TURKISH CYPRIOT AND
TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW
C O N T E N T S
No. 60/14 01-02.04.14
1. Eroglu pleased with Anastasiades’ meeting
2. Nami: The pace of the Cyprus talks must be speeded
up
3. Ozersay is going to Moscow today; Statements on the
negotiations process
4. Siber’s contacts in London: She met with the
Commonwealth Parliamentary Association’s
Secretary General
5. How Turkish Cypriot political parties assess the
local election results in Turkey
6. Davutoglu met with Kerry, Hague and Fule, asked for
acceleration of the Cyprus talks
7. Apologies for the photo shoot scandal in a Greek
Orthodox cemetery in occupied Keryneia
8. Deep Purple will perform in the occupied area of
Cyprus despite protests
9. TDP, BKP and Baraka Culture Center asked for KTOS’s
support for the forthcoming “local elections”
10. The local election results are being contested;
protests against the results
11. Kilicdaroglu warned of “witch-hunt”
12. Columnist assesses the elections’ results and says
that Erdogan will focus on Cyprus talks among other topics in the foreign front
13. Davutoglu defends YouTube ban
1. Eroglu pleased with Anastasiades’ meeting
According to
illegal Bayrak television (online, 01.04.14), Turkish Cypriot leader
DervisEroglu and Greek Cypriot leader NicosAnastasiades met on Monday for two
hours and 45 minutes at the official residence of the UN Secretary General’s
Special Representative Lisa Buttenheim.
The two leaders,
in addition to reviewing the work carried out by their respective negotiators
KudretOzersay and Andreas Mavroyannis, also discussed proposals brought to the
table, particularly proposals on confidence building measures. An agreement was
reached to complete the screening process as soon as possible and to move to
the next stage of the negotiations process
Speaking to
reporters after the meeting, Eroglu said
that the next stage of the talks once the screening process is completed will
be to bring bridging proposals to the negotiating table.
Noting that they
had also found the opportunity to discuss confidence building measures, Eroglu
claimed that “an agenda was trying to be created in the South on the issue of
confidence building measures”. He added: “These
proposals can become of value when it concerns and interests the two peoples on
the island. We focused on this and discussed in detail these proposals”.
Reminding that
there was a decision to meet with Anastasiades once a month, Eroglu said: “We
found the opportunity to get to know each other and our ideas better. I can say that it was a good, sincere and a
productive meeting. We shall give you more details once we discuss the
issues of substance”.
2. Nami: The pace of the Cyprus talks must be
speeded up
According to
illegal Bayrak television (online, 01.04.14), self-styled foreign minister
OzdilNami said that any steps to be taken in the Cyprus negotiations process
must lead to a comprehensive settlement.
Speaking to
“BRT” on Tuesday morning, Nami said that the current talks were not proceeding
in the way envisaged by the joint statement. “The expectations for a settlement on both sides are much higher. Both
sides are ready. Even the Church in the South has expressed its support”,
he said.
Pointing out
that time is still needed for a process of give and take to begin; in spite all
the support that existed for a solution, Nami said that the latest statements
showed that the Greek Cypriot side was still not ready for a process of give
and take.
Claiming that
the Greek Cypriot side had slowed down the process, Nami said that it will not be possible to reach anywhere by meeting
only once a month, something which he added had been conveyed to their
Greek Cypriot counterparts. “Meeting
once a week at the negotiators level is unacceptable. The pace must be speeded
up”, he added.
Stating that the
Greek Cypriot leader Anastasiades was working for a settlement with a team of
70 experts, Nami underlined the need to appoint an expert on the Cyprus Turkish
side for each topic and chapter discussed.
Nami said that
all “state and government institutions” needed to prepare if the two sides were
to move onto a process of give and take.
“We have been
making this offer to Eroglu for a very long time and are still waiting for a
reply. The process commenced with the joint statement but it has not proceeded
accordingly” he said. Nami also
highlighted the need for more collaboration and cooperation with Eroglu’s
office in order to move the process forward and to start a process of give and
take.
Also touching
upon the issue of Confidence Building Measures, (CBMs) Nami said that everyone
had to get rid of the perception that CBMs were equal to opening the fenced off
town of Varosha. “CBMs entail and
involve a wide range of issues and areas from roaming, to the environment and
commerce as well as other areas of daily life. We need to focus on issues which
have an impact on our everyday lives”, he added.
Meanwhile,
Turkish Cypriot daily KibrisPostasi Daily News (online, 01.04.14) reported that
according to press release by self-styled foreign ministry, Nami, within the
framework of his contacts in Germany, had an interview with German weekly
newsmagazine ‘Der Spiegel’. The interview was published under the headline
“Cyprus ‘a Historical Opportunity’.
During the interview,
Nami evaluated his contacts in Germany and refereed to the Cyprus problem and
the negotiation process in Cyprus.
“During the process of reunification, we demanded
Germany’s support. Finally, Turkish and Greek Cypriots are ready for this step
after 40 years so this should not fail. We are here for that purpose”,Nami said.
Stressing that
Germany can make positive contributions to the negotiation process, Nami said that the Germans are powerful
within the European Union and experts on the issues of reunification.
Pointing out that Turkish Cypriots are not members of the European Union and
live under isolations, Nami claimed: “Today, our university students cannot
participate in Erasmus and Socrates programs, our businessmen cannot make
direct agreements in the European Union countries and there is not any direct
flight to North Cyprus”.
Moreover,
stating that compared to the EU countries, “TRNC” (editor’s note: the breakaway
regime in the occupied area of Cyprus) is less developed; Nami said that a special program is needed to reach the EU standards in
the fields of infrastructure, administration and education.
Expressing that in case of reunification of the island,
Europe’s dependency on Russia can be reduced due to the gas reservoirs around
the island, Nami said “We can help Europe on this issue”.
Pointing out
that the agreement can be ready to be signed within a few months, Nami said:
“However, the Greek Cypriots should act quicker”. Replying to a question if
there is a possibility for a failure of the negotiations and the permanence of
the island’s division, Nami said: “No
one desires a two-state solution. What is really desired is a federal state
structure. The necessary political will exists for this, so, now it is time to
take further steps.”
3. Ozersay is going to Moscow today; Statements on
the negotiations process
Turkish Cypriot
daily Kibris newspaper (02.04.14) reports that the Turkish Cypriot negotiator, KudretOzersay is departing for Moscow today
where he will hold high level contacts at the Russian Ministry of Foreign
Affairs. Ozersay will be accompanied by the Turkish Cypriot leader Eroglu’s
adviser on political affairs, GunesOnar and the director/representative at
Eroglu’s office, GulfemVeziroigluSevgili.
The paper
recalls that since the resumption of the
Cyprus talks on 11 February, Ozersay had held contacts in Ankara, Athens,
Brussels, New York and Washington.
Sources close to
Eroglu’s office told Kibris that holding direct contacts with Moscow is very
important because of Russia’s being a permanent member of the UN Security
Council.
The paper points
out that the visit is being held in a period during which “cold winds” are
allegedly blowing in the relations between Russia and the Republic of Cyprus,
because of the issue of Crimea.
Meanwhile,
Turkish Cypriot KibrisPostasi newspaper (online,02.04.14) reports that in
statements to illegal Bayrak television, Ozersay
referred to the solution of the Cyprus problem and argued that “the solution is
close but its full form cannot be foreseen”.
He argued, inter
alia, the following: “This negotiation
process is different from the others. With the economic crises both sides agree
on the fact that the current status quo cannot be maintained…There is an
expectation for both communities’ wish for change to be reflected on the
leader’s attitude. In this positive period the negotiations benefit from the
communities’ will towards solution. But there is a risk for this positivity to
end if the people do not see any progress…The
influence of international actors cannot be overlooked, especially US is
closely watching the process…The
solution should be found by the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots. A solution
that is not found by the Cypriot communities will not be a permanent one…”
Referring to the
incidents during a speech by the former Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat
in Limassol, Ozersay said that this kind of actions “should be condemned and eliminated”
in 21st century.
He added: “The Greek Cypriots feel embarrassed because
of the attack. The issue was also
discussed by the leaders during the leaders’ meeting. In a possible federal
partnership this kind of actions may cause trouble. For that reason we
should tackle them beforehand…Further
steps should be taken for certain changes before the comprehensive solution.
The solution of the problems should not be indexed to the political solution…State and government officials need to
explain TRNC’s perspective to the world. There have been different comments
on this but the negotiation process is much more crucial than any of them…In
order to reach to a comprehensive solution both parties should step the
middle…We share many things with the press but some topics are withheld in
order to keep our hand strong regarding the issues which require bargaining…The solution is close but cannot be
foreseen. Whether or not we reach an
agreement we have many things to do in order to solve our issues. We should not
sit around and wait for a solution to happen…”
(I/Ts.)
4. Siber’s contacts in London: She met with the
Commonwealth Parliamentary Association’s Secretary General
Turkish Cypriot daily HalkinSesi newspaper (02.04.14)
reports on the contacts of the self-styled speaker of the “assembly” SibelSiber
in London and writes that she met with the Commonwealth Parliamentary
Association’s Secretary General Dr William F. Shija.
According to the
paper, speaking during the meeting, Sibel stated that while the negotiations
are continuing in Cyprus, the will of the Turkish Cypriots for a solution
continues as well. She said that the Turkish Cypriot community is one of the
two communities of UN-parameters bi-communal solution of the Cyprus problem and
their voice must be heard. She said that
she conveys a request by the Turkish Cypriot community so that the voice of its
elected representatives to be heard at the Commonwealth meetings.
According to the paper, the meeting, which was
organized by the Turkish Cypriot lobby in London,
took place at the CPA’s Secretary General’s official residence. The Chairman of
the UK’s All-Party Turkish Cypriot “Parliamentary Group” and Commonwealth
Program Director Meehakshi Chair and the Finance Director Joe Omorodion were
also present during the meeting.
In addition,
Turkish Cypriot daily KibrisPostasi newspaper (01.04.14) reported that within the
framework of her contacts, Siber met with the representatives of the British
Council of Turkish Cypriot Associations, the British Turkish Cypriot Chamber of
Commerce and the Association of Turkish Women in Great Britain at the “TRNC
Representation Office” in London.
Speaking during
the visits, Siber said that the Turkish Cypriot population residing in the UK
should have qualified power in addition to numbers. She added that this
effective power will have a locomotive effect for Turkish Cypriots to express
themselves.
Noting that she
had learned that there were around 300 thousand Turkish Cypriots living in the
UK, Siber said “this is where our power and strength lies in Europe. Our
children should know their mother tongue, read and learn about their own
history and culture because people who live here can make great contributions
to Turkish Cypriot society.”
Meanwhile, the
“parliamentary delegation” consisting of the Republican Turkish Party-United
Forces “deputy”” BirikimOzgur, the Democrat Party National Forces “deputy” Ergun
Serdaroglu, the National Unity Party “deputy”
IzlemGurcag and the Social Democratic Party “deputy” ZekiCeler joined Siber in London on March 31.
5. How Turkish Cypriot political parties assess the
local election results in Turkey
Turkish Cypriot
daily Detay newspaper (02.04.14) reports that KutlayErk, general secretary of the Republican Turkish Party (CTP),
has argued that the Turkish Prime
Minister RecepTayyipErdogan’s target to join the European Union (EU) has not
changed and for this reason Erdogan allegedly wants to solve the Cyprus problem.
Asked to comment on the local elections results in Turkey, Erk argued that “we need Erdogan’s vision”.
The paper notes
that the CTP’s hope for a solution in Cyprus is still the Justice and
Development Party (AKP) and its president and Turkish Prime Minister, RecepTayyip
Erdogan.
In statements to
journalists, Erk referred to a meeting they had held with Erdogan in 2003 and
said: “In that meeting Erdogan had explained the developments which would
happen and his targets, and put forward his projection for today. All his
predictions have come true today. We saw that Erdogan has a vision”. Erk expressed the belief that Erdogan will
exert efforts for the solution of the Cyprus problem.
Meanwhile, in
statements to KibrisPostasi (01.04.14), CTP’s Turkish Cypriot politicians
evaluated the Turkish local elections results. CTP’s “MP” AsimAkansoy said,inter alia, the following: “I think there were three major factors affecting the results. Firstly AKP acted correctly during the
selection of the local candidates…They ran a very successful PR and
communications campaign. They reflected the determination which the Turkish
voters wanted to see. In general Erdogan showed himself more. But at the local
scale candidates put their own projects forward... It seems like corruption allegations
did not affect the results. Secondly, we see that social media bans did
not affect the results either. Thirdly, the discussions on parallel state-Gulen
movement and government contributed to AKP as Erdogan was seen as more
promising for their future…”
Moreover, the
self-styled minister of public works and transport, AhmetKasif, who is coming from the Democratic Party – National
Forces (DP-UG), said thatthe results
indicate a wish for stability in Turkey and that the country has come
united around Erdogan’s views. “I congratulate him and his party”, he noted.
Furthermore, the
self-styled deputy with the National Unity Party (UBP), FaizSucuoglu said that the AKP received more votes than expected and
that high tension existed during the election period. He went on and added:
“…It is important that the Prime
Minister and the leaders of the opposition act immediately in order to ease
this tension. Unfortunate events have happened during this period. Prime
Minister Erdogan should be more embracing. This polarization is not good for
anyone”.
Finally, CemalOzyigit, leader of the Social
Democracy Party (TDP) said: “AKP really
managed to keep its power despite major demonstrations and corruption scandals.
It was a test for the people of Turkey and this test resulted in AKP’s success.
The opposition should question itself…Maybe there is a problem there. If
you notice the opposition parties tried to make these elections more than what
it actually was, that is a local election. They tried to make this election
more about Gezi Park protests, 17 December period and called AKP to account for
all this. But this did not happen and locality won this elections. More than
the major projects the local ones targeting local needs became more popular and
won over the national ones.”
(I/Ts.)
6. Davutoglu met with Kerry, Hague and Fule, asked
for acceleration of the Cyprus talks
According to
Ankara Anatolia news agency (02.04.14), Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet
Davutoglu, during his Brussels visit, met U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry
and U.K. Foreign Secretary William Hague and talks touched on the 40-year-old
Cyprus dispute between the Turkish and Greek Cypriots.
Davutoglu praised the U.S.’s contributions towards
finding a solution, but said Turkey would want more U.K. involvement. "We want to accelerate
the negotiation process," he said. "The recent momentum is relatively
positive, however, it needs to be result-oriented."
On the same
issue, Turkish Cypriot daily KibrisPostasi Daily News (online, 02.04.14)
reports that Davutoglu, speaking upon
questions regarding the Cyprus problem to the press after his meeting with
European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Stephan Fule,
said: “The current momentum is highly positive. However it is important that
the momentum should be focused on the results. We do not think a delayed
process would result in a solution”.
According to the
reports Davutoglu’s meetings with John Kerry and Fule both had the Cyprus
problem as the main agenda topic.
“We think negotiations should speed up. The
Turkish Cypriot side also wishes the same. Otherwise, if the process is
prolonged, solution would be difficult” said Davutoglu.
He also said that they had been talking with
self-styled foreign minister OzdilNami on the phone during this process.
7. Apologies for the photo shoot scandal in a Greek Orthodox cemetery
in occupied Keryneia
Under the front-page title:
“Apologies”, Turkish Cypriot daily Diyalog newspaper (01.04.14) reports on the
issue related with the photographs taken in a Greek Orthodox cemetery in
occupied Keryneia, showing Turkish Cypriot models posing next to graves of
Greek Cypriots and writes that after the Church in the Republic of Cyprus has
transferred the issue to the UN and the EU officials, the “chairman” of the
“Religious affairs department” in the occupied area of Cyprus, TalipAtalay
expressed his apologies and said that they would take measures so that similar
incidents to be avoided in the future. Atalay added: “we have to show respect
to religious places, cemeteries and temples, no matter on which religious
groups they belong”.
Meanwhile, commenting on the issue,
Bilal Bastemur, one of the models, who has been posed next to Greek Cypriot’s
graves, in statements to the paper expressed his apologies to the Greek
Cypriots and said that they are aware that they have done a mistake. He said
that they took these photos not on behalf of any company or business but only
for their agency and added that they did not know that these photographs would
cause such anger and pain.
Also, in statements to Turkish Cypriot
daily Diyalog (02.04.14), a 17 years old model with the initiatives T.O, who
has been taken also photos next to the graves, said that desecration was not
their purpose and expressed her sincere apologies saying that its being one
year since the photos were taken and that she has done only what they told her
to do, as soon as she undertook duties to the photography agency.
Moreover, Turkish Cypriot daily
KibrisPostasi (01.0414, online version) reported that according to Kibris
newspaper, the photographer who did not want to be named, apologized for the
unfortunate incident and said that he regretted for causing pain. The photographer
also said that during the photo shoot they did not realize that the graves were
not all empty and added: ‘empty or not,
what we have done unintentionally was very wrong, and I want to apologize for
the pain it caused”.
Also, the “foreign relations secretary
and deputy secretary general” of the Turkish Cypriot Social Democratic Party
(TDP) DenizBirinci expressed her reaction on a TV program in the free areas of
the Republic of Cyprus and said that “we do not have tolerance for any kind of
disrespectful act whichever community it comes from”.
Birinci also urged the Greek Cypriot
community not to judge the Turkish Cypriot community as a whole because of the
incident and said: “As we cannot blame all of the Greek Cypriot community for
the ELAM attack, you should not blame the Turkish Cypriot community as a whole
for this”.
(AK)
8. Deep Purple will perform in the occupied area of
Cyprus despite protests
Turkish Cypriot
daily KibrisPostasi Daily News (online, 31.03.14) published the following
letter by Deep Purple's front man Ian Gillan sent to Cypriots regarding their
widely discussed Cyprus concert.
“(…) My views
are not necessarily those of the rest of the guys in Deep Purple. So, please
take this as a personal opinion.
We - DP - have never been on one side or the other
when it comes to performing music. (…) The
diplomatic and cultural side door was always open for art, entertainment and
sport, no matter how frightening and confrontational all the rest of it was.
Amongst many of
the countries we have visited are Israel, Lebanon, Russia, Georgia, Ukraine,
Greece, Turkey, Armenia, USA, Venezuela, Argentina, UK, China and Japan; all of
which have a conflict with somebody or another, and all with behaviour and
traditions that someone else doesn't like.(…)
The nearest I ever came to banning myself from
performing in a country for political reasons was very close to home. And so I was involved, had a stance, took a side. Tony Blair's
illegal and murderous adventure in Iraq made me angry, and ashamed enough to
think about excommunicating Britain; sounds silly but I was very angry.
However, it went against our historical
position, which is: To perform anywhere we are invited, regardless of local
difficulties/conflict, wars, earthquakes, riots, typhoons, strikes, rebellions,
gun-fire and so on. Therefore we continued to perform in the UK.
And so it should be with Cyprus, across the divide. And may I add that our many previous visits to Turkey and Greece
have been fabulous; I personally have friends in both countries.”
9.TDP, BKP
and Baraka Culture Center asked for KTOS’s support for the forthcoming “local
elections”
Turkish Cypriot daily Afrika newspaper
(02.4.14) reports that a delegation of the Social Democracy Party (TDP), the United
Cyprus Party (BKP) and the Baraka Culture Center continue their contacts in the
occupied area of Cyprus with the aim to receive support for the forthcoming
“local elections” to take place in the occupied area of Cyprus next June.
As the paper writes, the delegation of
these parties, met yesterday with officials of the Turkish Cypriot Teacher’s
Trade Union (KTOS) and met specifically with the chairman of KTOS, GuvenVaroglu
and the general secretary of the union, SenerElcil.
The delegation asked for KTOS support
to their “common struggle” aiming to bring democracy and peace in the “island”
to ease the people’s lives in the occupied area of Cyprus and to be
self-administrated in their “country”.
In statements during the meeting, the chairman
of KTOS trade union, GuvenVaroglu referred to the latest developments on the
Cyprus problem stressing the need for all Cypriots to participate to this
process.
Commenting on the alliance between the
National Unity Party (UBP) and the Democratic Party (DP) for the forthcoming
local elections, Varoglu expressed the opinion that this alliance would not be
limited only to the “local elections”, but will constitute the basis for an
alliance between the two parties for the “presidential elections”.
Also, the general secretary of KTOS,
SenerElcil said that they would not accept to meet and support those who are
against their principles.
(AK)
10. The local election results are being contested;
protests against the results
According to
Turkish daily Sabah (01.04.14), political parties' objections to the results of
Sunday's local elections are catalogued and assessed at the Supreme Election
Board (YSK). The head of YSK, SadiGuven,
assured all parties yesterday, noting that all objections would be assessed in
a timely manner.
Statements have
been made by a number of political parties objecting to the results of the
March 30 local elections. Guven expressed that the objections were legal and he
called on political parties and citizens to remain calm.
In Ankara, Mansur Yavas from the Republican People's
Party (CHP) claimed his party won in the capital but the votes were not counted
properly. He stated that MelihGokcek from the AK Party had interfered in the
results. In the Susuz district of Kars province, AK
Party candidate Murat Uray disputed the results and called for a recount of the
votes. His objection was accepted by the Susuz Elections Judge who said the new
results would be announced in a few days. In Bartin, the CHP objected to the
results and the district's local assembly and officials are currently doing a
recount.
Responding to
journalists' questions at the YSK, Guven stated that there is currently a
difficult process underway in response to disputes of the final results of the
elections. Noting that parties are legally entitled to dispute election
results, Güven stated that it was a natural process and he didn't think it
would pose a problem for the local election boards.
On the same
issue, Sabah reports that after CHP and AK Party's objections 124 ballot boxes
in the province of Yalova were recounted. Unofficial results showed AK Party
had won the race for mayor in Yalova with just one more vote.
After CHP objected and demanded a recount to the
city's election board, CHP became the new victor by 5 votes.
Meanwhile,
Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (online, 01.04.14) reported that the
Republican People’s Party (CHP) Istanbul candidate Mustafa Sarigul has also called for the recounting of votes in local polls for
“a better acceptance of the results.”
Sarigul, who
lost against incumbent Mayor KadirTopbas from the ruling Justice and
Development Party’s (AKP) by eight points, said the incident-filled counting
process was marred by power blackouts in several Istanbul districts and
irregularities at ballot boxes.
Moreover, Ankara
Anatolia news agency (01.04.14) reported that police fired a water cannon into a crowd in the Turkish capital,
Ankara, Tuesday to push back people protesting against Sunday's local election
results outside the Supreme Electoral Council.
The group,
chanting slogans, gathered in front of the council building to protest the
results which have the AK Party leading the polls.
The riot police
then intervened to disperse the protesters using water cannons and stun
grenades after having warned them.
The local
election results are being contested in some provinces, especially in Ankara
where it appears the AK Party won.
11. Kilicdaroglu warned of “witch-hunt”
Turkish daily
Hurriyet Daily News (online, 31.03.14) reported that the main opposition leader
Kemal Kilicdaroglu has evaluated his
Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) results in the March 30 local elections as a
“start”, while warning of a possible “witch-hunt” after Prime Minister
RecepTayyipErdogan’s aggressive victory speech.
“I admit that we
did not collect as many votes as we expected. But we are going step by step,
assimilating [the results]. We will get more in touch with the people, tell
them more truths,” Kilicdaroglu said during a press statement March 31, adding
the result that most gratified him was the victory of the CHP’s candidate in
the southern province of Hatay.
Kilicdaroglu
also slammed Erdogan’s victory address in front of his ruling Justice and
Development Party (AKP) supporters on the balcony of his party headquarters in
Ankara, describing it as an “antagonizing” speech. “He has clearly started to threaten democracy, the law and social
groups. You cannot threaten any citizen as long as the CHP exists. You are
going to start a witch-hunt? What happened to the rule of law?” he asked.
Kilicdaroglu
added that he expected pressure from the government to increase in the coming
months. “They have been trying to shape the opposition, because [Erdogan] does
not tolerate any opposition. He has shaped the state, then the judiciary. But
you will not be strong enough to shape the CHP as you wish,” he said.
Kilicdaroglu
also criticized the presence of family members and aides implicated in the
graft scandal on the balcony, including Erdogan’s son Bilal, who stood next to
his father throughout almost the entire speech.
The CHP head
once again rejected claims of collaboration with the movement of the U.S.-based
Islamic scholar FethullahGulen, whom Erdogan accuses of orchestrating the graft
probes against the government.
While denying rumours of resignation as “absurd and
completely false,” Kilicdaroglu stressed how the CHP had increased the number
of its votes in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir significantly.
12. Columnist assesses the elections’ results and
says that Erdogan will focus on Cyprus talks among other topics in the foreign
front
Columnist
Ibrahim Kalin, in Turkish daily Sabah (02.04.14), under the title “Winners and
losers”, evaluates the results of the local elections in Turkey and writes that
the government of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) will focus now on the
foreign front.
“(…) As
expected, Prime Minister Erdogan's ruling AKP came out as the clear winner of
the March 30 local elections. This is a major victory for any party that has
been in power for 11 years.
(…)
While Erdogan enjoys another electoral
victory, his sixth since 2002, the opposition parties are the sore losers. The main opposition Republican People's
Party (CHP) increased its vote by a few points to 27.8% but lost major cities
such as Antalya, Artvin and Tunceliwhere it has previously been rather
strong. CHP is once again cornered in the coastal cities, though this time
without the big city of Antalya, and has shown no presence in central and
eastern Anatolia. CHP's unholy alliance with the Gulenists brought it no
profits, only exposing its unprincipled pragmatism.
(…)
The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), winning 15.2%,
ran a sluggish campaign and performed equally as poor to lose several cities to
the AKP.
Winning about 6.4% in eastern Anatolia, the Peace and
Democracy Party (BDP) won some new cities but failed to increase its votes
across the board. The Turkish and Kurdish versions
of 19th century nationalism once again had no national appeal.
The election results made two things clear: The
Gulenist claim to have millions of supporters is a self-proclaimed urban legend
and their attacks on Erdogan and his family had practically no impact on the
religious-conservative base in Turkey.
(…)
With another
comfortable win behind it, Erdogan's
government can now get back to the main issues of political reform, economic
growth, EU negotiations and the peaceful resolution of the Kurdish issue.
Even the unfinished business of writing a new constitution might be given fresh
consideration. On the foreign policy
front, the government will now focus on the Cyprus negotiations, ongoing
civil war in Syria, upcoming elections in Iraq and the normalization of
relations with Israel.
As noted by many, this election was not a local
election but a vote of confidence for Erdogan. He passed that vote. (…) Regardless of their political affiliation, gender or class, all
Turkish citizens have benefitted from the political stability and economic
growth of the last 11 years. On March 30, they voted for stability and
development against ideological adventures.
The results also
show that the vast majority of the Turkish electorate does not approve of
attempts to subvert and shape politics through such illicit means as illegal
wiretappings, baseless allegations and smear campaigns.(..)”
13. Davutoglu defends YouTube ban
According to
Ankara Anatolia news agency (02.04.14), Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet
Davutoglu has defended blocking access to video-sharing website YouTube.
Every country takes measures concerning its national
security if it is at risk, Davutoglu said Tuesday in Brussels, where he attended a summit meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers.
"Every
country across the world protects the rights of its citizens and takes measures
in matters relating to national security," Davutoglu said.
Meanwhile,
Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (online, 02.04.14), under the title “Turkey
justifies YouTube ban for insult to Ataturk”, reports that the ban on YouTube has been legally justified by a law that penalizes
insults to Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Turkish Republic, rather
than the publication of leaked voice recordings of a top security meeting on
Syria.
The court
decision referred to by the Turkish Telecommunication Authority (TIB) did not
cite any law that potentially penalizes the leak of secret files.
Cyber-law expert
GokhanAhi told Hurriyet that the court might have used any video insulting
Ataturk as an excuse to ban access to all of YouTube’s content from Turkey.
----------------------------------------------------
TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION
