TURKISH
CYPRIOT AND TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW
C
O N T E N T S
No. 70/15 17.04.15
1. Olgun: Germany seems
determined to play a positive role in the Cyprus problem
2. Two UBP “mayors” announce
their support to Ozersay instead of Eroglu
3. The majority of the “voters’
in the occupied area of Cyprus are between the ages of 31 and 45
4. Eroglu: I will end the
Cyprus issue one way or another
5. Statements by Onurer and
Korkmazhan prior to Sunday’s “elections”
6.So-called minister of health
stated that the final test results for the mad cow disease will become known in
one month
7. Sener Elcil is re-elected
General Secretary of KTOS
8.
Cyprus on Cavusoglu’s agenda on his visit to the US
9.
Turkish commentary supports that AKP’s foreign policy in Cyprus is successful
10.
Poll shows that AKP has fallen below 40%
12. Poll: Economy most important problem for the Turks
1. Olgun: Germany seems
determined to play a positive role in the Cyprus problem
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (17.04.15)
reports that Turkish Cypriot negotiator, Ergun
Olgun has said that Germany seems determined to play a positive role in order for
the sides to achieve a result in the negotiating process aiming at the solution
of the Cyprus problem within the forthcoming period. In statements after
meeting yesterday with Michael Roth, German Minister of State for Europe at the
Federal Foreign Office, Olgun described as “extremely important” the fact that
his first visit abroad after the announcement that the negotiations will resume
within the forthcoming weeks was held in Germany and said that his meeting with
Roth was “extremely constructive”.
Olgun noted that Roth told him that the window of
opportunity in Cyprus should be “evaluated seriously” and the sides should very
well use the process for having successful results. According
to Olgun, Roth underlined the responsibility of both sides on this issue and
told him that Germany will continue communicating with the sides having an
“approach of keeping equal distance” and insists that the sides should refrain
from taking steps which will endanger the process.
Noting that Germany seems determined to undertake a
positive role in the Cyprus problem within the forthcoming period, Olgun added:
“Of course, this is something that could be done within the framework of the
UN’s good offices mission. The main responsibility belongs to the UN
Secretary-General”.
Olgun alleged that Germany could
contribute to the negotiating process with efforts it could exert for “lifting
the political and economic asymmetry in Cyprus and the embargoes implemented on
the Turkish Cypriots”. “We could say that we share the same opinion from this
point of view”, he argued.
Olgun said that he conveyed to his interlocutor the
Turkish view that the continuation of Turkey’s guarantees is an indispensable
condition for them and alleged that Turkey supports this process, never had a
negative stance and its role has always been an encouraging one. He noted that
the political equality and its reflection in the decision-taking mechanism of
the federation are regarded as extremely important for the Turkish Cypriots.
Furthermore, he said that the “founding states” having their own territory is
also extremely important and constitute indispensable condition for the Turkish
Cypriots.
(I/Ts.)
2. Two UBP “mayors” announce
their support to Ozersay instead of Eroglu
Under the title “A big shock for Eroglu”, Turkish
Cypriot daily Havadis newspaper (17.04.15) reports that two “mayors” elected either with the National Unity Party (UBP) or with
the support of UBP and the Democratic Party – National Forces (DP-UG) have
announced that they support independent candidate Kudret Ozersay in next
Sunday’s “presidential elections” and not Turkish Cypriot leader, Dervis
Eroglu who is openly supported by both the UBP and the DP-UG.
Self-styled mayor of occupied Lapithos
and former general secretary of the UBP, Fuat Namsoy said yesterday that he
supports Ozersay and not Eroglu.
Describing Namsoy’s decision as “surprising”, the paper notes that occupied Lapithos is regarded as UBP’s
“castle” and this step is expected to deal a big blow to Eroglu.
Mehmet Hulusioglu, “mayor” of
occupied Agios Epiktitos, also expressed his support to Ozersay yesterday, noting that he has been in politics for
six years and thinks that young candidates should be supported. Hulusioglu had been
“elected” with the support of UBP and DP.
Namsoy, who is among the “mayors” elected with the
highest vote percentage, was asked by Havadis whether he is not worried that
the UBP will launch a disciplinary procedure against him or throw him out of the
party, because his decision is contrary to the UBP’s one. He replied that he
does not think that the UBP will make such a move, but if it does, he will
defend himself. He noted that he
believes in Ozersay and that he is not alone, but “this is a result of a mass
movement in Lapithos”.
The paper writes that Eroglu is
experiencing a shock because, in spite of UBP’s and DP’s decision to support
him, many active members of these parties have already expressed their support
to other candidates.
The most notable of these names are Mehmet Bayram and Ertugrul Hasipoglu in
occupied Famagusta, Halil Orun in occupied Trikomo, Enver Emin and Olgun
Pasalar in the occupied part of Nicosia and Fuat Namsoy and Mehmet Huslusioglu
in occupied Keryneia. It is noted that from the very first days of the
“election process”, former UBP “deputies” Tansel Doratli, Afer Ozcafer and
Ersoy Ince from Famagusta have expressed their support to independent candidate
Mustafa Akinci.
(I/Ts.)
3. The majority of the
“voters’ in the occupied area of Cyprus are between the ages of 31 and 45
Turkish Cypriot daily Havadis newspaper (17.04.15)
reports that the majority of the persons
who will “vote” during the Sunday’s (19.04.15) “presidential elections” in the
occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus are between the ages of 31 and 45. It has been announced that the total number
of the “voters” in these “elections” is 176.916 and that 54.320 of them are
between the ages of 31 and 45. The
distribution of the number of ‘voters” in the other age-groups is: 38.856
between the ages of 18 and 30, 30.614 between the ages of 46 and 55, 25.205
between the ages 56 and 65 and 27.889 persons are older than 66.
Furthermore, the Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper
(17.04.15) reports that the “high election council” (“YSK”) has announced
yesterday that the voting will begin at 08.00 in the morning and will normally
be completed at 18.00 hours. Until 19.00
hours the transmission or publishing of any results is prohibited. Between
19.00 and 21.00 hours only “YSK” will be allowed to publish results and after
21.00 hours everyone is free to announce results, which could also be found
at www.mahkemeler.net webpage or at illegal “Near East University’s”
(“YDU”) www.umitilhan.com/cum2015/index.asp address.
The total number of the ballot boxes is 693 and more
than 4.000 persons are expected to work during the procedure.
Finally, it is noted that the sale of alcohol in the
occupied area of Cyprus is prohibited on Sunday, because of the “elections”.
(I/Ts.)
4. Eroglu: I will end the
Cyprus issue one way or another
Turkish
Cypriot daily Demokrat Bakis (17.04.15) reports that the Turkish Cypriot leader
Dervis Eroglu and “independent
candidate” for the upcoming “elections” in the occupied area of the Republic of
Cyprus called the “voters” in the
occupied town of Famagusta to authorize him for his “last duty”, because he is
the only “candidate” who will end the Cyprus issue one way or another.
Eroglu
asked the support of the “voters”, adding that he believes that he will win
from the first round. He also reiterated that he is a “candidate”, because the
work at the negotiating table is incomplete, claiming that he is not a
“candidate” for the post but he wants to sit at the negotiating table for the
future or their “country” and to remove the Cyprus problem of being a problem.
He stressed that he has never left a job unfinished in his life and he will not
leave uncompleted work along his political life.
Replying
to criticisms “what will it happen if the Cyprus problem is not solved?”,
Eroglu said: “At the moment, we are under the roof of the TRNC (translator’s
note: the breakaway regime in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus).
While the Cyprus talks are continuing, we are the people of the TRNC, we are
the president of the TRNC. We will strive for a solution. We will endeavour
with our goodwill. It is said that the Greek Cypriot side does not have
goodwill, they are not sincere. Then we will convey this to the world.”
(DPs)
5. Statements by Onurer and
Korkmazhan prior to Sunday’s “elections”
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris Postasi (17.04.15)
reports that Mustafa Onurer, independent
“presidential candidate” for Sunday’s “elections”, in a written statement
addressing the Turkish Cypriots, made a call to vote him and said that their
support to his “candidacy” would mean the protection of their political will.
“It
is in our hands to turn the April 19 elections to a referendum and put forward
our political will to be self-administrated. Let’s protect this will”, Onurer stated.
Replying to the question “How he will handle the issue of the embargoes imposed on north
Cyprus”, Onurer said: “The embargoes policy is a performed policy by the
Turkish Republic to isolate the Turkish Cypriot people and make them feel
desperate. This policy is not implemented only in the sector of the economy; it
is implemented in all fields of people’s social life, in culture, sports and
especially in the football. What is necessary to do in order to end this
‘game’, is to end the ‘war’ that the Turkish Grand National Assembly declared
in 1974 against Cyprus and all the results derived from this”.
Meanwhile, Turkish Cypriot daily Yeni Bakis newspaper
(17.04.15) reports that Abdullah
Korkmazhan, general secretary of the United Cyprus Party (BKP) reiterated
in a written statement his party support to the “presidential candidate”
Mustafa Akinci and accused the Turkish
Cypriot leader and “presidential candidate” Dervis Eroglu for making
propaganda.
Korkmazhan
criticized Eroglu for doing politics by manipulating the Turkish Cypriot’s
political fears and sensitivities. He accused him of creating black propaganda
on the Cyprus problem and stated that he tries to do politics over the Turkish
Cypriot’s political fears. Korkmazhan said that by referring to the
“realities”, Eroglu said to the inhabitants of the occupied Famagusta and
Karpasia that besides Varosha the whole region of the occupied Morfou will be
given to the Greek Cypriots, something which is baseless, as he said.
(AK)
6.So-called minister of health
stated that the final test results for the mad cow disease will become known in
one month
Turkish Cypriot daily Gunes (17.04.15) reports that
the so-called minister of health Ahmet
Gulle replying to reporters’ questions as regards the suspicion for Mad Cow
disease in the occupied area of Cyprus after the death of one of the patients
at Dr Burhan Nalbantoglu hospital, said
that in order to determine whether or not the death was caused by this disease,
they would have to wait for the final results to come in one month.
Gulle
pointed out that the biopsy could not be carried out in Turkey and added that
therefore it would be sent to the UK or the US. He explained that they will have to wait for one month
for the final results to come and called the public not to panic.
(AK)
7. Sener Elcil is
re-elected General Secretary of KTOS
According
to Turkish Cypriot daily Demokrat Bakis (17.04.15), Sener Elcil was re-elected
as General Secretary of the Turkish Cypriot Teachers’ Trade Union (KTOS).
According
to a press release by KTOS, during the 40th ordinary general
assembly of KTOS, the administrative board of the trade union was formed. The
board will serve for two years under this formation:
Chairman:
Semen Saygun
General
Secretary: Sener Elcil
Education
Secretary: Burak Mavis
Organizing
Secretary: Besim Baysal
Treasurer:
Mustafa Baybora
Press
and Publicity Secretary: Ugur Erilen
Human
Rights and Equality Secretary: Munur Terali
Social
and Cultural Affairs Secretary: Tanju Ungor
(DPs)
8. Cyprus
on Cavusoglu’s agenda on his visit to the US
Ankara Ministry of Foreign Affairs (16.04.15)
published a press release regarding the visit of Turkish Foreign Minister
Mevlut Cavusoglu to the USA. According to the statement, Cyprus will be on the
agenda of the talks Cavusoglu will hold in Washington. The release is as
follows:
“Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu will pay a working
visit to Washington on 18-21 April 2015 upon the invitation of the Secretary of
State John Kerry, to have official talks on current bilateral, regional and
global issues. Within the scope of his visit, Minister Cavusoglu will meet with
his counterparts in the U.S. Administration, get together with senior members
of the Congress and address the “Carnegie Endowment for International Peace”.
[…] In his comprehensive meetings,
Minister Cavusoglu is expected to discuss with his counterparts the developments in the region, notably
Ukraine, Libya and Yemen along with all aspects of our cooperation on fight
against ISIS, Syria, Iraq and also the
critical issues such as Cyprus, 1915 events, the fight against terrorism and
energy security.”
9. Turkish
commentary supports that AKP foreign policy in Cyprus is successful
Turkish Hurriyet Daily News (16.04.15) published an
article by Barcin Yinanc under the title “AKP's legacy on foreign policy”. The
article referring to the foreign policy by the ruling Justice and Development
Party on Cyprus, writes the following:
“One of the
most positive highlights of that legacy: Being two steps ahead on AKP Foreign
Policy legacy is Cyprus: A genuinely pro-solution attitude ended Turkey's image
as the one dragging its feet on a permanent settlement. Turkey gained the moral
upper hand on the Cyprus issue, which it enjoys to this day”.
10. Poll
shows that AKP has fallen below 40%
Turkish daily Today’s Zaman newspaper (17.04.15)
reports that a public survey conducted by the Gezici Research and Polling
Company has revealed that the majority of the public thinks that the Justice
and Development Party (AK Party) has not been successful at resolving national
issues and ruling the country, and support for the party has fallen below 40 %.
The survey was conducted between April 9 and 12 across
36 provinces in the country with the Participation of 4,860 respondents in the
form of face-to-face interviews.
When asked which party they would vote for in the
general elections of June 7, 39.2 % of
respondents said they would vote for the AK Party. These figures mean a
significant loss of votes for the party, which received around 50 % of the
national vote in the general elections of 2011.
Support for the
main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) is at 28.1 % according to the
poll, while it shows that the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) getting 16.9 %
of the national vote, figures which are higher than the support for both Parties
in the general elections of 2011.
The
pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) passes the 10 % election threshold,
according to the poll's findings, and receives 11.3 % of the vote, while the
Felicity Party (SP) and the Grand Unity Party (BBP), which have made an
election alliance, fail to do so, receiving only 4.1 % of the vote.
When asked about their views on whether they think the
AK Party government has been successful at resolving national issues and ruling
the country, 70.9 % responded negatively, while only 20 % said they find the
party successful. In response to a similar question asking whether they believe
the AK Party government has made any mistakes, 73.7 %, which includes 68 % of
the AK Party supporters, said they think the AK Party has made mistakes. Yet
26.3 % of the respondents said the party did not make any mistakes.
In response to another question about what they think
regarding the course of the country, 68.4
% said the country is on the wrong path, while the 31.6 % said it is on the
right path.
In
the survey, the respondents were also asked whether they approve of a switch to
a presidential system from the current parliamentary system. Only 20.2 % said
they support a switch, while 79.8 % said they are against it.
11. “Elections
are too important for Erdogan to be left to Davutoglu”
Under the above title, columnist Murat Yetkin writes
the following commentary in Hurriyet Daily News (17.04.15):
“Under normal circumstances, Prime Minister Ahmet
Davutoglu’s target in the Turkish parliamentary elections on June 7 was
expected to be to keep the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in power.
In order to achieve that, a simple majority (276 seats) is enough in the
550-seat parliament.
But
Davutoglu has been commissioned with another mission and another target by
President Tayyip Erdogan since the presidential elections last August when he
was handpicked by Erdogan to succeed as chair of the party through a congress,
in which no other candidates dared to step up, and then as Prime Minister
thanks to the party’s majority in the parliament. That mission was a two-thirds
parliamentary majority (367 seats) to vote in a new constitution based on a
strong presidency with lesser checks and balances (limited to a single-chamber
parliament, no strict separation of powers) or at least three-fifths (330
seats), enough to take such a super-presidency to a referendum.
Davutoglu had no problem with the concept of a
presidential system, instead of a distorted parliamentary one in Turkey. But
especially after Erdogan made it clear that there was no place for a Prime
Minister in the presidential system in his mind, Davutoglu resisted for a few
months and did not give open support in public for such a model. Davutoglu’s
resistance was broken a few days before the candidate lists were announced on
April 7. A vow for a strong presidential system had its place in the election
declaration of the AK Party, as read out by Davutoglu on April 15.
The
theme of the AK Party for this election is to present a strong presidential
system to their founding leader, Erdogan. Abdulkadir Selvi, a columnist for pro-government Yeni
Safak, wrote on April 16 that Davutoglu got the best response, applause and
cheers from AKP in announcing the election declaration when he mentioned Erdogan’s
name; it is still Erdogan who matters for the average AK Party follower. Erdogan, in a way, is asking people to vote
for his super-presidency, reducing the importance of forming a new parliament
and a new government to a tool of leverage for his own target.
The
situation is so unconventional that if Davutoglu wins the elections, that is,
if he gets a clear majority to form another AK Party government with more than
276 seats but unable to achieve 330, he will not be able to make Erdogan happy.
If it doesn’t pave
the way for Erdogan’s super-presidency, Davutoglu’s victory could mean a defeat
for Erdogan. Despite Davutoglu’s ambitious election target of getting more than
55 %, Erdogan and Davutoglu both know that under the current estimates for vote
distribution, 55 % would only be possible with a miracle. And especially if the
Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), which is focused on the Kurdish problem, is
able to exceed the unfair 10 % threshold and get into parliament, it might be
practically impossible for the AK Party to take a new constitution to a
referendum alone.
The question here is whether Erdogan can leave it to
chance and bow to the election results if people say that they do not want a super-President,
even if there would be another AK Party government […].”
12. Poll: Economy most
important problem for the Turks
According
to Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (online, 17.04.15), economic issues rank as the most important problem for half of the
Turks, according to a survey made public on April 16.
A
total of 33.1% of those polled said unemployment ranks as Turkey’s most
important problem. “This is the highest percentage I have seen for long time,”
said Ali Carkoglu, who has been conducting similar surveys for the past two
decades.
For
10.7% of those polled, the most important problem was poverty, while 8.2% said
it was economic instability.
When
the three inputs are combined, the outcome shows that half of the Turks believe
that economic field is the most important problem in Turkey, said Carkoglu of
Koc University, who conducted the survey together with Ersin Kalaycioglu of
Sabanci University and Eric Nisbet of Ohio University.
Some
10.4% ranked terrorism and national security, while 6.4% ranked the Kurdish
problem as the most important problem in Turkey.
Surprisingly, only 3.2%
ranked the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Turkey’s foreign policy
and Syria as the country’s most important problem. In
contrast, some 34.9% said the issue was the most important one currently facing
the world.
The
issue will remain the world’s most important issue in the future as well,
according to the results.
Strikingly,
environmental issues, such as water shortages and energy, rank last in terms of
importance at present, with only 0.3% saying it was Turkey’s biggest problem at
the moment. A slightly larger number of respondents, 6.3%, said it would be the
most important problem of Turkey in the future, while 17.2% said it would
become the most serious problem in the world in the future if the necessary
measures are not taken. The results
reflect an awareness of environmental issues, albeit merely for the future,
according to Carkoglu.
Of the 2,356 persons who
were interviewed face to face, none mentioned the “headscarf issue” as an
important problem for Turkey – something that was not the case in earlier
surveys, according to Carkoglu.
Satisfaction
about the quality of the media, as well as censorship in the press, depends
largely according to party affiliations, the survey revealed. Some 37.4% of Justice and Development Party
(AKP) supporters said they were satisfied by the quality of news outlets, but
this figure dropped to 13.1% for supporters of other parties. Similarly, the
tendency to say there is censorship in the media is lower for AKP supporters
compared to supporters of other political parties.
Again
there is a significant difference in the level of discontent on censorship in
the media between AKP supporters and the rest, but even among AKP supporters,
there is a significant amount which is also dissatisfied with censorship in the
media, according to Carkoglu.
On
the question of restrictions that have been brought by the government on the
Internet and censorship, only 4.90% of AKP supporters said they were
categorically against limitations, while 40% of opposition Republican People’s
Party (CHP) replied that there were categorically against online censorship.
The same ratio was 27.50% for the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and 30.20%
for the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP). Meanwhile, 52.70% of CHP supporters
said they definitely disapproved of bans on YouTube, while just 10.20% of AKP
supporters said they definitely disapproved of such prohibitions. This ratio
was 29.10% for the MHP and 38.30% for the HDP.
Some
13.80% of AKP supporters said they definitely approve of bans on Twitter,
versus 4.40% for the CHP, 2.90% for the MHP and 2.80% for HDP. Those who said
they definitely disapproved of the prohibition were 9.70% for the AKP, 56.40%
for the CHP, 31.40% for the MHP and 37.40% for the HDP.
(DPs)
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TURKISH
AFFAIRS SECTION
(CS/ AM)
