TURKISH
CYPRIOT AND TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW
C
O N T E N T S
No. 225/14 02.12.14
1. Bozkır to visit the
breakaway regime tomorrow
2. Koenig: Time is
not working in favor of those who want solution in Cyprus
3. Lidington: The
benefits of the solution in Cyprus are 20 billion euro
4. Russian and Turkish
Foreign Ministers met in Ankara
5.
Putin declares gas discount for Turkey, scraps South Stream
6. Turkey clears way for
first nuclear Akkuyu power plant
7. Turkish columnist writes
that Erdogan and Putin’s unpopularity in the West makes them natural allies
8. Change in the
military service in the occupied area of Cyprus
9.
“Turks Abroad and Related Communities Association” held contact in the
breakaway regime
10. PACE delegation
continued its contacts in Israel
11. The 2015 “budget” for
the “TRNC representative offices”
12. The German Ambassador in
Cyprus visited the occupied municipality of Famagusta
13. Officials from CFA and
“KTFF” met yesterday
14. Bozkir announced
Turkey’s second phase of EU Plan
15. Turkey undertakes G20
presidency
16.
“Will Erdogan’s gaffes harm him?”
1. Bozkır to visit the
breakaway regime tomorrow
Illegal
Bayrak television (02.12.14) broadcast that the Turkish Minister for EU Affairs
and Chief Negotiator Volkan Bozkır will pay an illegal visit to the occupied
area of Cyprus tomorrow for a series of
official contacts.
Bozkır
will be holding meetings with “officials” as well as representatives of the
Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
According
to information released by the Turkish Ministry for EU Affairs, Bozkır will
meet with the Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu, the “speaker of the
assembly” Sibel Siber and “prime minister”Ozkan Yorgancıoglu.
Bozkır
will also meet with “foreign minister” Ozdil Nami. The Turkish EU Affairs
minister’s visit will focus on the Cyprus problem as well as Turkey’s EU
membership process.
2. Koenig: Time
is not working in favor of those who want solution in Cyprus
Turkish Cypriot daily Havadis newspaper (02.12.14) reports that John M. Koenig, the Ambassador of the
United States of America to Nicosia, has
said that tension in Eastern Mediterranean must end in order for the suspended
Cyprus negotiations to resume. In an interview with Havadis, the US
Ambassador argued that both sides’
responsibility is to find a way to return to the negotiating table. Pointing
out that time is not working in favor of those who want solution in Cyprus;
Koenig said that it is absolutely necessary for everyone to do whatever he can
for the resumption of the talks.
Koenig expressed
the hope that the negotiations will resume in the beginning of 2015 the latest,
noting that they desire very much the resumption of the talks, but the tension
in the area must be reduced in order for this to happen. “Therefore, we are working very closely with the UN Secretary-General’s
Special Adviser Espen Barth Eide and we are supporting his efforts on the issue
of creating the conditions for the resumption of the talks”, he added.
Asked how the “elections” in the occupied area of Cyprus will influence
the negotiations, in case the process resumes, Koenig noted that he could say
only what the Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu had told him on Friday, a while
after announcing his “candidature”. He noted that Eroglu told him that until
the beginning of the “official election campaign” and even after this campaign
begins, he intends to dedicate himself to the continuation of the negotiations.
“Therefore, he is aiming at doing whatever he can for the continuation of the
negotiations during the first period of 2015”, he argued.
Responding to a question regarding the stage at which the efforts for
promoting confidence building measures and especially the issue of the occupied
fenced off city of Varosha has come, Koenig described as “very valuable” the
view that courageous steps should be taken in the direction of changing the
climate in Cyprus and of building confidence in both communities that this
negotiating process is different than other processes and that it is effective.
He noted that such steps are very useful from the point of view of creating
models of cooperation for the future of Cyprus and not at the stage of
implementing an agreement. “From our point
of view Varosha or other confidence building measures have never been elements
substituting the efforts for the solution”, he said adding that the main idea
here was to create processes that support and reinforce each other.
Koenig pointed out that, in this sense, bi-communal contacts or contacts
between civilian organizations, businessmen, technical committees or the
religious dialogue, are very important, especially in a period during which the
negotiations are suspended.
Replying to a
question on the hydrocarbons issue, he expressed the belief that this issue
could be a catalyzer for the solution and added that the sides should see
hydrocarbons as an opportunity for the solution and discuss the issue “more
focused on cooperation, in a more creative manner and with a stronger
vision”.
Koenig noted that in case of a solution, Cyprus will become a stronger
partner for the USA, the relations between Turkey and Greece will be normalized
and a stronger bond will be created between NATO and the EU. “Therefore, there
is not only one reason but much more for us and the area for having a solution
in Cyprus”, he said.
(I/Ts.)
3. Lidington:
The benefits of the solution in Cyprus are 20 billion euro
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (02.12.14) reports that David Lidington, UK’s Minister for Europe,
has stated that the benefits which can be earned from the solution of the
Cyprus problem are estimated to be 20 billion euro. He pointed out that this will bring a “considerable support” to
the entire island’s economy and will benefit the whole area, not only the
Cypriots.
The paper writes
that Lidignton has invited to London the Chairman of the Cyprus Chamber of
Commerce and Industry (KEVE), Phidias Pilides and the Chairman of the Turkish
Cypriot Chamber of Commerce (KTTO), Fikri Toros. He noted that a united Cyprus will create opportunities of prosperity
for the whole island and added that the work of both chambers would be helpful
for the world understanding the economic benefits of the solution. Lidington
said that he expects Toros and Pilides to London soon and added that the two
chambers have been for years working together on cooperating in the economic
field, something which supports the efforts for finding a solution to the
Cyprus problem.
(I/Ts.)
4. Russian and Turkish Foreign Ministers
met in Ankara
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris
Postasi newspaper (02.12.14) reports that Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu
met with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov before the fifth session of the
High Level Cooperation Council meeting in Ankara, diplomatic sources said.
The two Foreign Ministers
discussed the shape of the economic agreement expected to be signed during the
council meeting. They also spoke about the possibility
of Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit at the G20 Summit in 2015 in
Turkey, and administrative issues of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic
Cooperation.
Lavrov and Cavusoglu also
discussed regional issues, including Syria, Iraq, Ukraine and Cyprus.
They exchanged views over how to stop the war in Syria and resolve the massive
Syrian refugee crisis. Turkey also conveyed that it would not recognize the
annexation of Crimea, the sources said. The
Russian side also said they would keep a positive attitude for uninterrupted
negotiations over the Cyprus problem.
5. Putin
declares gas discount for Turkey, scraps South Stream
Turkish
Hurriyet Daily News (02.12.14) reports that Turkey and Russia have signed fresh
documents in a bid to boost already growing economic, energy and trade ties,
reiterating their ambitious mutual target to augment the bilateral trade volume
to $100 billion by 2020.
Led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian
President Vladimir Putin and with senior officials from both sides, the lengthy
Turkey-Russia High-Level Cooperation Council meeting produced key agreements in
the fields of energy, banking, industry, nuclear energy training, justice and
trade, in line with both side’s intention to strengthen and diversify economic
ties.
“This
visit of Putin is a clear sign of the progress of the relations between Turkey
and Russia,” Erdogan said in a joint press conference on Dec. 1. “Our political
will to increase our trade volume to $100 billion is still valid.”
He added that they had studied in detail the pace of
works for the $20 billion Akkuyu nuclear plant investment in a bid to speed up
the accomplishment of the project. The two presidents also discussed the
ongoing natural gas deal between the two countries, as Turkey is the second
largest market for Russia.
For his part, Putin touched on Turkey's position as
Russia’s second top trading partner after Germany. "Regarding our energy
cooperation with our Turkish partners, we will make a six percent discount from
January 1," he said.
Meanwhile, Putin warned that the project to build the
South Stream Offshore Pipeline, which was already approved by Turkey as a
transit country, could be cancelled if Bulgaria keeps failing to give the final
approval.
Moscow later could build a new link and possibly work
with Turkey on creating a gas hub on the border with Greece, Putin said. He argued that the EU’s opposition to the
South Stream pipeline - which would have run under the Black Sea to Bulgaria
and further on to southern Europe - meant Russia had no other choice but to
scrap it.
Turkey and Russia performed their 5th High-Level
Cooperation Council meeting with the participation of numerous ministers from
each side, after Erdogan and Putin had a nearly one-and-half hour long
tete-a-tete meeting. The Turkish team included the ministers of foreign
affairs, economy, energy, labor, transportation and justice.
Turkey and Russia established the high-level
cooperation council in 2010 to enhance economic, trade and energy ties.
However, the two leaders did not refrain from voicing their disagreement over
the situation in Syria this time.
After Putin said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had
shown he was "his people's choice" by winning elections, Erdogan
expressed his opposition.
6. Turkey clears way for
first nuclear Akkuyu power plant
Turkish daily Today’s Zaman
(02.12.14) reports that the Ministry of Environment and Urban Planning has
approved an Environmental Assessment Report (CED) pertaining to Turkey's first
nuclear power plant, according to news outlets on Monday.
The
CED includes 3,000 pages of details regarding the Akkuyu nuclear power plant, whose
reactor is to be built beginning in 2016 in the Mediterranean province of
Mersin. The plant, which is expected to
cost an estimated $20 billion, will be built and operated by the Russian
state-run energy firm Rosatom, which signed an agreement for the construction
of the plant with Turkey's Energy Ministry in 2011. Rosatom officials stated
that the plant will be operational for 100 years.
The Akkuyu plant is the
first of three nuclear power plants planned for construction in Turkey, which
is attempting to reduce its energy imports by increasing domestic production.
Turkey is heavily dependent on natural gas imports from Russia, Iran and
Azerbaijan for a large portion of its electricity production.
In addition, the paper
reports that Turkey's Renaissance Holding and Russia's state-backed private
equity fund have agreed to jointly invest $400 million in Russia, in sectors
such as healthcare and commercial real estate.
7. Turkish columnist
writes that Erdogan and Putin’s unpopularity in the West makes them natural
allies
Under
the title “Putin and Erdogan: The odd couple facing the West”, columnist İlnur Cevik
writes in Turkish daily Sabah (02.12.14) about the similarities of Turkish
President Tayyip Erdogan and the Russian President Valdimir Putin and notes the
following:
“[…]
Both Putin and Erdogan have been accused
of authoritarianism in some Western circles and their style of leadership has
always been debated. Putin and Erdogan have both served as Prime Ministers
and now as President but they have always been regarded as the undisputed
leaders of their respective countries.
[…]
While
the West has targeted Putin, especially on the Ukraine crisis, Western circles
have not been too kind on Erdogan, mainly because of his Islamic background,
his outspoken style regarding Israel's attacks on the Palestinians and the
undemocratic regime in Egypt. So Erdogan and Putin are not the most
popular people in the Western capitals. This makes them natural allies in view
of the great economic and strategic potential of Turkey and Russia. That is why
the talks in Ankara are concentrating on economic cooperation and energy.
Turkey
and Russia plan to boost their annual trade volume to $100 billion by 2020. The
way things are shaping up, this target can be achieved provided both sides make
an effort and erase some of the trade barriers, especially on the Russian side.
Turkey can become an excellent trade and financial partner for Russia, and
there have already been successes in this area to prove it. Both Erdogan and
Putin are set to achieve greater ties, according to well-placed sources.
Russia
is inclined to appease Ankara regarding energy, which means lowering natural
gas fees and increasing supply. That, in return, means that Russia can build
Turkey's third nuclear power station. The
winds of strong cooperation are in the air as Erdogan and Putin face unfriendly
breezes from the West.”
8. Change in the
military service in the occupied area of Cyprus
Under the title “New era in the military service”, Turkish Cypriot daily
Kibris newspaper (02.12.14) reports that the
“unified military service amendment draft law” was adopted with majority
yesterday at the “general assembly” of the self-styled parliament of the
breakaway regime in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus. The
proposal reduced from 15 months to 12
months the military service of the vocational high school graduates and
provides for amnesty to those who became fugitives by leaving the country
before 1 January 2009 and were charged with desertion.
Amnesty was also
decided for those, who, because of various reasons, have not been able to benefit from the
right of “paid-for military service” and became fugitives. These persons
are given again the right of paid-for military service within a certain period
of time.
With this “law”, university
students, who have not been able to complete their university education and
file an application within six months, are given the opportunity to serve in
the army for 12 months.
Referring to the issue, Turkish Cypriot daily Halkin Sesi newspaper
(02.12.14) reports that the “draft-law” was adopted, but “the reduction which
thousands of young persons expected with hope” was not included in it.
Zeki Celer, “deputy” with the Social Democracy Party (TDP), reacted to
the fact that all the suggestions of his party, including the proposal on the
“conscientious objection”, were rejected and accused the Republican Turkish
Party of cooperating with the National Unity Party and the Democratic Party.
Ozkan Yorgancioglu,
self-styled prime minister of the regime, said that as long as the Cyprus
problem is not solved, they will continue spending human and financial
resources in this field.
(I/Ts.)
9. “Turks
Abroad and Related Communities Association” held contact in the breakaway
regime
Turkish Cypriot daily Havadis newspaper (02.12.14)
reports that delegation from the “Turks Abroad and Related Communities
Association” held contacts in the breakaway regime and met with “prime
minister” Ozkan Yorgancioglu and with “minister of national education” Ozdemir
Berova.
During the meeting, the President of the Association
Kudret Bulbul provided information about works being carried out by the
department.
Explaining that the presidency of the Association
serves at the ministerial level in some countries, he said that the Association
is also serving as a higher education agent and added that they are assisting
15 thousand students from 150 countries.
10. PACE delegation
continued its contacts in Israel
Illegal Bayrak television
(02.12.14) broadcastthat Republican Turkish Party “deputy” Mehmet Caglar
and National Unity Party “deputy” Tahsin Ertugruloglu are holding a series of
contacts in Israel and Palestine in the framework of the visit of the Political
Affairs and Democracy Committee meetings of the Parliamentary Assembly of the
Council of Europe (PACE) in the region and held observations and inspections in Israel and
Palestine.
The delegation which
completed its meetings with Palestinian officials had contacts with Israeli
officials. Meanwhile, the delegation was not allowed to enter Gaza.
Providing
information about their contacts in Palestine and Israeli, Caglar said they
came together with Economy Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister of Palestine
Dr. Muhammed Mustafa who has been carrying out negotiations for the rebuilding
of Gaza as well as the Speaker of the Israeli Parliament Yoel Edelstein and the
leaders of the Israeli political parties with seats at the parliament. They
also came together with the Israeli Foreign Minister and the President of the
Policy Development Centre Benjamin Dagan and attended a working dinner
organized by the British Embassy in Tel Aviv.
Caglar
after completing his contacts in Palestine and Israel moved on to Paris for the
European Council meetings.
11. The 2015 “budget” for
the “TRNC representative offices”
Turkish
Cypriot daily Kibris Postasi (02.12.14) reports that only 4% from the 17
million 782 thousands 925 TL, which is reserved for the 2015 budget of the 23
“representative offices” of the breakaway regime in the occupied area of the
Republic of Cyprus in abroad, is for the “promotion and representation”. The
lion’s share of the “budget” for the “representative offices abroad” goes to
the “personnel expenses” and to the rents for “service and lodging buildings”.
The sum of 686,601 TL from the 2015 “budget” for the “promotion and
presentations” is only a drop in the ocean in consideration of the importance
of lobby works.
The
breakaway regime has “representative offices” in Ankara, London, New York,
Brussels, Istanbul, Mersin, Washington, Islamabad, Izmir, Abu Dhabi, Baku,
Geneva, Doha, Rome, Tel Aviv, Kuwait, Muscat, Bahrain, Bishkek, Stockholm,
Berlin, Strasburg and Budapest.
According
to the paper, the fact that the “representative offices” in Brussels and
Washington got only 63,270 TL for “promotion” from a total budget of 2,267,070
TL shows the desperate situation.
The
paper reports the budget of some “representative offices”, as follows:
The
2015 “budget” for the “representative office” of “TRNC” (translator’s note: the
breakaway regime in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus) in Ankara is
1,778,140 TL. The amount for the “promotion expenses” is 72 thousands TL.
The
2015 “budget” for the “representative office” of “TRNC” in London is 3,051,880
TL. The amount for the “promotion expense” is 50 thousands TL.
The
2015 “budget” for the “representative office” of “TRNC” in Brussels is
1,254,520 TL, while the amount for the “promotion expenses” is 37,460 TL.
The
2015 “budget” for the “representative office” of “TRNC” in New York is
1,227,780 TL, while the amount for the “promotion expenses” is 43,270 TL.
The
2015 “budget” for the “representative office” of “TRNC” in Istanbul is
1,367,270 TL, while the amount for the “promotion expenses” is 38 thousands TL.
The
2015 “budget” for the “representative office” of “TRNC” in Mersin is 587,440
TL, while the amount for the “promotion expenses” is 22,500 TL.
The
2015 “budget” for the “representative office” of “TRNC” in Washington is
1,021,300 TL.
The
2015 “budget” for the “representative office” of “TRNC” in Islamabad is 451,240
TL, while the amount for the “promotion expenses” is 16,380 TL.
The
2015 “budget” for the “representative office” of “TRNC” in Izmir is 528,480 TL,
while the amount for the “promotion expenses” is 21 thousands TL.
The
2015 “budget” for the “representative office” of “TRNC” in Abu Dhabi is 398,890
TL, while the amount for the “promotion expenses” is 11,780 TL.
The
2015 “budget” for the “representative office” of “TRNC” in Baku is 620,800 TL,
while the amount for the “promotion expenses” is 23 thousands TL.
Meanwhile,
former “foreign minister” Turgay Avci, commenting to the paper regarding the
“budget” for the “representative offices” abroad, criticized the fact that only
4% of the total budget goes to “promotion expenses”. He added that their
“representative office” in Brussels, an important town where the decisions
regarding the rights of the Turkish Cypriots are taken, cannot have an amount
of a thousand euro per month for the promotion of “TRNC”. He wonders how they
can promote the political will of the Turkish Cypriots on the decisions and how
their “rightness” can be presented.
12. The German Ambassador
in Cyprus visited the occupied municipality of Famagusta
Turkish
Cypriot daily Ortam (02.12.14) reports that the German Ambassador in Nicosia
Nikolai Von Schoepff paid a courtesy visit to the “mayor” of occupied Famagusta
Ismail Arter.
According
to a press release issued by the Famagusta “municipality”, Akter expressed his
satisfaction from the visit, adding that the continuation and the development
of their relations is significant. He concluded that after this meeting, they
will continue to exchange views more often.
13. Officials from CFA
and “KTFF” met yesterday
According
to Turkish Cypriot daily Yeni Duzen (02.12.14), officials from the Cyprus
Football Association (CFA) and the “Turkish Cypriot Football Federation” (KTFF)
met yesterday afternoon after a long period of time. The paper also reports
that the officials from both associations have not met face-to-face since the
provisional agreement on November 5, 2013, was signed. The sides met yesterday
after the arrival in Cyprus of Jerome Champagne, who is candidate for FIFA
President in 2015.
While
there was no announcement regarding the meeting, it was reported that “KTFF”
will make an announcement today regarding this issue.
14. Bozkir announced
Turkey’s second phase of EU Plan
Turkish daily Sabah
(02.12.14) reported that EU Minister and Chief Negotiator Volkan Bozkir
announced phase II of Turkey's National Action Plan for EU Accession.
Speaking at a press
conference Bozkir underlined that the National Action Plan is a road map of
Turkey's priorities on political reforms and socio-economic transformation
within the context of the EU accession process and that phase II of the plan
including primary and secondary legislation, institution building and other relevant
work for aligning with EU legislation for the period between June 2015 and June
2019.
"I
would like to particularly underline that Turkey's perspective of full
membership to the European Union is not a matter of circumstance, but is the
objective of a lasting and strategic approach," Bozkir said. Emphasizing
that the first pillar of the EU strategy is the political reform process, Bozkir
defined phase II of the plan as an indicator of Turkey's commitment to continue
with reforms and emphasized that the National Action Plan includes arrangements
significant not only to the reform process, but also to accession negotiations.
15. Turkey undertakes G20
presidency
Turkish daily Sabah (02.12.14)
reports that Turkey officially took over the presidency of the G20. Deputy
Prime Minister Ali Babacan said at a press conference in Ankara, that three
words will guide Turkey in 2015: inclusivity, implementation and reforms.
The
10th G20 Annual Summit will be held in Antalya, a south-western province, on
November 15-16, 2015. According to Babacan, the leaders of the world's 20
largest economies will discuss the following topics in 2015: "Strong,
sustainable and balanced economic growth, infrastructure investments, financial
regulation, international financial architecture, international tax issues,
energy, trade, employment, financing climate change, development and the fight
against corruption."
16. “Will
Erdogan’s gaffes harm him?”
Under the above article, Turkish Hurriyet Daily News
(02.12.14) publishes the following article by Semih Idiz
“President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan is bent on raising his profile in the Islamic world, or at
least the fundamentalist part of that world, at the expense of Turkey’s reputation,
and standing in the West. His remarks
are so off-the-cuff, though, that one cannot help wondering if he has not put
himself on an unsustainable track that will eventually end up harming his own
political credibility. These include his claim, which is also questioned by
respected Turkish historians like İlber Ortayli, that Muslims discovered
America before Columbus. He also angered civilized Turks by saying that it is
unnatural to argue that men and women are equal.
[…]
It is true that the West has little sympathy for the Islamic
world presently, and one can debate the reasons for this. The point, however,
is that more Islamic people, including women and children, are being killed in Iraq,
Syria, Afghanistan or Nigeria, to cite the most striking examples, by Muslims
than they are by the West. […]
Erdogan is on a mission and will undoubtedly continue
to blurt out the things he does, even though it is highly unlikely that this
will bring him the leadership of the Islamic world he obviously craves, because
his reputation in that world is also far from what he desires. The real
question is how far can he continue to maintain this line without ultimately
causing discomfort in Justice and Development Party (AKP) circles, too, let
alone others? How long will it take before some in the AKP start questioning
whether this is the kind of President Turkey needs, and start looking for
someone else to favor from within their ranks?
The
executive presidency Erdogan is striving for is not a done deal yet legally,
and he must have at least one adviser wondering if it ever will be, given Erdogan’s
serial gaffes. If he continues in this vein, Erdogan could end up a prisoner in
his grandiose palace for the next five years without havingachieved his
political dreams.”
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