TURKISH
CYPRIOT AND TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW
C
O N T E N T S
No.
230/14 09.12.14
1.An
EU delegation held contacts in Turkey; Mogherini: “The EU will do its utmost to
restart the peace talks in Cyprus”
2. Yildiz: “All parties will benefit if the island of
Cyprus as a whole can make use of its resources”
3. Turkish daily reveals EU’s draft final resolution
on Turkey; The EU will allegedly urge for the opening of new chapters with
Turkey
4. Russia’s Gazprom to set up a new company for
building a new gas pipeline to Turkey
5. Akansoy and several environmentalists oppose to the
construction of Akkuyu nuclear power plant; They support that it will damage
the ecosystem and the water to be transferred from Turkey
6. Akıncı: "There is an opportunity for a
solution"
7.
Mungan says that the breakaway regime’s debts mortgage their future; “Budget”
debate starts at the “assembly”
8.
New distribution of “seats” at the “assembly” of the regime
9.
Eroglu had separately meetings with the newly founded society of settlers from
Sanliurfa and the EMITT delegation
10. Erdogan and Davutoglu back the compulsory teaching
of Ottoman Turkish in schools; Erdogan: “Ottoman era Turkish will be taught in
schools so youth can learn their history, like it or not”
11.
Reactions in the occupied area of Cyprus to the changes in Turkey’s education
system
12.
United Media visited the abandoned international airport in UN buffer zone
13.
Smuggled alcoholic drinks confiscated in the occupied port of Famagusta
14.
The “Road of Independence” is established in the occupied area of Cyprus
1.An EU delegation held contacts in Turkey;
Mogherini: “The EU will do its utmost to restart the peace talks in Cyprus”
Turkish daily Sabah (09.12.14-online in English) reports that a delegation of three high
officials from the EU, consisted of the High Representative of the EU for
Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, the Enlargement
Commissioner Johannes Hahn and the Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Christos
Stylianides, visited Ankara yesterday and met with Turkish high officials.
In a
meeting with Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu at his official residence, the EU
officials discussed the state of affairs of Turkey's EU accession process, the
visa liberalisation issue and the dynamics of common strategy for the crises in
Ukraine and Middle Eastern countries, as well as the Syrian crisis, the Cyprus
issue, and other international developments.
After meeting with Davutoglu, the EU delegation met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mevlut
Cavusoglu, and the EU Affairs Minister and Chief Negotiator Volkan Bozkır. They
discussed the thorny issue of Cyprus at a luncheon with both Ministers and
addressed the press afterward.
Before his visit to Warsaw, Poland, Davutoglu spoke
highly of the meeting with the EU delegation in a press meeting: "We are
determined to bring new momentum to this process. This visit of the delegation
is a significant and positive step for its future."
In the press conference, the EU Commissioner for enlargement and European neighborhood policy,
Johannes Hahn, indicated that they expect to open one or more negotiation
chapters during the next term of the Presidency and the "new EU Commission
is ready to do its best in speeding up the process". Hahn said:
"We know that Turkey's aim is to work with European standards in the
proper sense and it is among Turkey's most important objectives. However, we
need to have vitally close economic relations and those need to be maintained
more intensively as well. In this sense, some requirements in reforms,
especially on law and fundamental rights, still continue. Nevertheless,
speaking on the process, I want to
express that the new EU Commission is ready to do its best in speeding up the
process."
Foreign Minister Cavusoglu,
after the meeting, underlined that vital issues for EU-Turkey relations were
discussed and bilateral relations are about to gain a different dimension.
He said: "We reviewed the accession process, the Cyprus issue, the visa
dialogue, EU summits and international development in our meeting with their
participation. Turkey's EU membership will lead to new opportunities with a
'win-win' perspective. Progress in negotiations is the best option for
everyone”.
Regarding
the Cyprus problem, Cavusoglu said: “We told the EU officials that the Turkish
Cypriots have put their will on the table and the Greek Cypriot side should
also do the same and restart the negotiation process”.
Meanwhile, speaking to reporters after talks with Davutoglu,
Mogherini referred, inter alia, to the
Cyprus problem and said that the EU will do its utmost to restart the peace
talks in Cyprus.
Following the meeting and press conference, the
delegates met with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the new Presidential Palace.
The EU delegation will also visit the Kilis and
Öncüpınar refugee camps on Tuesday where almost 40,000 Syrian refugees live.
The EU Commission is set to provide a major financial
aid package to Turkey for sheltering thousands of refugees who have fled from
conflicts in Syria and Iraq. "We are finalizing a further package of 70
million euro to Turkey," Mogherini said at a press conference with Cavusoglu
and Bozkır.
(…)"The EU intends to be one of the biggest
humanitarian donors on the Syrian crisis," Mogherini said, thanking Turkey
for its efforts sheltering the refugees.
(…)
2. Yildiz: “All parties will benefit if the island
of Cyprus as a whole can make use of its resources”
Turkish daily Sabah (09.12.14-online in English) reports that Turkey’s Energy Minister Taner
Yıldız said during the International Mediterranean Energy Conference hosted
by the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce yesterday, that Turkey's stance towards the northern and southern regions of Iraq
also applies to Cyprus, and that all parties will benefit if the island as a
whole can make use of its resources. Yıldız met with his Greek counterpart
Yannis Maniatis to discuss ways to ensure that resources found are utilized by
the entire island.
Noting the importance of considering the human factor
of new projects, Yıldız said: "Unfortunately, comfort is growing faster
than money in the world". He added that crude oil and natural gas are
currently used as excuses for wars when they are underground and a reason for
peace when they are above ground. "Turkey
has always used energy as means to establish peace, and the energy policy
created and strategy applied will not only aim to establish the security of the
natural gas supply of the European Union, but all of Turkey's neighbors",
Yıldız said.
“Once
the required political feasibility is achieved in the Mediterranean basin,
Turkey will also demonstrate the necessary efforts to establish economic
feasibility. And provided that the current status of Cyprus is considered,
Turkey is open to any pipelines that will cross through the country and be
distributed fairly”,
Yildiz stated and added: “Turkey has
never exploited the advantages it has due to its geographic location in any
project, and has always believed that the global energy sector should be used
for building peace”.
(…)In response
to the question whether Turkey will
straddle the gap between Russia and the EU regarding sanctions, Yıldız
said: “Turkey is developing its projects by observing its national interests,
as well as those of Russia and the EU. Turkey is striving to increase its
exports in agriculture and Russia is not a trivial country for us in this
regard. Therefore, I do not believe that
Turkey will be pushed to choose between Russia and the EU. Turkey has the
capability to develop projects with both entities. I do not believe that the
nuclear power plant [being constructed by Russia in Turkey] will suffer
setbacks either”.
3.Turkish daily reveals EU’s draft final resolution
on Turkey; The EU will allegedly urge for the opening of new chapters with
Turkey
Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (09.12.14-online in
English) reports that according to a
draft final resolution to be discussed during an upcoming EU leaders' meeting
on December 18-19, the European Union is planning to express support for
opening three chapters concerning judiciary, freedom and economy with Turkey,
despite highlighting concerns over Ankara’s handling of the aftermath of a
graft crisis.
According to the draft revealed by the paper, “the Council looks forward in due course to
the definition of the opening benchmarks for the key Chapters 23 and 24 and
their possible future opening”.
Opening
benchmarks for Chapter 23, on the judiciary and fundamental rights, and Chapter
24, on justice, freedom and security, have been on the EU’s agenda as part of
Turkey’s membership bid, but the “Greek Cypriot government's veto” has been
impeding the process.
Encouraging Turkey “to work on reforms that should
provide for adequate checks and balances fully guaranteeing freedom,” the draft
also keeps an account of the EU’s concerns over political interference in the judiciary
in Turkey.
“The Council remains concerned at the undue
interference by the executive in the judiciary, frequent changes to key
legislation without due consultation of stakeholders and restrictions on access
to information,” the draft says.
Within this respect, the statement also emphasizes the
28-nation bloc’s worries over the Justice and Development Party (AKP)
government’s way of dealing the corruption allegations.
“The Council regrets that the response by the
government to the alleged cases of corruption in December 2013 cast serious
doubts over the independence and impartiality of the judiciary, and
demonstrated an increasing intolerance of political opposition, public protest
and critical media,” it states.
“In this regard, the Council emphasizes the important
role of the Constitutional Court and takes positive note of the growing and
active civil society in Turkey, which should be further supported and
encouraged as a legitimate stakeholder,” the statement added.
Meanwhile,
the draft also indicates the bloc’s will for progress in economic cooperation
by issuing a call for opening Chapter 17 that concerns economy and monetary
policies. “Given the strong
economic links between Turkey and the EU, the Council calls for the development
of a high-level economic dialogue. Progress under Chapter 17 [economic and
monetary policy] would in due course further support such dialogue and
encourages alignment with the acquis,” the draft reads.
The shift in the EU’s stance regarding the discussion
of economic integration came after France signaled it will ease its block on
opening the chapter in Turkey’s EU accession negotiations.
The
draft also marks one of the most tangible remarks from the EU side regarding
Turkey’s insistence on updating the Customs Union between Turkey and the EU to
reflect Ankara’s concerns about the EU’s free trade agreements with third
parties.
The draft says the council “looks forward to
discussions with the Commission on the Customs Union”, asserting solutions will
be sought “also in light of the publication of the World Bank study completed
in 2014.”
Turkey has been voicing its concern over a number of
FTAs signed by the EU, especially the Transatlantic Trade and Investment
Partnership (TTIP) between the EU and the U.S. But the EU was reluctant to
address the problem directly, insisting the issue should be settled through a
separate Turkish-U.S. deal.
The World Bank report referred to in the draft says
the Customs Union is beneficial to both Turkey and the EU, yet the smooth
implementation of the scheme is at risk if the problems that have risen due to
economic changes are not tackled.
4.Russia’s Gazprom to set up a new company for
building a new gas pipeline to Turkey
Turkish daily Sabah (08.12.14-online in English)
reported from Moscow that the Russian
state gas company Gazprom announced on Monday that it would set up a company to
build a gas pipeline to Turkey.
Speaking on the issue, Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kuprianov said in a statement: "The
company will be registered in St. Petersburg ... (it) is called "Gazprom
Russkaya".
Putin
said last week that Russia was dropping the South Stream project and was
instead planning to build a pipeline to Turkey and could set up a gas hub on
the Turkish-Greek border to supply Europe with gas.
The western powers, mainly the EU, are in conflict
with Russia over the crisis which erupted following Moscow's
"aggression" over Ukraine. The EU accused Russia of rekindling the
rebellion in eastern parts of the country through military support.
The newly redirected pipeline will have the same
capacity of 63 billion cubic meters a year.
5.Akansoy and several environmentalists oppose to
the construction of Akkuyu nuclear power plant; They support that it will
damage the ecosystem and the water to be transferred from Turkey
According to Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris Postasi
(08.12.14-online in English) the Republican Turkish Party-United Forces (CTP-BG)
“deputy” Asım Akansoy,in statements during a radio program, drew attention to the potential risks
caused by the nuclear power plant that will be built in Akkuyu and said: “By
not expressing our opinions and remaining silent, it means that we will be
responsible for our future and our humanity. In our current time while the
whole world is abandoning power plants, Turkey took the decision to construct
one”.
“This will
cause a lot of damage to the people in Turkey and in the area. We are going to
live side by side with a bomb ready to explode”, said Akansoyand noted that
even a slight leakage can cause destruction to Cyprus, stating that; “It is in such a place that any leakage
formed in the area can finish us off. I am against this! I am against the
construction of a nuclear power plant in any part of the world, but Akkuyu
directly affects us. It takes my country and environment directly into its
effect. There is no difference between constructing it in Akkuyu or Kyrenia”, he
added.
Meanwhile, Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris Postasi
(08.12.14) reported that speaking to the paper, several environmentalists said
that the Akkuyu plant will damage the
ecosystem and its surroundings.
According
to the experts, the plant's potential danger is greater for Cyprus. In addition
to that experts warn that even if the plant functions without problems, the
routine operations of the Akkuyu plant may be damaging to the environment and
human health.
Speaking to the paper, the chairman of the “Turkish
Cypriot Chamber of Environmental Engineers” Nilden Bektas noted that it is
still a mystery how the nuclear waste will be removed. “The companies whose
main intention is to make profits do not show the necessary attention to
nuclear waste management. These are radioactive wastes and their management is
costly. Removing 1,000 tons of nuclear waste costs around 500-600 thousand
dollars and a company who is focusing on making profit will try to handle the
waste management in a cheaper way and that poses a risk for all of us,” said
Bektaş.
Also speaking, the
leader of “Green Action Movement” Dogan Sahir warned that the very existence of
the plant close by will have negative effects on Cyprus and the Eastern
Mediterranean. “Even a slight increase of the plant’s temperature will
affect us the most. Whether or not an accident happens, the particles that will
come out from the plant will reach us through airstreams. When it rains the
particles that are in the airstream will come down to the land and may
contaminate our soil and our water. In the long run these radioactive particles
will accumulate and become a serious threat to the ecosystem and human health”,
he warned.
Sahir
added also that the water that will be transferred from Turkey may also be
contaminated with nuclear particles. “The plant will be very close to the
Anamur dam where the water that will be transferred to Cyprus is planned to be
reserved. The radioactive particles could easily reach to the damn and
contaminate the water. The water that will be brought from Turkey is promoted
as the “water of peace, water of life” but this water will become the water of
death”, said Sahir.
(…)
6.Akıncı: "There is an opportunity for a
solution"
Turkish daily Kibris Postasi (08.12.14-online in
English) reported that the independent
“presidential candidate” Mustafa Akıncı emphasized that the opportunity for a
solution which was lost 10 years ago, can be captured once more with the issue
of the natural gas.
Within the framework of his continuous visits in
several villages in the occupied area of Cyprus, Akıncı visited on Sunday the
occupied villages of Knodara, Vitsada and Marathovouno.
Akıncı explained to the “people” the reasons for his
candidacy and paid special attention to the questions directed to him about his
opinions on the solution of the Cyprus problem.
He
stated that the opportunity which was lost ten years ago for a solution can be
captured once more by utilizing the natural gas. “I have set off on this
journey so that the Turkish Cypriots do not lose this opportunity”, he said.
Akıncı
also emphasized that as long as the agreement is provided to protect the
benefits of both sides, it will be difficult to destroy this agreement. “If the
people see me as deserving this duty, then I will work for the solution with
all my efforts”, he added.
7. Mungan
says that the breakaway regime’s debts mortgage their future; “Budget” debate
starts at the “assembly”
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (09.12.14)
reports that Zeren Mungan,
self-styled minister of finance of the breakaway regime in the occupied area of
the Republic of Cyprus, has said that
the debts of the regime have mortgaged the Turkish Cypriot community’s future
and compared these debts to a “yoke” on their neck which gets tighter every day.
Addressing the “assembly” of the regime, where the
debates on its “budget” started yesterday, Mungan noted that reaching an
agreement [to the Cyprus problem] accepted by both sides is very important, but
one of the main targets of the regime is to decrease the deficits in “public”
spending and reverse the debt level.
Mungan said that every person living in the occupied
area of Cyprus owes one and a half time more than the GDP. He noted that this “public” debt consists of an internal debt of 4.5
billion Turkish liras (TL) and a debt of 7.5 billion TL to Turkey.
According to Mungan, the GDP for 2015 is expected to reach 8.8 billion TL and the real
growth to be 4.1%. Imports are expected to reach 1.8 billion US dollars and
exports 147.3 million US dollars. The local income which was two billion and
403.7 million TL increased by 7.55% reaching two billion 585.2 million TL. The
local expenditure which was three billion 101.2 million TL increased by 1.82%
reaching three billion 44.7 million TL. It is estimated that the local “budget”
deficit which is predicted to be 697.5 million TL, will decrease by 34.12% in
the end of the year and become 495.5 million TL.
The consumer price index for 2015 was predicted to be
5.4% and because the “budget” is on a three-year basis, an increase of this
index by 4.6% is foreseen for 2016 and 2017, noted Mungan.
The debates on the “budget” are expected to end on 18
December. The total amount of the
“budget”, as accepted by the so-called parliamentary committee on economy,
finance, budget and planning, is four billion 96 million and 720 TL.
(I/Ts.)
8. New
distribution of “seats” at the “assembly” of the regime
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (09.12.14)
reports that Huseyin Ozgurgun, chairman of the National Unity Party (UBP),
informed yesterday the “assembly” of the regime that the three “deputies” who
have resigned from the Democratic Party – National Forces (DP-UG), Ahmet Kasif,
Hamit Bakirci and Ergun Serdaroglu, joined the UBP. After this development the “deputies” of the “coalition partners”
decreased to 29 and the distribution of seats in the 50-member “assembly”
is following:
Republican
Turkish Party – United Forces (CTP-BG) 21, UBP 18, DP-UG 8 and Social Democracy
Party (TDP) 3.
(I/Ts.)
9.
Eroglu had separately meetings with the newly founded society of settlers
from Sanliurfa and the EMITT delegation
According
to illegal Bayrak television (online, 08.12.14), Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis
Eroglu met on Monday with a delegation from the newly founded society Sanlıurfa
and Southeast Anatolians.
Speaking
during the visit on behalf of the delegation, lawyer Kerim Altanha said that
the society, which aims to develop and foster stronger relations between the
“TRNC”, Sanliurfa and the South-eastern part of Anatolia, was established two
weeks ago. He said that the aim of their visit is to brief Eroglu on the society’s
activities and goals.
Eroglu,
for his part, underlined the importance of developing relations between cities
and “countries”, adding: “The important thing is to present beneficial services
to the people in the region without forgetting our origin”. He also said that he always supports such
civil society organisations.
Meanwhile,
Turkish Cypriot daily Bakis (09.12.14) reports that Eroglu met yesterday with a
delegation from EMITT (East Mediterranean International Tourism and Travel) led
by Hacer Aydin, Event Director of EMITT.
Aydin
informed Eroglu regarding the EMITT exhibition that will take place on 22-25 of
January, 2015, in Turkey. She also invited him to the exhibition.
Aydin
explained that they have decided to held their yearly meeting in “TRNC”, adding
that they hold some meetings during the year to discuss how they will operate
the exhibition.
Eroglu,
for his part, said that tourism is a driving force of economy now and pointed
at the importance of organizing such fairs and taking place in the “TRNC”. He
also said that Turkey has made a progress in tourism sector and has a saying on
the infrastructure of world tourism. Turkey has struggled too much to reach
this point on tourism, Eroglu added.
Claiming
that “TRNC” has made a progress on the tourism sector but the problems still
exist, Eroglu said that he heard complaints recently on the issue of
incentives. Eroglu, finally, said that he would be pleased to attend the fair
unless something goes wrong.
10.Erdogan and Davutoglu back the compulsory
teaching of Ottoman Turkish in schools; Erdogan: “Ottoman era Turkish will be
taught in schools so youth can learn their history, like it or not”
Turkish daily Sabah (08.12.14-online in English)
reported that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in statements while delivering a
speech at the 5th Religious Council in Ankara has said that Turkey is against
all measures which deny religious rights and assimilation and noted that Islamophobes
blame the Islamic religion for a lack of progress in Muslims societies.
"I believe I am obliged to encourage all segments
of the society to openly and freely discuss all issues and problems related to
religion”, Erdogan said and noted that some issues have not been addressed by
the government in the past due to peer pressure.
He stated that ignorance and devotion to religion have
previously been considered to be the same. "This was the reason behind the
prohibition of learning how to read the Holy Qur'an and the recitation of call
to prayer in Turkish rather than Arabic" said the President and noted that
this mindset has imposed restrictions on freedom of religion and expression and
has discriminated against women who wear a headscarf. "While politicians
defending the natural rights of religious people were labeled as backwards or
even executed, the efforts of pseudo scholars to poison Turkish society were
supported for decades and even encouraged", Erdogan said.
Religion
and devotion to religion have unfairly been insulted under the name of freedom
of expressions according to Erdogan, who stated
that politicians and figures that defended the protection of religious rights
have been persecuted and even hanged.
Erdogan
stated that he was harshly attacked when he criticized those who oppose
compulsory religion classes in elementary schools and when he said Turkey
should openly talk about World War I.
"There
is no cooperation and common understanding among the Islamic world" said
Erdogan, and stated that this is one of the reasons why Muslim states remain
silent while Palestinians, Syrians and other Muslims are being killed.
"We are going beyond the banalities taught to us
for 200 years and are finally asking the right questions. While the West wants
us to keep quiet, we continue to defend Palestine, democracy in Egypt, justice
in Syria and to criticize the structure of the UN," Erdogan said,
reiterating criticism of the UN Security Council for allowing only five major
powers to effectively make all decisions.
“We continue to say that the world is bigger than
five, but abandoning such a reign does not suit them”, he said.
"If
we appropriate our heritage well and break away from all those roles the West
cast on us in the global system, we can lead a role in sustaining solidarity
and justice in the Muslim world and in stopping bloodshed in the Middle East
and Africa," he added.
The
President argued that those who nurture enmity towards Islam and religion and
its existence in the public sphere are actually creating their own religion
under the name of “citizenship” and nationalism.
"This is why we emphasize confidence, normalization,
and courage", said Erdogan, stating that he is in favor of a democratic
and free environment for all citizens in Turkey.
Erdogan
also slammed critics of teaching Ottoman Turkish in schools, an issue discussed
at a meeting organized by Turkey's National Education Ministry last week.
"Objections
to learning our ancestors' language are very dangerous," he said. “Ottoman
era Turkish will be taught in schools so youth can learn their history, like it
or not”.
Meanwhile,Prime
Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in statements during a press conference organized at
Esenboga Airport in Ankara, before leaving for a visit to Poland, touched upon the recent controversy
surrounding the teaching of Ottoman-Turkish language in schools. Referring to
the Republican People's Party's anti-Ottoman language stance, Davutoglu said:
“The Ottoman language is Turkish”, noting that those who oppose the teaching of
Ottoman act as enemies of their own history.
He explained that the Turkish people cannot read
anything related to their history in its original language and remarked that everything from the past belongs to
the Turkish nation and that the government will take all measures to ensure
that everyone has access to reading Ottoman-Turkish texts.
Harshly
criticizing the opposition leader Kemal Kılıcdaroglu for calling the compulsory
religion classes as a return to the "Dark Ages", Davutoglu stated
that Kılıcdaroglu should let the West make such Orientalist remarks.
"Every time you call the Middle Ages 'Dark Ages', you insult the legacy of
Hacı Bektas Veli and Yunus Emre”, said Davutoglu, who noted that it is
unsuitable for politicians to base their remarks on Orientalist rhetoric.
(…)
11. Reactions
in the occupied area of Cyprus to the changes in Turkey’s education system
Under the title “New Ottoman era in Turkey”, Turkish
Cypriot daily Afrika newspaper (09.12.14) refers to the statement made
yesterday by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan saying that the Ottoman
language will be taught in schools in Turkey and reports that Turkey has
entered into a road in which going back will not be easy. According to the paper, Erdogan “demolishes Ataturk’s reforms one by
one” and “after the religion lesson becoming obligatory, the Ottoman language
is also becoming an obligatory lesson”.
One of Ataturk’s reforms which caused the biggest
reaction among the Islamists was the change of the Arabic alphabet and adoption
of the Latin alphabet, notes the paper adding that this decision by Erdogan is now bypassing this reform. Afrika
wonders also what will be the influence of this practice on the curriculum in
the occupied area of Cyprus.
Meanwhile, two Turkish Cypriot teachers’
organizations, KTOS and KTOEOS, issued a
joint statement yesterday noting that the Turkish Cypriots must stop following
Turkey’s education system, “which is becoming reactionary and outdated”. For
this reason, “article” 22 of the “national education law” must be abolished,
they argue.
“There is a wish of leaving the young generation
face-to-face with a dogmatic, non-scientific and ideological curriculum and
practice”, the statement said. It also described the sending of teachers from
Turkey to the occupied area, in spite of the thousands of unemployed teachers
that exist in occupied Cyprus, and the funding of an Islamic school such as the
theological college with millions of Turkish liras as a “conscious and
strategic move”.
(I/Ts.)
12.
United Media visited the abandoned international airport in UN buffer zone
Turkish
Cypriot daily Yeni Duzen (09.12.14) reports that a delegation from the United
Media, consisting of the Turkish Cypriot newspaper Yeni Duzen and Turkish
Cypriot private channel Kanal Sim, visited yesterday the international airport
in the United Nations buffer zone in Nicosia with a special permission from
UNFICYP.
The
paper reports on the bad condition of the abandoned airport.
Meanwhile,
they met there with the Chairmen of the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry
and the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce, Phidias Pilides and Fikri Toros.
Pilides
said that it is time to evaluate whether the airport can be opened or not, adding,
however, that the place can be a symbol of prosperity.
Toros,
for his part, said that this place cannot open again as an airport, as it will
be dangerous. But he added that a huge investment could take place there in the
new Cyprus.
13.
Smuggled alcoholic drinks confiscated in the occupied port of Famagusta
According
to Turkish Cypriot daily Diyalog (09.12.14), the breakaway authorities in the
occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus confiscated on Sunday night 1,623 boxes
with smuggled alcoholic drinks in the occupied port of Famagusta. The
destination of the smuggled drinks was Turkey.
14.
The “Road of Independence” is established in the occupied area of Cyprus
Turkish
Cypriot daily Yeni Duzen (09.12.14) reports that a new organization, named the”
Road of Independence”, was established yesterday in the occupied area of the
Republic of Cyprus. The new organization aims to be the touchstone of the
existence struggle of the Turkish Cypriot “people”.
In
its declaration manifesto, the organization announced that it set forth to form
an anti-capitalist, egalitarian, eco-socialist, socialist-feminist and
revolutionary line against the neoliberal and assimilation policies of “north
Cyprus” for the peace of the people.
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TURKISH
AFFAIRS SECTION
