T
C O N T E N T S
No. 184/14 01-02.10.14
1. Nami’s contacts in NY and Washington
2. British High Commissioner: The solution to the Cyprus problem
could not be imposed from outside
3. Siber: The Cyprus problem negatively influences the Turkish
Cypriot community’s quality of life
4. Ozersay: We are entering an intense phase
5. Denktas and Sertoglu on the transferring of the Greek Cypriot
football player to a Turkish Cypriot team
6. Asikoglu: “We exceeded our expectations on tourism”
7. Sarpten: "Bakirci and the council of ministers should
resign"
8. A meeting at the Turkish “embassy” for the water
9. Inhabitants of occupied Pergamos village want electricity supply
from the Republic of Cyprus
10. The “faculty of fine arts and design” of illegal YDU
university became a member of ICOGRADA
11. Erdogan: Turkey will fight terror but not for temporary
solutions
12. MHP supports mandate, other opposition parties say ‘no’
13. Turkey and Russia discussed broader energy cooperation
1. Nami’s contacts in NY and Washington
According
to illegal Bayrak television (online, 01.10.14), self-styled foreign minister
OzdilNami is resuming his contacts in in Washington D.C.
Before
completing his contacts in New York, Nami
met with the UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman
and the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations
HervéLadsous.
During
his meeting with Feltman, Nami conveyed his expectation that the ongoing
negotiations process will gain momentum with the appointment of the new UN
Special Adviser Espen Barth Eide. He said that maintaining past convergences
reached between the two sides is crucial for moving the process forward.
Reiterating
the Turkish Cypriot side’s commitment to the negotiations process, Nami
reminded that the UN, as an impartial institution, played an important role on
the island, particularly in assisting the negotiations process to move forward
effectively and productively.
Feltman
for his part said that the UN Secretary General had a special interest towards
the Cyprus issue and that he will be following the developments and the work
carried out by his Special Advisor closely.
Nami
during his meeting with the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for
Peacekeeping Operations HerveLadsous stressed that the UN Peacekeeping Force in
Cyprus carries out an important duty on the island. He said that it is
important that UNFICYP resumed its duties in an impartial and balanced
manner.The two also discussed issues related to UNFICYP’s operations on the
island.
Following
his contacts in New York, Nami moved on to Washington D.C.
According
to illegal Bayrak television (01.10.14), Nami
has said that the current state of affairs in Cyprus cannot continue as Turkish
Cypriots can and should not be forced to live under “international isolations”.Nami
was speaking at a conference at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.
According
to a press release by the “department of information”, Nami became the first
Turkish Cypriot “minister” to deliver a speech at Yale.
In
his speech, Nami said that the Cyprus problem is one of the oldest issues on
the UN’s agenda and that numerous attempts and negotiations have been conducted
to reach a mutually acceptable settlement on the island.
Pointing
out that an important opportunity to solve the Cyprus problem had been missed
in 2004 when the Greek Cypriot Side had rejected a UN sponsored plan which had
been put to simultaneous referenda, Nami said that a new process was currently
underway following the signing of a Joint Declaration by the two sides on the
11th of February this year.
Explaining
that the recent appointment of a new Special Advisor by the UN Secretary
General demonstrated that the UN regarded the Cyprus issue a top priority, Nami
said that it had been agreed to move onto the next phase of the negotiations at
the leaders’ first meeting held with the participation of the Special Advisor.
Stating
that the Cyprus Turkish side always adopted a positive and constructive stance
at the talks, Nami claimed that the Turkish Cypriots were still being subjected
to international isolation despite their overwhelming support to the Annan Plan
in 2004.
Pointing
out that the Greek Cypriot side was reportedly preventing all efforts and
attempts by the international community to ease the “international isolation”
of Turkish Cypriots, Nami said that the current state of affairs in Cyprus
could not continue, as Turkish Cypriots could and should not be forced to live
under “international isolation”.
He also said that the Turkish Cypriots were expecting important
international actors such as the UN and the US to encourage the Greek Cypriot
side to take the necessary steps towards achieving a settlement.
2. British High Commissioner: The solution to the Cyprus
problem could not be imposed from outside
Turkish
Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (01.10.14) reports that the British High Commissioner in Cyprus, Ric Todd has said that his country will do its bid
for a comprehensive solution on the island, but the solution of the problem
should come from the Cypriots.
Responding
to the paper’s questions regarding some statements made by the Turkish Cypriot
negotiator KudretOzersay in New York, who had argued that the main actors will
undertake an initiative on the Cyprus problem and push the process forward, Todd underlined the UK’s determination to
contribute in the solution of the Cyprus problem, but at the same time added
that the solution could not and should not be imposed from outside.
Referring
to the appointment of Espen Barth Eide as UN Secretary-General’s Special
Adviser on Cyprus, Todd noted that Eide added “new energy” to the process and
expressed the view that the current process gives hope for a “just and lasting
agreement”.
(I/Ts.)
3. Siber: The Cyprus problem negatively influences the Turkish
Cypriot community’s quality of life
Turkish
Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (02.10.14) reports that SibelSiber, self-styled speaker of the “assembly” of the breakaway
regime in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus, has said that the Cyprus problem is one of the issues which negatively
influence the Turkish Cypriot community’s quality of life and claimed that they
pay “the heavy price” of this problem’s non-solution.
Addressing
yesterday the opening ceremony of the breakaway regime’s “legislative year”, Siber argued that they support a “just and
lasting bi-communal, bi-zonal federal solution based on political equality”.
Reiterating their support to the joint
Declaration of 11 February 2014 and the negotiating process which started right
after that, Siber said that they
wish for progress to be achieved in the negotiations.
In
his speech, OzkanYorgancioglu, leader of the Republican Turkish Party – United
Forces (CTP-BG) and self-styled prime minister of the regime, said that the
“assembly” should be involved in the Cyprus problem and underlined the
importance of carrying out their efforts together, by cooperating and
exchanging views.
Huseyin
Ozgurgun, chairman of the “main opposition” National Unity party (UBP), said
that the Cyprus problem will be one of the issues on the “assembly’s” agenda
within the forthcoming period and added that the political parties should
cooperate and be united on this issue.
Finally,
SerdarDenktas, chairman of the Democratic Party – National Forces (DP-UG) and
self-styled deputy prime minister of the regime, expressed his discomfort for
the fact that they had all voted in favor of the “constitutional amendments” at
the “assembly”, but when these amendments were taken to “referendum” last year
some parties worked for their rejection.
(I/Ts.)
4. Ozersay: We are entering an intense phase
According
to Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris Postasi Daily News (online, 01.10.14), the
Turkish Cypriot negotiator KudretOzersay and the negotiation team met with the
UN SG’s Special Representative Lisa Buttenheim and her team after completing
their meetings in New York and exchanged ideas as a preparatory meeting prior
to Espen Barth Eide’s visit which will take place on the 7th of October.
Speaking
to TAK regarding the meeting, Ozersay
said: “We are entering an intense phase. Our aim is to get results”. He added:
“There are issues that need to be clarified in terms of methodology and the
essence of the several issues prior to the phase we are entering right after
the Eid holiday. We discussed these issues with the UN officials.
During
the last leaders meeting which took place on the 17th of September the two
sides agreed to enter an intensified phase with an approach based on the
‘win-win’ principle. With Eide’s visit on the 7th of October it is expected
that the program and the strategy of the process will be decided on”.
5.Denktas and Sertoglu on the transferring of the
Greek Cypriot football player to a Turkish Cypriot team
Turkish Cypriot
daily Havadis newspaper (02.10.14) reports in its sport pages on statements by SerdarDenktas, “deputy prime minister” and
“minister of economy, culture and sports”, who commented on the reactions
expressed by Greek Cypriots on the issue of the transferring of the Greek
Cypriot football player DemitrisVasiliou to a Turkish Cypriot team called
Degirmenlik sports.
In statements to
Ankara Anatolia news agency’s correspondent in the occupied area of Cyprus, Denktas described the incident as
“unfortunate”, especially in a period as he said, where the Cyprus negotiation
talks are taking place. “Greek Cypriot fanatics’ reaction is improper and it
damages both sides”, he added.
“With this reaction, the Greek Cypriot side shows that
it does not recognize the rights of the Turkish Cypriot side even in the field
of sports”, said Denktas.
Meanwhile,
Turkish Cypriot daily YeniDuzen (01.10.14) reported that the chairman of the
Turkish Cypriot Football Federation Hasan Sertoglu
in statements on the issue during a meeting he held with “presidential
candidate” Mustafa Akkinci, said that
they do not want to excaggerate more the problem experienced, adding that they
will, however, follow the developments very closely.
Commenting on this issue, Akkinci said that a solution
to this incident should be not found in politics but in the football field.
(AK)
6. Asikoglu: “We exceeded our expectations on
tourism”
Under the
front-page title: “We exceeded our goals on tourism”, Turkish Cypriot daily
HalkinSesi (01.10.14) reported on statements by the “undersecretary” of the so-called ministry of tourism SahapAsikoglu who
has said, inter alia, that they exceeded their goals on tourism for 2014, which
was 1 million 2 thousand tourists and added that their goal for 2018 is to
reach 2.5 million.
In exclusive
statements to the paper, Asikoglu
announced that in 2015 they will sign a cooperation agreement with Turkish
airlines aiming to connect them with several countries worldwide with charter
flights.
Evaluating the
tourism season, Asikoglu gave information about their new goals, the problems
on the issue of communication and said: “The only way out are Turkish Airlines.
We have been working on a project with Turkish Airlines for five years now.
Turkish Airlines will connect us with the whole world. Because it flies
everywhere. (…) It is for this reason that the Turkish airline is the only key
for us”.
Asikoglu
reminded that the so-called minister of tourism SerdarDenktas held contacts
some days ago with the director of Turkish Airlines and said that they expect
for the implementation of a package in 2015, especially related to several
Scandinavian and European countries.
Stating that their tourism revenues were also
increased, Asikoglu said that their tourism income in 2009 was 330 million US
dollars; while in 2013 it was 680 million dollars.
Asikoglu also said that “north Cyprus’ products” have
become capable to compete with products from France, Germany, Italy and Spain.
(AK)
7. Sarpten: "Bakirci and the council of ministers should
resign"
According
to Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris Postasi Daily News (online, 01.10.14), Hasan
Sarpten from the Biologists Organisation criticized the “environment
minister’s” actions, calling for minister Bakirci and the so-called council of
ministers’ resignation.
According
to the press release: “Education minister Mustafa Arabacioglu’s statement
before his resignation that ‘the system is corrupt, we are not the ones ruling’
and after the environment minister HamitBakirci’s acknowledged a weakness in
management with his statement ‘we are not at the position to manage the water’
reflects the fact that the politics in the ‘country’ are collapsing.
Bakirci
whose real job is to ‘solve the environmental issues’, has not produced any
solutions for the issues since the day he took up the minister’s duties. As a
matter of fact his actions reflected that he was not actually the ‘environment
and natural resources minister’ of this ‘country’ but more like ‘Turkey’s
responsible for water minister’ in Cyprus. Until today ‘environment minister’
Bakirci was unable to put into a plan any goals of the ‘government program’.
‘Ministers’ duties are to materialize the commitments of the ‘government
program’. Since commitments have not been made actions there is no point for
the ‘ministers’ to sit in their seats.”
8. A meeting at the Turkish “embassy” for the water
According
to Turkish Cypriot daily YeniDuzen (02.10.14), a meeting with the “mayors” of
the “local administration” will be held today at the building of the so-called
Turkish embassy in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus.
It
is reported that the issue under discussion will be water and the Turkish
“embassy” will announce to them the projects and their expected contribution.
9. Inhabitants of occupied Pergamos village want
electricity supply from the Republic of Cyprus
Under the title
“’We want the electricity of the south’”, Turkish Cypriot daily Kibrisli
newspaper (01.10.14) reports that the
Turkish Cypriot inhabitants of occupied Pergamos village are reacting against
the fact that on 25 September, 2014, they stopped receiving electricity from
the Cyprus Electricity Authority (AIK) and their electricity needs are being
met by the Turkish Cypriot so-called electricity authority (KIB-TEK). The
inhabitants, who have been supplied with electricity from AIK for the last 40
years, complain against the self-styled government and KIB-TEK, because of the
low voltage of the electricity they are given and the breakdowns of the system.
The self-styled
mayor of Pergamos, IlkerEdip and the people living there told Kibrisli that they were not informed that such a change
would happen and complained of being ignored by the self-styled government.
They said that many domestic devices and
electrical tools used by craftsmen were burned because of the low voltage.
Noting that they experience interruption of
electricity every day since KIB-TEK started providing them with electricity,
the inhabitants of Pergamos noted that they have been receiving electricity from
the government-controlled area of Cyprus for 40 years and their electricity
supply has never been interrupted. They
added that in the cases that electricity supply would be interrupted, they were
informed 72 hours earlier about the length of the interruption.
“We do not want electricity from KIB-TEK. We
want electricity from the south. At least there is seriousness in the
administration”, they said.
(I/Ts.)
10.The “faculty of fine arts and design” of illegal
YDU university became a member of ICOGRADA
Turkish Cypriot
daily Star Kibris newspaper (02.10.14) reports that the “faculty of fine arts
and design” of the so-called Near East University has become a member of the
International Council of Communication Design (ICOGRADA).
According to a
statement issued by the so-called university, the “vice-rector” of the
“faculty”, Dr ErdalAygen said that the “faculty” submitted an application for
membership to ICOGRADA last month and added that their membership has been
accepted unanimously by the council.
(AK)
11. Erdogan: Turkey will fight terror but not for temporary
solutions
Turkish
daily Hurriyet Daily News (online, 01.10.14) with the above title reports that Turkey will not allow coalition members to
use its military bases or its territory in the fight against the Islamic State
of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) if the objective does not also include ousting
the Bashar al-Assad regime, President RecepTayyip Erdogan hinted on Oct. 1.
His words came just a day before Parliament is set to vote on a mandate to
allow the deployment of foreign troops on Turkish soil.
“We
will never tolerate any terrorist organizations in our lands, in our region or
indeed in the world. We are open and ready for any cooperation in the fight
against terrorism. However, it should be understood by everybody that Turkey is
not a country in pursuit of temporary solutions, nor will Turkey allow others
to take advantage of it,” Erdogan said in his lengthy address to Parliament on
the occasion of the opening of the new legislative year.
His
message was directed at the U.S.-led international coalition that was recently
formed to destroy the ISIL militants in Iraq and Syria. The coalition is pressing
Turkey for an efficient contribution to the fight, including opening its
military bases, its airspace and pledging training and logistical support to
moderate Syrian rebels. Turkey, however,
stresses that the campaign should not be limited to the ISIL and should also
target regime change in Syria.
“A decisive struggle against all terrorist
organizations in the region should be achieved and Turkey’s proposals and
warnings should be taken into consideration. Otherwise, tons of air bombs
will only delay the threat and danger. This has been the case in Iraq so far,”
Erdogan said. “It is inevitable that temporary solutions will cause Iraq to
face such interventions every 10 years. Similarly, ignoring Syria will also
delay a proper solution.”
“We
will fight effectively against both ISIL and all other terrorist organizations
in the region; this will always be our priority. At the same time, it will also
be our priority that the refugees whose number has already exceeded 1.5 million
in Turkey return to their country or are able to live safely in their country.
Again, we will continue to prioritize
our aim to remove the Syrian regime, to help protect the territorial integrity
of Syria, and to encourage a constitutional, parliamentary system that embraces
all citizens in the country,” he added.
Having
cited these points as priorities, Erdogan stressed that Turkey has no
“intention of intervening in the internal affairs of our neighbours or in any
country in the region and nor does it have any plans or intentions for their
lands.”
Recalling
that Parliament is set to vote on a motion authorizing the Turkish army to
conduct cross-border operations abroad and to allow the deployment of foreign
troops in Turkish territories, Erdogan indirectly called on all political parties
to vote in favour of it, saying Turkey does not have the “luxury to adopt an
indecisive attitude on regional issues”.
Meanwhile,
the motion on Iraq and Syria, submitted late Tuesday by the Turkish government
to parliament late Tuesday, seeks to ward off possible attacks against Turkey
by all terrorist groups in the two conflict-ridden countries of Iraq and Syria,
said the Turkish Prime Ministry.
"There
has been a serious increase of risks and threats along Turkey's southern land
borders, threatening our national security, due to recent developments in the
region," reads the justification for the motion, signed by Prime Minister
Ahmet Davutoglu.
The
Turkish government has submitted earlier on Tuesday an inclusive motion to
parliament to expand authorization for the government and the armed forces to
act against recent security threats from Iraq and Syria, as Turkish Deputy
Prime Minister BulentArinc announced following a Council of Ministers' meeting
on Tuesday.
The
motive for the motion specifically cites the use of chemical weapons by the
Syrian regime and increasing security risks against SuleymanSah Guard, a
Turkish enclave, near Aleppo in Syria, guaranteed by a 1921 treaty inked with
France. Therein lies the tomb of late 12th century Turkish leader SuleymanSah.
"The
terrorist element of the armed [Kurdistan Worker's Party] PKK still exists in
northern Iraq. On the other hand, the significant increase in the number of
other terrorist elements in Syria and the threat posed by them in Iraq is also
alarming," says the motion, referring to ISIL.
The
Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL, which seized vast territories,
both in Syria and Iraq, since early June, has become a growing threat for the
whole region, and recently along the Turkish border.
If ratified by the parliament, the motion will authorize the
Turkish government to take immediate action against any group threatening the
country.
The motion also includes a mandate for the government to send Turkish
Armed Forces to foreign countries, for instance Iraq or Syria, if necessary.
The motion is to last for a period of one year.
The
Turkish parliament will discuss the motion, giving authority to the government
and the armed forces to act accordingly to threats from Syria and Iraq, during
a special session on Thursday.
12. MHP supports mandate, other opposition parties say ‘no’
According
to Turkish daily Sabah (online, 02.10.14), as Turkish Parliament received a
mandate seeking to send troops to turmoil-ridden Syria and Iraq to fight
against the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), which controls large
territories in the region, the political parties in the Parliament already
voiced their concerns over the mandate.
People's Democratic Party (HDP) Group Deputy Chair PervinBuldan
said that the HDP will vote "no" to the mandate over Turkish
deployment in Iraq and Syria. The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) announced
that it is opposed to having foreign soldiers deployed in Turkey. The main
opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) that formerly announced their
support for Turkey's involvement in the anti-ISIS coalition but oppose Turkish
boots on the ground, also decided not to support the mandate.
After the mandate was submitted to Parliament,
the MHP, having certain reservations on the mandate, announced that they will
vote "yes". MHP leader DevletBahceli said: "Our choice is
Turkey's security".
The
mandate allowing a cross-border operation caused concern by MHP deputies due to
what they see as drawbacks in it. However, following talks between Bahceli and
his staff, the MHP leader said that his party will give the authorization to
the Turkish Army.
HDP Mersin Deputy
ErtugrulKurkcu announced that his party is critical of the mandate and said,
"We are against this mandate. We will say 'no,' we will show a red card".
Kurkcu
said that none of the regional issues can be solved with weapons and pointed
out that the HDP has voted "no" on all mandates since 2007 for the
same reasons. Kurkcu also questioned the merging of two different mandates into
one comprehensive package.
CHP Deputy Chairman GurselTekin said that the mandate is
incoherent and problematic. Engin Altay, another CHP deputy chairman, stated
that they will not support the mandate in the Parliament.
13. Turkey and Russia discussed broader energy cooperation
According
to Turkish daily Sabah (online, 02.10.14), trade in natural gas and the planned
construction of the nuclear reactor in Mersin province were discussed during
Energy Minister TanerYıldız's visit to Moscow yesterday. Yıldız met his Russian
counterpart Alexander Novak, Gazprom's CEO Alexey Miller, Sergey Kiriyenko, CEO
of the state-owned Russian nuclear company Rosatom and Elena Burmistrova, the
head of Gazpromexport, during his visit to the Russian capital. After the meetings parties agreed on
increasing the amount of natural gas flowing through the Blue Stream pipeline.
As Russia's second-biggest client for its natural gas after Germany, Turkey
imports 25.5 billion cubic meters (cbm) of Russian natural gas annually via the
Blue Stream pipeline and West Line, which carry Russian gas via a pipeline from
Ukraine to Turkey.
Russian energy giant Gazprom and Turkey have agreed to increase
the capacity of the Blue Stream natural gas pipeline, which carries Russian gas
to Turkey via the Black Sea. Turkish government sources
confirmed with Anatolia Agency on Wednesday that the agreement to increase
capacity from 16 billion cubic meters (bcm) to 19 bcm had been reached during
Turkish Energy Minister TanerYıldız's visit to Moscow.
Turkey
consumes 45 billion cubic meters of gas annually, with nearly 60% of it being
imported from Russia. The agreement came as Yıldız held discussions with
Russian counterpart Alexander Novak, Gazprom's CEO Alexey Miller, Sergey
Kiriyenko, CEO of the state-owned Russian nuclear company Rosatom and Elena
Burmistrova, the head of Gazpromexport, during his visit to the Russian
capital. Gazprom also reiterated that it had agreed with Turkey to increase the
capacity of the Blue Stream underwater gas pipeline to 19 billion cubic metres
(bcm) from 16 bcm.
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TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION
