TURKISH CYPRIOT AND
TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW
C O N T E N T S
No. 39/14 26.02.14
1. Ozersay’s statements to Hurriyet: “My briefcase is
full of surprises”
2. Erdogan and Eroglu hold a phone conversation on the
Cyprus talks
3. Eroglu reiterated Turkish Cypriot side’s ‘red
lines’ on the Cyprus problem
4. The “National Existence Council” evaluates the
joint statement
5. Support by political parties and NGO’s to Murat
6. The Cyprus problem was in the agenda of Davutoglu’s
meeting with envoys of Asia-Pacific countries
7. Turkey and the breakaway regime to sign an
agreement on energy
8. The Association of Turkish Confederations asked
from the World Bank to recognized the independence of the breakaway regime
9. Kasif admits that Turkey’s Internet law may affect
the breakaway regime after all
10. Siber underlines the importance of strengthening
the “TRNC” institutions
1.Ozersay’s statements to Hurriyet: “My briefcase is full of
surprises”
Under the title: “The first contact
after 55 years”, Turkish daily Hurriyet (26.02.14) publishes statements by the
Turkish Cypriot negotiator KudretOzersay to the newspaper’s correspondent in
occupied Lefkosia, Omer Bilge.
Ozersay referred to the “cross talks”
that will take place tomorrow in Athens and Ankara and said that his briefcase
that will carry to Athens is full of surprises.
Underlining that they are aware that
the Greek Cypriots will bring to the agenda during their visit to Ankara issues
related to Varosha, guarantees, the issue of Turkish troops and ports, Ozersay
added: “I would not like to relieve my thoughts before the meeting. We have
made preparations, the Greeks will learn about the files that my briefcase has
inside when I arrive in Athens. It is a briefcase full of surprises”.
Referring to the meeting he held last
week with Turkey’s Foreign Ministry Undersecretary FeridunSinirlioglu, Ozersay
said that they had a fruitful meeting and said that they discussed what the
Greek Cypriots will bring to the agenda at the meeting in Ankara. He stated
that they did not discussed the issues that they will take to Athens, since, as
he said, they made their preparations long before.
Ozersay stated further that it will be
the first time after 55 years that a Turkish Cypriot negotiator will visit
Athens. He added that the last one who visited Greece, was the late former
Turkish Cypriot leader RaufDenktas in 1959 under the title of the leader of the
Turkish Cypriot community. Also, as Ozersay said, Archbishop Makarios was the
last “Greek Cypriot leader” who visited Ankara on November 22-26, 1962 under
the title of the President of the Republic of Cyprus.
Ozersay said that he will travel today to
Athens via Istanbul and will meet tomorrow with the General Secretary of the
Greek Foreign Ministry, AnastassisMitsialis, while the Greek Cypriot negotiator
Andreas Marvoyiannis will meet with the Undersecretary of the Turkish Foreign
Ministry, FeridunSinirlioglu.
Meanwhile, Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris
(26.02.14) reports that Ozersay will be accompanied during his visit to Athens
by GulfemVezirogluSevgili, first secretary of the self-styled ministry of
foreign affairs and representative/director of the so-called presidency and
GunesOnar, responsible for political affairs.
(AK)
2. Erdogan and Eroglu hold a phone conversation on
the Cyprus talks
Under the title
“Erdogan's intense phone diplomacy”, Turkish daily Sabah (online, 26.02.14)
reports that Turkish Prime Minister
RecepTayyip Erdogan had a series of intense telephone conversations with
Turkish Cypriot leader DervisEroglu, Libyan Prime Minister and the U.N.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
According to the
paper, Eroglu, briefed Erdogan on Monday regarding the on-going Cyprus peace
talks. It was reported that Erdogan
expressed that Turkey's positive contribution to the reconciliation deal
between Turkish and Greek Cypriots will continue.
3. Eroglu reiterated Turkish Cypriot side’s ‘red
lines’ on the Cyprus problem
According to
illegal Bayrak television (online, 25.0214), Turkish Cypriot leader
DervisEroglu, in a meeting with a delegation from the Konya Culture and
Solidarity Association on Tuesday, said that the Turkish Cypriot side has its
red lines which includes the protection of the rights of its “citizens” and
enabling them a secure and prosperous future.
Eroglu claimed:
“It is only natural for citizens who arrived from Turkey to be concerned about
their future. The Cyprus Turkish people are expecting and waiting for a
solution that will allow them to have a peaceful and secure future”.
Eroglu reiterated that it is out of the question to
abandon Turkey’s active and effective guarantees.
Members of the
association conveyed their expectations from the Cyprus negotiations process
and expressed their support to Eroglu in the talks.
Speaking during
the visit, the President of the Association HuseyinSancar said that Turkey’s
guarantor rights should not be wavered, nor should “TRNC citizens” who
emigrated from Turkey or the martyrs to be forgotten. Sancer concluded: “We may
have all arrived on this island at different times but at the end we are all
citizens of this country”.
4. The “National Existence Council” evaluates the
joint statement
According to
illegal Bayrak television (online, 25.01.14), the Chairman of the “National
Existence Council” VedatCelik, in a press conference to evaluate the latest
developments on the Cyprus problem, said that the Council is closely following
the developments on the Cyprus issue.
Noting that the
Turkish Cypriot “sovereignty” and equality was just one of the issues that they
were most concerned about, Celik alleged that the threat by the Cyprus
Government to leave the talks is proof that they do not accept the equality of
the Turkish Cypriots.
Celik also
claimed that the joint statement is trying to annihilate the Turkish Cypriots
“sovereignty”, alleging: “The Greek Cypriot side is trying to erode the notion of political equality by degrading
the two founding states that is stated in founding UN documents to two founding
state entities.”
He also
reiterated “the Council’s desire for the sovereignty of the two peoples to be
clarified in the solution to be found to the Cyprus problem and that the bi-zonal
and bi-communal characteristics of the state to be established should be
unchangeable”.
5. Support by political parties and NGO’s to Murat
Today’s Turkish
Cypriot newspapers (26.02.14) report on the yesterday detainment of the member
of the Board of Directors of the New Cyprus Party (YKP) Murat Kanatli, who
declared his conscientious objection and refused to perform “military service”
since 2009, by a so-called military court.
Almost all the Turkish Cypriot dailies report on this
issue on their front page with the title “Handcuff to Murat”.
According to
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibrispostasi (online, 25.02.14), the YKP issued a press
release after Murat Kantlı's detention, writing that Turkish Cypriot
conscientious objector Murat Kanatlı was sentenced to 10 days in prison for
objecting to participate in the annual compulsory military exercises in the
northern part of Cyprus (editor’s note: in the occupied area of the Republic of
Cyprus) on the basis of his ideological conscientious objection.
The announcement
continues: “Murat Kanatli, an EBCO Board member, had declared his conscientious
objection on ideological grounds in 2009 and has since refused each year to
participate in the annual compulsory military exercises in the northern part of
Cyprus. On 14th June 2011 he was summoned to appear in the military court on
charges relating to his refusal in 2009. After numerous postponements, on 8 December
2011 the Military Court accepted the demand of Kanatli to refer his case to the
Constitutional Court, as it refers to freedom of conscience which is a human
right. (…)
The court gave a
penalty of 500 Turkish liras and 10 days in prison if Kanatli failed to pay the
penalty. Upon refusal to pay the penalty Kanatli is sent to serve 10 days in
prison. (…)
The Initiative for Conscientious Objection in Cyprus
calls upon the international community to express its solidarity with Murat
Kanatlı and send letters of protest to the Turkish Cypriot authorities as well
as Turkish authorities’ embassies abroad which is the country directly
responsible for human rights violations in the northern part of Cyprus
following the Turkish invasion of the territories in 1974.”
6. The Cyprus problem was in the agenda of
Davutoglu’s meeting with envoys of Asia-Pacific countries
Turkish daily
Today’s Zaman (online, 25.02.14) reported that Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet
Davutoglu met with the Ambassadors of Asia-Pacific countries in Ankara on
Tuesday morning for a working breakfast.
Approximately 25
Ambassadors attended the breakfast, where Davutoglu discussed with the envoys
Turkey's relations with the Asia-Pacific region and the developments in the
countries there.
Meanwhile, the
negotiation talks in Cyprus which have gained momentum in recent days were also
another topic that was discussed, the paper reported.
7.Turkey and the breakaway regime to sign an
agreement on energy
Turkish Cypriot
daily Realist newspaper (26.02.14) reports that the self-styled council of
ministers is expected to approve an “international” agreement between Turkey
and the breakaway regime regarding oil, natural gas, electricity and energy.
The paper writes
that the agreement will be signed soon by the Turkish Minister of Energy
TanerYildiz and the self-styled minister of Agriculture and Energy
OnderSennaroglu.
8. The Association of Turkish Confederations asked
from the World Bank to recognized the independence of the breakaway regime
Turkish Cypriot
daily Dialog newspaper (26.02.14) reports that NezaketEmineAtasoy, chairperson
of the Association of Turkish Confederations (TKT) and of the Turkish Industry
Businesswomen and Businessmen Confederation, held a meeting with Martin Raiser,
the World Bank Country Director for Turkey.
During the
meeting, she stated that the World Bank must recognize the “TRNC”
independence”. She also stressed that the “embargoes faced by the people of the
TRNC”, cannot be accepted.
9. Kasif admits that Turkey’s Internet law may
affect the breakaway regime after all
Turkish Cypriot
daily Kibris newspaper (26.02.14) reports that the self-styled minister of
public works and transportation AhmetKasif, said that the "2014 new
Internet law" which is adopted in Turkey, will affect the breakaway regime
after all. Kasif had stated a few days ago that the “TRNC" is a different
"country", therefore the internet law adopted in Turkey will not
affect it.
Kasif stated
that the internet users who use server from Turkey may be affected by the new
regulation, but they will try to limit the problems created as a result by the
new law.
10. Siber underlines the importance of
strengthening the “TRNC” institutions
According to
illegal Bayrak television (online, 25.02.14), self-styled assembly speaker
SibelSiber, in a meeting with a delegation from the “North Cyprus Young
Businessmen’s Association” (GIAD), has underlined the importance of
strengthening the “TRNC’s institutions” and creating a “TRNC” (editor’s note:
the breakaway regime in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus) that can
stand on its own feet while the Cyprus negotiations process is continuing.
Speaking during
the meeting, the Chairman of the association ArsenAngi said that the Cyprus
negotiations process is expected to speed up in the coming days with the aim of
reaching a successful conclusion. He added that the association was conducting
various contacts in accordance with the efforts being carried out to reach a
comprehensive settlement to the Cyprus problem.
For her part,
Siber claimed that it is important that the “TRNC” to be ready for a solution,
both politically and economically.
Stating that the
focus of her contacts in Iran recently was to establish closer relations with
Islamic countries in a bid to strengthen the “TRNC’s institutions”, Siber said
that she had conveyed to her “counterparts” and officials she met the Turkish
Cypriot side’s desire to successfully conclude the negotiations in a short
period of time.
“Any relation
established with the Turkish Cypriots will only help to strengthen and elevate
the status of our institutions. Such developments may motivate the South
towards a solution”, she alleged.
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