2/1/15

TURKISH CYPRIOT AND TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW





TURKISH CYPRIOT AND TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW

C O N T E N T S



No. 01/15                                                                                           01-02.01.15
1. Turkish Cypriot paper reports that the Barbaros Hayrettin Pasa vessel will launch a new seismic research
2. Talat comments on the developments in Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone  
3. Eroglu: The Greek Cypriot side should return to the negotiating table without preconditions
4. Columnist: Eide knows very well that the Cyprus negotiations will not resume soon  
5. Turkish Cypriot real estate agents expect 2016-17 to be the “golden era” for their businesses    
6. 49,142 registered firearms in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus
7. Kilicdaroglu: #ResistDavutoglu
8. Turkish Health Minister: Mothers' only career should be motherhood

1. Turkish Cypriot paper reports that the Barbaros Hayrettin Pasa vessel will launch a new seismic research
According to Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris (01.01.15), it is stated that the seismic research vessel BarbarosHayreddinPasa, which belongs to TPAO [Turkish Petroleum Corporation], will launch a new exploration to the south of Cyprus on 5 January 2015.

The paper also reported that the TPAO has announced that the Barbaros is going to begin hydrocarbon exploration once again to the south of the island starting on 5 January 2015.

According to information obtained from TPAO, the Barbaros, anchoring one nautical mile off of the port of occupied Famagusta in order to take on supplies, will lift anchor on 5 January and this time will search for hydrocarbons to the southwest of the island.

The exploration is expected to continue until mid-February 2015, but it is noted that this period could be extended yet further.  It is also expressed that Turkey is going to announce a new NAVTEX [marine advisory] within the coming days.

The fact that, after the Saipem 10000 drilling vessel being used by the Italian and South Korean partnership ENI-Kogas extended its NAVTEX until 19 March 2014 [as published; 2015 presumably intended] for new exploration in the well named "Amathusa," the Barbaros vessel continues exploration to the south of the island has dashed hopes in terms of the negotiations for a solution on the island resuming in the first days of the new year.

2. Talat comments on the developments in Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone  
Turkish Cypriot daily YeniDuzen newspaper (02.01.15) reports that while it is alleged that Barbaros Hayrettin Pasa seismic exploration vessel will launch hydrocarbon explorations on 5 January 2015 until the mid-February in the sea south of Cyprus, no statement is made on the issue by Turkey or the Turkish Cypriot side, something which the paper describes as “remarkable”.

The paper publishes statements by former Turkish Cypriot leader, Mehmet Ali Talat, who argued that the developments are unofficially taking place between Turkey and “south Cyprus”, as he called the Republic of Cyprus. Talat criticized Turkish Cypriot leader Eroglu, noting that Eroglu should get the process under control and administrate it.

Talat said also that the Turkish Cypriots “are voiceless” in these developments, something which he described as “worrying”. He alleged:

The Turkish Cypriot side must defend its rights. It has been accepted that the Turkish Cypriots have rights in the exclusive economic zone. It is natural for the Turkish Cypriots to ask Turkey’s support in order to defend their rights. Things, however, are not developing within this framework”.
(I/Ts.)

3. Eroglu: The Greek Cypriot side should return to the negotiating table without preconditions
According to Ankara Anatolia news agency (31.12.14), Turkish Cypriot leader DervisEroglu said that the “negative attitude of the Greek Cypriot administration (editor’s note: the breakaway regime in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus) should be abandoned”.

The Greek Cypriot side should return to the negotiating table without preconditions, Eroglu said on Wednesday. "We cannot give up our rights so that the Greek Cypriots can return to the talks," said Eroglu in a statement, adding that the Turkish Cypriot side continues to stay at the table.

The Turkish Cypriots want a speedy solution and an end to injustices, claimed Eroglu, saying that the Turkish Cypriot side is positive and wants “a result-oriented” understanding in the peace talks.

Eroglu further said that the “Turkish Cypriot government” is in harmony with Turkey over the policies to be discussed during the Cyprus peace process.

He said that “the solution to the issue would contribute to the development of the island's two peoples and their welfare”, adding: "We believe the solution will also boost relations between Turkey and Greece."

4. Columnist: Eide knows very well that the Cyprus negotiations will not resume soon  
Writing in his column in Turkish Cypriot daily Havadis newspaper (02.01.15), BasaranDuzgun reports that Espen Barth Eide, UN Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Cyprus, is exerting intensive efforts for the resumption of the Cyprus negotiations, but these efforts are in vain.

Eide does not, cannot say it, but he knows very well that it will not be possible for the negotiations to resume soon”, writes Duzgun adding: “The Greek Cypriot side insists on not returning to the negotiating table showing as pretext the activities of the Barbaros seismic explorations vessel. Everyone thinks that this insistence is the most important obstacle in the negotiations, but the experts of this issue whisper about the elections in the North.  The election race, which had started months ago, has now turned into a full speed campaignand how correct would it be for the negotiations to resume in such an environment. Is the existence of candidates who are willing to carry to the election squares the discussions at the negotiating table not an obstacle to the creation of a healthy negotiations environment? […]”

Referring to statements by Eide published yesterday [in the Greek Cypriot press], Duzgun interprets these statements as following: “Eide does not say it, but the translation of what he said from the diplomatic language to the people’s language, is the following: ‘Hey you Greek Cypriot side, hey you Anastasiades, they will not allow you to eat alone the money from the gas. They will not allow you to use this money as blackmail. If you do not come close to an agreement which will solve the Cyprus problem, both the gas and the oil will become a dream’”. 
(I/Ts.)

5. Turkish Cypriot real estate agents expect 2016-17 to be the “golden era” for their businesses    
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibrisli newspaper (01.01.15) reports that Hasan Sungur, chairman of the “Turkish Cypriot Real Estate Agents’ Union”, has said that they expect a serious revival in their sector in the period 2016-17, arguing that the prices of property in the government-controlled area of Cyprus will increase in that period and many Europeans who own property in the government-controlled area will sell it and invest on property in the occupied areaof the island with a part of the money they will get. Sungur said that they expect that their sector will live its “golden era” during that period.

Sungur noted that the property sales this year in the occupied area of Cyprus were not at the expected level, in spite of the activity observed comparing to the past seven years. He said that people this year bought houses and residences and added that there was no demand for plots of land.

Referring to the problems which their sector is facing, he said that the non-registered real estate agents cause a big trouble for the sector, adding that they cannot follow the numbers of the sales of these agents because their contracts are not registered in the “title deed department”. 
(I/Ts.)

6. 49,142 registered firearms in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus
According to Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris (02.01.14), the number of registered firearms increased to 49,142 in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus, which has a population of 290,000 people, during the past few years. The figure shows that one in every six persons owns a firearm. These are made up of shotguns (hunting rifles), air guns, paintball guns, and handguns. Some 45,935 registered firearms existed in “northern Cyprus” (translator’s note: the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus) in 2010. The figure increased to 49,142 in 2014.

According to data released by the so-called ministry of interior, in 2010 there were 33,432 hunting rifles, 10,729 airguns, 135 paintball guns and 1,640 guns (pistols). In 2014, there were 34,227 hunting rifles, 13,096 airguns, 129 paintball guns and 1,690 guns (pistols).

7. Kilicdaroglu: #ResistDavutoglu
Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (online, 02.01.14) reports that the leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Kemal Kilicdaroglu said that President RecepTayyipErdogan’s decision to chair the cabinet meeting that will take place on Jan. 19 is a straightforward intervention against the Turkish state’s tradition, calling Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu to resist and end such interventions into his authority.

“The President announced that he will chair the cabinet meeting in January. We’ll observe one concrete example of a direct intervention against the state’s traditions.  We are aware of other interventions towards Mr Davutoglu’s area of responsibility. I call ‘resistdavutoglu’. He has to resist,” Kilicdaroglu told the daily Hurriyet in his first interview in 2015.

Although the Turkish constitution authorizes the President to convene the cabinet, former Turkish Presidents did rarely use this power, especially at extraordinary times. President Erdogan put an end to the controversy by announcing that he will use his right to chair the cabinet on Jan 19.

Kilicdaroglu recalled that Turkey will go to the polls in June to renew the Parliament and underlined that these elections will be crucially important. “During 12 years of AKP (Justice and Development Party) rule, none of ours moral values have been protected. All of our value judgments have been despised and have been mocked with. In the past, there was a concept called morality. Today, however, there is no any other concept that suffered from erosion than morality. Unlawfulness became the rule,” Kilicdaroglu said.

8. Turkish Health Minister: Mothers' only career should be motherhood
According to Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (online, 01.01.15), mothers should not put any career before motherhood, Turkish Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu has said during a visit to the first baby born in 2015 in Istanbul early on Jan. 1.

Muezzinoglu and Istanbul Gov. VasipSahin visited the baby and congratulated her parents at a hospital in Zeytinburnu while also giving advice to mothers.

“Mothers have the career of motherhood, which cannot be possessed by anything else in the world.  Mothers should not put another career other than motherhood at the centre of their lives. They should put raising good generations at the centre of their attention,” Muezzinoglu said.

President RecepTayyip Erdogan has consistently exhorted women to have at least three children, while also calling abortion as “murder” and rallying against Caesarean sections.

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