TURKISH CYPRIOT AND
TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW
No. 83/14 08.05.14
1. Turkish Cypriot politicians on the new phase of the
negotiations
2. Ozersay: The joint declaration forms a framework
for the federal partnership
3. Ozersay met with Peter Van Nuffel
4. Sheikh NazimKibrisi died
5. The Australian and Spanish Ambassadors met with
Turkish Cypriot candidates for the European Parliamentary elections
6. Turkey’s reactions to Germany; Davutoglu: “No one
can treat the Turks as second-class Europeans”; Erdogan rejected Weil’s demand
to meet him
7. Diyarbakir court sentences Turkey’s youngest mayor
to over four years in jail
8. Turkey approves F-35 acquisition
1. Turkish Cypriot politicians on the new phase of the
negotiations
Illegal Bayrak television (08.05.14) broadcast that
various Turkish Cypriot politicians commented on the new phase of the Cyprus
negotiations process which began on May 6.
Speaking during
a visit paid to him today, the Turkish Cypriot leader DervisEroglu
said that exchanging proposals at the first meeting on substantive issues was a
good beginning. Commenting on the new phase of the talks, he said that the
Turkish Cypriot side had put forward proposals on the issue of property and
public administration whereas the Greek Cypriot side had presented proposals on
the authorities of the federal government.“The papers have been put on the
table. The important thing is to evaluate and reach an agreement on the
proposals made at the next meeting,” he said.
Eroglu also said
that both sides could be suggesting bridging proposals on the outstanding
issues if there was any progress towards achieving convergences. “We could have a chance to move onto the
other chapters if we do this. This is the only way the negotiations can move
forward. All I can say at the moment is that we have a good start” he said.
Also commenting on the new phase, “prime minister” OzkanYorgancioglu
said that good results rather than a good beginning are needed.He said thatthe “government” will do all it can to ensure that the
current negotiations are concluded successfully. Yorgancioglu also said that he
will be meeting with Eroglu and the Turkish Cypriot negotiatorKudretOzersay in the coming days to
discuss the negotiations process.
The “speaker” of the “assembly” SibelSiber for her
part welcomed the start of the new phase, expressing the hope that the desired
results will be achieved.
“Both
communities require a solution in Cyprus. Our desire is for the talks to
achieve positive results. The two leaders must prepare their respective peoples
for a settlement”, she said.
2. Ozersay: The joint declaration forms a framework
for the federal partnership
Turkish Cypriot
daily Kibris (08.05.14) reports that the Turkish Cypriot negotiator KudretOzersay said that the joint declaration,which
was signed by the Turkish Cypriot leader DervisEroglu and the Cyprus President
Anastasiades on February,forms a
framework for the federal partnership, adding that at least the fundamental
parameters and characteristics of this federal partnership that they are
thinking to establish appear in this joint declaration. He noted that at
times the sides might intend to evaluate the declaration different from one
another, however, if they want progress they shouldn’t be rewriting or
revaluating the concepts and the terminology used in the declaration.
Ozersay, in a
speech at the “Eastern Mediterranean University’s Business and Economy Faculty”before
a group of academics and EMU Senate members, said that the second stage of the
negotiation process, where the substantive issues will be discussed is
difficult. Noting that it will be a process that not only the Turkish Cypriot
side has to show flexibility but also the Greek Cypriot side has to in order to
have results, Ozersay said that the Turkish Cypriot “people” expect to reach a
comprehensive settlement and to end this uncertainty and this status that they
are in.
He said that
they, as the negotiating team, will do whatever they can in order to reach a
mutually acceptable settlement by protecting the basic rights of the Turkish
Cypriots within apparently some flexibility.
He also said
that it is important to constantly inform the political parties, the civil
society organizations and the people about the negotiation process, adding that
for this reason he will send the meeting minutes to the “deputies”, the
“foreign ministry” and to the “prime ministry” and he will also meet with the
representatives of NGOs and the political parties in order to inform them about
the process.
3. Ozersay met with Peter Van Nuffel
Turkish Cypriot daily KibrisPostasi newspaper
(08.05.14) reports that the Turkish Cypriot negotiator KudretOzersay met with
the EU Commission's President Jose Manuel Barroso's personal envoy on Cyprus
Peter Van Nuffel and UN officials regarding the EU heading, which is among the
6 headings that will be discussed during the latest negotiation process.
Ozersay was
accompanied during the meeting by “undersecretary of Foreign Minister” ErhanErcin,
the “head of political affairs” GulfemVezirogluSevgili and Ozlemİnce.
According to the
reports the timeline and method of negotiating the EU heading was the main
agenda point of the meeting. Speaking to
TAK after the meeting Ozersay said “ As we said in our earlier remarks, we are
always ready to exchange opinions with Mr Nuffel regarding the EU heading as long as we stay within
the framework of the UN Good Offices mission . I can comfortably say that these
dialogs will continue in the upcoming period”.
4. Sheikh NazimKibrisi died
Turkish Cypriot daily KibrisPostasi newspaper
(08.05.14) reports thatSheikh NazimKibrisi, the leader of the
Naqshibandi-Haqqani Sufi order has passed away yesterday after spending almost
three weeks in the intensive care unit where he was treated for age related
health problems.
Kibrisi was
buried atNaqshibandiTariqa’sDevish Convent in occupied Lefka. His funeral was
held at the Selimiye Mosque in the occupied part of Nicosia.
5. The Australian and Spanish Ambassadors met with
Turkish Cypriot candidates for the European Parliamentary elections
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris (08.05.14) reports that
the Australian High Commisioner Trevor Peacock and the Spanish Ambassador Ana
Salomon Perez met yesterday with the candidates for the European Parliamentary
elections 2014 DenizBirinci and AlevTugberk of the Bicommunal Radical Left
Cooperation Group (Drasy-Eylem).
During the
meeting, Birinci said that the Turkish Cypriots are the only Europeans, who are
not represented in the European Parliament, adding that it’s time the voice of
the Turkish Cypriots to be heard.
Tugberk, for her
part, said that it is important all the communities who live in Cyprus to show
tolerance to each other.
Replying to the
question what is the reaction regarding their candidacies, the Australian High
Commissioner said that generally the reactions are positive although it is
difficult to break some taboos.
The Spanish
Ambassador said that their participation in the elections is an important move.
Moreover,
Turkish Cypriot daily Afrika (08.05.14) reports that both Ambassadors met also
with the Turkish Cypriot independent candidate SenerLevent at his office. It is
reported that they discussed about the elections and the Cyprus problem.
The paper also
reports that a while ago Levent was invited at the resident of the German
Ambassador to Lefkosia and representatives of the French Embassy, the Canadian
High Commission as well as the British
High Commissioner visited him at his office.
6.Turkey’s reactions to Germany; Davutoglu: “No one
can treat the Turks as second-class Europeans”; Erdogan rejected Weil’s demand
to meet him
Turkish daily
Hurrriyet Daily news (07.05.2014)
reported that Turkey’s Foreign Minister, AhmetDavutoglu in statements at the
“Strategic Depth and Rising Turkey” conference in Vienna on May 6, responded to
recent comments from the German President and said: “No one should treat the
Turks as ‘second-class Europeans’ and those demanding respect should first
respect Turkey”.
“If a German President comes to Turkey and says: ‘I’m
concerned about Turkey’s future’ due to false information, then we will go to
each German city and say: ‘We are concerned about Germany’s future’ because of
neo-Nazi murders,” Davutoglusaid.
“If someone
wants to be respected, he should respect us. No one can treat us like
second-class Europeans,” he added.
“We will offer every kind of hospitality, but
we won’t allow anyone to hurt this nation’s honor. There's no need to worry
about us ... The only authority to worry about this nation is the nation
itself. No one else has the right to worry or to express his worry about this
nation,” he added. “If we have something to worry about, we should be worried
about the racism that has penetrated the European streets, Islamophobia, the
sabotaged houses of Turks,” Davutoglu also said.
After German
President Joachim Gauck’svisit, Prime Minister Erdogan said Gauck was still
acting "like a pastor" – the President’s former occupation in the
former East Germany – for supporting an atheistic interpretation of the Alevi
religion in Germany.
Gauck visited Turkey last week and warned against the
consequences of curbs to freedom of expression, while also criticizing Prime
Minister RecepTayyipErdogan’s leadership style. He
said he was shocked by the government’s harsh attempts to stamp out street
protests and clamp down on the media.
Meanwhile,
Turkish daily Cumhuriyet (07.05.14) under the title: “Big dishonour to Germany”, reported that after the latest statements by
the German President, Erdogan has replied negatively to the demand of Stephen
Weil, a German politician, leader of the Social Democratic Party in Lower
Saxony in Germany who is visiting Turkey, to meet him.
As the paper
writes, Erdogan is still very annoyed with Gauk’s statements and thus he did
not responded to Weil’s demand to meet him. Weil’s and his delegation were
received by the Speaker of the Turkish National Assembly CemilCicek while they
are expected to meet with President Abdullah Gul on Saturday.
(AK)
7. Diyarbakir court sentences Turkey’s youngest
mayor to over four years in jail
Turkish Hurriyet Daily News (08.05.14) reports that
RezanZugurli, who was elected as co-mayor of Diyarbakir’s Lice district from
the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) a month ago, was sentenced to over four
years in prison May 7 for participating in three rallies in 2010 and 2011.
The 25-year-old student became Turkey’s youngest ever
mayor after winning the March 30 elections with fellow co-mayoral candidate
HarunErkus with a record 91%of the votes.
The Diyarbakir
2nd High Criminal Court found Zugurli guilty on charges of committing crimes
“on behalf of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)” even while admitting that she
was not a member of the group.
Prosecutors were demanding up to 35 years in prison, although the court
ultimately sentenced her to four years and two months in jail.
8. Turkey approves F-35 acquisition
Turkish daily Sabah (08.05.14) reports that the DefenceIndustry
Executive Committee of Turkey , announced that Turkey has committed to buying
two F-35A Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) jets as part of an order expected to be
consummated in 2016.
The committee
chaired by Prime Minister RecepTayyipErdogan and with the participation of the Chief
of General Staff and the Minister of National Defense also announced that the
country still plans to buy another 100 of the advanced jets.
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