TURKISH CYPRIOT AND TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW
C O N T E N T S
No. 174/14 17.09.14
1. Davutoglu’s messages during his illegal visit to the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus
2. Protests and arrests at Davutoglu’s visit to the occupied area of Cyprus
3. Izcan: Ankara is not sincere on the issue of a Cyprus settlement
4. Elcil: “40% of students at schools are citizens from Turkey”
5. Caglar to attend PACE’s meeting in Rome
6. Toros: The issue of direct mobile communication across the divide is political
7. Turkey works on three-stage EU action plan
8. Erdogan warns Moody's and Fitch over assessments
9. The ECHR tells Turkey to end compulsory religion course
1. Davutoglu’s messages during his illegal visit to the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus
Under the title “Let us build peace together”, Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (17.09.14) reports that the Turkish Prime Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, who illegally visited yesterday the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus, held intensive contacts on the island, during which he said that “motherland” Turkey’s support to the Turkish Cypriot “people” will continue in every field and expressed Ankara’s so-called determination for the solution of the Cyprus problem.
Speaking at a press conference with the Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu,
Davutoglu called on all sides to positively contribute to the solution of the Cyprus problem. Addressing his Greek counterpart, Antonis Samaras, Davutoglu suggested that they should continue and upgrade the cross-visits to Ankara and Athens from the negotiators’ level to ministerial or prime ministerial level and that the two Prime Ministers should visit the island together. He said: “If the Greek Prime Minister is ready, I am ready. Come and let us go together. Let us go to the South first, let us drink tea together. Let us talk. Afterwards, let us come to the North and let us again be together. Let us build peace together here”.
Noting that an early solution should be achieved on the island, Davutoglu alleged that if this does not happen, the so-called isolations of the “TRNC”, breakaway regime in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus, should be lifted and alternative solution choices should be searched for.
Referring to President Anastasiades, the Turkish Prime Minister said: “Come and let us find this peace the soonest, today not tomorrow, this week not the next week, this year not next year. Every solution which is postponed for later actually deepens the non-solution. Let us not postpone it. Let us put every issue on the table and take steps within this framework. During the negotiations which will be held tonight and tomorrow, let us start without rejecting the past anymore”.
Noting that the same calls are also valid for the UN, Davutoglu alleged: “However, if these cannot be done, let everyone put this forward honestly. If Mr Anastasiades will not be able to do this, let him say that he will not be able to do it. Either come and let us find the solution together, or if you do not have a will for finding a solution, let us lift the embargoes and think of alternative solutions together”.
Describing the timing of his visit as “very important” because of the dinner of the two leaders with the UN Secretary-General’s newly appointed Special Adviser, Esper Barth Eide, Davutoglu said that he fully trusts Eide whom he knows since the latter was Norway’s Foreign Minister. Referring to Eide, Davutoglu noted: “You have overtaken the flag from Downer. Intensify your efforts for leading [the process] to the final target, visit the island more, engage the UN more. Bring the leaders together at the UN General Assembly and if necessary, keep the leaders closed in a room, but bring peace to this island”.
Davutoglu reiterated the Turkish allegation that Eroglu remained committed to the convergences agreed between former President Christofias and former Turkish Cypriot leader Talat. “However, the same convergences papers have not been adopted by Mr Anastasiades to the same extend”, he claimed alleging that the Greek Cypriot side delays its decision-taking process by engaging the National Council in it.
Davutoglu visited the occupied area of Cyprus accompanied by the Deputy Prime Minister responsible for Cypriot Affairs, Bulent Arinc, the Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, the Forestry and Water Affairs’ Minister Veysel Eroglu and AKP’s parliamentary group’s chairman, Ahmet Aydin. During his stay in the occupied area of Cyprus, he, inter alia, met with the self-styled prime minister of the regime, Ozkan Yorgancioglu and the so-called speaker of the “assembly”, Sibel Siber, visited the graves of former Turkish Cypriot leaders, Rauf Denktas and Dr Fazil Kucuk as well as the Arasta area in occupied Nicosia and prayed at Agia Sofia (Selimiye) Mosque.
Meanwhile, Turkish Cypriot daily Havadis newspaper (17.09.14) reports that responding to a question as to whether gas will also be transferred with the pipe lines, the Turkish Prime Minister argued that if peace is achieved one day, together with the pipe line that will be transferring water, a pipe line for gas and electricity could be built. “As we have not shown jealousy and said that we can share our precious water, we can market the natural gas from here to the world and everyone will benefit from this, both Greeks and Turks”, claimed Davutoglu.
Referring to the issue of the distribution of the water which will be brought from Turkey to the occupied area of Cyprus, Davutoglu said that the Turkish Minister of Forestry and Water Affairs will meet with a team from the “TRNC” and discuss the most appropriate model. He noted that this model should be a “professional one”. He noted that they are working on a model which will be administered by specialized companies and added that in this manner the “central administration” will secure income from the taxes, the infrastructure of the “municipalities” will be renewed by these companies, and the “municipalities’ will gain income through shares.
Davutoglu also reiterated that Turkey recognizes the “TRNC”, regardless of what anyone says and that it respects the principles of recognizing a “state” at every level.
(I/Ts.)
2. Protests and arrests at Davutoglu’s visit to the occupied area of Cyprus
Turkish Cypriot daily Afrika (17.09.14) reports that some protesters related to the Communist Labour Movement, who also protested during the visit of Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the day World Peace Day (was celebrated September 1), organized again a protest for the visit of Turkey’s Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu with the same banner reading “Down with Fascism”. The protesters Gorkem Eylem and Ibrahim Beton Mercan were arrested by the police of the breakaway regime in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus.
In a press release, the Movement said that they, as the Communist Labour Movement, declared that they organize a protest in order to raise the freedom, and honour struggle of the workers and the oppressed people, stressing the legitimacy of their revolutionary fight against any kind of occupation, imperialism and fascism.
3. Izcan: Ankara is not sincere on the issue of a Cyprus settlement
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris Postasi (17.09.14) reports that the leader of the United Cyprus Party Izzet Izcan said that Ankara is not sincere on the issue of solving the Cyprus problem.
Evaluating the latest developments in a written statement, Izcan said that Ankara is not sincere on the issue of a solution and does not hurry because of the solution.
Stating that Erdogan showed that he does not have a policy on the Confidential Building Measures, like the implementation of the Direct Trade Regulation, the opening of the fenced off town of Varosha and the occupied port of Famagusta, by stressing a two states solution during his visit in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus, Izcan added that it was clear that Turkey’s Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who visited also the “country”, would also give similar messages on this.
Stressing that the “presidential elections” that will be held in 2015 have gained importance at this point, Izcan said: “The person, which will be elected in the leadership of the Turkish Cypriot community, should be a leader that will stand against of these policies, will protect the interests of the Turkish Cypriots, will earn the respect that deserves to the people, will enforce a solution on the Cyprus problem and will try for the opening of Varosha and the implementation of the Confidence Building Measures”.
4. Elcil: “40% of students at schools are citizens from Turkey”
Under the title: “What Atalay said it happened”, Turkish Cypriot daily Halkin Sesi newspaper (17.09.14) reports that the “Turkish Cypriot Teacher’s Trade Union” (KTOS) in a written statement issued yesterday said that the new education year has started in the occupied area of Cyprus with a lot of problems in the field of education.
According to the statement, there is a lack of teachers in the schools and the classes are overcrowded. “The government, providing as an excuse the economic protocol which was signed with Turkey, chose the practice of making economy on the number of teachers in the schools and it is the only responsible for the lack of teachers in the schools”.
The secretary general of KTOS trade union, Sener Elcil, in a written statement pointed out that Turkey, on the one hand continues to accumulate population in the “TRNC”, whereas on the other hand it fails to meet the needs of the “transferred population” and it puts them as a burden on the back of the Turkish Cypriot community.
Stating that the 40% of the students at the schools are citizens from Turkey, Elcil added that they are illegally in the “TRNC”. Referring to the latest labor accidents that occurred in the “TRNC”, Elcil added that it indicates the unregistered illegal workers population in the “TRNC”.
Elcil stated that the trade union’s duty is to protect and support the right of people for education and free health services and accused Turkey of continuing transferring population in the occupied area of Cyprus and capital for tax evasion.
Elcil continued and wondered in what extend it complies with the “government’s instructions” the fact that some schools in the “TRNC” were not able to open, adding the following: “What the former Turkey’s Deputy Responsible for Cyprus Affairs, Besir Atalay, said: ‘Whatever we have, you will have it as well’, has become a reality. While in the east and southeast regions of Turkey the schools remained closed because of the lack of teachers, the same happened in Cyprus as well. In this framework, the Turkish officials can praise themselves for their work”.
(AK)
5. Caglar to attend PACE’s meeting in Rome
According to Turkish Cypriot daily Detay newspaper (17.09.14) Mehmet Caglar, so-called deputy of the Republican Turkish Party-United Forces (CTP-BG) in occupied Morfou, will attend the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe’s (PACE) meeting in Rome which is to take place on September 18-19.
According to a statements issued by the so-called assembly, Caglar will attend the meeting of the Committee of Equality and Nondiscrimination.
Caglar will be accompanied by the “director” of “press, foreign relations and protocol”, Resa Savas Pasaoglulari.
(AK)
6. Toros: The issue of direct mobile communication across the divide is political
Turkish Cypriot daily Detay newspaper (17.09.14) reports that the chairman of the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce, Fikri Toros made statements on the unification of the telephone lines across Cyprus and said that the issue is political.
Toros said that meetings were held between the five GSM firms in the island, with initiatives taken by the two Chambers of Commerce so that the problems to ease the telephone circulation (roaming) across the island to be solved and added that now the political signals are waited by the politicians. “In case there is a political authorization on the issue, the problem can be solved within a week”, he stated.
7. Turkey works on three-stage EU action plan
Turkish Hurriyet Daily News newspaper (17.09.14) reports that Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc stated that Turkey is working on a three-stage EU action plan to accelerate its accession process.
The first stage includes measures to be taken until the end of this year; the second stage will continue from Jan. 1, 2015 until the parliamentary elections expected to be held in May 2015; the third stage will begin after those elections until 2019, Arinc said at a press conference on Sept. 15.
“As part of the three-stage action plan, there will be new arguments for the negotiation process that has been on-going since 2005,” he said, stressing that the government’s approach on the plan would be “positive.” Citing recent indications that relations between Turkey and the EU have “cooled” and that support for Turkey’s EU bid is declining, the Turkish government has made a reassessment and conducted a study of how problems could be resolved through reconciliation, Arinc also said.
8. Erdogan warns Moody's and Fitch over assessments
Turkish Hurriyet Daily News newspaper (17.09.14) reports that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused rating agencies Moody's Investors Service and Fitch Ratings of political motives in their assessments of the Turkish economy, warning Ankara could "cut its ties" with them, local media reported on Sept. 16.
Both Moody's and Fitch have in recent weeks warned of the potential impact of continued political uncertainty following former Prime Minister Erdogan's victory on Aug. 10 in the country's first direct presidential election.
Local media quoted Erdogan as telling reporters on his plane back from a visit to Qatar late on Sept. 15 that such statements were "politically motivated" rather than based on assessments of the economy. "We stopped our cooperation with Standard Poor's and if they continue on this path, I can tell the Prime Minister to stop cooperation with these two also. We haven't reached that point yet," the Hurriyet daily quoted Erdogan as saying.
9. The European Court of Human Rights tells Turkey to end compulsory religion course
Turkish Today’s Zaman newspaper (17.09.14) reports that the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled that Turkey's compulsory religion course violates the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) article regarding the right to education, and urged Turkey to switch to a new system in which students would not be required to take such a class.
The ECHR announced its verdict on Tuesday regarding an appeal filed in Ankara in 2011 by 14 Turkish citizens who are members of the Alevi faith regarding the compulsory Culture of Religion and Knowledge of Morality course given at Turkish schools. Stating that recent changes made to the class' course books are not enough to keep the class from violating the ECHR, the court reminded the Turkish state of its “obligation to be neutral and impartial” regarding religious issues.
The court said that arrangements should be made as soon as possible so that students will no longer have to take the class and that such a course should be offered as an elective.
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