TURKISH CYPRIOT AND
TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW
C O N T E N T S
No. 140/14 30.07.14
1. Ozersay: The Greek Cypriot side seeks to abandon
the issues which were agreed in the past
2. Atalay: The visit
of pilgrims from the occupied area of Cyprus to Hala Sultan Mosque would not be
possible without the Church’s support
3. Tourist figures in
the occupied area of Cyprus
4. More data on the
breakaway regime’s economy
5. Zhirinovsky called
on Moscow to recognize the “TRNC”
6. Arinc: “Women
should not laugh in public”; Reaction from opposition parties
7. Eleven more police
officers arrested in wiretapping probe in Turkey
8. Turkish official:
"No veto from Ankara to the US Envoy”
1. Ozersay: The Greek Cypriot side seeks to abandon
the issues which were agreed in the past
Turkish Cypriot
daily HalkinSesi (30.07.14) reports that Turkish Cypriot negotiator
KudretOzersay, in a statement yesterday through the social media, responded to
the Greek Cypriot side’s accusations regarding the crisis at the negotiation
table last week.
Ozersay said
that the Greek Cypriot side proposed to us the following: “Let us draw a table.
In one column, we should write the subjects/issues which were agreed upon
according to the Turkish and Greek Cypriot sides and the issues that both sides
think that are agreed. In the other column, let us write the issues that the
sides are close to agreeing on and the issues on which there is divergence.
Then let us move to the give and take stage.”
Ozersay said
that a copy of the convergences, which were agreed in the past and registered
by both sides, shared by the UN. These are not the debatable and are on the
paper. He added that the Greek Cypriot
side had said “Let us choose and write down the things that you like and those
that we like from the issues which were agreed in the past”, explaining that
they (the Greek Cypriot side) basically proposed the abandonment of what had
been agreed in the past.
Ozersay claimed
that if the sides pick and choose from the convergences - the things which were
agreed - only what each side likes and toss aside the rest of the agreed
issues; this would take them to the situation prior to 2008. He added that this
means that the process has gone back to the square one.
Ozersay said
that in their majority the Greek Cypriot side’s main proposals are the current
issues, which are contrary to the ones agreed in the past. He added that the
Turkish Cypriot side cannot accept what the Greek Cypriot side wants them to do
which is to deviate from the past agreed issues and to ignore those things,
which were agreed, without their consent.
2. Atalay: The visit of pilgrims from the occupied area of Cyprus to Hala
Sultan Mosque would not be possible without the Church’s support
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris
newspaper (30.07.14) reports that TalipAtalay,
the so-called head of religious affairs of the breakaway regime in the occupied
area of Cyprus, has thanked the
community leaders, the negotiators and the Church for their contribution in the
materialization of the visit of Turkish, Turkish Cypriot and other pilgrims
from the occupied area of Cyprus to Hala Sultan Tekke in Larnaca to pray on
the first day of RamazanBayram religious feast.
In statements yesterday, Atalay said
that the process was initiated during the US Vice President Joe Biden’s visit
to Cyprus when the issue of the visits to places of worship was raised and
subsequently was transferred to the negotiating table after a discussion they
held with the Church. He noted that the
framework of the visit was drawn for the first time at the negotiating table
and added that with the support of the Church a “political and historic success
was achieved”. He once again underlined the importance of this “step taken
for peace” adding the wish for more similar mutual visits to religious places
of worship in the future.
Atalay said that they worked
together with the Turkish Cypriot leader Eroglu and the negotiator Ozersay for
the visit to HalaSultaTekke. Pointing out the “positive contribution of the
Church” in this visit, he noted: “If the
Church had not offered its support, this visit would not have happened”.
Atalay said that the visit was completed
without any problem.
He noted that they only faced a problem with the water at Hala Sultan Tekke,
but this was not a deliberate action. Efforts have long been made to solve this
problem, he added.
(I/Ts.)
3. Tourist figures
in the occupied area of Cyprus
Turkish daily Havadis newspaper (30.07.14)
under the front-page title: “unregistered
tourists”, reports on statistical figures provided by the “Cyprus Turkish
Travel Agencies Union” (KITSAB) regarding tourism in the occupied area of
Cyprus for the first six months of 2014.
According to the
figures, in the period between January-June 2014, the number of Turkish
tourists who have entered the occupied area of Cyprus through the illegal
Tymbou airport and the “ports” of occupied Famagusta, Kyreneia and Karpasia,
has reached 476.000.A totally of 133,000 foreign tourists visited the occupied
area of Cyprus from the illegal Tymbou airport and the illegal ports.
Also, in
the first half of 2014, totally 433,000 Greek Cypriots and 505,000 foreign
tourists crossed to the occupied area of Cyprus from the government control
areas of the Republic of Cyprus.
In statements on the issue, the chairman of KITSAB, OrhanTolun, said
that in spite of the fact that there is an increase on the percentage of
tourists who have visited the “country” compared to the same period of the
previous year, this is not reflected to their “overnight stay”. Tolun said
that the occupancy rate for the first
half of 2014 compared to last year’s rate decreased by 3%.
Explaining that
tourists from the UK who illegally visit the occupied area of Cyprus have not
decreased, Tolun said that the majority of them prefer to stay in luxury villas
instead of hotels.
“The TRNC state, cannot collect a tax from the tourists who stay in villas so
this situation affects the economynegatively. This is an unregistered economy. The unregistered economy for the tourist sector is approximately 20%”,
Tolun added.
Also, the figures show that most of the Turkish
Cypriots this year again chose Turkey as their holiday destination, instead of
going abroad, because of the economic crisis. Sixty per cent of the “TRNC’s
citizens” travelled to Turkey during the above mentioned period, while 25% of
them travelled to the UK, and 15% to other countries.
AK
4. More data on the breakaway regime’s economy
Turkish Cypriot daily YeniDuzen
newspaper (30.07.14) reports that the
total bank deposits in the breakaway regime’s banking sector increased by 19.1%
in 2013, in comparison with the end of 2012, reaching 10 billion and 685
million Turkish liras (TL). The paper cites information published in the
2013 report of the Turkish so-called embassy in the occupied part of Nicosia
regarding the economy of the “TRNC”, breakaway regime in the occupied area of
the Republic of Cyprus.
According to the report, the share of
the private banks in the sector increased. The
personnel working in the banking sector was 2.709 employees in 2012 and
increased to 2.882 in 2013. Sixteen new bank branches opened in 2013 and
173 new employees were hired. The net
credits reached seven billion and 870 million TL, while the delayed payments increased from 490.3
million TL in 2012 to 535.6 million TL in 2013. Two billion and 115 million
TL were given as credit to the public sector and five billion 755 million TL to
the private sector. The share of the credits which are higher than 100 thousand
TL was 73.3% of the total credits in the end of 2013.
The banking sector’s own resources increased by 13.1% in 2013, reaching
361.3 million TL.
Meanwhile, Turkish Cypriot daily
Havadis (29.07.14) reports that according to the same data, the growth rate of the breakaway regime’s
GDP was 2% in 2013. The GDP was 4
million and 500 dollars in 2012 and increased to 4 million 107 thousand dollars
in 2013. Per capita income also
increased from 15.395 dollarsin 2012 to
15.622 dollars in 2013. It is estimated that this number will increase to
17.220 dollars in 2015.
The regime’s exports were 120.7 million dollars in 2012 and reached
120.7 million dollars in 2013. 52% of the exports were made to Turkey, 38.5% to Middle East
countries, and 9% to EU countries. The
imports decreased in 2013 in comparison to 2012. The respective numbers were
1.699 million dollars and 1.705 million dollars.
The trade between the occupied and the government-controlled area of the
island within the framework of the Green Line Regulation decreased by 57% in
2013. In this
period, products the value of which reached three million and 837 thousand
Euros were sold to the government-controlled area of the island.
The unemployment rate decreased by 0.2% in 2013
reaching 9.7%.
Unemployment was 12.5% in 2009, 11.9% in 2010, 11.9% in 2011 and 9.9% in 2012.
(I/Ts.)
5. Zhirinovsky
called on Moscow to recognize the “TRNC”
Turkish Cypriot
daily Star Kibris (30.07.14) reports that the
ultranationalist leader of the Liberal Democratic Party Vladimir Zhirinovsky
called on Moscow to recognize the “TRNC”, the breakaway regime in the
occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus, in response to investments from the
West.
According to the
Turkish daily Yeni Cag, Zhirinovsky, attending a live show on Russia TV, said
that Russia should pay attention to its relations with Turkey and Iran.
Asked to commend
how Russia can respond to investments from the West, Zhirinovsky said: “We
should enhance our trade relations with Iran. We should develop our relations
with Turkey. In this respect, there is an unrecognized state, the Turkish
Republic of Northern Cyprus (Translator’s note: the breakaway regime in the
occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus). Let us recognize it. In this case,
the Turks will be enormously pleased. Erdogan does not talk with Obama anymore.
Obama accuses us regarding the Boeing crash in Ukraine. Through the good
relations with Azerbaijan, our relations with Turkey will improve.”
6.Arinc: “Women
should not laugh in public”; Reaction from opposition parties
Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (29.07.14)
reported that the Deputy Prime Minister BulentArıncspeaking
during a ceremony organized on Monday by his Justice and Development Party (AKP
party) on the occasion of the Islamic holiday of Eid el-Fitr, stated that women should not laugh out loud
in public and complained about “moral corruption” in Turkey.
Arınc described his
ideal of the chaste man or woman, saying they should both have a sense of shame
and honor. “Chastity is so important. It is not only a name. It is an ornament
for both women and men. [She] will have chasteness. Man will have it, too. He
will not be a womanizer. He will be bound to his wife. He will love his
children. [The woman] will know what is haram and not haram. She will not laugh
in public. She will not invite in her attitudes and will protect her
chasteness,” said Arınc,
adding that people had abandoned their
values.
“People need to
discover the Quran once again”, Arınc said, adding that there had been a
regression on moral grounds.
“Where are our girls,
who slightly blush, lower their heads and turn their eyes away when we look at
their face, becoming the symbol of chastity?” he wondered.
(…)
Arınc also complained about high consumption,
referring to the number of cars and mobile phones owned by individuals.
Targeting women once
more, Arınc said that women talk about unnecessary things on the phone.
“Women give each other meal recipes while speaking
on the mobile phone. ‘What else is going on?’ ‘What happened to Ayşe’s
daughter?’ ‘When is the wedding?’ Talk about this face to face,” he said.
“People should not use their personal cars
unnecessarily”, he said, adding that even if the Nile River was full of oil,
there would not be enough fuel to power cars.
Ekmeleddin İhsanoglu,
who is running for the Presidency against Prime Minister RecepTayyip Erdogan,
commented on Arınc’s statement via Twitter, saying that Turkey needed women to
laugh, as well as to hear everybody’s happy laughter more than anything.
"If
a man can think only this way on a bayram day, then this mentality is problematic.
[Prime Minister Recep] Tayyip Erdogan has the same mentality problem," the
main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Deputy chairmanBurhanSenatalar
said yesterday.
"Arınc claims that Turkey is in moral
collapse, but his own party has been governing the country for the past 12
years," said Cetin Elmas, the chief advisor of the Nationalist Movement
Party (MHP) chairman,DevletBahceli.
The Peoples’
Democratic Party (HDP) Deputy Parliamentary Head PervinBuldan has even joined
the social media protest. "From now on, we will respond to all statements
by Arınc by laughing",Buldan
tweeted.
7. Eleven more
police officers arrested in wiretapping probe in Turkey
Turkish website worldbulletin.com (29.07.14)
reported that eleven police officers
have been arrested as part of Turkey’s so-called ‘parallel state’ probe into
alleged espionage and illegal wiretapping.
Istanbul Judge Islam
Cicek ordered the arrests of 11 police officers on Tuesday night. Among the arrested officers is Yurt
Atayun, former chief of Istanbul’s anti-terror police department.
The court ordered a conditional release for
eight suspects and 30 others.
The court ruling
brought to 31 the number of officers remanded in custody from a total of 115
police officers who were detained in overnight raids last week. All the other
detained officers have been released but may still face charges.
Among the most prominent of the officers kept
in custody was Ali FuatYilmazer, who oversaw intelligence for Istanbul police
and is accused of forming and leading a criminal gang. Others are accused of
illegal wiretapping, forging documents and espionage.
The court action followed two high-profile,
Istanbul-based anti-graft operations, which were launched in December 2013 and
led to the arrest of high-profile figures, including the sons of three Ministers
as well as several entrepreneurs.
All those detained in the December probes were
later released pending trial.
The Turkish government has denounced the
December probes as a "dirty plot" constructed by a "parallel
structure" of bureaucrats within the country's key institutions, including
the judiciary branch and the police.
8. Turkish
official: "No veto from Ankara to the US Envoy”
Istanbul Zaman Online in Turkish (29.07.14) reports that columnist ServetYanatma in an
article titled: "No veto from Ankara to the US Envoy who called Erdogan
'authoritarian'”, inter alia, write that “Turkey will not veto the future US
ambassador to Ankara, John Bass, who called Prime Minister RecepTayyip Erdogan
“authoritarian”.
Speaking to the paper,
a Turkish official made the following assessment: “Bass will assume his duty in
Ankara after his confirmation process is completed. Vetoing the US ambassador
would cause an irreparable crisis in bilateral relations. It is not wise to take this risk at such a
time”.
In order to assume his duty when he arrives in
Ankara, Ambassador Bass must present his credentials to the Turkish President. Ankara is expected to delay the
credentialceremony for some time.
The future US
ambassador to Ankara Bass, during his confirmation hearing at the US Senate,replied
to a question on whether Erdogan has authoritarian tendencies and said: ‘There is a movement in that direction, yes.’
Openly supporting this position, the US State Department had declared
that these remarks overlap with the concerns and human rights report pertaining
to Turkey previously announced by the US Administration.
Ankara, in turn, did
not react against this harsh criticism leveled by the United States. The Turkish Foreign Ministry did not issue a
written statement. While Foreign
Minister Ahmet Davutoglu refrained from criticizing Ambassador Bass in any way, he targeted Senator McCain, and
overlooked the statements issued by US authorities.
Before being
officially nominated by President Obama, Bass received a certificate of
compliance from Ankara. Ankara has the
right to veto the ambassador by declaring him a "persona non grata"
even after he assumes office.
In order to officially assume his duty, Bass
will present his credentials to Erdogan, if the latter is elected President. According to US officials' expectations,
Erdogan will not rush to set an appointment with Bass and may make him wait for
a few weeks. Turkish officials, for their part, say that both sides are trying to
avoid a possible crisis. Turkish
officials underline that Bass's "authoritarian" remark clearly does
not comply with diplomatic tradition, but the government made a choice in this
regard.
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