TURKISH CYPRIOT AND TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW
C O N T E N T S
No. 116/14 25.06.14
1. Cavusoglu meets the British High Commissioner to Ankara
2. Eroglu: The Greek Cypriots do not reject the rights of the Turkish Cypriots on the natural gas
3. Nami met with foreign Ambassadors in Cyprus
4. Possible delay for the water transfer from Turkey to the occupied area of Cyprus
5. Co-operation agreement between illegal YDU University and a French university
6. Erdogan on energy supplies to Europe
7. Turkish Parliament to rush to vote on Kurdish law package
8. AKP to announce candidate for presidency by July 1
9. Columnist: Erdogan seems decided to replace Gul
10. Sonar poll shows that Erdogan wins over Ihsanoglu
11. "Donation stand" for ISIL in a public square in Istanbul
1. Cavusoglu meets the British High Commissioner to Ankara
Turkish Cihan news agency (24.06.14) reports that Mevlut Cavusoglu, Turkey’s EU Minister and Chief Negotiator, has argued that the most important confidence building measure regarding the on-going negotiations process in Cyprus is that Turkey offers more support than anyone to the process and alleged that they want a lasting peace and solution to be reached the soonest protecting both sides’ interests.
In statements yesterday during a meeting with the British High Commissioner to Ankara, Richard Moore, Cavusoglu said, inter alia, the following on Cyprus:
“Some demands have come from the Greek Cypriot side. Proposals came saying ‘let us take Varosha out of the negotiations package, let us take a step on it as a confidence building measure. However, we want to reach a conclusion the soonest. We want to take a step towards a lasting peace on the island by negotiating all these important elements and by protecting the interests of both sides with a win-win formula. Turkey wishes this more than anyone else. We are a step ahead of everyone…”
When asked whether Turkey is considering taking steps on confidence building measures regarding Cyprus such as writing “Cyprus” on the visas, Cavusoglu recalled that Turkey adopted the electronic visa system in its EU accession process and added: “The European citizens and everyone can take their visas electronically within three minutes without waiting at the airport”.
He said that this is a development which includes the “Greek Cypriot Administration”, as he described the Republic of Cyprus, and added: “They can take a visa in every environment. They conveyed to us that they do not want to click on the expression ‘South Cyprus Greek Administration’ which is on the webpage because we do not recognize the South Cyprus Greek Administration”.
Under the title “We encourage the sides for a solution”, Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (25.06.14) refers to the same statements and reports that Cavusoglu alleged that they had shown their “determination” on the Cyprus problem in 2004 and they are offering their support now and are encouraging both sides.
Referring to the issue of the opening of the chapter as regards the judiciary and the fundamental rights in Turkey’s EU accession talks, Cavusoglu said that the EU member states and Turkey have agreed and “if the political obstacle is lifted, we are ready to open chapter 23”.
Cavusoglu noted that the UK unconditionally supports Turkey’s EU membership and that the relations between the two countries are perfect in all fields. He noted that they work in close cooperation with the UK to overcome the difficulties which Turkey is facing in its EU accession process.
Replying to a question, Cavusoglu said that chapter 23 cannot open because it is blocked by the “Greek Cypriot Administration”, as he described the Republic of Cyprus and added that they will see whether Italy, the next country to overtake the EU term presidency, will show determination on the issue of opening this chapter.
(I/Ts.)
2. Eroglu: The Greek Cypriots do not reject the rights of the Turkish Cypriots on the natural gas
Turkish Cypriot daily Star Kibris newspaper (25.06.14) reports that the Turkish Cypriot leader, Dervis Eroglu has said that many countries showed interest for the natural gas found in the Mediterranean Sea and added that the Greek Cypriot side does not reject that the Turkish Cypriot side has also rights on this natural gas, but says that this will happen only after an agreement on the Cyprus problem is reached. In statements yesterday during a meeting with the administrative council of the Turkish Cypriot Electrical Engineers’ Chamber, Eroglu said that they had submitted proposals to the UN on this issue and that they face a problem in the field of energy in the occupied area of Cyprus, but the production continues.
Eroglu reiterated the allegation that in order for an agreement to be reached in Cyprus, the Greek Cypriot side should want this to happen and claimed that a precondition for this is for the Greek Cypriot side to show a will for a solution and not ignore the so-called existing realities on the island.
Replying to a question as to when the next meeting between the leaders will take place, Eroglu said that the negotiators of the sides will be meeting today and the date of the meeting between the leaders, which had been postponed due to President Anastasiades’ health problems, will be set today.
Meanwhile, in statements during another meeting, Eroglu argued that all issues, including the so-called embargo allegedly implemented on the Turkish Cypriots, are bound to the solution and alleged that the Greek Cypriots, who are allegedly the source of the lack of an agreement and the continuation of the status quo, are facing absolutely no difficulty. “The Turkish Cypriot side is the one which is actually harmed by the status quo”, he alleged and claimed: “We could not explain our problem to the world until today. We have been searching for a solution for 46 years. Especially during the last ten years we are intensively continuing the negotiations saying ‘will we be able to reach a solution?’ but unfortunately when we put forward our good will we are coming face to face with persons who do not have a will for an agreement”.
(I/Ts.)
3. Nami met with foreign Ambassadors in Cyprus
According to Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris Postasi Daily News (24.06.14), the self-styled minister of foreign affairs Ozdil Nami got together with the Foreign Ambassadors in Cyprus.
According to a press release by his “office”, Nami met with the Ambassadors of the EU member states Belgium, Austria, Finland, Spain, Sweden and Hungary as well as the Australian Ambassador over a working lunch organized by Nami.
During the working lunch Nami informed the Ambassadors about the recent developments in the negotiations.
4. Possible delay for the water transfer from Turkey to the occupied area of Cyprus
Turkish Cypriot daily Yeni Duzen newspaper (25.06.14) reports that the water transfer from Turkey to the occupied area of Cyprus may not be launched on July 20 as it was planned due to various problems the project faces.
Speaking to the paper, Birol Cinar, Project Manager of Turkey’s State Water Affairs Department, stated that the goal set for launching the project on July 20 may not be reached because despite “everything going on as it was planned”, some works that should have been done at the sea were prevented due to weather conditions. As he said, works on shore continue as planned.
He went on and added that 8-kilometre pipes starting from Turkey’s shores have been already sunk under the water, and in the coming days 5-kilometre pipes starting from the shores of the occupied area of Cyprus will be sunk in the sea as well so that the joining of the pipes will be accomplished.
5. Co-operation agreement between illegal YDU University and a French university
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris Postasi newspaper (25.06.14) reports that a cooperation agreement was made between the illegal Near East University (YDU) and the Institute for Research on Cancer and Ageing of Nice, France on the research field.
According to the paper, Nedime Serakınc, professor at YDU visited the French University upon an invitation and gave information about YDU and the possibilities of cooperation in research.
6. Erdogan on energy supplies to Europe
According to Ankara Anatolia news agency (24.06.14), Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, emphasizing Turkey's importance in the security of energy supplies to Europe during a meeting with EU ambassadors in Turkey, said: “The opening of the energy chapter in Turkey's EU membership negotiations will be a test of EU's sincerity for energy security”.
He said that Turkey's EU membership was not only a regional challenge, but also a global one, in the fight against racism in Europe and for the improvement of the alliance of civilizations.
There was also a large scope for cooperating on energy security insofar as Turkey is a key transit country for natural gas from the EU's point of view, and Europe is the most important end market for natural gas going through Turkey, he said.
7. Turkish Parliament to rush to vote on Kurdish law package
According to Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (online, 25.06.14), the Interior Ministry has prepared a seven item draft code package on key matters discussed within the scope of the ongoing efforts to find a peaceful solution to the Kurdish issue.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has insisted it should be voted on at Parliament before the body goes to recess for the summer holiday.
Additionally, the timing is crucial, as Erdogan wants to send a clear message to the Kurdish parties before the presidential elections on Aug. 10 in an attempt to net support.
The package includes a legal warranty for the actors in the process that promises exemption from trial in the future for the role they take. Along with the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) and the Peoples’ Democracy Party (HDP), which are focused on the Kurdish issue, the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has also repeatedly urged the government to sketch such a ground.
Erdogan called on the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) deputies in an address yesterday to work more in order to pass the awaiting laws.
The draft code defines the roles of politicians, bureaucrats and high-ranking soldiers in the peace process and offers protection to those involved in it as well as in the struggle against terrorism.
Other items aim to ease the return and rehabilitation of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants from the mountains. It puts special emphasis on young people, especially under-aged members, on condition that they are not involved in clashes.
It also projects speeding up the forensic process regarding PKK inmates with health problems, paving the way for freedom to some.
However, an HDP demand on the regulations in line with the European Charter of Local Self Government would offer a federalist framework by its nature, but is reportedly not included in the package.
8. AKP to announce candidate for presidency by July 1
According to Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (online, 24.06.14), the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) long-awaited announcement regarding its candidate for the August presidential election will eventually be made next week, putting an end to speculation about Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s potential run for the post.
It was Erdogan himself who said on June 24 that his party would announce its candidate on July 1, two days before the official deadline. The announcement came as he addressed the regular weekly meeting of the AKP’s parliamentary group. These meetings are traditionally held every Tuesday, so July 1 coincides with the scheduled parliamentary group meeting as well.
“One would wish that Turkey could have transited into a presidential system, however amending the Constitution could not happen either during the current or the previous term [of Parliament]. We believe that this new system can be implemented successfully in Turkey and will strengthen stability and confidence,” Erdogan said, as he delivered a speech at a gathering of Ambassadors of EU member countries accredited in the Turkish capital city of Ankara.
“Starting from September, a new era will begin in Turkey. This new era will be an era during which reforms will be made more rapidly and with determination,” Erdogan added.
The official registration for presidential candidates will begin June 29 and end July 3.
Erdogan is set to meet the leaders of the Great Union Party (BBP) and Felicity Party (Saadet Partisi), two political parties that are not represented in Parliament, before the end of this week. Following the meetings, Erdogan will make a general assessment before officially announcing the AKP’s candidate.
If no candidate can secure more than 50% of the votes in the first round, a runoff will be held Aug. 24 between the top two candidates.
The presidential poll comes at the centre of a busy election schedule, sandwiched between March’s local elections and the general elections in July 2015.
9. Columnist: Erdogan seems decided to replace Gul
Columnist Murat Yetkin, writing in Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (online, 25.06.14), reports the following:
“Sources in Ankara say it was an undisclosed poll, allegedly showing more than 52% of popular support for Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to become the candidate for the presidential elections, as the reason behind his decision to go for it. It is still not official yet, but all indications from yesterday showed the chances of him asking President Abdullah Gul to continue for a second term are getting smaller and his determination to replace him dominates. Here are those indications:
* On June 22, Erdogan said he was inclined to wait until July 3, the deadline to submit candidate names to the Supreme Election Board (YSK), to announce the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) presidential candidate. He also added that he wanted to see the opposition candidate(s) become official first. But on June 24, he said the party was going to announce its candidate July 1. That will not be in a party building, but in a congress hall with all of the MPs, party officials and provincial chiefs from across the country invited. Erdogan would not make such a preparation for someone else; most probably his candidacy will be announced there by Mehmet Ali Sahin, the first deputy of the AKP, who is among the candidates to replace him as prime minister, if Erdogan is elected president.
* In his address to AKP MPs on June 3, Erdogan said the issue of a congratulatory message for the election of Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, the coup leader of July 3, 2013, from the president was “unacceptable” for him. By doing that, he was indirectly aiming at President Gul’s message, without saying his name. It was a clear message to underline that there are some political discrepancies between the way that the two old fellows look at state affairs.
* In the same speech, he reiterated his position that he was going to use “all of the presidential powers,” which is translated into daily language as meaning that he would not hesitate to convene the Cabinet at will and get involved in the government’s affairs. That is based on an article of the Constitution written during the military regime after the 1980 coup, but it has not been attempted to be used by even the coup leader General Kenan Evren, in order not to prompt a conflict of state powers. It is also known that a similar remark in April had led Gul to say he would not step into the PM and party leader position under Erdogan’s shadow; preferring instead to step down from politics.
It is most likely that Erdogan’s former statement about waiting for the opposition candidate to become official is no longer valid. If there are no last minute developments forcing him to change his mind, he will put, in effect, his will forward to be the next president after Gül.
If the undisclosed poll that he had carried out proves right, Erdogan could be elected in the first round of elections on Aug. 10. If not, if he gets less than 50%, he would force everything possible, including the Kurdish card, to win the Aug. 24 round, with strong whispers in Ankara’s corridors that he might as well play that card even before the first round in order to secure the chair in the Presidential Palace on top of Cankaya Hill in the Turkish capital.
What will happen to Gul and the future of the party is a totally different story, but it will probably become clear after a final talk between the two; most likely before July 1.”
10. Sonar poll shows that Erdogan wins over Ihsanoglu
Under the title “Erdogan wins over Ihsanoglu, survey shows”, Turkish daily Sabah (online, 25.06.14) reports that ahead of Turkey's first Presidential election where the President will be elected by popular vote, SONAR research institution, known as pro-Republican People's Party (CHP), released the latest poll regarding the Aug. 10 presidential race. According to the SONAR poll, if Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is announced as the AK Party candidate, he would defeat the opposition CHP and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) joint candidate Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu and take the presidential seat in the first round of the election, which requires a majority votes.
Among 2,800 surveyed people who live in 26 different cities, 46% say that they will vote for Erdogan if he competes against Ihsanoglu. The numbers of those who said that they will vote for the opposition's joint candidate Ihsanoglu is around 35.3%. 6.2% of the surveyed people stated that they will vote for the pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party (HDP). The survey says that the votes of those who remain undecided will split among the candidates, which will increase Erdogan's votes to 52.6% while Ihsanoglu will receive 40.3%.
The second analysis of the research institution says that 49.5% of surveyed people said that they will vote for Erdogan while 43.9% stated that they will vote for Ihsanoglu. 6.7%, on the other hand, stated that they will vote for HDP's candidate. The second analysis noted that SONAR considered the 2011 national elections and those who remained undecided voted for the opposition parties, that's why, the institution gave 5.5% of the votes to CHP and MHP joint candidate Ihsanoglu, and distributed the rest of the vote percentages between other candidates on the survey proportionally in this poll.
On Monday, Ankara-based Objective Research Centre (ORC) released another public research regarding the presidential election. The results indicate that 54% of surveyed people will vote for Erdogan and 39.4% of them will vote for Ihsanoglu. 6.6% say that they will vote for HDP's candidate.
11. "Donation stand" for ISIL in a public square in Istanbul
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris Postasi Daily News (online, 24.06.14) reported that according to Sol Haber Portal (Left News Portal-published in Turkish in Turkey) a “donation” stand was opened in Fatih district of Istanbul in support of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS). It was claimed that this “donation stand” was actually a stand for enrolment of new militants for ISIL.
It was reported that the police didn’t intervene to this activity which was held in a public square.
Fatih district of Istanbul has become a “centre” for Islamist militants and Jihadist propaganda since the start of the conflict in Syria.
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