TURKISH
CYPRIOT AND TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW
C
O N T E N T S
1. Turkey EU Minister’s
contacts in the breakaway regime
2. Olgun: A fatigue
is being experienced on the Cyprus problem
3. Ozyigit: The
“elections” should not be used as pretext for wasting four months in the
negotiations
4. “Turkish Cypriot Chamber
of Industry” wants the right of inspection of halloumi in the occupied area of
the Republic of Cyprus
5. A cooperation protocol on
the environment between Turkey and the “TRNC”
6. Sertoglu: We want our
rights from CFA
7.
Economical dimensions to the transfer of “deputies” in Turkish Cypriot
political parties
8. Feasibility works on a
trolley project in occupied Famagusta
9. “The Turks and the
Russians: Business as usual”
1. Turkey EU Minister’s
contacts in the breakaway regime
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris
Postasi newspaper (04.12.14) reports about the contacts held by the Turkish
Minister of EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Volkan Bozkir who paid an illegal
visit to the breakaway regime.
During
his meeting with the Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu, Bozkir said the following: “The Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu
will be visiting Greece this weekend and 3 Commissioners from the EU will be in
Turkey at the beginning of next week. The Italian and British Prime
Ministers and the Lithuanian President are also expected to visit Ankara in the
coming days. I wanted to visit the TRNC
ahead of these visits to assess the situation on the island and to determine
future steps”.
Bozkir said that the natural
gas off the coast of Cyprus belongs to all inhabitants on the island. Claiming
that the Greek Cypriot side “continues to maintain its illegal stance on the
issue”, and calling the actions of the Republic of Cyprus “unilateral actions which
are illegal and a violation of international law”, Bozkir alleged: “Barbaros
Hayrettin Pasa Seismic Research Ship is here upon a request by the TRNC and
will continue to remain here”.
He
further said that the Republic of Cyprusis blocking 17 chapters in Turkey’s
negotiation process and alleged the following: “Until now we rejected elements regarding a Cyprus settlement to be
linked with Turkey’s membership process. That’s why the chapters have been blocked.
Linking the elements of the two separate negotiations processes will only
create further complications for a Cyprus settlement. We have been refusing to
link the two for the past 8 years and we see no reason to change that today.
The Greek Cypriot Administration may continue to pursue its stance but opening
new chapters is the EU’s responsibility” he claimed.
For
his part, Eroglu said that Turkey is going through a busy phase in terms of
diplomacy. “This visit ahead of the
Turkish Prime Minister’s visit to Athens is very important. There are issues
related to EU matters which we need to discuss. We shall find an opportunity to
discuss and consult on these issues” he said.
Bozkir
also met with the self-styled prime minister Ozkan Yorgancioglu. The meeting focused on the Cyprus
negotiations process as well as the on-going efforts to harmonize existing “laws”
in the breakaway regime with the acquis. They also discussed the water transfer
project and the latest situation regarding the hydrocarbon exploration issue”.
Touching upon the issue of
hydrocarbons, Bozkir said that he will be looking into formulas to deal with
the crisis but added that the ultimate goal was to settle the Cyprus problem.On
his part Yorgancioglu said that there is a concerted effort to harmonize the “existing
laws” in the breakaway regime with EU laws as well as to take steps towards
economic development. “We want to
benefit from Bozkir’s experiences on these issues” he said.
Bozkir
also met with the self-styled foreign minister Ozdil Nami. The Turkish Minister
repeated that he would be sharing Turkey’s EU membership process experiences
with Nami as well as how to conduct more effective work within the EU
institutions on behalf of the breakaway regime.Alleging that the Republic of Cyprus was using its EU membership to set
obstacles in the way of Turkey’s EU membership bid, Bozkir said that Turkey
will not allow issues pertaining to the Cyprus problem be linked to Turkey’s
accession process.
Nami
and Bozkir also visited the Ledra Street barricade.
Bozkir
also held meetings with the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce and the Turkish
Cypriot Chamber of Industry in the afternoon.
2. Olgun: A
fatigue is being experienced on the Cyprus problem
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (04.12.14) reports that Turkish
Cypriot negotiator, Ergun Olgun has
alleged that the Greek Cypriot side’s “unilateral stance” that rejects power
sharing has started to become “unprepossessing” in the international community
and because of the deadlock that was created, a fatigue is being experienced on
the Cyprus problem.
In a statement made yesterday to a television station, Olgun was asked
to say whether the countries involved in the Cyprus problem know what they
want. Arguing that we have come to a turning point on the Cyprus problem, Olgun
claimed that there are some international players, who, for various reasons,
have benefited from the status quo in the past. “However, now the hydrocarbon
discovery and the powerlessness in Northern Africa and the Middle East have
brought out a new paradigm”, he argued expressing the view that everybody will be annoyed if the “passive
Cyprus dispute” passes into another level.
Olgun alleged that we are at a turning point at which the Greek Cypriots
will come face to face with a “sincerity test” and the pressure on them to make
a choice will increase within the forthcoming period. He claimed: “Are they
really ready to share power or what they want is to be the master of themselves
in their own territory? They have to decide this”.
Olgun expressed the
view that catalyzers are needed for changing the status quo in Cyprus and the
discovery of hydrocarbon resources is one of them. He alleged that the
[illegal] explorations of Barbaros Hayrettin Pasa vessel [in Cyprus’ Exclusive
Economic Zone] “have given life and meaning” to this discovery, “because it
forces the Greek Cypriot side to think twice on the issue of its unilateral
initiatives”. Olgun claimed that
in case Barbaros had not been in the area, the Greek Cypriots would have used
the hydrocarbons as a trump card against the Turkish Cypriots.
“We will not allow for the
connection between the hydrocarbons and the negotiating process to be cut off”,
he said.
Responding to a question, Olgun
noted that Espen Barth Eide is “very well chosen” for the post of the UN
Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Cyprus and added that Eide has a
“neutral and mature” point of view.
(I/Ts.)
3. Ozyigit: The
“elections” should not be used as pretext for wasting four months in the
negotiations
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (04.12.14) reports that Cemal Ozyigit, chairman of the Social
Democracy Party (TDP), has said that
simultaneous steps should be taken in the direction of the decrease of tension
on the Cyprus problem. In a written statement issued yesterday, Ozyigit said that Turkey should withdraw
its ships from the area and declare that it will not extend its NAVTEX. In
return for this, he added, the Greek Cypriot side should put forward in a
concrete manner how it will share the natural resources with the Turkish
Cypriots and return to the negotiating table.
Ozyigit expressed the view that the negotiations could resume in
January-February after President Anastasiades recovers and added that the
stance of the Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu, who has announced his
candidacy in the April 2015 “elections” in the occupied area of Cyprus, is
important. Ozyigit said that they worry
that the “elections” will be used as a pretext for wasting four more months in
the negotiations.
Ozyigit noted that both Eroglu and President Anastasiades should know
that every day which passes without a solution to the Cyprus problem is against
the Cypriots and they will both be responsible for this.
Ozyigit expressed the view that instead of making a showdown or a
quarrel for becoming regional leader, diplomatic initiatives are needed for
overcoming the problem and within this framework the negotiators should come
together and make preparations until the meeting of the leaders.
Ozyigit commented
on the Turkish Cypriot negotiator Ergun Olgun’s statement that “preparations
for a possible non-solution of the Cyprus problem should be made” and said that
politicians, who have never believed in the federal solution and have the
mentality saying that the “non-solution is the solution”, took the opportunity
of this climate of crisis and revealed their wish.
(I/Ts.)
4. “Turkish Cypriot
Chamber of Industry” wants the right of inspection of halloumi in the occupied
area of the Republic of Cyprus
Turkish
Cypriot daily Kibris Postasi (04.12.14) publishes an interview of the chairman
of the “Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Industry” (KTSO) Ali Cirali regarding the
registration of halloumi as a PDO.
Cirali
said that the industrial management and the inspection of halloumi should be
given to the “KTSO”. Noting that the Cyprus Government applied to the EU for
the registration of the names of “hellim” or “halloumi”, Cirali said that their
request, as “Chamber of industry” is the inspection of halloumi in the occupied
area of the Republic of Cyprus to be given to them. He added: “Because if the
authority is only granted to the south Cyprus government (translator’s note: as
he refers to the Cyprus Government) the producers in the North will not be
inspected and therefore our producers will be dispossessed of using these
names”. He also said that their request of giving the right of inspection to
the “KTSO” was viewed positively by the so-called minister of agriculture Onder
Sennaroglu.
Cirali
claimed that the “South Cyprus authorities” (translator’s note: as he refers to
the Cyprus Government) want to use this as a political trump card, adding that
this could damage the “TRNC” economy.
5. A cooperation protocol
on the environment between Turkey and the “TRNC”
According
to Turkish Cypriot daily (04.12.14), a “two-year (2015-2016) working programme
protocol of a primary cooperation agreement on the environmental area” was
signed between Turkey’s Environment Ministry and “TRNC’s environment ministry”
(translator’s note: the breakaway regime in the occupied area of the Republic
of Cyprus). According to the protocol, they will cooperate on the issues of
protecting the environment, reducing the environmental pollution and exchange
of programmes and technologies.
6. Sertoglu: We want our
rights from CFA
Turkish
Cypriot daily Bakis (04.12.14) reports that the chairman of the “Turkish
Cypriot Football Federation” (KTFF) Hasan Sertoglu, in a statement to illegal
BRT 1 channel yesterday, said that the meetings regarding the process with the
Cyprus Football Association (CFA) will continue. He also said that the Turkish
Cypriot side in the on-going meetings with CFA wants its rights. He explained
that the CFA does not belong only to the Greek Cypriots, but the Turkish
Cypriots have also rights. He concluded: “We want also our rights from CFA and
the Greek Cypriots and we will continue the meetings until we get these”.
7. Economical
dimensions to the transfer of “deputies” in Turkish Cypriot political parties
Turkish Cypriot daily Yeni Duzen newspaper (04.12.14)
reports that the transfer of so called
deputies from one party to another in the occupied area of Cyprus carries not
only political but also economical dimensions.
The paper writes that the breakaway regime gives to
the Turkish Cypriot political parties 8.475 Turkish Lira every month for every
“deputy” of the party in the “assembly” adding that for the 50 “deputies” the
“state” spends 423.750 Turkish Lira every month.
According to Yeni Duzen, if the four “deputies” who resigned from the Democratic Party (DP) a
few days ago decide to join the National Unity Party (UBP) as it is rumored,
then the party’s income will increase up to 406.800 Turkish Lira per year. This
is why, the paper writes, efforts are made so that the resigned “deputies”,
Ahmet Kasif, Zorlu Tore, Ergun Serdaroglu and Hamit Bakirci to become members
of UBP before the 2015 “budget” passes by the “assembly”.
8. Feasibility works on a
trolley project in occupied Famagusta
According
to Turkish Cypriot daily Halkin Sesi (04.12.14), the “municipality” of occupied
Famagusta had a meeting with a team of experts from Istanbul’s Buyuksehir
municipality for a preparation of a transportation master plan of the town and
feasibility works on “trolley project”.
The
experts team from Istanbul’s municipality will prepare a report with the
results of the examination of the town and how they can include the “trolley
project” within the “transportation master plan of the town”.
The
self-styled mayor of occupied Famagusta Ismail Arter said that they carry out
works on alternative routes to resolve the traffic density on Salamis road and
technical works on how the distribution will be after the trolley line will be
built.
9. “The Turks and the
Russians: Business as usual”
Under
the above title, Columnist Mustafa Aydin
writes the following in Hurriyet Daily News (04.12.14):
“Russian
President Vladimir Putin, accompanied by a large delegation including 10
ministers, visited Turkey on Dec. 1 to attend the fifth session of the
High-Level Cooperation Council (HLCC), an inter-governmental mechanism designed
to oversee the cooperation between the two countries and eliminating
bureaucratic barriers to enhance it. The
timing of the visit was crucial for Russia, as it came at a time when Putin has
been isolated in the international arena. Not only that, he is not welcome in
the West; he was openly snubbed by the leaders of the G-20 countries in their
annual summit in Brisbane, Australia, on Nov. 15-16. Russia, too, faces
sanctions from the EU and the U.S. due to its meddling in Ukraine. Thus,
Putin’s visit to Turkey was important to demonstrate to the world that he is
still welcome in parts of the globe.
During
the meetings, Turkish and Russian officials discussed various issues mainly
related to bilateral trade and economic cooperation. Although the two countries
signed 11 agreements to bolster economic cooperation Turkish President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Putin reiterated their ultimate goal
of increasing the bilateral trade volume to $100 billion, the deadline for
reaching it was extended to 2023, a very distant target.
[…]
While
nobody is sure how long Russia could tolerate the pressure, Turkey’s preference
to continue with deepening economic relations with Russia will in time attract
attention in the West. Indeed, the new NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg
has stated his expectations from Turkey to join the sanctions against Russia on
the same day of Putin’s visit.
Adding
this to the disagreements over several regional issues, such as the civil war
in Syria, the Russian annexation of Crimea, Nagorno-Karabakh and Cyprus, it is
not certain how long Turkey could continue to ignore the Western pressure and
prioritize bilateral economic relations above all. Realpolitik will catch on
eventually.”
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