TURKISH CYPRIOT AND TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW
C O N T E N T S
No.
140/13 26/07/2013
1. Eroglu: “Anastasiades has tied his own hands up”
2. Gezi Park casualties: Gul and not Erdogan reportedly to
represent to the UN General Assembly
3. An unexpected visit by PYD leader to Turkey
4. Final “election” results to be announced around 21.30
5. Turkish columnist says that Ankara involves in policy
making in the occupied part of Cyprus and the “Turkish ambassador” is the de
facto power
6. Talat comments on the wiretapping of his office in 2009;
More on the content of the tape
7. KTOS and KTOEOS condemned the tape recording revealed by
Afrika paper
8. Ankara furious over The Times’ celeb ad condemning Gezi
crackdown
9. Turkish columnist interprets Gul’s letter to Egypt
interim President Mansour
10. EU raises concerns on media freedom in Turkey after
Baydar fired
11. UNDP set to move its centre to Istanbul
1. Eroglu:
“Anastasiades has tied his own hands up”
Under the title “Anastasiades has tied his
own hand up”, Turkish Cypriot daily Havadis newspaper (26.07.13) reports that
the Turkish Cypriot leader, DervisEroglu has alleged that President
Anastasiades had tied his own hand up by putting the National Council into a
position of taking binding decisions, and that this situation would pose
obstacles and difficulties to reaching an agreement on the Cyprus problem.
Eroglu returned yesterday from Brussels
where he met with the President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barosso
and the European Commissioner Responsible for the Enlargement, Stefan Fule.
In statements at illegal Tymvou airport,
Eroglu said that with Barosso and Fule they discussed the issue of occupied
fenced city of Varosha, the EU’s Green Line Regulation, the so-called change of
the Turkish names of roads in the government-controlled area of Cyprus and the
negotiations process.
Eroglu noted that during his meeting he had
conveyed to his interlocutors the developments after the election of President
Anastasiades and explained what he called as mistakes made by President
Anastasiades in his protocol with his coalition partners before the elections.
Noting that the views which will be expressed at the negotiations will have to
pass from the political party leaders first and afterwards from the National
Council, Eroglu claimed that this is a stance which creates obstacles and
difficulties to a possible agreement.
Eroglu said that in his meeting with
Barosso and Fule they firstly brought onto the agenda the issue of the occupied
fenced city of Varosha and added that Fule told them that the news published in
the Greek Cypriot press that the Greek Cypriot side would contact Turkey
through Fule and convey its views on Varosha had no connection or relation with
him. According to Eroglu, Fule said that they were not considering of becoming
“anybody’s postman”. “We said that we oppose to this kind of views”, noted
Eroglu adding that they conveyed their complaints for the so-called obstacles
allegedly put by the Greek Cypriots to Turkish Cypriot commercial vehicles
which trade with the Greek Cypriot side within the framework of the Green Line
Regulation and for amendments which the Greek Cypriots allegedly want to make
in this regulation “without taking the approval of the Turkish Cypriot side”.
Ignoring the fact that the occupation
regime changed all the Greek names in the occupied part of Cyprus (towns,
villages, etc.) after the 1974 invasion of the island, Eroglu argued that the
decision allegedly taken in the direction of abolishing the Turkish names of
roads in the government-controlled area of Cyprus (!) was wrong and “breaks the
will of the people for an agreement”. He alleged the following: “Taking such a
decision in a period during which two peoples who speak the Turkish and Greek
languages are looking for an agreement shows how different the Greek Cypriots’
point of view towards us is. The important thing for us is that such decisions
have been produced for materializing such defective views when we are searching
for an agreement”.
Eroglu said that they told the EU officials
that the investments in the occupied area of Cyprus within the framework of
EU’s annual aid of 30 million euros were advancing very slowly, that the
contractors were paid with delay for the job they do, and that it was not
possible for the money to be used when time passed. Eroglu noted that they
expressed their “sensitivities” on this issue and asked for behaving in a “more
meticulous” manner.
Eroglu said that Barosso and Fule were
sincere during this meeting and added that he is satisfied. Eroglu noted that
they have many common views and said that he did not take the message that the
“embargoes” and the “isolations” allegedly implemented on the Turkish Cypriots
will be lifted. He argued that Barosso and Fule clearly understood that the
Turkish Cypriots were allegedly right on this issue, that their economy is
harmed and that their freedom of traveling was limited, and said that they saw
positively the Turkish Cypriot wish for some steps to be taken on this issue
within the forthcoming days.
(I/Ts.)
2. Gezi
Park casualties: Gul and not Erdogan reportedly to represent to the UN General
Assembly
Turkish daily Cumhuriyet newspaper (26.07.13)
siting diplomatic sources writes that this year Turkey will not be represented
to the UN General Assembly by the Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan but by
President Abdullah Gul and blames this to the fading image of Erdogan due to
the recent developments in the country.
The paper writes that this is not the first
time that Gul represents Turkey to the UN General Assembly; he did so in 2008,
2010 and 2012. However, this year is rather significant; Gul will deliver his
speech second, following the speech of the US President Barack Obama who will
speak first since USA will be the host of this year’s Assembly.
This is the first time such a privilege is
given to a Turkish leader, the paper notes.
3.
An unexpected visit by PYD leader to Turkey
Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (online,
25.07.13), under the title “PYD leader arrives in Turkey for two-day talks”
reported that the leader of the main Kurdish group in northern Syria, Salih
Muslim, arrived July 25 in Istanbul for two days of talks.
The visit qualified as "unexpected"
comes a day after Prime Minister RecepTayyip Erdogan held a three-hour-long
emergency meeting mainly focusing on the latest developments in northern Syria.
According to daily Hürriyet, the Democratic
Union Party (PYD) leader came to Istanbul at 4:30 p.m. on a flight from Arbil
in northern Iraq and is expected to stay two days.
The Turkish government had expressed strong
concerns about the imposition of a de facto autonomous region in the north of
Syria after the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) affiliated PYD
increased its control in the area. The People's Defence Units (YPG), PYD's
armed wing, has been engaged in a violent fight with the al-Qaeda-linked
al-Nusra Front for over a week, gaining the control of the Syrian town of Ras
al-Ayn, near the Turkish town of Ceylanpinar.
The developments had prompted the Turkish
government to hold an emergency meeting yesterday, attended by Foreign Minister
Ahmet Davutoglu, Chief of General Staff Gen. NecdetÖzel and Turkish National
Intelligence Organization head HakanFidan along with the Prime Minister.
The government is also working to finalize a
democratization package to boost the ongoing Kurdish peace process that started
seven months ago. Deputy Prime Minister BülentArinç had told Ankara bureau
chiefs that the package would amend some articles of the infamous anti-terror
code to the advantage of arrested members of the Kurdistan Communities Union
(KCK), the PKK's alleged urban wing.
4. Final “election” results to be announced around 21.30
Turkish
Cypriot daily Star Kibris newspaper (26.07.13) reports that Nevvar Nolan,
chairman of the so-called high election council, made statements about Sunday’s
28 July parliament elections and said that ballot boxes will be closed at 18.00
and the first results will start coming out around 19.00. He also estimated
that the final results will be announced around 21.30.
Nolan also said that due to a cooperation
protocol signed between the “high election council” and the illegal Near East
University, the final results will be announced very quickly. He also stated
that the results will be announced at the www.mahkemeler.net/secim2013/index
5.
Turkish columnist says that Ankara involves in policy making in the occupied
part of Cyprus and the “Turkish ambassador” is the de facto power
Under the title “Will polls help anything in
northern Cyprus?”, columnist Yusuf Kanli, writing in Turkish daily Hurriyet
Daily News (online, 26.07.13) comments on the involvement of Ankara in the
domestic affairs of the breakaway regime during the upcoming “elections” in the
occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus, as follows:
“This Sunday the TRNC [editor’s note: the
breakaway regime in the occupied part of the Republic of Cyprus] will go to the
ballot box to elect a new 50-member legislature. Naturally, everyone thinks
they have a chance of coming to power alone.
What will be the result? It does not mean much
who will win unless northern Cyprus overhauls its political system and either
opts for a presidential system of governance or parliamentary rule. Insisting
on a system where both the president and the prime minister are elected
directly by the people has proved to be insane. Ever since the founding of the
TRNC, presidents and prime ministers have been engaged in a war of attrition.
The late RaufDenktaş was fighting with his premier, DervişEroğlu – and both
were from the same political party. Ditto for President Mehmet Ali Talat and
his premier, FerdiSabitSoyer. With Eroğlu becoming president, he started a war
with his former comrade, prime minister İrsenKüçük. Perhaps not only Turkish
Cypriots but Ankara as well must make a decision against the hybrid form of governance
and opt for either presidential or parliamentary rule. Just because the
president and the premier come from the same party does not mean the two will
not fight, particularly if both leaders are elected directly by the people.
There is a need to precisely define the rules of the game.
Now, Ankara is involved in policy-making in
northern Cyprus in the very same fashion the Turkish military was once upon a
time behaving in Turkey. Thus the confrontation in northern Cyprus has two
sides, the president and the premier, but indeed the Turkish ambassador is the
de facto power, if not the puppeteer pulling the strings of the premier. Why?
NasraddinHodja has an answer in his famous “who can blow the whistle?” story.
Whoever pays for it of course can blow the whistle… If the Turkish Cypriot
economy is mostly financed by Turkey, thanks to ‘international isolation forced
on the north by Greek Cypriots’, and if there is a ‘demanding’ Ankara, then can
there be a way out? If a government wants to follow something other than what
Ankara or its ambassador in Nicosia dictates, then who will pay the salaries of
the civil servants? It’s so simple…
So, to become a working democracy, northern
Cyprus must decide which form of governance it wants. That’s not enough. It should
also find a way of becoming integrated with the global economy and cease being
some sort of Turkish protectorate.
Well, it is sad for a Turkish Cypriot to admit
all these things, but can there be a way out without a proper diagnosis of the
problem? Greek Cypriots have been complaining of Turkey making decisions on
behalf of Turkish Cypriots. ‘The same Greek Cypriots, acting as the government
of the entire island, insists on a global embargo – not only on trade but
education, sports, health, indeed everything – on Turkish Cypriots.’ Why?
Because Turkish Cypriots don’t want to become serfs of the partnership state
usurped by the Greek Cypriots and insist on having full equality in the
sovereignty of the island.
After all, does it indeed matter who wins in
northern Cyprus? The left? What was that confession by Talat in newspapers last
week that his government failed so badly that perhaps a general strike might
help it find a face-saving formula to explain economic collapse of 2009? Or was
it the right which has been engaged in a war of attrition, thanks to the
generous contributions of Ankara and its governor-general, pardon, ambassador
in northern Cyprus?
Unfortunately, most Turkish Cypriots still
approach the elections with a ‘who will pay more?’ opportunism which, I am
afraid, will be of little help to solving the quagmire.”
6. Talat
comments on the wiretapping of his office in 2009; More on the content of the
tape
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (26.07.13)
reports that the former Turkish Cypriot leader, Mehmet Ali Talat has commented
on the debates started in the Turkish Cypriot community, because of the leak to
the press of tape recordings as a result of wiretapping of his office prior to
the “parliamentary elections” in 2009. The tape included a conversation between
Talat, his then spokesman, HasanErcakica and the former “undersecretary” at the
so-called ministry of finance and current so-called minister of finance,
ZerenMungan.
Talat told Kibris that he did not want to
make a statement on this issue, but noted that a debate and an interrogation
should be carried out on how this tape was leaked to the press rather than the
content of the tape. “How this conversation was recorded”, he wondered noting
that this is what is important and argued that “its content are issues which
could be discussed at every meeting”.
The paper reports that it could not reach
Ercakica and Mungan when it attempted to take their views on the issue.
Referring to the content of the
conversation, the paper writes that Mungan was briefing Talat on the economic
situation in the occupied area of Cyprus and that they discussed the situation
at the illegal Turkish Cypriot airlines which went bankrupt, the support which
they had asked from the Justice and Development Party (AKP) for the Republican
Turkish Party (CTP) prior to the “parliamentary elections” in 2009, the
economic measures which were not implemented and ways to weaken the trade
unions which could oppose to the economic program imposed by Turkey.
Talat said that if the CTP came to “power”
he could interfere with the work of the “government”. When Mungan told Talat
that the then Turkish Minster Responsible for Cyprus, CemilCicek had given him
a sign showing that he wanted CTP to establish a “government”, Talat replied
that this could happen only with AKP’s help.
Mungan said that “serious” increases to the
salaries of the “civil” servants were made during the period 2003-2008 due to
the inflation rate and that the money which came from Turkey for investments
was spent for paying the salaries, adding that this is why they accumulated in
three months the credit of one year.
Talat said that serious measures should
have been taken for getting out of the economic difficulties and added that the
only obstacle on this issue would be posed by the trade unions. Ercakica
replied that they should leave the trade unions to go on strike for one month
in order to save 80 million Turkish liras from the salaries of the “civil servants”,
which would have been paid by the trade unions in case of a strike.
Talat said also that he was positive to a
“coalition government” between the UBP and the CTP and added that in case this
happened, the CTP should have taken the “ministry” of finance. He noted that if
CTP could not have taken the “ministry” of finance, it should have controlled
the “ministry” of foreign affairs, having the sole responsibility for the
Cyprus problem.
(I/Ts.)
7.
KTOS and KTOEOS condemned the tape recording revealed by Afrika paper
According to Turkish Cypriot daily Afrika
(26.07.13), the Turkish Cypriot Primary School Teachers’ Trade Union (KTOS) and
the Turkish Cypriot Secondary School Teachers' Trade Union (KTOEOS), in a joint
written statement yesterday, protested against the tape recordings that took
place prior to the 2009 "parliament elections" between the Turkish
Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat, his spokesman HasanErcakica and ZerenMungan,
current undersecretary of "ministry of finance" and at the time
advisor of Talat.
GuvenVaroglu, general Chairman of KTOS, and
TahirGokcebel, Chairman of KTOEOS, said in the written statement that these
tapes recordings exposes openly the dirtiness in the political life at the
occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus, adding that these tapes recordings
have also revealed how the “north part of the island” is administered. They
added that the dirty political bargaining of the politicians as well as their
bribery works, are again in the agenda. They also noted that the tape
recordings of personal meetings or the private life is used widely by the
ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Turkey.
8.
Ankara furious over The Times’ celeb ad condemning Gezi crackdown
Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (online,
25.07.13) with the above title reported that government officials gave a quick
response to the letter recently published in “The Times” targeting the ruling
party’s treatment of Gezi Park protesters, accusing the celebrities who penned
the lines of “insincerity,” as well as of working with anti-government figures
in the country.
Ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP)
spokesman Hüseyin Çelik described the letter, which was penned by a list of
famous figures, including actors and authors, as an example of “arrogance,”
saying it “was served to them [the writers] by those inside the country.”
Çelik also accused the celebrities of
"ignoring" the situation in Syria and events in Egypt, and of
harbouring anti-AKP feelings.
“The answers that need to be given will be
given. This is extremely arrogant and out of place behaviour. We strongly
refute and condemn it,” Çelik said.
The letter both damages the publication’s
respectability and the reputation of those who signed it, according to Prime
Minister RecepTayyipErdoğan’s chief political advisor, YalçınAkdoğan, who
called the full-page ad “unacceptable” and “tactless.”
A group of internationally renowned artists and
scholars condemned the Turkish authorities’ heavy-handed crackdown on the Gezi
Park protests in a full-page letter published July 24 in the British broadsheet
The Times, addressed to Prime Minister Erdoğan. The signatories, including figures
known for their activism such as Sean Penn, Susan Sarandon, Ben Kingsley and
movie director David Lynch, described the Turkish government as “a dictatorial
rule” and slammed Erdoğan’s uncompromising stance regarding the protesters’
demands.
“The fact that such an ad that was filled with
political polemics and deliriums was published by The Times not only damages
the respectability of that newspaper, but also damages the reputation of those
who signed under such inappropriate descriptions of the Turkish government and
prime minister,” Akdoğan said.
He said “disinformation” was at work over the
Gezi interventions, adding that “those who want to see excessive use of police
force should look at the interventions in Britain in recent times.”
“An attitude that likens the will of the 1.5
million who gathered at Kazlıçeşme to the Nuremberg trials is committing a hate
crime, and is also disrespecting the national will,” Akdoğan added.
The Republican People’s Party (CHP) also
received its share of criticism, with the advisor accusing the letter-writers
of joining a campaign that “repeats the CHP’s sayings.” “Will they join the CHP
in local propaganda campaigns?” he said.
“Those who did not publish anything with
regards to the coup in Egypt, or did not object to the ongoing cruelty against
Muslims in Myanmar, do not have any sincerity or credibility,” Akdoğan added.
9.
Turkish columnist interprets Gul’s letter to Egypt interim President Mansour
Under the title “Gül tones down Turkey’s Egypt
stance”, columnist Murat Yetkin, writing in Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News
(online, 26.07.13) interprets Gul’s letter to Egypt interim President Mansour
as follows:
“Turkish President Abdullah Gül’s letter to
Egypt’s Interim President Adly Mansour on July 24, congratulating the country’s
national day was a result of the Turkish government’s move to ‘tone down’ its
strong stance against the new administration in Cairo brought to power by
military who toppled the elected President MohamadMorsi on July 3, a
high-ranking Turkish official told the Hürriyet Daily News.
The source, who asked not to be named, said
that the decision was taken in an emergency meeting chaired by Prime Minister
TayyipErdoğan on July 24, mainly on Syria, but during which developments in
Egypt and the Middle East were discussed in detail.
Erdoğan had called that meeting mainly
regarding the high tension along the Turkish-Syrian border following the fierce
fight between the radical Islamist Al Nusra and the Kurdish autonomist
Democratic Union Party (PYD) militants, causing Turkish worries regarding the
civil war in Syria and the Turkish government’s own initiative to pursue peace
with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) for a political settlement to
the Kurdish problem; having obvious links with Iraq and Iran where Kurds live
as well. A number of Ministers including Foreign, Defence, Justice and Interior
ministers and ranking officials including the Chief of General Staff and head
of National Intelligence Organization (MİT) had attended the meeting. In the
evening hours, Gül’s press advisor Ahmet Sever spoke to Anadolu Agency,
revealing that Gül has sent a message to Mansour congratulating him because on
the national day.
It should be noted that Gül’s has been the
first message from Turkey to the interim administration in Egypt; there were no
messages for Mansour before because of him assuming power, since PM Erdoğan and
Foreign Minister AhmetDavutoğlu had underlined a number of times before that
Ankara would not acknowledge the interim government after the coup against
Morsi as a legitimate one. Perhaps that is the reason why Sever had to add
another sentence to his statement to Agency that Gül’s message had been
‘written and sent in consultation with related bodies of the government’,
seemingly as a pre-emptive measure against possible speculations.
Before the July 24 meeting, there had been a
number of developments which caused Ankara to fine tune its Egypt policy.
Egypt’s Ambassador to Ankara, AbderahmanSalaheldin, had declined to attend the
fast-breaking dinner invitation on July 18 by Prime Minister Erdoğan, who
delivered another bitter speech against the coup in Egypt and criticized the
Western and Arab reluctance to condemn it. On July 19, Selahaddin had paid a
visit to Foreign Minister Davutoğlu to talk about the situation in Cairo. On
July 22, HDN published an interview with Selahaddin, who said that he believed
that the problems of the day were not so important and the Turkish-Egyptian
ties would be back on track soon. The same day there was a telephone
conversation between Davutoğlu and the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry,
during which the Middle East, Syria and Egypt issues were reportedly discussed.
On the same day, July 24, almost the same time
as the meeting in Ankara finished, the Pentagon had announced that the delivery
of four F-16 fighter jets to the interim government was suspended by President
Barack Obama. Turkish sources told HDN that the position of the Turkish
government might have been a factor in the U.S. decision to suspend the
military delivery to Egypt, which had been seen as an approval of the coup in
Egypt when it was first announced, but that decision and the phone conversation
between Kerry and Davutoğlu did not have any effect on Ankara’s decision to
tone down.
According to the HDN source, there were a few
reasons behind his toning down. At first, Ankara understood that the political
settlement in Egypt is likely to take some more time, since the people of Egypt
are divided between pro and anti Morsi lines. Secondly, it would be much more
difficult to try to support the return to democracy in Egypt as soon as
possible without working political channels between Ankara and Cairo. Thirdly,
Turkey had always worked in a complimentary role in Egypt’s efforts in the
Middle East peace process, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. And fourthly, the
toppling of the Muslim Brotherhood power in Egypt would affect the situation in
Palestine (because of Brothehood-linked Hamas in Gaza) and the
Brotherhood-motivated armed opposition in Syria. The assessments within the
Foreign Ministry and the Intelligence based upon the political balances in the
region seemingly played an important role in Erdoğan’s toning down his strong
stance to undo the coup and bring Morsi back to power immediately.
The Turkish government’s toning down on Egypt
policy might have reflections on its Palestinian-Israeli and Syrian policies as
well.”
10.
EU raises concerns on media freedom in Turkey after Baydar fired
Turkish daily Today’s Zaman (online, 25.07.13)
with the above title reported that the European Union has criticized and raised
concerns about the state of media freedom in Turkey in the wake of
YavuzBaydar's sacking from the Sabah daily.
The European Commission, in a statement to
Today's Zaman, underlined the importance of several issues regarding freedom of
expression. Editorial independence, transparency of media ownership and being
free from political interference were cited as the three basic pillars of media
freedom.
The European Commission said it was concerned
about measures taken against some journalists such as dismissals and criminal
sanctions. The commission's statement comes just after Baydar, the ombudsman of
Sabah, was fired from the newspaper. Baydar, a well-known liberal columnist,
was invited by the European Commission to address the Speak-Up conference at
the end of June in Brussels. In his speech, Baydar had strongly criticized the
Turkish government, the ownership of media by big business and some of his
colleagues for confusing journalism with political activism. He also served as
president of the US-based Organization of News Ombudsmen (ONO) between 2003 and
2004.
Peter Stano, the spokesman for Commissioner for
Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Füle, also stressed in the
statement “the significance of pluralism, tolerance and broadmindedness” in
terms of press freedom.
“Freedom of expression, together with
pluralism, tolerance, broadmindedness, as well as editorial independence and
transparency of media ownership, free from political interference, are key
elements in any democracy,” he said.
Without naming Baydar by name, Stano said: “In
this regard, the Commission expresses its concern for the recent measures taken
against some journalists, including dismissals and criminal sanctions.”
HasanCemal, a well-known liberal columnist was
also fired from the Milliyet daily in March for his critical remarks vis-à-vis
the government.
Freedom of press and expression has been the
focal point of the European Union regarding Turkey for the last several years.
The European Commission in its yearly progress reports has strongly criticized
the government and the cosy relationship between media and big business.
The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ),
together with its affiliate in Turkey, the Turkey’s Journalists Union
(TürkiyeGazetecilerSendikasi,TGS) has expressed its outrage at the dismissal of
senior Turkish journalist, YavuzBaydar, from the daily newspaper Sabah, a statement
from the institution said on Thursday.
11.
UNDP set to move its centre to Istanbul
Turkish daily Hürriyet Daily News (online,
26.07.13) reports that Turkish and U.N. officials have reached an agreement in
principle to move the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Regional
Centre in Bratislava to Istanbul amid what many are considering an assertive step
toward the creation of a U.N. hub in Istanbul.
The Turkish government expressed willingness
for such a move and offered attractive incentives to promote the relocation of
the regional centre from the Slovakian capital to Istanbul, sources told the
Hürriyet Daily News.
The top U.N. official based in Ankara,
approached by the Daily News on July 24, confirmed the ongoing talks between
U.N. and Turkish Foreign Ministry officials for the drafting of the legal
agreement which will eventually have to be ratified by Parliament.
Kamal Malhotra, U.N. resident coordinator and
UNDP resident representative for Turkey, said such relocation would be
reasonable for the U.N. side for several reasons.
A senior Turkish diplomat, speaking to the
Daily News yesterday, also confirmed the proposal, while underlining that the
move should be considered within the framework of Turkey’s target of turning
Istanbul into a centre for international organizations, given that it has
already become a global financial centre.
“In regards to its own mission, the UNDP
positively approached the idea, since with this office it will be closer to
Arab Spring countries, North Africa and the Middle East,” said the same senior
diplomat, speaking under the customary condition of anonymity.
Recalling that Turkey hosted the United Nations
Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in May 2011, the diplomat
said the UNDP, through its office in Istanbul, would more comfortably reach out
to LDCs, a majority of which are located in Africa.
Ankara has offered attractive incentives, but
both the Turkish Foreign Ministry and the U.N. refused to go into detail on the
issue. However, Turkish officials said it was usual for aspirant host countries
to offer such incentives and that this was not a case specific to Turkey.
“[There is] a financial package which I don’t
want to go into detail [about],” Malhotra said when asked about the incentives.
“They made an offer to help us with this decision because otherwise there is no
reason for us to move, but it is part of Turkey’s overall ambition to play a
major role in the U.N. which as you know, is also linked to Turkey’s bid for
the U.N. Security Council and also to make Istanbul a hub,” he said.
Both Malhotra and the Turkish diplomat
emphasized Turkey’s rising profile as a donor country not only with its
humanitarian assistance efforts, but also with contribution to global
development.
“To relocate to Istanbul from Bratislava
obviously could not be made unless we knew what the financial package was. That
was a decision made already before,” Malhotra said.
The UNDP Bratislava Regional Centre supports 25
countries and territories in Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States
(CIS). If it eventually moves to Istanbul, it will not be the first ever U.N.
office in Istanbul. Since 2011, the Eastern Europe and Central Asian Regional
Office of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has been located in
Istanbul.
U.N. Women, the United Nations Entity for
Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, is also considering whether to
open a regional office in Istanbul while the Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development (OECD) has already appealed to the Turkish
government to open a centre for regional competitiveness in Istanbul.
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TURKISH
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