the coup regime in Egypt received from the Arab world. In the
power shift, the Emir of Qatar, Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, left his chair for
the ‘fresh blood’ of his 33-year-old son Tamim, while also removing prime
minister (and foreign minister) Hammad bin Jassim, who is pointed to as the
main diligent of heavy Western involvement in the Syrian war.
On top of all
this, the developments in Egypt
have taken an even more critical path following the military's opening of fire
on Morsi supporters in Cairo's
Adawiya Square
on July 8, killing dozens of protestors. This led to a call for an uprising by
the Muslim Brotherhood, making the reinstallation of Morsi to power even more
difficult. It is more likely that the U.N., the U.S., the EU, and Arab countries
will concentrate their efforts for a balanced interim government to take Egypt to
elections as soon as and as free as possible, and to let Morsi and the Muslim
Brotherhood compete.
There are groups
among supporters of the AKP who ask for a braking off of relations with the
coup regime in Egypt. That sounds like a move of principles in the extreme, and
it may further damage Turkey's
current situation in the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean. Turkey already has no diplomatic
relations with Syria.
Israel has reportedly suspended the reconciliation talks with Turkey, upon
remarks from Erdogan (and some of his ministers) that they found ‘anti-Semitic’.
Turkish Airlines can now only fly to Jordan via Egyptian air space, thus
doubling its flight time, because of those conflicts. Turkey has few
links left with the Shiite half of Lebanon because of the Syria conflict,
and has only distant links with the secular half of the Palestinian state
because of its full commitment to the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Hamas in Gaza. In addition, Ankara
does not recognize the Greek part of Cyprus [editor’s note: the government
controlled area of the Republic of Cyprus].
In summary,
cutting or reducing the level of ties with the coup regime in Egypt does not
look like being the most rational thing to do for the Erdogan government. This
means a major shift in Turkish foreign policy toward a ‘realpolitik’ one will
be necessary, which will have consequences in domestic politics, too.”
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