TURKISH CYPRIOT AND
TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW
C O N T E N T S
No. 04/14 08.01.14
1.
Eroglu will meet Erdogan and Gul in Ankara
2.
Nami: Serious convergences exist between the sides on the joint
declaration
3.
TUSIAD will hold contacts in the occupied part of Nicosia
4.
Columnist reveals the Turkish side’s intentions for a two-state solution in the
Cyprus problem
5. A
special 50th anniversary postal stamp
6.
Turkey’s exports to the occupied area of Cyprus reached one billion dollars in
2013
7. A
second wave of dismissals amid graft probe
8.
Erdogan: My deputyship adventure ends this term
9.
Five released Kurdish lawmakers take oath in Turkish Parliament
10.
Turkish military prosecutors dismiss investigation into Uludere massacre
1. Eroglu will meet Erdogan and Gul in Ankara
Turkish Cypriot
daily Kibris newspaper (08.01.14) reports that the Turkish Cypriot leader DervisErogluhas said that within the
forthcoming days hewill visit Ankara where he will hold some “consultations” on
the Cyprus problem with Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister
RecepTayyip Erdogan.
In statements
yesterday during a visit to a civilian organization, Eroglu argued that an agreement to be reached on the Cyprus problem
should be basedonsound foundations and reiterated that the continuation of
Turkey’s active and effective guarantees is the first precondition in order for
the Turkish Cypriots’ living “in tranquillity and security under the roof which
will be established”. “The second precondition is the partnership
state to be established by two founding states”, he argued noting that this
is the issue on which they mostly debate with the Greek Cypriots.
Eroglu asked
once more the lifting of the so-called embargoes allegedly implemented on the
Turkish Cypriots and alleged that the UN and the EU have committed two historic
mistakes. The one, he claimed, was UN Security Council’s Resolution of 4 March
1964 in which “the Greek Cypriots” were allegedly recognized as the Republic of
Cyprus. He alleged that the second “mistake” was the accession of Cyprus into
the EU. He argued that these two so-called “historic mistakes” carried “the
intransigence of the Greek Cypriots until today”.
Meanwhile, in
statements during a meeting at his office, Eroglu
argued that no agreement on the Cyprus problem could be reached with “exchange
of papers” without sitting at the negotiating table. Eroglu said that the Turkish side has made its last proposal
on the issue of the “joint declaration”. He argued that their “paper”
should be taken as basis and claimed that “a
viable agreement could emerge only by sitting at the negotiating table with
such a paper”.
Referring to the
information that a “short text” could be prepared instead of a joint
declaration before the resumption of the negotiations, Eroglu said: “What will
be included in this text called ‘short text’? We have spoken with the UN
Secretary-General. This is our last paper”.
Eroglu said he had heard that the UN
Secretary-General’s special adviser on Cyprus, Alexander Downer will come to
the island on 12 January, but there has been no request for a meeting with him
until now.
(I/Ts.)
2. Nami: Serious convergences exist between the
sides on the joint declaration
Turkish Cypriot
daily Kibris newspaper (08.01.14) reports that OzdilNami, self-styled foreign minister of the breakaway regime in
the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus, has argued that serious convergences exist between the sides on the
issue of the joint declaration, that progress has been achieved compared to the
first day of the talks and that only minor differences remain.
In statements to
Kibris, Nami noted that the issue of
single sovereignty, single citizenship and single international identity has
been included in the joint statement in a way acceptable by both sides. He
added that expressions such as “residual
powers, internal citizenship, founding states” are included in this text.
He argued that whenthe UN
Secretary-General’s special adviser on Cyprus, Alexander Downer will come to
the island, a result could be reached on the joint statement, adding
thatthere is no issue which could not be solved.
He said that
demands, regarding which efforts had been exerted for their inclusion in the
joint declaration and constituted a problem, have been removed. As such demands
he described “the presence of an EU expert at the negotiating table”, “the
return of Varosha before the negotiations” and the guarantees.
Nami claimed that it would not be difficult to find a
formula on the issue of the “sovereignty” and argued that this formula could be
saying that “neither the one nor the other side could use alone the single
sovereignty”.
Nami claimed
that many problems experienced in the “country” are derived from the so-called
isolation of the Turkish Cypriots and added that his “ministry” has the mission
of developing their relations with the world. He said that as “ministry” they
are not interested only in the Cyprus problem, but they have also established a
“unit” on the economy and launched meetings with civilian organizations and
businessmen. He said that they are
exploring how their “representations” aboard could contribute in their economy.
Nami said that
after he overtook his “duties”, their contacts abroad increased and added that
he had held contacts with officials from the Islamic Cooperation Organization,
the European Commission and the Economic Cooperation Organization. He noted
that he is pleased with the fact that many ambassadors, who come to the island,
visit his so-called ministry in order to be briefed on the Cyprus problem.
(I/Ts.)
3. TUSIAD will hold contacts in the occupied part
of Nicosia
Turkish Cypriot
daily Havadis newspaper (08.01.14) reports that a delegation from the Turkish Industry and Business Association
(TUSIAD) under MuharremYilmaz, the chairman of its board of directors, will visit the occupied part of Nicosia
tomorrow. During their one-day visit, the Turkish businessmen will be
hosted by the Turkish Cypriot Businessmen Association (ISAD) and hold contacts regarding the
negotiations process in the Cyprus problem.
The delegation
is expected to meet with the Turkish Cypriot leader, DervisEroglu, the
self-styled prime minister of the regime, OzkanYorgancioglu and the so-called
minister of foreign affairs, OzdilNami.
Furthermore, within the framework of the visit, TUSIAD
and ISAD will issue a declaration together with Greek Cypriot and Greek
businessmen associations supporting the solution process in Cyprus.
(I/Ts.)
4. Columnist reveals the Turkish side’s intentions
for a two-state solution in the Cyprus problem
Columnist Yusuf
Kanli, writing in Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (online, 08.01.14) under
the title “Two states on Cyprus”, discloses the Turkish side’s intention, in
his following, inter alia, commentary, that the conclusion of the Cyprus talks is the international recognition of
the breakaway regime in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus:
“The continued
deadlock in the Cyprus peace-making process and uncompromising preconditions of
the Greek Cypriots to kick off what they already claim to be doomed to fail the
new round of inter-communal talks point at one highly probable culmination: The ‘de facto’ becoming the ‘de jure’. That
is the two-state reality on the land becoming the eventual resolution of the
Cyprus problem with both states accorded international recognition.
(…)
A bitter
compromise settlement on Cyprus requires the existence of political will and
responsible politics that will guide people to accept such painful compromises
for the sake of a common better future for the two peoples on their joint
homeland. In the absence of will, on either, side to create a federation,
insisting on establishing one is of course futile, as we have been experiencing
in Cyprus since federation jargon entered the semantics of the process in late
1970s.
(…)
Now, not only
Turkish Cypriots, international
observers have started talking of the need of a “velvet divorce” and the two
states of the island making a “divorce agreement” and uniting in the EU.”
5. A special 50th anniversary postal
stamp
Turkish Cypriot
daily Vatan (08.01.14) reports that a special 50th anniversary stamp
has already gone on sale by the so-called TRNC post department to mark the 50th
anniversary of the “Cyprus Turkish Postal Service” (“PTT”), which was
established on the 6th of January 1964.
6. Turkey’s exports to the occupied area of Cyprus
reached one billion dollars in 2013
Under the title
“Imports from Turkey reached one billion dollars”, Turkish Cypriot daily
Havadis newspaper (08.01.14) reports that the
exports of Turkey to the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus increased by
2.7% in 2013 comparing to 2012 and reached 999 million and 600 thousand US
dollars.
According to
data published by the Turkish Exporters’ Assembly (TIM), the “TRNC”, breakaway
regime in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus, is in the 31st
place on the list of the countries to which Turkey exports the most products.
Turkey’s exports to the occupied area of Cyprus constitute 0.7% of its total
exports.
(I/Ts.)
7. A second wave of dismissals amid graft probe
Under the title
“Turkey removes police chiefs of 16 provinces amid graft probe”, Turkish daily
Today’s Zaman (online, 08.01.14) reported that Turkish Prime Minister
RecepTayyipErdogan's government removed police chiefs of at least 16 provinces
overnight, Turkish media said, as part
of a campaign to appoint loyalists in a bid to what observers largely agree to cover
up a recent corruption investigation.
A day earlier,
authorities purged hundreds of police officials, some of them included members
of the financial and organized crime, smuggling and anti-terrorism units, and
they were moved to traffic duties, according to the reports.
According to the
Hurriyet daily, some 1,700 police have been dismissed or reassigned in Istanbul
and Ankara alone since the corruption investigations became public.
On the same
issue, TZ (online, 07.01.14) reported that in
a second wave of dismissals since the launch of a corruption probe rocked the
government last month, dozens of high-ranked bureaucrats were dismissed from
the Ministry of Finance on Tuesday, the Vatan daily has reported.
Around 350 police officers were removed from their
posts in Ankara overnight on Monday, marking the biggest single reported
police shakeup since the launch of the corruption probe.
Meanwhile, TZ
(online, 07.01.14) reported that twenty-five suspects, including prominent
Turkish State Railways (TCDD) port directors and businessmen, were detained in
simultaneous raids conducted in Izmir, İstanbul, Ankara, Van and Hatay Tuesday
morning as part of a tender rigging investigation launched by the İzmir Chief
Public Prosecutor's Office.
The suspects are
facing charges of giving and receiving bribes, tender rigging, corruption,
misconduct, embezzlement and aggravated fraud.
8. Erdogan: My deputyship adventure ends this term
According to Turkish
daily Today’s Zaman (online, 07.01.14), Prime Minister RecepTayyip Erdogan has
dropped hints that he will not work to change a Justice and Development Party
(AK Party) bylaw that limits Deputies to three consecutive terms in
office.
Responding to
reporters' questions in Tokyo on Tuesday, Erdogan
said: “This is my third term in office. It is the same for many of my
colleagues [AK Party members]. According to our party bylaws, our deputyship
adventure ends this term.”
The Prime
Minister also told Japanese reporters that a politician does not engage in
politics solely in Parliament. “It is not right to think that a politician will
remain in Parliament until he dies,” he said. According to the Prime Minister, politicians should quit their seats
after completing three terms in Parliament so that young people can also find a
place to contribute in politics.
9. Five released Kurdish lawmakers take oath in
Turkish Parliament
Turkish daily
Hurriyet Daily News (online, 07.01.14) reported that the Peace and Democracy
Party (BDP) SanliurfaDeputy Ibrahim Ayhan, BDP Mardin Deputy GulserYildirim,
BDP SirnakDeputies Selma Irmak and FaysalSariyildiz, as well as independent Deputy
from Van Kemal Aktas have taken their oaths in Parliament. All five Deputies
were detained as part of the Kurdish Communities Union (KCK) trial and were
elected as lawmakers in the June 2011 elections. However, they failed to take
their oaths at the time because they were under arrest.
10. Turkish military prosecutors dismiss
investigation into Uludere massacre
Turkish daily
Hurriyet Daily News (online, 07.01.14) reported that the General Staff’s Military Prosecutor’s Office has dismissed the
investigation into the Uludere/Roboski massacre, in which 34 civilians were
killed in an air strike, saying in its
ruling military officers have made an “inevitable” mistake while performing
their duty.
The decision
outraged relatives and lawyers as the Diyarbakir Bar Association announced they
will appeal to the European Court of Human Right if their individual complaint
to Turkey’s Constitutional Court bears no fruit.
The dismissal of
the investigation also comes amid an ongoing Kurdish peace process that seeks
to bring a solution to the four-decade long conflict.
----------------------------------------------------
TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION
