TURKISH CYPRIOT AND
TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW
C O N T E N T S
No. 147/14 08.08.14
1. Eroglu says that no one can force him to sign an agreement
which will endanger the future of his “people”
2. Ozersay says that the negotiations are not interrupted; It is
possible for him to be candidate in the next year’s “presidential
elections”
3. Columnist refers to the drought that exists in Turkey and the
water which they plan to bring to the occupied area of Cyprus
4. The company which financed Bakirci’s trip to Marseille is
As-Mad Alci
5. Kamu-Sen: “Every year 400 million dollars tax evasions take
place”
6. Istanbul Turkish airlines made investments to occupied Salamis
Bay hotel
7. Financial support to the Palestinian students studying in the
occupied area of Cyprus
8. Regional issues on agenda as Erdogan and top officials hold
security meeting
9. Turkey hopeful to boost exports to Russia amid ban on Western
products
1. Eroglu says that no one can force him to sign an agreement
which will endanger the future of his “people”
Turkish
Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (08.08.14) reports that the Turkish Cypriot
leader DervisEroglu has alleged that he
is sincerely exerting efforts for finding an agreement on the Cyprus problem,
knowing what kind of agreement the Turkish Cypriot “people” want, but no one
could force him to sign an agreement which will endanger the future of his “people”.
“No one can drag me to such a point”, he argued in his message on the occasion
of the 50th anniversary of the bombing of Tilliria area by Turkish
jets, which the Turks call “Kokkina [Village] Resistance”.
Eroglu alleged that the Turkish Cypriot “people” are determined,
they are satisfied with living freely under their own administration and
“state” and on their own land and no one could “drag them into a so-called
solution by ignoring these realities”. He reiterated the allegation that the active and
effective guarantees of Turkey are fundamental for the Turkish Cypriots,
because they know that a “so-called agreement”, as he described it, which will
not include these guarantees will be tantamount to Turkey not being able to
interfere against the Greek Cypriot attacks like it had happened in Kokkina
area and to suffering the same events like in Palestine and Bosnia.
“I am obliged to declare to the Turkish
Cypriot people that the Greek Cypriots still desire to impose on us an
agreement which will pave the way of being able to return to the pre-1974
period”, claimed Eroglu and alleged: “When the Greek Cypriot side refers to
a solution within the framework of the ‘EU principles’, its target is the
return to the pre-1974 period. We hope
that the UN and the EU will not add another mistake to the mistakes they have
committed until today and will not contribute in keeping the dreams of the
Greek Cypriot side alive”.
Referring
to the “TRNC”, the breakaway regime in the occupied area of Cyprus, Eroglu claimed:
“The TRNC was not offered to us by
anyone. The TRNC is a result of a struggle. (…) I would like to [to be able to] say that the targets which our Greek
Cypriot neighbors’ had 50 years ago changed, that they consider us as much
owners of this island as they are, and that they respect our equality,
sovereignty, freedom, and our efforts to create an economy and hang on these
lands, but unfortunately this is not possible (…) The TRNC is our security,
our future. Defending with conscious and determination this state, and doing
what is necessary is our debt to our martyrs, our fathers”.
(I/Ts.)
2. Ozersay says that the negotiations are not interrupted; It
is possible for him to be candidate in the next year’s “presidential
elections”
Turkish
Cypriot daily YeniDuzen newspaper (08.08.14) reports that the Turkish Cypriot
negotiator, KudretOzersay has said that
the so-called government and the “assembly” of the breakaway regime are not
outside the active efforts exerted in the negotiations for finding a solution
to the Cyprus problem and added that the Turkish Cypriot leader Eroglu and the
self-styled prime minister Yorgancioglu have agreed in principle on the issue
of the briefing of the “government”.
In
statements to KanalSim TV and Sim Radio, Ozersay
said that due to concerns of the Greek Cypriot side on the proportions on the
issue of the citizenship, during the meeting at the Green Tree in New York, the
Turkish Cypriot side shared the total number of the “TRNC citizens” at the
presence of the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.Ozersay refrained from
revealing the number they had stated.
Ozersay
noted that the negotiations are not
interrupted and that the existing disagreements could be overcome. He
recalled that the leaders will be meeting on 2 September.
Ozersay alleged that during the last meeting between the leaders
President Anastasiades behaved contrary to the diplomatic regulations.
“Everything which had been published in the press is to an important extent
true”, he claimed.
Ozeray
said that the Turkish Cypriot side wants to discuss the issues on which
agreement has not been achieved in the past and added that a debate was
experienced after the Greek Cypriot side asked for a screening to be held on
the agreed issues as well.
Ozersay said that his candidacy in the “2015 presidential
elections” in the occupied area of Cyprus is possible
and added that this does not depend on
anyone else’s candidacy, but what is important is his own decision.
(I/Ts.)
3. Columnist refers to the drought that exists in Turkey and
the water which they plan to bring to the occupied area of Cyprus
In
his column in Turkish Cypriot daily Afrika newspaper (08.08.14), columnist Mehmet Levent refers to what he
describes as “false steps” taken by the self-styled minister environment and
natural resources, HamitBakirci and reports that one of them is his statement that the water which Turkey plans to bring
to the occupied area of Cyprus through undersea pipelines “is freedom”.
“However, experts believe that this water
will not be freedom for the Turkish Cypriots, but on the contrary, it will make
them more depended on Turkey”, notes Levent pointing out that the “actually
interesting” aspect of this issue that “causes confusion” is that the news
coming from Turkey are not good. Referring to the delay in the schedule of
bringing water from Turkey to the occupied area of Cyprus, he goes on and
writes, inter alia, the following:
“There are people who say that the water of
Anatolia is giving red alert. The Meke Lake in Konya has dried by 99%! [The
water level of] Turkey’s biggest sweet water lake, Beysehir Lake has gone down
15 meters! The level of water in many big dams went down in dangerous
dimensions. Do all these not show that a drought problem exists in Turkey?
Turkey’s Forests’ and Water Affairs’ Minister VeyselEroglu had also stated
this: ‘Drought exists, but with God’s help, there is no interruption in water
supply’. (!) (…) Bringing millions of
cubic meters of water with undersea pipelines to the TRNC, in spite of the drought
which Turkey is facing, will surely also happen again with God’s help! (…)”
(I/Ts.)
4. The company which financed Bakirci’s trip to Marseille is
As-Mad Alci
Turkish
Cypriot columnist CenkMutluyakali referring to the recent visit of the
so-called minister of environment and natural resources HamitBakirci to
Marseille in his column in Turkish Cypriot daily YeniDuzen newspaper (08.08.14)
under the title “Bribe”, reveals that the name of the company, which paid for Bakirci’s trip, is As-Mad Alci. The company
is reported that it took its first permission for stone quarries on 1st
of September in 1995.
5. Kamu-Sen: “Every year 400 million dollars tax evasions take
place”
According
to Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris Postasi Daily News (online, 07.08.14), the
“Turkish Cypriot public worker's labour union” Kamu-Sen issued a written
statement evaluating the economic problems in the occupied area of the Republic
of Cyprus.
Referring
to the “unregistered labour and tax evaders”, Kamu-Sen stated that “every year
700-800 million TL (400 million dollars) tax evasions take place”. In the
statement Kamu-Sen said that “over 300
warehouses supposed to be under the control of the ‘state’ have been providing
trillions worth of properties to the markets through illegal ways which arise
from unpaid taxes and VAT’s. Besides this, it is added that since 2007 the
‘government’ had been granting the mobile phone companies with 65 million
dollars which have been destroying the economy”.
They
also stated that every year the banks that had been siphoned 10 years ago and
up to 700 million dollars, fuel evasions, cigarette and alcohol evasions, black
money whose performers are known, have caused billions of dollars loss.
Kamu-Sen stated that the remission of tax that had been passed by statutory
decree is not going to benefit the SMEs but will be helpful to the ones who
have been evading taxes for years.
6. Istanbul Turkish airlines made investments to occupied
Salamis Bay hotel
According
to illegal Bayrak television (online, 07.08.14), a new addition to the occupied
Salamis Bay Conti Resort Hotel, the Salamis Park Hotel and its premises was
inaugurated on Wednesday.
Speaking
during the inauguration ceremony, the General Manager of the occupied Salamis
Bay Conti Resort Hotel Mehmet Kral said that the new facility was constructed
in line with increasing demands and needs.
Explaining that “as Istanbul Turkish Airlines they have been
making various investments in the TRNC (editor’s note: the occupied area in the
Republic of Cyprus) since 1986”, Kral thanked everyone who contributed to bring
the resort to life.
Also
addressing the event, the self-styled deputy prime minister and minister of
economy, tourism, culture and sports SerdarDenktas highlighted the importance
of raising the quality of service to the tourists visiting the “TRNC”. He also
stressed that investments were crucial and necessary for the development of the
tourism sector.
7. Financial support to the Palestinian students studying in
the occupied area of Cyprus
According
to Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris Postasi Daily News (online, 07.08.14),
self-styled minister of education Mustafa Arabacioglu has stated that they will
take an initiative in supporting the Palestinian students studying at the
“universities” in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus.
According
to the statement issued by the “ministry”, Arabacioglu met with the “eastern
mediterranean university academic personnel union (DAU-Sen) supervisory board
secretary” Sami Fethi, the organization secretary Omar Mustafa and the
associate Professor Mustafa Riza.
DAU-Sen
told Arabacioglu that they wanted the “education ministry” and the
“government’s” support for their efforts of helping the Palestinian students
who are studying in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus, as a result of
Israel’s attack on Gaza. DAU-Sen noted
that there are up to 40 Palestinian students in “north Cyprus”, who are
experiencing financial difficulties, requesting
that they should be exempted from paying tuition fees.Arabacioglu said that
it would be impossible of them to ignore the incidents taking place in Gaza,
noting that the Turkish Cypriots had also experienced great struggles in the
past, and that they are ready to support the Palestinian students who are not
only studying in “DAU” but also all over “north Cyprus”.
8. Regional issues on agenda as Erdogan and top officials hold
security meeting
According
to Turkish daily Sabah (online, 08.08.14), Prime
Minister RecepTayyip Erdogan and Turkey's top officials held a security meeting
in the official residence of the PM on late Thursday to discuss the latest
developments in Iraq and the self pro-claimed Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham
(ISIS)'s advance into northern Iraq.
Chief
of General Staff, Gen. NecdetOzel, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, National
Intelligence Organization (MİT) chief HakanFidan, and Gendarmerie General
Command General ServetYoruk attended the meeting.
Meanwhile,
Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (online, 08.08.14), under the title Turkey
airdrops aid to internally displaced persons in Iraq”, reports that the Turkish
Government airdropped humanitarian aid to thousands of members of the Yazidi
community on Aug. 7, Davutoglu said, adding that Turkey was the sole country
conducting humanitarian operations for displaced Iraqis fleeing from ISIL
violence.
Davutoglu’s
statement came right after he chaired a security meeting focused on the Islamic
State of Iraq and the Levant’s (ISIL) advance into northern Iraq, which
presents a security risk for Turkey amid growing concern about an influx of
Iraqi minority groups fleeing violence into Turkey.
Having
already started to supply humanitarian aid to Turkmens, Davutoglu said: “Having
the experience of Syria, what we want to do is to set up camps in the Kurdish
region [of Iraq]. We could not manage that in the Syrian case,” in reference to
plans to erect a camp in the Dohuk region for 20,000 Iraqi Turkmens.
The
Government has ordered border governors to take necessary measures, the
Minister said, noting that a number of Yazidis had crossed into Turkey and took
shelter with relatives. “Not a single Yazidi is kept waiting on the Turkish
border,” he added. Despite Turkey’s current aid to the Yazidis, Kurds in
northern Syria have long accused Ankara of facilitating ISIL activities in the
area.
Because
the meeting was attended by two top commanders, the land and gendarmerie force
heads, it is believed that security measures along Turkey’s borders with Iraq
and Syria were also discussed. Davutoglu, in earlier interviews, hinted that
Turkey was capable of protecting its borders against any manner of threat.
9. Turkey hopeful to boost exports to Russia amid ban on
Western products
According
to Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (online, 07.08.14), Russia has banned most food imports from the West in retaliation for
sanctions over Ukraine, raising Turkey’s hopes of boosting its exports to the
country, which will turn to alternative suppliers.
President
Vladimir Putin ordered his government to adopt the measures to retaliate
against Western countries that imposed sanctions on Russia’s defense, oil and
financial sectors over its support for rebels waging an insurrection in east
Ukraine.
Mehmet Buyukeksi, the head of Turkey’s top exporter, the Turkish
Exporters’ Assembly (TİM), said that they thought the Russian move “would
create an opportunity” for Turkish exporters to increase their trade with the
country.
Speaking
to broadcaster NTV, he said Turkey had been suffering from some problems in its
trade with Russia, particularly in poultry exports and the Russian announcement
could help the country recover from the setbacks.
He
said fruit, egg and poultry sectors could particularly benefit, as the Turkish
Agriculture Ministry has been implementing some restrictions on other food
products. Buyukeksi also said the ministry could ease some of its bans.
Importantly, Uludag Fruit and Vegetable Exporters Union Chairman
Salih Cali said that the situation could possibly persuade Russian authorities
to loosen tight controls that had hampered trade in recent years.
With
the loss of some of its major import markets, the Russian government has
pledged to compensate the decline in purchases by boosting its imports from
other countries, including Turkey, Latin America and ex-Soviet nations.
Russia
is planning to propose that Turkey boost fruit and vegetable supplies to
replace the now banned imports, the ITAR TASS state news agency quoted the
chief of Russia’s phytosanitary watchdog, Sergey Dankvert, as saying.
Turkey was able to quickly increase supplies of produce to Russia,
Dankvert said, as there were no licensing procedures.
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TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION
