TURKISH CYPRIOT AND
TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW
C O N T E N T S
1. Sources say Downer postponed his visit to Cyprus because he is angry
with the leaders
2. Eroglu accused the Greek Cypriot side of using new
delaying tactics
3. Eroglu will travel
to Turkey
4. Davutoglu: This time we will eternally connect
Anatolia to Cyprus with water pipelines”
5. Rauf Denktas is commemorated two years after his death
6. Erdogan to meet top EU officials during his Brussels
visit on 21 January
7. Baghdad summons Turkish diplomat over Kurdish oil;
TPAO discovered oil in Silopi
8. Gul met with Erdogan and opposition parties on government
proposal to amend law the judicial body
9. Fule warns that amendments should comply with EU
norms
1. Sources say Downer postponed his visit to Cyprus because he is angry
with the leaders
Under the title “Downer is angry”, Turkish Cypriot daily Havadis
newspaper (14.01.14) reports that Alexander
Downer, UN Secretary-General’s special adviser for Cyprus, has postponed for
Thursday his planned for yesterday visit to Cyprus and his meeting with the
Turkish Cypriot leader Eroglu and President Anastasiades. “International diplomatic sources” told Havadis that Downer
deliberately postponed his appointments and that his stance was “a reaction in
diplomatic language.
The sources said that Downer
is annoyed because agreement could not be reached on the issue of the joint
declaration and he is preparing a report to the UN Security Council on this
issue. If an agreement is not
reached during Downer’s visit on Thursday, which is reportedly expected to be a
short one, the UN Secretary-General’s adviser will inform the Security Council
of the failure of his efforts and the reasons for this failure.
“This situation is tantamount to another ‘crisis’ for the Turkish
[ministry of] foreign affairs that is on the table”, argues that paper, because
the positions of Russia, China and France on the solution in Cyprus are “far
away” from the Turkish side’s positions. “Turkey’s diplomacy is annoyed about
the point reached”, the sources said.
The paper argues that the
reason for Downer’s stance is what is described as an accusation by President
Anastasiades against Downer prior to the latter’s visit and the stance of the
Turkish side, which said that “the exchange of documents should end”.
Meanwhile, Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (14.01.14) reports
that Osman Ertug, spokesman and
special representative of the Turkish Cypriot leader, said that Dervis Eroglu received yesterday a letter by Downer noting
that he was forced to postpone his departure from Australia for 48 hours
because of personal reasons and therefore their meeting planned for
yesterday was annulled. In the letter Downer expressed the hope to meet soon
with Eroglu.
Moreover, replying to questions yesterday, Eroglu said he could not know whether information published in the
press that the UN Secretary-General would ask for the help of the Security
Council on the issue of the resumption of the Cyprus talks is correct.
Asked on the issue of the joint declaration, Eroglu noted that the
Turkish Cypriot side had submitted a proposal on 14 December and argued:
“However, as you see, the Greek Cypriot side wants to continue this statement
game. In its recent letter to Ban Ki-moon, it refers to a short statement. What they call short statement is preparing
a text taking into consideration some UN Resolutions, which concern them, or,
more correctly, which protect their interests. This is nothing than playing with time, because the Cyprus problem
could not be solved without sitting at the negotiating table…”
Eroglu reiterated the allegation that President Anastasiades should
have stated that he was committed to continuing the negotiations from the point
they had been left by former President Christofias, like Eroglu had stated
after succeeding former Turkish Cypriot leader Talat. “The
UN should not have been positive to this joint declaration”, he alleged and added that they were
waiting to see whether the UN Secretary-General would take any step.
Asked for how long they will be waiting,
Eroglu replied that “this depends on the Greek Cypriot side”.
(I/Ts.)
2. Eroglu accused the Greek Cypriot side of using
new delaying tactics
Turkish Cypriot
daily Kibris (14.01.14) reports that Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu accused the Greek Cypriot
side of using new delaying tactics.
Addressing the
ceremony of the 2nd anniversary of former Turkish Cypriot leader
Rauf Denktas’ death, Eroglu alleged that the Greek Cypriot side now uses
another delaying tactic. He claimed that
President Anastasiades’ letter to UN General Secretary Ban Ki-moon includes his
desire for a shorter joint statement and
proposes Confidence Building Measures, which only serve their interests. Eroglu
claimed that the Greek Cypriots’ aim is not to reach a Cyprus settlement within
2014, but to divide them, to break them into pieces and to take the Turkish
Cypriots by surprise.
Eroglu claimed:
“I would like to ask, how much more we have to put up with the Greek Cypriots
delaying tactics? When shall we acknowledge and accept the fact that the Greek
Cypriot side has no sincere intention of respecting our rights and existence?”.
3. Eroglu will
travel to Turkey
Turkish Cypriot daily Diyalog (14.01.14)
reported that Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu, will realize a working
visit to Turkey on Thursday, January 16, upon an invitation by Turkish
President, Abdullah Gul. According to a press release by the Turkish Presidency,
issues to be discussed will, inter alia, include bilateral relations between
Turkey and the occupation regime and the recent developments on the Cyprus
problem.
4. Davutoglu: This time we will eternally connect
Anatolia to Cyprus with water pipelines”
Turkish Cypriot
daily Yeni Duzen (14.01.14) reports Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu as saying: “Hopefully in
April we will eternally connect Anatolia to Cyprus, this time with water
pipelines”.
Addressing the
Ambassadors’ Conference which is organized for the sixth year with the
participation of Turkish ambassadors abroad, Davutoglu said that the issue regarding the Cyprus problem is not to
deliver speeches and to say heroic things, but rather to pursue an effective
policy that demonstrates to the world the Turkish side’s righteousness. He
added that no one can treat the Turkish Cypriots and the “TRNC” [Translator’s
note: breakaway regime in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus] as a
pariah and that the “TRNC” is also endowed with great economic potential and a
wealth of natural sources.
5. Rauf Denktas is commemorated two years after his death
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (14.01.14) reports that the
late Turkish Cypriot leader, Rauf
Denktas was commemorated yesterday at his grave in the occupied area of Cyprus
on the occasion of the second anniversary of his death.
Addressing the ceremony, Turkish Cypriot leader Eroglu said Denktas “lives
with us together with the state of the TRNC, of which he is the architect”.
“He will always live as long as the Turkish Cypriot people live as sovereign
and free people”, he added.
The
Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs was among those
who issued a statement on the occasion of the anniversary of Denktas’ death.
The ministry argued that Denktas “will always have a place in our hearts with
his leadership appreciated in the world and his statesmanship”. The ministry said Denktas devoted his entire life to the
“struggle for the existence and freedom of the Turkish Cypriots” and added that
he was always been in “consensus and harmony with motherland Turkey”.
(I/Ts.)
6. Erdogan to meet top EU officials during his Brussels
visit on 21 January
Ankara Anatolia
news agency (13.01.14) reports that the Turkish
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is going to pay a critical visit to
Brussels on January 21, his first to the heart of the European Union in five
years, to take up Turkey-EU relations with the Union's top officials.
Erdogan is
expected to come together with President of European Council Herman Van Rompuy,
President of European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso and European Parliament
President Martin Schulz in bilateral meetings, as well as in a separate
mini-summit - an unaccustomed gathering for the chiefs of the three top EU
institutions.
The Turkish Premier
will also meet the leaders of political parties represented in the EU Parliament.
Foreign Affairs Committee Chairperson Elmar Brok, EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary
Commission Co-President Helene Flautre and Parliament's Turkey Rapporteur Ria
Oomen-Ruijten will also attendthe meetings.Erdogan's
talks with the EU officials are thought to focus on issues such as Turkey-EU
relations, future steps to protect the acceleration in membership talks, difficulties
in the negotiation process and visa
facilitation.
7. Baghdad summons Turkish diplomat over Kurdish
oil; TPAO discovered oil in Silopi
Turkish daily
Hurriyet Daily News (12.01.14) reports that Baghdad summoned Turkey's Chargé d'Affaires January 12 over moves by
Iraq's Kurdish region to sell oil independently, saying the move is a violation
of its Constitution as Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki warned Turkey on not
'interfering' on the issue.
Deputy Prime
Minister Hussein al-Shahristani, the top official responsible for energy
affairs, summoned Efe Ceylan over the announcement by the autonomous Kurdish
region last week that its first shipment of crude oil sent directly to Turkey
had gone on sale, with more expected to follow.
The Kurdistan
Regional Government (KRG) said last week that crude had begun to flow to Turkey
and exports were expected to start at the end of this month and then rise in
February and March.
In addition, Turkish
daily Hurriyet Daily News (14.01.14) reports thatTurkish state-run petroleum company TPAO has discovered oil at a high
gravity well in the eastern province of Şırnak's Silopi district located on the
Iraqi border of the country.
8. Gul metwith Erdogan and opposition parties on government
proposal to amend law on the judicial body
Ankara Anatolia
news agency (14.01.14) reports that Turkish
President Abdullah Gul met with the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
concerning the draft bill stipulating the restructure of Turkey's Supreme Board
of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK).
Gul also met with the leaders of: Republican People's
Party (CHP), Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and Peace and Democracy Party
(BDP) at Cankaya Presidential residence to hear
their views regarding the latest developments on HSYK and surrounding
controversies.
9. Fule warns that amendments should comply with EU
norms
Turkish daily
Today's Zaman (13.01.14) reported that the EU Commissioner responsible for
enlargement and European neighbourhood policy Stephen Fule said on Monday that he had asked the Turkish authorities
to ensure amendments to laws are in line with the principles of the European
Union legislation before adoption into law.
Fule made the statement on his Twitter account. In another tweet he also said he had discussed with the Council of Europe Secretary-General Thorbjorn
Jagland “common concerns about recent developments in Turkey regarding the rule
of law & independence of judiciary.”
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TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION
