TURKISH CYPRIOT AND
TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW
C O N T E N T S
No.
94/14 23.05.14
1. How the Turkish
Cypriot press covered Biden’s visit to Cyprus
2. Eroglu briefed
Biden on Turkish Cypriot side’s views on the Cyprus problem
3. Eroglu: The Varosha
issue is left to the decision of the two leaders
4. Davutoglu pleased
with Biden’s visit
5. Turkish
Nationalists Action Movement criticized Biden’s visit
6. Columnist Kanli
writes that the policy of the Turkish Foreign Ministry on the Cyprus
problem has failed
7. Columnist Bekdil
criticizes Davutoglu who cites UN resolutions but ignoring the ones
on Cyprus
8. Deniz Birinci
called on the Cyprus government to let all the Turkish Cypriot
citizens of the Republic of Cyprus to vote for the EP elections
9. Siber: In a
possible federal solution, we will exist in our own state
10. Cooperation
between the CFA and the “KTFF” started to give results
1.
How the Turkish Cypriot press
covered Biden’s visit to Cyprus
The Turkish
Cypriot press covers today (23.05.14) widely the visit of the US Vice
President Joe Biden to Cyprus.
Under
the title “Solution is close this time”, Kibris
writes that Biden met yesterday with the two leaders in Cyprus, with
the religious leaders and with members of political parties and civil
society organizations and appeared optimistic about the solution of
the Cyprus problem.
Afrika
covers the issue under the title “Last
souvenir”, referring to the last picture taken during Biden’s
meeting between the US Vice President and the two leaders in Cyprus
and notes that the most important message send by Biden was for the
two communities in Cyprus to work on solving the Varosha and
Famagusta port issues.
Under
the title “Kiss of life by Biden”, Havadis
writes that the US Vice president gave great support to the Cyprus
negotiations which are not proceeding that well. The paper also notes
that Biden is not going back to the USA with empty hands since he
made the two leaders promising him that the negotiations will be
speeded up.
Kibris
Postasi reports on the issue under the
title “Varosha was on (Biden’s) briefcase”, and writes that
despite the fact that Biden stated that he came to Cyprus without
carrying anything in his bag, it appeared that he was carrying the
Varosha issue after all. The paper also writes that during the
meeting he had with Biden, Eroglu used the services of the translator
of the Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan.
Under
the title “This time is going to happen”, Yeni
Duzen wirites that during his visit
Biden gave the message that USA is ready to support the two leaders
in Cyprus in case a decision for Varosha is taken and noted that an
easier road in Cyprus is possible and this was shown by the joint
declaration made by the two leaders in February.
Halkin
Sesi reports on the issue under the
title “Our hopes were increased” and writes that Biden gave
important messages during his contacts in Cyprus.
Star
Kibris reports on Biden’s contacts
and writes that following the joint dinner held last night between
Eroglu, Anastasiades and Biden, the Turkish Cypriot leader made
statements supporting that both sides in Cyprus wants a solution and
that he is ready to sign an agreement.
Gunes
also reports about Eroglu’s meeting
with Biden and writes that it lasted for an hour. It also writes that
the latest European Court of Human Rights decision against Turkey was
not on the meeting’s agenda.
Bakis
reports on the meeting between Eroglu and Biden under the title
“Historical meeting”.
Diyalog
writes that despite the fact that Biden
used the world “state” for the Greek Cypriots and the “community”
for the Turkish Cypriots, the expression he used while speaking to
Eroglu was also important since he told him that the Turkish Cypriots
are partners as regards the natural gas.
Detay
reports on the issue under the title “Varosha is out, natural gas
is in”.
Volkan
reports on the issue, under the title “We have being insulted”,
and writes that there were no “TRNC flags” during the meeting of
the Turkish Cypriot delegation with the US delegation despite the
fact that the flag of the Republic of Cyprus was presented in every
meeting Biden had with the Greek Cypriot side.
Vatan
reports on the meeting under the title “Civil pressure for the
solution”.
Finally
Kibrisli
writes on the issue under the title “Gain acceleration to the
solution”.
2. Eroglu
briefed Biden on Turkish Cypriot side’s views on the Cyprus problem
According to Turkish
Cypriot daily Kibris Postasi Daily News (online, 23.05.14), Turkish
Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu met yesterday with the US Vice President
at his “office”.
Speaking to the press
after his meeting with Biden where Eroglu’s undersecretary Hasan
Gungor, spokesperson Osman Ertug, Turkish Cypriot negotiator Kudret
Ozersay and US Ambassador Koenig were also present, Eroglu said the
following: “We had a very useful meeting with the US Vice President
Joe Biden. United States is one of the five permanent members of the
UN Security Council and it’s a super power and has a very important
role regarding the Cyprus issue. It is obvious that this role comes
with great responsibilities.”
“We value Obama
Administration’s interest in Cyprus. It is a good improvement that
the President keeps Cyprus among the top agenda points. We believe
that this interest will be very beneficial as long as equality of
both communities is protected and the US stands at an equal distance
to all parties”, Eroglu added.
Noting that the Cyprus
problem is on UN Security Council’s agenda for the last fifty
years, Eroglu said: “In our opinion, Cyprus problem should be now
removed from UN Secretary General’s list of unresolved conflicts.”
Eroglu also said: “During
our meeting with Mr Biden, he conveyed his country’s perspective,
evaluations and expectations to us. And we explained our vision on
Cyprus, our region. We clearly explained that the Turkish Cypriot
side has an attitude of peace, stability, prosperity and
international cooperation. We said that the time for a solution to
the Cyprus problem has arrived and the time has even passed. We
gave a substantive summary of our endeavours for solution and our
attitude around the negotiation table. We want peace to prevail
in Cyprus. The Turkish Cypriots do not want to be outside the
international law and be oppressed with inhumane embargoes in return
of our positive responses to all peace opportunities.”
Eroglu, repeating that it
is possible to reach a settlement based on the “realities”, said:
“All these years almost everything has been negotiated. What’s
important is the will, to empathize with each other and to get rid of
obsessions. A settlement in Cyprus should please both sides.
In Cyprus neither side should be maximalist, they should consider the
benefits that will come with an agreement. As the Turkish side we
want the negotiations to gain impetus and referendums to be held as
soon as possible.”
He further added: “I
personally and my team receive support from our community every day.
I am aware of my responsibilities as the elected leader of the
Turkish Cypriot community. As I said before I am ready to sign an
agreement which would be beneficial to our community.
Mr. Joe Biden is bringing
me and Mr Nicos Anastasiades together over dinner tonight (Thursday
night). Mr Biden has clearly stated that he did not come with a
solution formula. Therefore it’s important for us the two
sides to meet more often and intensify the negotiations with a
genuine approach. We cannot progress by blaming each other or
pushing each other to a corner.”
Eroglu concluded by
saying: “I have just found out that Mr Anastasiades has responded
to our request for meeting fortnightly and his response is positive.
I am attending to tonight’s dinner with a constructive attitude. I
hope it will be productive meeting and the negotiation process gains
impetus.”
3. Eroglu:
The Varosha issue is left to the decision of the two leaders
According to Turkish
Cypriot daily Kibris Postasi Daily News (online, 23.05.14), Turkish
Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu, in a press statement after his
dinner meeting last night with Biden and Anastasiades, said
Biden’s visit to Cyprus and the messages he gave were parallel to
the Turkish Cypriot views and were aiming to increase the impetus of
the talks.
Eroglu also said that
the two leaders agreed to continue the negotiations on the basis of
the joint declaration and also agreed to meet fortnightly.
Noting that the dinner
meeting was held in a very warm atmosphere, Eroglu stated that Biden
also shares the same views with him regarding a result-oriented
process with an increased impetus.
Touching upon the road
map, Eroglu claimed that the Greek Cypriot side did not accept to
follow one that could be prepared by the UN Secretary General and
added: “However, Mr Anastasiade’s statements regarding the
deadline of negotiations, in which he said the solution will come in
2015, is not viable, as communities cannot be persuaded to wait for
the process to linger without a timely agreement”.
Noting that the Turkish
Cypriots have never been this keen on an agreement and have never
supported their leader as much as they support his leadership, Eroglu
said: “If negotiations continue till 2015, we might not find the
conditions we have today. For many years we explained what might
happen to our community. Therefore claiming that all the displaced
Greek Cypriots can return to their homes does not reflect the
reality. I believe Mr Anastasiades will give positive messages to his
community after tonight’s meeting.”
Commenting on the
Confidence Building Measures, Eroglu claimed: “We made our
proposals regarding CBMs and we will discuss those. But what’s
important for us is to reach to a comprehensive solution. That is s
our main target. We will take our place in the world. So if we only
discuss CBMs and leave the comprehensive settlement aside, these
discussions might go on for years. The negotiating teams would spend
too much time on CBMs and not enough time might be left for the talks
on a comprehensive settlement. Our counterpart stated that they also
share the same opinion. We will see how this will reflect to the
negotiation table.”
Eroglu concluded: “We
had good productive discussions over dinner and we agreed on a joint
statement. Mr. Biden read this statement while we were also present.
What Mr Biden read was the statement we agreed upon tonight with Mr
Anastasiades. This statement is binding for us and for the Greek
Cypriots. I can say that we had very positive discussions tonight
which raised our hopes for a settlement.”
As for questions about
whether or not they discussed the issue of the fenced off town of
Varosha, Eroglu said: “I can say that as long as the two sides
agree, we can discuss a package. Of course, the issue is left to the
decision of the two leaders.
You know our
sensitivities. Mr Anastasiades said they are working on the CBMs.
We will put all of these together and evaluate. But, of course, CBMs
can never replace our proposals for a comprehensive solution.”
4. Davutoglu
pleased with Biden’s visit
According to illegal
Bayrak television (online, 23.05.14), Turkey’s Foreign Minister
Ahmet Davutoglu said that the US Vice President Joe Biden’s
visit to Cyprus was very timely, on the right agenda and the right
framework.
Answering journalists’
questions regarding Biden’s visit to Cyprus after a meeting with
his Kyrgyzstan counterpart, Davutoglu said that Turkey was always
striving to find a peaceful solution to the Cyprus problem.
Noting that ten years had
passed since the Turkish Cypriots voted in favour of the Annan Plan
in Cyprus, the Turkish Foreign Minister claimed that the pro solution
stance shown by the “TRNC” (editor’s note: the breakaway regime
in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus) and Turkey was not
reciprocated.
Providing information
about the preparation of the joint declaration, Davutoglu said that
following the agreement reached on the joint statement between the
two leaders on the island, the negotiating will of both sides had
strengthened and the international community’s interest to the
Cyprus issue had increased. Explaining that firm steps have been
taken at the negotiations process for a solution, Davutoglu
reiterated that Biden’s visit had been very timely.
“Biden visiting
Eroglu in the “TRNC” is a historical step. It shows that he
approached the sides equally and in our respect this is a very
positive message”, said the Turkish Minister.
He also warned that it
is difficult to reach a solution without equal treatment of the two
sides.
Expressing the hope that
the negotiations process will gain momentum in the coming period,
Davutoglu noted that he recently discussed the Cyprus issue with the
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon during a conference in Shanghai. “We
are hearing of many crises around the world and in such a pessimistic
atmosphere, any progress to be achieved in Cyprus will have positive
effects on these areas as well,” Davutoglu stressed.
5.
Turkish Nationalists Action
Movement criticized Biden’s visit
Turkish
Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (23.05.14) writes that Tugrul Turkes,
that deputy chairman of the Nationalists
Action Movement (MHP) of Turkey criticized the statements of the US
Vice President Joe Biden, alleging that these were no objective.
He went on
and added that the decision taken by the European Court of Human
Rights against Turkey for its invasion in 1974 to Cyprus will
negatively affect the negotiation process.
6. Columnist
Kanli writes that the policy of the Turkish Foreign Ministry on the
Cyprus problem has failed
Columnist Yusuf Kanli,
writing in Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (online, 23.05.14),
under the title “The Cyprus gamble”, reports that “the
political team of the Turkish Foreign Ministry was apparently
brave enough in pertinently asking for American involvement in the
Cyprus talk’s process. (…)
In any case, it was
odd for Ankara to bypass the Turkish Cypriot presidency at the
initial stages of this ‘new initiative’ and brokering deals
through the Americans and even worse, proxy talks with the Greek
Cypriots. Such an attitude, of course, was tantamount to compromising
Turkish Cypriot statehood for some conjectural hopes. When this
awkward situation made the headlines of media, corrections were made
and the process was returned to its normal course and parallel
diplomacy was halted. That coincided with the Feb. 11 joint statement
– brokered by the American diplomacy with Turkey’s carte blanche
– that kicked off this new round of inter-communal talks.
The return to
‘traditional diplomacy channels’ produced some domestic tensions
in northern Cyprus as a new chief negotiator to some degree
replaced the prominent role the socialist foreign minister was
occupying in the Ankara-led earlier phase.(…)
Joe Biden, the American
vice president and thus in a way the ‘vice master’ of the new
process, was on the island to see the state of desperate affairs of
the process his diplomats have cooked up. (…)
The high issue at the
talks was expected to be the ‘creation of a Varosha committee
affiliated with the U.N.’ proposal that started to emerge because
it became obvious for everyone that, irrespective how generous Ankara
might be, Eroglu will not budge on the issue. Now, there are
signs that Eroglu as well might agree to the creation of such a
committee, provided a similar committee is established on hydrocarbon
riches on and off the island. Would the Greek Cypriots accept
such a deal? (…)
The Cyprus gamble of
the political team from the Turkish Foreign Ministry has so far badly
failed. Can Biden change the prospects? Very unlikely.”
7. Columnist
Bekdil criticizes Davutoglu who cites UN Resolutions but ignores the
ones on Cyprus
Columnist Burak Bekdil,
writing in Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (online, 23.05.14),
under the title “The ‘conquest-over-occupation’ season opens”,
criticizes Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who on the
one hand cites the UN Resolution on the occupation of Jerusalem, but
on the other hand he ignores the UN Resolutions that describes Turkey
as the invader in Cyprus in 1974. Following are some extracts
from the commentary:
“(…) Mr Davutoglu
thinks Jerusalem and the al-Aqsa Mosque (where he has said he wants
to pray after Jerusalem has become the capital of the Palestinian
state) have been under occupation since 1948 – when the state of
Israel was founded, which is wrong. Last week, he said that ‘under
the term[s] of international law, Jerusalem is under [Israeli]
occupation’. Then he asked: ‘If U.N. decisions [Resolutions]
are not being implemented then why are these taken in the first
place?’
If Mr Davutoglu was
attending chess classes at the age of 11 he would probably be kindly
requested to quit immediately. How can a Foreign Minister cite
U.N. Resolutions about ‘Jerusalem’s occupation’ when several
other U.N. Resolutions have described his own country as the occupier
of Cyprus over the last four decades?
Ironically, Mr
Davutoglu’s speech on the occupation of Jerusalem came around the
same day as the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ordered Turkey
to pay 90 million euro to Republic of Cyprus for the 1974 occupation
and the island’s subsequent division. Really, could you
explain, honourable Minister, ‘if the U.N. [and the Council of
Europe’s] rulings are not being implemented, then why are these
taken in the first place?’
But in response to the
ECHR’s verdict, Mr Davutoglu said that he viewed the ruling as
‘neither binding nor of any value’. That would be a breach of the
Constitution, since Article 90 of the Turkish Constitution states
that ‘international agreements duly put into effect have the force
of law. No appeal to the Constitutional Court shall be made with
regard to these agreements, on the ground that they are
unconstitutional.’
Of course, we could
always ask Mr Davutoglu if he would be willing to explain why Israel
should be obliged to implement all U.N. Resolutions, but in Turkey’s
case both U.N. Resolutions and ECHR rulings should be ‘neither
binding nor of any value’. I am sure he won’t explain. But I
think I know the answer. (…)
8. Deniz
Birinci called on the Cyprus government to let all Turkish Cypriot
citizens of the Republic of Cyprus to vote for the EP elections
Turkish Cypriot daily
Kibris (23.05.14) reports that there is a huge reaction by the
Turkish Cypriots that their names have not been included on the
electoral list for the European Parliament (EP) elections, which will
be held on Sunday, 25th of May.
Turkish Cypriot candidate
Deniz Birinci with the group Eylem/ DRASY said that the Republic of
Cyprus and its officials, as the member state, is responsible of the
EP elections, and called the Cyprus authorities to give the right to
all Turkish Cypriots, who are citizens of the Republic of Cyprus, to
cast a vote at the elections, despite the fact that their names are
included or not on the electoral list.
According to the paper,
Birinci with the other Turkish Cypriot candidate Alev Tugberk have
filed a written complaint for the situation at the Nicosia District
Office.
9. Siber: In
a possible federal solution, we will exist in our own state
According to Turkish
Cypriot daily Kibris Postasi Daily News (online, 23.05.14),
self-styled assembly speaker Sibel Siber said that the latest
developments in Cyprus have raised hopes among the community.
Stating that the aim
should be a fair and permanent solution Siber said: “It’s
important that the community is also ready for a solution, not just
the leaders”.
“In a possible
federal solution, we will exist in our own state and within our own
institutional structures. Therefore as long as these
institutional structures are strong, this will increase our
community’s confidence and will motivate us”, added Siber.
10.
Cooperation between the CFA and
the “KTFF” started to give results
Turkish
Cypriot daily Afrika newspaper (23.05.14) reports that the
cooperation between the Cyprus Football Federation (CFA)
and the “Turkish Cypriot Football Federation (KTFF)” started to
give results.
According
to the paper, according to an article that will be presented on the
June 21 election and ordinary meeting of the KTFF, the footballers
who are holders of the Republic of Cyprus identity card will be able
to participate in the “Super league, the 1st
division league and the 2snd division league and will be given a
“license” by the “KTFF” to play football in Turkish Cypriot
teams.
In
addition, the paper writes that CFA
chairman Costakis Koutsokoumnis invited the “KTFF” administration
and its chairman to attend the friendly match that will take place in
Tokyo between the Republic of Cyprus and the Japan national teams.
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