TURKISH CYPRIOT AND TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW
C O N T E N T S
No. 124/13 04/07/2013
1.
The first reaction of Ankara, Turkish politicians and media to the Egyptian
army’s overthrow of the President was to condemn it as coup
2.
Support to Turkey by Lithuania EU term presidency
3.
The Shah Deniz decision: More gas for Europe
4.
Erk alleged that the Greek Cypriot side not ready for negotiations; he started
meetings with the five permanent UN members ambassadors
5.
“Election” campaign started in the breakaway regime: Parties state their
positions
6. “Council of ministers” cancelled a lease given to Hasiploglu’s son by the Kucuk regime
6. “Council of ministers” cancelled a lease given to Hasiploglu’s son by the Kucuk regime
7.
Turkish court cancelled project of Ottoman barracks on Taksim square
1.
The first reaction of Ankara, Turkish politicians and media to the Egyptian
army’s overthrow of the President was to condemn it as coup
Under the title “Ankara calls on Cairo
to stick to democratic norms”, Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (online,
03.07.13) reports that Turkey adds its voice to the demands that Egypt’s
military avoid any intervention in politics, as an army-imposed deadline passes
for President Morsi to meet the ‘people’s demands’.
Ankara has called on Egyptian
authorities to respect the rule of law and the people’s will by sticking to
democratic norms, in an apparent reference to the army’s possible intervention
into the country’s crisis-torn political scene.
For his part, Turkish Foreign Minister
Ahmet Davutoğlu discussed the situation in Egypt with a number of his
counterparts before returning from his bilateral visit to Singapore. Davutoğlu
held talks on the phone with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry as well as the
British, French, German and Qatari Foreign Ministers, sources told the Daily
News.
“Turkey considers the stability and
security of brother and friend Egypt as crucially important for both our
country and the region, and Turkey has always supported the free will of the
noble Egyptian people in the Jan. 25 revolution,” a Foreign Ministry statement
said today.
In a show of clear support, EU Minister
Egemen Bağış hailed the firm stance of Morsi against coup plotters as the
democratically elected leader of Egypt. Underlining that the worst democracy is
even much better the best version of military coups, Bağış said: “Mr. Morsi
tried to make very important reforms in a very short period of time, in a
country with so many problems and where reforms are hard to realize."
He added that Morsi deserved the support
of the entire world especially of the European Union. “We should stand against
military coups everywhere in the world. We should stand together against any
form of coup,” he stressed.
On the same issue, under the title
“Turkey analyses regional impacts of Egypt coup”, journalist Serkan Demirtaş,
writing in Turkish daily Hürriyet Daily News (online, 04.07.13), reports that
Turkey has begun to evaluate the potential impacts of the Egyptian army’s
overthrow of democratically elected President Mohamed Morsi on the region, with
an emphasis on how the development could affect the ongoing internal fight in
neighbouring Syria.
“The Egyptian army’s intervention will
have serious impacts on the region and on the course of the Arab Spring. But
it’s very hard to estimate how the impact will show itself,” a senior Foreign
Ministry official told the Hürriyet Daily News in an initial evaluation. “Syria
will surely be affected as well, but it’s really hard to say how things will
change in the field from now on.”
Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun
Sinirlioğlu and Deputy Undersecretary Ömer Önhon spent the night at the
Ministry yesterday and were in constant touch with Turkish Ambassador to Cairo
Hüseyin Avni Botsalı.
Botsalı’s mandate as the ambassador
ended on June 30, but the government asked him to stay a few days more to
observe the developments in the country before he was scheduled to move to his
new posting, Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the meantime, President Abdullah Gül is
set to receive Turkey’s new ambassador to Egypt, Ahmet Yıldız, in Istanbul this
afternoon.
Turkey was among the countries which
heavily supported the Morsi government and had established strong ties with the
Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. Morsi attended the ruling Justice and Development
Party’s (AKP) congress last year and praised the support he received from Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government.
On the same issue, Ankara Anatolia news
agency (03.07.13) reports that Spokesperson Hüseyin Çelik of the ruling Justice
and Development Party (AKP) told reporters July 3 that the Egyptian military’s
coup ousting elected President Mohamed Morsi is a sign of “backwardness,”
accusing some Western countries of supporting it.
“Morsi deservedly won by his own efforts
the elections organized by a bureaucracy inherited from Hosni Mubarak’s era and
that took weeks to come to a conclusion,” Çelik said, comparing the
developments in Egypt with the 1960 and 1980 coups in Turkey.
“This coup has also received foreign
support. Some Western countries have not accepted Muslim Brotherhood’s arrival
to power. They have mobilized the streets, then issued a memorandum, and are
now staging the coup,” Çelik also said.
Main opposition Republican People’s
Party (CHP) deputy head Faruk
Loğoğlu also expressed concern regarding the situation in Egypt.
Loğoğlu said that the developments could
disrupt the democratization process launched after the Arab Spring movement
toppled Mubarak's regime. CHP was
not in favour of the army meddling with politics, Loğoğlu also added.
Numan Kurtulmuş, vice president of the
AKP, said it was not possible for people who believe in democracy to accept the
coup in Egypt. “We should see it as a blow that was delivered directly to the
people of Egypt.
Furthermore, Ankara Anatolia news agency
(04.07.13) reports that Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has condemned the
Egyptian military's overthrow of elected President Mohamed Morsi.
“Military coups cannot be accepted. I
hope that democracy will come [back to Egypt],” Kılıçdaroğlu said on Thursday
in comments on Morsi's removal.
On the same issue, Turkish daily Today’s
Zaman (online, 04.07.13) reports that Turkish political parties in a joint
declaration on Thursday condemned a military coup that ousted Egyptian
President Mohammed Morsi.
A
statement from Parliament's Human Rights Commission on Thursday was signed by
the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), main opposition Republican
People's Party (CHP), opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and
opposition Peace and Democracy Party (BDP).
“The ruling power which was usurped by
unauthorized powers should be given back to the [Egyptian] people. All democratic
individuals and institutions across the world should stand against such moves,
which have the potential for human rights violations,” the statement said.
Today’s Turkish press has seen the
Egyptian army’s overthrow of the President Mohamed Morsi as a military coup.
Some dailies compare the Egypt coup with February 28 post-modern coup. Turkish
dailies, that our office received, covered the issue in their front pages as
follows:
HURRIYET,
under the title “Resist”, writes that the army overthrew Morsi, but the
President had called on Egyptians "to resist" the military coup. The
paper also writes that Turkey had "stepped in for democracy" saying
that the Turkish Foreign Minister Davutoglu as well as EU Minister Bagis had
urged European countries and the countries in the region to protect democracy.
MILLIYET,
under the title “He asked a settlement at the last minute”, writes that the
Egyptian President Morsi, who was harsh in his speech two nights ago, proposed
a coalition government.
SABAH,
under the title “Egypt's February 28”, compares the Egyptian military's move to
a military memorandum in Turkey on 28th of February, 1997, which
forced an elected government to resign. “The army deposed the elected president
by force of arms while Morsi called on his people to stand up to the
intervention saying he did not recognize this ‘post-modern coup’,” the paper
reports. The daily added: “Ankara warned”, quoting Davutoglu “in all
democracies elected governments leave office through elections”.
CUMHURIYET,
under the title “Army got out to the streets”, reports that Morsi proposed
coalition and the opponents asked his resignation.
ZAMAN,
under the title “Morsi proposed compromise, but the tanks were in the street”,
reports that Morsi’s offer to form an interim coalition government was not
taken into account.
2.
Support to Turkey by Lithuania EU term presidency
Under the above title, Turkish daily
Milliyet (04.07.13) reports that Lithuania’s Ambassador to Ankara Kestutis
Kudzmamas, said that Lithuania during its EU term presidency will support
Turkey on the opening of new chapters. He added that during their Presidency
they will endeavour for the process of the chapters 22, 17 and 19.
3.
The Shah Deniz decision: More gas for Europe
Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News
(online, 04.07.13) publishes, inter alia, the following commentary by Günther
H. Oettinger, European Commissioner for Energy:
“Just a few days ago, we got long
awaited news from Azerbaijan: the Shah Deniz Consortium – companies operating
the Shah Deniz 2 gas condensate field – decided to select the pipeline bringing
gas from Azerbaijan to Europe. The Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) was chosen as
the European distribution pipeline for gas coming from the field. This is a
historical decision, as it signals that substantial volumes of gas will come to
Europe from a Caspian country. For Europe it means 10 billion cubic meters of
natural gas a year starting before 2020. (…)
Azerbaijan is a door opener in this
process. But there are further major sources in the Southern Gas Corridor,
linking the EU to Turkey, the Eastern Mediterranean, Iraq, Azerbaijan and other
countries.
With a real strategic vision,
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, along with Turkey, has committed to
building a large scalable pipeline, called TANAP, to the European border. It
will initially bring gas from Shah Deniz 2, and eventually from other fields in
Azerbaijan, to the European market. What we see today is just the beginning. A
decision to have TAP built first and to bring more gas later means that the
route to Austria – currently Nabucco West – is still on the table. The question
is not either one or the other, in the medium term both are needed. This is
certain: we will need more gas in 2020, and Caspian gas is a good response to this
need.
More importantly than the choice between
Tap and Nabucco is the opening of the Southern Corridor. With an effective and
functioning internal energy market, with the necessary infrastructure and
reverse flows in place, once the gas enters the EU, it can be transported
anywhere in Europe. With the internal energy market, gas interconnections,
championed by the European Commission, will secure the ability of gas to reach
member states who have just one or only a few suppliers, such as Romania, Bulgaria
and Hungary. It is in this sense that the European Commission has been working
for the past years. Our main priority is to tackle the most vulnerable
countries. On Bulgaria, for instance, Europe must work harder to assist the
government make the long-term strategic energy decisions necessary for its
energy security.
The commission is also working with
Serbia and Bulgaria to build a connection between these two, and Romania is now
connected to Hungary and Bulgaria. The North-South initiative, spearheaded by
the commission, has put in place many small interconnectors that create a web
of interconnection in South East and Central Europe. But more is still needed,
to bring competitive prices to Southern Europe.
I want to see thorough development of
the resources in the eastern Mediterranean. Cypriot’s government efforts to
develop a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) export facility on the island are part of
that endeavour. From Greece, we need a swift liberalized pipeline system up to
Ukraine.
And what’s in it for Azerbaijan?
What Azerbaijan has realized, and what
is often missed elsewhere, is that Europe is a safe bet. European rules are
stable, the returns constant and valuable. Azerbaijan is committing its future
to Europe.
For Europe, the decision of the Shah
Deniz Consortium marks a real breakthrough in terms of securing Europe’s energy
supplies for the future. In a world of global energy markets and growing
competition for resources, we will continue promoting Europe’s energy interests
and engaging in comprehensive partnerships with key supplier countries. We
trust that our efforts will ensure secure energy supplies for European
households and businesses and will enhance Europe’s competitiveness.”
4.
Erk alleged that the Greek Cypriot side not ready for negotiations; he
started meetings with the five permanent UN members ambassadors
Under the title “We are ready (for the
talks) but the Greek Cypriots are not”, Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper
(04.07.13) reports that the self-styled minister of foreign affairs Kutlay Erk,
commented on the launching of the negotiations for the solution of the Cyprus
problem the coming October.
Erk stated that the Turkish Cypriot side
is ready and eager for the Cyprus talks, however he claimed that the Greek
Cypriot side “which is inside an involution”, as he said, is not yet ready. He
said that they want the negotiations to be continued from the point they were
left, adding that they want the talks to be “meaningful”. “We want the
negotiations to have a result. We are ready”, he stated.
He went on and said that he started
holding meetings with the ambassadors of the five permanent UN members
ambassadors to Lefkosia and added that until now he met with the USA and the
Russian ambassador to whom he delivered the Turkish side views on the talks as
well as their readiness for the launching of negotiations.
Referring to the opening of Varosha, Erk said that the issue is part of a comprehensive
solution. On natural gas, Erk said that this is the new “trend” regarding the
talks, adding that the previous one was that Cyprus becoming an EU member would
have been a catalyst for the solution.
5.
“Election” campaign started in the breakaway regime: Parties state their
positions
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris (03.07.13) writes today about the election campaign that was launched in the breakaway regime for the forthcoming 28 July ‘elections and reports about meetings of the political parties in which their positions are stated.
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris (03.07.13) writes today about the election campaign that was launched in the breakaway regime for the forthcoming 28 July ‘elections and reports about meetings of the political parties in which their positions are stated.
The chairman of the Turkish Republican
Party (CTP) Ozkan Yorgancioglu who made speeches in occupied Lefkosia,
Famagusta, Morfou and Trikomo, stated that safeguarding the justice in the
island, taking measures for dealing with unemployment and protecting the
interests of the labour forces is among the main goals of the Party. He also
said that the solution of the Cyprus problem and a viable solution, based in
the equality of the two communities and to a federal bi-communal state is the
party’s duty.
The chairman of the Democratic Party
(DP) Serdar Denktas, who was speaking in a meeting of his party in occupied
Morfou, criticized strongly the “governments’ of UBP
and CTP and said that it is not the time his party to come into power.
Kibris writes that Mehmet Cakici, the
leader of the Communal Democratic Party (TDP)
in a meeting held by his party in occupied Morfou, stated that only TDP can break off the “agley and rancid order” in
occupied Cyprus and called on the ‘electorate” to make a comparison among the
various political parties. He also said that the Turkish Cypriots must be
masters in their own house in order for the economy to be improved.
Finally, the chairman of the United
Cyprus Party (BKP) Izzet Izcan which visited the headquarters of the Turkish
Cypriot Primary School Trade Union (KTOS) said that they see the “elections” as
a tool for their struggle for a fair solution, noting that when a people comes
to the point to have its existence put in danger, must find ways for
cooperation and for creation common fronts.
In addition, Turkish Cypriot daily Vatan
(03.07.13) writes that the chairman of the National Unity Party (UBP) Irsen Kucuk who was speaking at a television
program, called on the “electorate” to vote for his party and accused CTP that
if it comes to power, it will make 300 persons from “Lefkosia municipality” to
lose their jobs and will also fire 400-500 persons who work at “civil service”.
6.
“Council of ministers” cancelled a lease given to Hasiploglu’s son by the
Kucuk regime
Turkish Cypriot daily Afrika newspaper
(04.07.13) reports on a meeting held by the self-styled council of ministers of
the breakaway regime yesterday and notes that among the decisions taken was the
cancelation of a lease for a plot by the sea in favour of the son of the former
“minister of health” of the National Unity (UBP)
“government Ertugrul Hasipoglu.
The paper writes that the “council of
ministers” cancelled the decision which was taken by the “government” of Irsen
Kucuk about a month ago, according to which a newly established company “nephew
Ltd” belonging to Oguzhan Hasipoglu, rented a 25-donum plot located by the sea
aiming to be used for the building of touristic facilities.
The paper notes that the name of the
company’ owner is not mentioned in the decision, but Afrika have reliable sources
that this person is Oguzhan Hasipoglu, who is known to be the owner of 229
companies in the breakaway regime and who plays a very active role in selling
property to foreigners in occupied Cyprus.
7.
Turkish court cancelled project of Ottoman barracks on Taksim square
Turkish daily Today’s Zaman (online,
03.07.13) reports that a Turkish court has cancelled an Istanbul building
project backed by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan which provided the
trigger for nationwide anti-government demonstrations last month, a copy of the
court decision showed.
Authorities may well appeal against
cancellation of plans for a replica Ottoman-era barracks on İstanbul's Taksim
Square. But the ruling marked a victory for a coalition of political forces and
a blow for Erdoğan, who stood fast against protests and riots he said were
stoked by terrorists and looters.
Can Atalay, a lawyer for the Chamber of
Architects which brought the lawsuit, said the administrative court ruled in
early June at the height of the unrest that the plan violated preservation
rules and unacceptably changed the square's identity. It was not clear why it had
only now been released.
----------------------------------------------------------------
TURKISH
AFFAIRS SECTION
