TURKISH CYPRIOT AND TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW
C O N T E N T S
No. 179/14 24.09.14
1. Eroglu meets with OIC’s General Secretary in New York; a meeting of OIC’s Tourism and Education Ministers will be held in occupied Cyprus
2. Eroglu’s and Ozersay’s contacts in New York
3. Eroglu: The Cyprus talks cannot continue open-ended
4. Cavusoglu met with Kasoulides in New York
5. Nami departed for New York
6. Nami formed a unit in the “ministry” to develop their economic relations with organizations abroad
7. Erk on the Cyprus problem and the water project
8. Self-styled minister of education resigned due to pressure to appoint teachers from Turkey to the new theological school
9. Turkey will grant 11 million Turkish Lira to the breakaway regime in the framework of the “2014 Local Financial Support Donation Program”
10. Davutoglu announced the unknown details regarding the Annan plan
11. World famous athletes to participate in the “2014 Fasil Kucuk Games”
12. Erdogan: Turkey supports anti-ISIS operations, but military action incomplete solution to combat ISIS
13. Turkish government allows headscarf for fifth graders, causing uproar
1. Eroglu meets with OIC’s General Secretary in New York; A meeting of OIC’s Tourism and Education Ministers will be held in occupied Cyprus
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (24.09.14) reports that the Turkish Cypriot leader, Dervis Eroglu met yesterday in New York with the General Secretary of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Iyad Bin Amin Madani.
In statements to Kibris’ correspondent after the meeting, Eroglu said Madani expressed the view that the dialogue between OIC and the “TRNC”, breakaway regime in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus, should be reinforced. He noted that they held a “sincere” meeting with Madani, that he explained to him the history of the Cyprus problem and that they discussed the development of the relations between OIC and the “TRNC”.
In his statements after the meeting, Madani said that they will increase cooperation between the “TRNC” and the OIC in the fields of education, science and technology and added: “It has been a privilege for me to meet with the president. I listened to the president very carefully. I evaluated the historical past of the Cyprus problem”.
Madani noted that in the future they will organize one of OIC’s meetings on education and tourism at ministerial level in the occupied area of Cyprus. He said that they will closely cooperate in the political field on the Cyprus problem and added: “The OIC will do whatever it can for promoting the just cause of the Turkish Cypriots”.
Eroglu said that during their 40-minute meeting they discussed the latest developments in the negotiations for finding a solution to the Cyprus problem, which he argued entered into their final stage. He claimed that they want to enter the give and take process by discussing all six chapters and conclude the negotiations the soonest.
Eroglu said that he told Madani that it would be beneficial if the efforts of the regime to open a “representation office” in Jeddah were successfully concluded during Madani’s term in office and added: “I explained that especially the transport embargo creates important difficulties in the TRNC. I said that the decisions included in OIC’s final conclusions as regards the Turkish Cypriot State have not been implemented until today, that with their implementation our cooperation with the Islamic states will be further increased and that we could reach a point of having results”.
Eroglu noted also that he raised the issue of the recognition of the “diplomas” given by the illegal universities in the occupied area of Cyprus.
Eroglu said that the Saudi Arabian diplomat gave them “guiding messages” as regards the issue of what to do in case there is no result from the Cyprus negotiations. “We told him that now we concentrate on the negotiations and that we will exert our efforts towards having a positive result”, he alleged.
Eroglu said that during his meeting with the UN Secretary-General they will discuss the course of the negotiations, their expectations from the negotiations and what course could be followed if these expectations are not met.
Eroglu argued that in spite of the “Greek Cypriot propaganda” they will try to meet with as many representatives of foreign countries as they can and explain to them “what the TRNC is and at which stage we are in the negotiations”.
(I/Ts.)
2. Eroglu’s and Ozersay’s contacts in New York
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (24.09.14) reports that the Turkish Cypriot leader, Dervis Eroglu attended yesterday a reception hosted by the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at Turk Evi [Turkish House] in New York. According to the paper, during the reception Eroglu met and talked for a while with Erdogan.
Today the Turkish Cypriot leader will meet with Pakistan’s Foreign Affairs Secretary, Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani and the Chief of Qatar’s Mission (at the UN).
Meanwhile, the Turkish Cypriot negotiator, Kudret Ozersay will be meeting today with the Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs at the United States Department of State, Victoria Nuland.
(I/Ts.)
3. Eroglu: The Cyprus talks cannot continue open-ended
According to illegal Bayrak television (online, 24.09.14), Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu has repeated that the Cyprus negotiations process cannot continue open-ended and without deadlines.
During an interview to the Turkish state news channel TRT-Turk, Eroglu said that the Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades had rejected a proposal to hold a tripartite meeting in New York with the participation of the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
Touching upon his meeting with the OIC Secretary General İyad Madani, Eroglu said that Mr Madani was considering holding the next OIC Foreign Ministers’ meeting in the “TRNC”.
Also responding to a question regarding the new UN Special Adviser Espen Barth Eide, Eroglu said that some progress had been achieved at their last working dinner which had culminated with a joint statement at the end of the leaders’ meeting the next day.
“The second phase of the talks we have been conducting had been completed, but we were unable to move to the next phase. We were able to overcome this obstacle at the meeting attended by the UN Special Advisor and decided to launch structured negotiations…”, he said.
He also said: “Despite the fact that we have a natural timetable ahead, the Greek Cypriot side has a habit of resuming open-ended talks. I proposed a roadmap for the talks but unfortunately Mr Anastasiades rejected this proposal. Nevertheless we reached an agreement to indulge in result-oriented negotiations as soon as possible which could be somewhere from one year to five years for the Greek Cypriots”.
4. Cavusoglu met with Kasoulides in New York
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (24.09.14) reports that the Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu met yesterday in New York with his Cypriot counterpart, Ioannis Kasoulides during an activity of the International Peace Institute. Both Kasoulides and Cavusoglu expressed their common desire for solving the Cyprus problem.
According to the paper, Cavusoglu was next to Kasoulides and started talking with him without recognizing him at first. When he understood that the person he was talking to was the Republic of Cyprus’ Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cavusoglu continued talking with him “as required by diplomatic customary practices”.
Cavusoglu said that he visited twice the government-controlled area of Cyprus and that he is ready to contribute in every way for reaching a solution. Cavusoglu alleged that the Greek Cypriot side should not come to the table with extreme proposals which are outside the UN parameters and make reaching a solution difficult and that the issues on which agreement had been reached in the past should not be brought to the table again.
Foreign Minister Kasoulides told Cavusoglu that the key of the solution in Cyprus lies in Turkey’s hands and that we want to see more efforts on this issue.
(I/Ts.)
5. Nami departed for New York
According to illegal Bayrak television (online,24.09.14), the self-styled foreign minister Ozdil Nami left this morning for New York to attend the Annual Coordination Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Organization for Islamic Cooperation held within the framework of the 69th UN General Assembly.
According to a press release issued by the “ministry”, Nami will be holding a series of bilateral contacts in New York.
He will move on to Washington D.C. on Tuesday, the 30th of September, after completing his meetings in New York.
6. Nami formed a unit in the “ministry” to develop their economic relations with organizations abroad
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris Postasi Daily News (online, 23.09.14) reports that the self-styled foreign minister Ozdil Nami met on Tuesday with the Board of Directors of the North Cyprus Young Businessmen Association (GIAD).
According to a press release by the “ministry”, Ceyhun Tunali President of the GIAD, stated that the primary aim of their visit is to introduce the new Board of Directors to Nami, and to be briefed on the recent developments of the Cyprus problem.
Tunalı expressed his gratitude to the “foreign minister” Nami for bringing the economic dimension of “North Cyprus” (editor’s note: the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus) to the agenda during his contacts abroad since his appointment, and for bringing the businesspeople in contact with those of other countries, particularly ones where they have “representation offices”.
Tunali also expressed his gratitude for the new unit formed within the “foreign affairs ministry” with a goal to create job opportunities, adding that they exchanged views on how to further develop the relations between the “foreign affairs ministry” and the GIAD.
Nami, on his part, said that since the first day of his appointment, besides dealing closely with the Cyprus problem, he has also brought forward the issue of the economy of the “TRNC” (editor’s note: the breakaway regime in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus) on the agenda of the international community during his visits abroad, adding that a unit has been established within the “ministry” which aims to develop these relations by establishing lines of contact with economic organizations.
Nami provided further information to the GIAD Board of Directors regarding his meetings and contacts in European and Islamic countries during which, in addition to the Cyprus issue, he has brought up the issue of paving the way for the improvement of the economy of “North Cyprus”.
Nami also informed them on developments on the Cyprus issue and expressed his readiness to continue cooperating with the professional realm, workers and NGOs.
7. Erk on the Cyprus problem and the water project
Turkish Cypriot daily Yeni Duzen (24.09.14) reports that the general secretary of the Republican Turkish Party CTP) Kutlay Erk, during a programme on “BRT” TV, evaluated the latest developments on the Cyprus problem. He explained that he does not expect anything from the ongoing negotiation process, adding that he thinks that the Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu will be candidate for the upcoming “presidential elections”, so he will not make any unexpected moves during the Cyprus talks.
Erk also said that they know that Eroglu does not support a solution based on the UN criteria, adding that he did not expect the separate meetings to be held by Eroglu and the Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades with the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to assist in gaining new momentum for the ongoing talks. Erk stressed that the only way progress could be achieved in the talks was by the meeting being held on the island. He pointed out however that the upcoming “presidential elections” is the biggest obstacle in achieving this.
Claiming that the Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades is no different from Eroglu, Erk said that the Greek Cypriot side as usual chooses to focus on less important issues such as confidence building measures, “let’s talk about Varosha”, rather than achieving progress on the substantive issues.
Referring to the water project, Erk said that his party’s position is that all the authorities which provide services, such as electricity, water, transportation and telecommunication, should be managed by the “state”. He added that they are against privatization. For this reason, he noted that the management of the water coming from Turkey should be under the administration of the “water affairs department” and the “local authorities”.
8. Self-styled minister of education resigned due to pressure to appoint teachers from Turkey to the new theological school
Turkish Cypriot daily Havadis newspaper (24.09.14) reports that the self-styled minister of education Mustafa Arabacioglu issued his resignation yesterday.
According to the paper this came as a surprise and the reasons behind this development are related to the pressure exerted on the self-styled minister by trade unions over the appointment of teachers in the new academic year. According to Havadis, pressures were exerted on Arabacioglu especially for the appointment of teachers from Turkey for the newly established theological school in the breakaway regime. Ehen the National Unity Party “government” was in “power”, a “protocol” was signed according to which only teachers from Turkey should be appointed at the school and Arabacioglu’s resignation was a reaction to this agreement.
The paper further reports that the self-styled deputy prime minister Serdar Denktas did not accept Arabacioglu’s resignation.
9. Turkey will grant 11 million Turkish Lira to the breakaway regime in the framework of the “2014 Local Financial Support Donation Program”
Turkish Cypriot daily Havadis newspaper (24.09.14) reports that the “Turkish Embassy” in the breakaway regime announced that in the framework of the “2014 Local Financial Support Donation Program”, Turkey will grant 11 million Turkish Lira to the breakaway regime for developments in the fields of agriculture and tourism and for strengthening its competitiveness.
The announcement took place during a meeting headed by the Turkish “ambassador’ Halil Ibrahim Akca with “officials” of the breakaway regime. In addition, Mustafa Buyuk, the chairman board of the Adana and Cukurova Development Agency also participated in the meeting.
Speaking during the meeting, self-styled prime minister Ozkan Yorgancioglu, stated that last year Turkey granted the breakaway regime 22 million Turkish Lira for 143 projects.
10. Davutoglu announced the unknown details regarding the Annan plan
Under the title “The Greek Cypriots promised not to prevent Turkey’s EU accession process” and with the subtitle “Prime Minister Davutoglu announced the unknown facts until today at the referendum regarding the Annan plan”, Turkish Cypriot daily Volkan (24.09.14) reports that when a deadlock was reached at the 2004 negotiations regarding the Annan plan, the Greeks made a proposal to Turkey, “let us withdraw from the negotiation table. Let you withdraw and let us withdraw”.
In an interview to the Turkish daily Star and the Turkish private channel NTV on Monday night, Davutoglu alleged that the Greek side proposed to them to withdraw from the negotiations in exchange of not creating obstacles to Turkey’s EU accession process. Davutoglu claimed that the Greek side told them to let the “Greek Cypriot side”, as he refers to the Republic of Cyprus, become an EU member on the 1st of May, promising to not prevent Turkey from becoming an EU member.
11. World famous athletes to participate in the “2014 Fasil Kucuk Games”
Turkish Cypriot daily Havadis newspaper (24.09.14) writes that “world famous athletes” will participate in the “2014 Fasil Kucuk Games” which take place every year in the occupied area of Cyprus.
According to the paper, Ramil Guliyev, a Turkish citizen of Azeri origin athlete and Ekaterina Koneva, a Russian athlete who is a triple jump champion, have already arrived in the breakaway regime and will stay at the Akapoulco Hotel in occupied Keryneia.
The paper also writes that other world famous athletes from Turkey and Europe will also participate in the games and they are expected to arrive in the occupied area of Cyprus soon.
12. Erdogan: Turkey supports anti-ISIS operations, but military action incomplete solution to combat ISIS
According to Ankara Anatolia news agency (23.09.14), Turkey will do its part in the U.S.-led international coalition's fight against terrorism headed by ISIS, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said.
Erdogan's comments came on Tuesday a day after the U.S. and five Arab nations carried out 14 airstrikes against ISIL militants in Syria.
Speaking to reporters in New York, Erdogan said: "We will take all steps that fall upon us. We regard such operations positively, as they are made against the terrorist groups in the region. This roadmap should be maintained with resolution. I believe a consensus is needed in this fight against terrorism.”
On the same issue, Tukrish daily Sabah (online, 24.09.14) reports that Erdogan, in his address at the U.S. think tank “Council on Foreign Relations” in New York on Monday as part of the opening of the 69th session of the U.N. General Assembly said that military action to halt the advance of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) is not a comprehensive solution and called for broader counterterrorism strategies. "Bombarding terrorist organizations with airstrikes does not yield effective results. A more comprehensive plan should be established to ensure regional stability," said Erdogan, implying that Ankara still has certain reservations over the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS, which controls large areas of Iraq and Syria. Turkey is looking for a broader solution with a non-sectarian government in Iraq that will embrace all segments of Iraqi citizens, including Sunnis, Kurds, Yazidis, Christians and other minorities.
Meanwhile, Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (online, 24.09.14), under the title “Turkey is considering a military role against ISIL”, reports that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that he is considering expanding support of NATO operations against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) to include military involvement.
His comments to Turkish reporters in New York mark a potential shift in Turkey’s position on international efforts to fight the group.
Erdogan spoke on the sidelines of an annual meeting of world leaders at the United Nations and hours after the U.S. and Arab allies launched airstrikes against ISIL targets in Syria
Erdogan said that Turkey was now considering a role that "includes everything. Both military and political," Turkey’s DHA news agency reported. "Of course we will do our part," he said.
13. Turkish government allows headscarf for fifth graders, causing uproar
Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (online, 23.09.14) reports that the announcement by the Turkish government to lift the ban on headscarves in schools, allowing girls from the fifth grade and up to cover their hair in public schools, has drawn criticism from opposition parties.
“The change applies to middle and high schools, not to primary schools,” Turkey’s Education Minister Nabi Avcı told reporters Sept. 23 in comments broadcast by private news channel CNNTürk. “Beginning with the fifth grade, everyone can practice this,” he added, making it clear girls older than 10-years-old will be allowed to cover their heads in the schools.
The government had already lifted the ban on the headscarf for university students and female civil servants in 2013, after years of pressure from its supporters. The step comes after the de facto removal of the headscarf ban in universities, in the aftermath of a long legal battle in 2008. The Cabinet amended the regulation on students’ apparel, removing the legal provisions that stated students should “be bareheaded” during classes.
However, the new measure has once more created controversy and debates, as opposition party Deputies have shown fierce reactions to the move.
The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) parliamentary spokesperson, Engin Altay, accused the government of bringing the headscarf issue onto the agenda whenever it faces problems. “The headscarf is not an aspirin the government can take anytime it faces problems. I call on the government to cover their face in shame instead of covering girls’ heads,” said Altay at a press conference in Parliament, referring to the problems at Turkey’s border with Syria.
In a press conference, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Ankara Deputy Ozcan Yeniçeri also accused the government of using the headscarf as a means to increase votes. “The headscarf should not be the fuel for the Justice and Development Party’s [AKP] votes. They should stop using religious symbols as a political means,” he said.
Meanwhile, unions warned the decision means a political intervention on education.
Until now, only female students enrolled in vocational Islamic schools (imam-hatip) could wear headscarves during classes.
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