TURKISH CYPRIOT AND
TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW
C O N T E N T S
No. 178/14 23.09.14
1. Eroglu describes the Greek Cypriot proposals as “excessive and
contrary to the UN parameters”
2. Erdogan met with Ban Ki Moon
3. Secretary Kerry to see the Turkish Cypriots later in the week
4. Davutoglu: No one has the right to test Turkey
5. Sertoglu on the Cyprus Rally and the CFA process
6. Akansoy recalls that the return of Varosha to its legal owners
has been mentioned since the 1970’s and asks for Turkish Cypriot “deputies” to
enter into the fenced off city
7. “KTSO” filed a lawsuit at the Supreme Court of Cyprus on the
halloumi issue
8. Data regarding unemployment in the breakaway regime
9. Women’s trafficking in the breakaway regime
10. Turkish government allows headscarf in high schools
11. Alleged ISIL member treated at Turkish hospital
1. Eroglu describes the Greek Cypriot proposals as “excessive
and contrary to the UN parameters”
Turkish
Cypriot daily Havadis newspaper (23.09.14) reports that the Turkish Cypriot
leader, DervisEroglu has alleged that
the Greek Cypriot proposals submitted at the negotiating table within the
framework of the Cyprus talks are “excessive” and “contrary” to what he called
as “the UN parameters”. In an “address to the nation” yesterday prior to
his departure for New York, Eroglu argued that the biggest strength of the
Turkish Cypriots lies in their unity, that the kind of solution the “people”
want is known and that no one should use this issue for political gains.
Eroglu
claimed that he is aware of the support and the responsibilities he has
allocated given by the “people” and alleged: “I have the will for an agreement, I am determined, but this must be a
correct agreement and must not endanger you, the future of our people. Both I
and the colleagues in my team, are looking for an agreement which will secure
our legitimate rights and our interests and our equal status”.
Eroglu
reiterated his view that the agreement should not lead the Turkish Cypriots to
the pre-1974 period and that he will not allow the emergence of an agreement
which will disquiet the Turkish Cypriots.
Eroglu alleged that the Turkish Cypriot side submits “reasonable
and logical” proposals at the table, but “our Greek Cypriot neighbors stand
before us with a maximalistic mentality”. “A give and take should be held at the
current stage, but the stance of the Greek Cypriot side makes things
difficult”, he claimed.
Eroglu further alleged that the proposals submitted by the Greek Cypriot
side since 11 February are “contrary to the established UN parameters” and “go
to extremes”.He described as “unacceptable and worrisome” the Greek Cypriot
proposals especially on the issues of security, guarantees, citizenship and
territory. He claimed that the Greek Cypriot
proposals on the territory are “excessive” and called on President Anastasiades
to bring “reasonable” proposals to the table, like the Turkish Cypriot side
allegedly does. He claimed that the
Greek Cypriot proposals on citizenship include “discriminations and
differentiate treatment” among the “TRNC citizens”, something which they cannot
accept.
Eroglu
alleged: “We are doing our bit, we are showing the necessary flexibility. If the others and mainly Greece, the UN and
the EU also do their bit, the Greek Cypriot side can come to the point of
[accepting] an agreement. Otherwise, the Greek Cypriot intransigence will
continue. However, let the following be known: The Turkish side does not intend to wait idly before the Greek Cypriot
intransigence. I am not saying this as a threat. This is our real view. Let
no one say that ‘they have no will to agree, they have a plan B or C’. We have
only one goal at the moment: Reading an agreement the soonest and secure the
two peoples’ expressing their will as regards this agreement by going to
separate and simultaneous referenda”.
(I/Ts.)
2. Erdogan met with Ban Ki Moon
According
to illegal Bayrak television (online, 23.09.14), the Turkish President
RecepTayyip Erdogan, who is in New York to attend the 69th UN General Assembly,
met with the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon.
The
latest situation in Syria, the Cyprus issue, Gaza and other regional and world
developments were discussed during the meeting.
The
UN Chief congratulated the Turkish president on the release of the Turkish
hostages held by ISIS and Erdogan said that they had been released following a
successful operation by the Turkish Intelligence Agency (MIT).
President
Erdogan also said that they aimed to make Istanbul a regional centre for the
UN, thanking Mr Ban for his support on the issue.
On
the topic of refugees from Syria, Erdogan said that Turkey’s spending for the
refugee crisis had reached 3.5 billion dollars and that the establishment of a
no-fly zone was necessary to put an end to the human tragedy and crisis being
experienced in the area.
While the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon briefed Erdogan on his
meeting with the Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Anastasiades, the Turkish President
stressed the need for the negotiations process in Cyprus to gain momentum.
Meanwhile,
Turkish Cypriot leader DervisEroglu, who is also in New York as part of the
69th Session of the UN General Assembly, attended a reception given by Turkish
President RecepTayyip Erdogan in honour of the heads of foreign missions.
Eroglu
and Erdogan met for a while during the reception held at the Turkevi (Turkish
House) located opposite the UN Headquarters.
3. Secretary Kerry to see the Turkish Cypriots later in the
week
Under
the title “Secretary Kerry to be personally engaged with Cyprus question”,
Turkish daily Sabah (online, 22.09.14) reports that according to a senior American official, the U.S.
Secretary of State John Kerry intends to personally engage in the Cyprus
negotiations and help push them forward.
Kerry
met with Cyprus President Nikos Anastasiades on the sidelines of the United
Nations General Assembly with whom he discussed the renewed peace talk efforts
with the recent appointment of a new U.N. Special envoy, Norwegian diplomat and
former minister Espen Barth Eide.
“He made clear that the Cyprus issue and the need to get and
inject new energy into the talks also came up during his recent trip to Ankara,
and that we will remain very much engaged, including this week in number of
other meetings both with the parties and with Espen Barth Eide … We'll have a
chance to see the Turkish Cypriots later in the week and engage [with them],”
the official said.
Recently,
the new Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu visited the occupied part of the
Republic of Cyprus and called on his counterpart in Greece to join him for a
"tea party" on the “Greek side of the Island” (editor’s note: the
government controlled area of the Republic of Cyprus) to discuss the settlement
process and reach a quick conclusion to fasten meetings. The spokesperson of
the Greek Foreign Ministry gave the cold shoulder to the offer and said that
they would keep their policy within "international law" and that a
quick solution to the stalemate can only come through the change in current
Turkish policy.
Regardless of this recent row between the parties, the United
States is still "cautiously optimistic" because the sides are willing
to see the start of real negotiations.
"The secretary [Kerry] made that clear in his visit to Ankara; he felt
that the Turkish side also wanted to see this issue resolved. We are cautiously optimistic that we have
new life in this process, and we want to be supportive of that," the
official concluded.
Meanwhile, the paper reports that the United States expects Turkey
to step up in the fight against ISIS now that it has secured the release of 49
hostages held by the militants, Secretary of State John Kerry said Monday.
Turkey,
a U.S. ally and member of the NATO military alliance, has made commitments at
various regional conferences to help in the effort against ISIS but the help
has been limited so far because "they first needed to deal with their
hostage situation," Kerry said in an appearance on MSNBC.
4. Davutoglu: No one has the right to test Turkey
Under
the title “No one has the right to test Turkey, Davutoğlu says in reply to
Kerryy”, Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (online, 2309.14) reports that Prime
Minister AhmetDavutoglu has replied to
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s call to Turkey to join a coalition against
the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), saying no one has the right to
“test” Turkey.
“No
one can give a test to Turkey, as if it did not do what is necessary. We take
our own decisions and will do what is necessary in order to protect our
national interests,” Davutoglu said in an interview on Sept. 22.
“Everybody
should know – something that I also told Mr Kerry when I was the Foreign
Minister that Turkey does not have to prove anything. Turkey has always
displayed that it can take a decisive attitude in line with what it believes
in. They witnessed how Turkey was attentive even at times when [our] allies did
not take into account some of our sensitivities,” Davutoglu said.
No
one should associate the current anti-ISIL coalition issue with the Turkish
hostages and say, “let’s see what Turkey will do now,” he added.
“It’s
us that will make the decision of what we’ll do, and we have not made that
decision yet,” he said.
If
the intention is to launch a joint strategy in the region, “then Turkey is not
a country that will be given an exam paper, but rather a country that will
discuss as an equal,” the Prime Minister said.
5. Sertoglu on the Cyprus Rally and the CFA process
According
to Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris Postasi Daily News (online, 22.09.14), Cyprus
Turkish Football Federation (KTFF) Chairman Hasan Sertog congratulated the
organizers of the rally event, adding: “Our unification with the rest of the
world cannot be prevented”.
Evaluating
the CFA (Cyprus Football Association) process and developments in sports in the
occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus, Sertoglu noted that he supports the
Turkish Cypriots who take part in international events, adding that as society
the Turkish Cypriot “people” are in need of this. He added that the rally organisers
gave their best efforts and that the rally was completed with a fantastic
success.
Sertoglu
continued his speech as follows: “‘We did whatever the international laws
required’” said the politicians… Ok but we also did that! Since the period
after the 5th of November, the people who had been against this rally changed
their minds after realizing that our community embraced this event. In the
following days, such events will also take place in the other sports areas, and
they should! Let the politicians sit and agree on a solution… Let sportsmen and
the youth perform their sports internationally until the solution is found!”
Sertoglu
stated: “It will be difficult to solve this issue amongst ourselves”, adding
that regarding the CFA process, he only fears God, and that nobody has come up
with any alternative suggestions.
Sertoglu
said: “I stood behind what I signed and promised in Zurich on the 5th
of November! After that day, there have been a lot of agreements and meetings.
It will be difficult to solve this issue amongst ourselves. Why? Till today the
federations that attended the meeting say yes to the article, but refuse to
speak. I sent a letter to FIFA and UEFA and said to Blatter and Platini that I
am behind what we spoke about on the 5th of November but that we are unable to
solve this problem…
We
lived those days together. We are trying to do our homework but no one is
trying with us! In the past, they said ‘become a member and we shall speak’,
now they say ‘apply, we’ll evaluate it and speak later’. What are we going to
speak about? I would like to repeat that I accepted the first parameter!
This
issue is for FIFA and UEFA to solve! After the meeting of the clubs everything
started to change. The point that we have reached in the CFA process is that we
are loyal to the text we signed but because I believe that FIFA and UEFA should
get involved I sent them a letter. The people in CFA wrote back to me stating
that the letter that I wrote caused them discomfort. What can I do if they felt
discomfort? We are unable to solve this and I wanted UEFA and FIFA to know.”
6. Akansoy recalls that the return of Varosha toits legal
owners has been mentioned since the 1970’s and asks for Turkish Cypriot
“deputies” to enter into the fenced off city
Turkish
Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (23.09.14) reports that AsimAkansoy, self-styled deputy with the Republican Turkish Party –
United Forces (CTP-BG) in occupied Famagusta, has said that the “deputies” should have more information regarding the
occupied fenced of city of Varosha and added that they will launch an
initiative on this issue.
In
statements to Kibris TV, Akansoy said that he
will submit to the self-styled speaker of the “assembly” SibelSiber a demand
for taking the necessary permits regarding the opening of Varosha to “members
of the parliament”.
According
to Akansoy, even the “deputies” have no information regarding occupied Varosha
and added that such an environment could not be “healthy’. “I want to walk
around, understand and evaluate the whole area”, he noted and argued: “The area
should at least be opened and shown to the deputies. Otherwise, it is not
possible to discuss or debate the issue in any manner. I will ask from the
esteemed speaker of the assembly SibelSiber to secure the necessary permits”.
Akansoy noted that the return of Varosha to its legal owners has
been mentioned since the 1970’s and added that if we refer to the 1977-79 High
Level Agreements, it should be recalled that Varosha was included there. “The
inhabitants of Famagusta are living side by side with a dead man. This must be
made clear”, he said and added:
“Even
we do not know what is there in Varosha. We hear that some places, cafes have
been opened there. As a deputy I want to say the following: I will appeal to
the Speaker of the Assembly. I want to walk around, understand and evaluate the
entire area together with the deputies who are interested [in doing so]. The
area should at least be opened and shown to the deputies. Otherwise, it is not
possible to discuss or debate the issue in any manner. I will ask for the
necessary permits to be secured”.
(I/Ts.)
7. “KTSO” filed a lawsuit at the Supreme Court of Cyprus on the
halloumi issue
Turkish
Cypriot daily Kibris (23.09.14) reports that the “Cyprus Turkish Chamber of
Industry” (“KTSO”) filed a lawsuit in the government controlled area of the
Republic of Cyprus regarding the halloumi issue. It is reported that five
lawsuits were filed yesterday at the Supreme Court of Cyprus regarding the
registration of halloumi.
In
the lawsuits it is asked that the producers in “South Cyprus” are included in
every stage of the registration of halloumi. The paper also reports that the
Supreme Court should include in its agenda the lawsuits and produce results in
a short period of time.
It is also announced that in case all the domestic remedies are
exhausted, they will continue the legal process at the international level.
8. Data regarding unemployment in the breakaway regime
Turkish Cypriot daily YeniDuzen newspaper (23.09.14) publishes
data regarding unemployment in the breakaway regime and writes that according
to information obtained by the “central Bank” for April and June, there are 918
persons who are registered as unemployed in the occupied area of Cyprus.
The
paper also notes that 62% of the unemployed persons are women and adds that
according to the unemployment data of the same period last year, the number of
persons who are registered as unemployed has doubled.
9. Women’s trafficking in the breakaway regime
Under
the title “There are 361 sex slaves”, Turkish Cypriot daily Havadis newspaper
(23.09.14), reports about women trafficking in the breakaway regime.
According
to the there are 39 night clubs operating in the breakaway regime. In these
night clubs there are 361 foreign women who work as “B-girls” after obtaining permission
from the “state”; however they are forced to work as prostitutes. The paper
also notes that most of these night clubs operate in the occupied part of
Lefkosia
(TR.
Note: “B girls” are woman employed to talk to customers in a bar and encourage
them to buy drinks)
10. Turkish government allows headscarf in high schools
According
to Ankara Anatolia news agency (23.09.14), Turkish deputy PM BulentArinc
announced a historic move to remove the ban on wearing headscarf for high
school students.
During
his briefing to the press on Monday, Arinc,
also the spokesman for the Justice and Development (AK) Party government, said a rule in the dress code saying
students had to be bareheaded while attending high schools registered at the
Turkish National Education Ministry had now been abolished.
The
Turkish Minister stressed that students can now continue their education
wearing headscarves, adding that the related regulation will be issued within
the next two days.
11. Alleged ISIL member treated at Turkish hospital
Turkish
daily Today’s Zaman (online, 22.09.14) with the above title reports that a man
who is suspected of being a member of the terrorist organization the Islamic
State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which calls itself the Islamic State, was
allegedly admitted to the intensive care unit of Mehmet Akifİnan State Hospital
in southeasternSanliurfa province.
Clashes
have been underway between ISIL and the Democratic Union Party (PYD), an
offshoot of the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in Syria, over the
past few days. There have been claims that militants from both sides are being
treated in Turkey. According to sources here, PYD members are being treated at
Suruc State Hospital and ISIL militants are being treated at Akcakale State
Hospital. Militants in critical condition from both sides are often reportedly
taken to the Mehmet Akifİnan State Hospital, all of which are in Şanlıurfa.
Photographs
of Alo in a hospital were shared on Twitter by many users who expressed anger
at the allegations that he is being treated at a Turkish hospital.
The
Turkish government's stance towards ISIL has so far been ambiguous. The Justice
and Development Party (AK Party) government has been accused of supporting the
terrorist organization by turning a blind eye to its militants crossing the
border and even of buying its oil. There have also been claims that Turkey has
sent weapons to opposition groups fighting the regime of President Bashar
al-Assad in Syria. The government has denied supporting ISIL, which recently
released 49 Turkish hostages it had been holding for three months.
In a
challenge to the government's stance, Republican People's Party (CHP) Deputy
Chairman and party spokesperson HalukKoc on Monday called on the AK Party
government to publicly announce that it defines ISIL as a terrorist
organization.
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