TURKISH
CYPRIOT AND TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW
C
O N T E N T S
No. 104/15 06-08.06.2015
1. AKP finishes first in fourth consecutive elections but
loses majority
2. Statements by Erdogan and political party leaders on
the elections’ results
3. Columnists evaluate the results of the general
elections in Turkey and see the end of Erdogan’s dominant in Turkish politics.
4. How the Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Press covered the
results of Turkey’s general elections
5. Turkish lira near record low after AKP fails to win
majority
6. Akinci: Our journey will continue until a lasting
solution
7. Akinci’s interview to AP: Cyprus’ financial crisis and
the discovery of natural gas are the two “triggers” for the Cyprus settlement
8. “Green Peace Movement” says that the water from Turkey
will be polluted
9. The 39th “TRNC international fair” opened in the
occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus
10. Sertoglu stated that Blatter’s resignation from FIFA
will not affect the process for the unification of football in Cyprus
11. UBP voted in favor of charter changes
12. The illegal YDU hospital signed an “international
cooperation agreement” with 15 Russian speaking countries
13. Borat re-elected as chairman of TMT
1. AKP
finishes first in fourth consecutive elections but loses majority
According to Ankara Anatolia news agency
(08.06.15), the ruling Justice and
Development Party (AKP) has claimed 258 seats in Turkey's 25th parliamentary
elections Sunday, 18 shy of a simple majority, according to unofficial results.
With 100% of the ballots counted, according
to Anadolu Agency's "secim.aa.com.tr" website's latest figures, the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party
(HDP) passed the 10% threshold with 13.11% of the vote to take 80 seats - the
first time it has entered parliament as a party.
The
Republican People's Party (CHP) claimed 132 seats, and the Nationalist Movement
Party (MHP) of the votes 80 in the Grand National Assembly.
The turnout
was 86.63%.
Turkey's AKP won its fourth consecutive general election but could not reach
to necessary majority (276 seats) need to form a government. The party, which
came to power in 2002 before winning elections in 2007 and 2011, secured 40.81% of the vote.
Second
place CHP had 25.01% while the MHP received 16.36% of the vote.
Some 47,466,298 voters went to the polls
and 46,135,571 of the votes were valid.
Moreover, the AKP had 49.90%, the HDP
20.42%, the CHP 17.02% and the MHP 9.24% of votes of citizens living abroad,
according to the unofficial results.
A total of 174,240 polling stations were
open and nearly a million Turks living abroad cast their ballots at 122
embassies and consulates, ballot stations at 33 airports and border crossings.
Turkey's 25th parliamentary election on
Sunday may have produced no majority government, but the parliament is already
in the books with the highest number of women Deputies in Turkish history.
The
unofficial results show a total of 95 women parliamentarians securing seats in
the Turkish Grand National Assembly.
The figure marks a notable rise against the
background of the 2011 parliamentary election, when the Grand Assembly saw 79
women lawmakers.
AK Party
sent 40 women members into parliament while HDP has 30, the CHP 21 and the MHP
4.
2. Statements
by Erdogan and political party leaders on the elections’ results
According to Turkish daily Sabah (online,
08.06.15), Turkey's President Erdogan made his first remarks regarding the
results of June 7 parliamentary elections on Monday, stating that the nation's
will is above everything else.
Erdogan
noted that the high turnout rate signified the Turkish people's determination
in democracy, and congratulated all election bodies and security forces for
their conduct and handling of the elections.
"I believe that the current situation
does not enable any party to form a majority government, and this will be
evaluated in a sound and realistic manner by all parties which took part in the
election race" Erdogan said.
The Turkish
President pointed that responsible actions of the parties play an important
role to protect Turkey's stability and democratic gains.
Turkish daily Sabah (online, 08.06.15),
under the title “PM Davutoglu says election outcome again shows AK Party is
'backbone' of Turkey”, reports that Turkish
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said during the ceremonial balcony speech in the
nation's capital that the election outcome has again shown that the AK Party is
'backbone' of the nation, adding that every measure will be taken to prevent
damage to Turkey's stability after the results.
Turkey's Justice and Development (AK) Party
won its fourth consecutive general election Sunday but failed to gain the
majority needed to form a government.
President Erdogan is expected to ask the AK
Party, as the party that received the highest number of votes, to form a
coalition government within 45 days. The government will then submit its
program to the Assembly within a week, where it will be subject to a vote of
confidence. If Parliament does not support the new government, the President
can call for a fresh election.
The paper also reports that Turkey's main opposition CHP Chairman Kemal
Kilicdaroglu stated that he is content with the election results and there is
no need for him to resign, as his party has received 25.23% of the votes in the
elections, slightly lower than the 25.98% of 2011 elections.
Despite having a slight loss in percentage,
the party's votes have increased around 230,000.
Answering
whether CHP will participate in a coalition government with the AK Party, CHP
Spokesperson HalukKoc said there is no possibility that CHP will be a part of a
coalition government. The statement came right after pro-Kurdish HDP also ruled
out a coalition with the AK Party.
Analysts see the nationalist MHP as the most
likely coalition partner for the AK Party in the new parliament.
Turkey's nationalist MHP wants early
election if coalition efforts fail.
On the same issue, Turkey should hold an early election if the ruling AK Party is unable
to agree a coalition with the parliament's two other opposition parties, the
leader of Turkey's opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Devlet Bahceli
said on Monday.
“The first possibility for a coalition
should be between the AKP and (pro-Kurdish) HDP. The second model can consist
of AKP, (main opposition) CHP and HDP", Bahceli said. "If all these scenarios fail, then early
elections must be held".
Earlier today, MHP deputy leader OktayVural
said: "It would be wrong for me to make an assessment about a coalition,
our party will assess that in the coming period. “I think the AK Party will be
making its own new evaluations after this outcome", Vural added.
Moreover, Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News
(online, 08.06.15) reports that Peoples’
Democratic Party (HDP) co-chair Selahattin Demirtas has said that the debate on
the presidency has come to an end with his party passing the 10% election
threshold, vowing not to allow President Erdogan attain the new presidential
system that he has been advocating.
“As of this moment, the debate on the
presidency, the debate about dictatorship, has come to an end in Turkey. Turkey
has returned from the edge of a cliff,” Demirtas said late on June 7 at the
HDP’s provincial building in Istanbul, together with the party’s co-chair
FigenYuksekdag.
He stated
that they would not form a coalition government with the AKP, as they had
promised throughout the campaign. “We will not form a coalition with
the AKP, we stand behind our words. We will be in parliament as a strong
opposition,” Demirtas vowed.
The HDP co-chair also said that the results
were a victory of “all the oppressed people,” no matter what their ethnic,
religious or economic origins are.
“Those who have sided with freedom,
democracy and peace have won in this election. Those who have sided with
oppression, authoritarianism, arrogance, and who see themselves as the only
owners of Turkey, have lost,” Demirtas said.
He emphasized that the HDP had become a
“party of Turkey” during this campaign.
Meanwhile, speaking at the same press meeting
in Istanbul, fellow HDP co-chair
FigenYuksekdag said that Turkey had moved beyond the politics of polarization.
“The outdated policymaking of the past 12 years have not only damaged Turkish
politics, but also the Turkish society”, Yuksekdag said.
3. Columnists
evaluate the results of the general elections in Turkey and see the end of
Erdogan’s dominant in Turkish politics.
Under the title “Coalition or minority
gov’t: What’s next in Turkish politics?” columnist Serkan Demirtas, writing in
Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (online, 08.06.15), reports that the long-anticipated parliamentary elections have resulted in a
not-so-surprising way as the fatigued Justice and Development Party (AKP) lost
its majority in parliament. Although still the first party with around 41%
of the vote, 10 less than the 2011 polls, the AKP will have around 260 seats,
16 short of forming a single-party government. Thus it marks the end of a long era in which the AKP enjoyed ruling the
country on its own between 2002 and 2015.
However, the election results lead to so
many questions as to how the political picture will evolve afterwards. Given
the fact that the election results have dealt a heavy blow to the AKP and to
President RecepTayyip Erdogan, it’s no doubt that an in-house questioning
process on the reasons for the defeat will be launched at the ruling party.
Another area of uncertainty is the
composition of the next government. In line with Turkish laws and custom,
President Erdogan has to invite AKP chair Ahmet Davutoglu to the presidential
palace to give him the mandate to form the government. The next government has
to be formed within 45 days after the mandate is given and in the event of a
failure, the Supreme Election Board (YSK) will announce early elections in two
months.
Therefore,
a very critical period of 45 days will await us in which the ruling party has
to conduct tough negotiations with a potential partner. Among the three
oppositional parties, the AKP’s likely partner seems to be the Nationalist
Movement Party (MHP). Both the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the
pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) have already declared that they
won’t enter any partnership with the AKP in the government.
In this regard, Davutoglu could launch a
negotiation process with MHP leader Devlet Bahceli, but a coalition protocol
will not be easy given the latter’s strong opposition to Erdogan’s
interventions in governmental affairs. For
example, it would be a huge concession on Bahceli’s part if he agrees to go to
the grandiose presidential palace to attend a cabinet meeting under Erdoğan’s
leadership.
One option
is that the MHP could support a minority government to be formed by the AKP on
strict conditions and with the prospect of taking the country to early
polls.
One very
important risk the AKP and Erdogan could face is the possibility that a large
coalition between the CHP, MHP and HDP could be formed on certain conditions
and with the purpose of undermining Erdogan’s position. This
large coalition would later take the country to polls with, for example, a
reduced election threshold and other legal amendments for the further
normalization of the country.
That’s why early polls under the AKP
government would be seen as a better option for Davutoglu and Erdogan.
Having mentioned all of these aspects, one
still needs to see the next steps for Erdogan, who has already proven that he
won’t be a usual head of the nation. In full disappointment at the results of
the election, in whose campaign he was personally involved in election rallies
at the expense of violating the constitution, Erdogan’s road map is still
unknown.
At the end
of the day, it will be Erdogan who will decide whether to begin an era of
political chaos and instability or to aid the normalization of Turkish politics
by abandoning his political ambitions and leaving those democratically elected
political leaders free in their will to form the next government.
On the same issue, columnist Murat Yetkin
under the title “The end of Erdogan’s rise in Turkey” in Turkish daily Hurriyet
Daily News (online, 08.06.15), writes that there are two other main outcomes of
the AKP’s vote share dropping from 50% in the 2011 election to 41% yesterday:
1- Turkish
President Tayyip Erdogan can bid farewell to his target of a new constitution
based on a strong presidential model with weaker checks and balances. Despite
his ambitious campaign parallel to Davutoglu’s during the election, putting his
credibility on the line, Turkish voters have clearly rejected that plan. The
drop in the AK Parti’s votes is a defeat for Erdogan’s desire to shift the
regime from a parliamentary to a presidential one. It is possible to conclude
that Turkish voters opted for the continuation of the parliamentary system.
2- The
Kurdish problem-focused Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) surpassed the unfair
10% threshold by 3% and got into parliament with a strong presence.The HDP
managed to do this by transforming itself from an exclusively pro-Kurdish party
into a party in favour of rights and freedoms for all in Turkey and gaining
support from Turkish leftists and liberals by promising that if it gets into
parliament it would not bargain with the AKP over Erdogan’s presidency. The result
will give the HDP a stronger hand in the Kurdish peace process talks, if those
talks continue.
It is still not clear what will happen
next, but a three-party coalition between the opposition parties - the social
democratic Republican People’s Party (CHP), the Nationalist Movement Party
(MHP), and the HDP - is not very likely, as all three have previously denied
the possibility.
A coalition of the AK Parti with any of the
other parties could be possible; on the condition that Erdogan’s presidential
system is excluded. Also, a minority AKP government could be on the cards, with
opposition deputies giving a vote of confidence to such a government in order
to weaken it further.
It is also possible to speculate whether
Erdogan and the AKP have been victims of their own ambition when keeping the
10% threshold, a remnant of the military regime after 1980, in the name of
“political stability”. If they had reduced
it to 5 or even 7%, yes they would again lose the chance for Erdogan’s
presidential system, but they could have kept their parliamentary majority.
Because of the complicated calculation system that the 10% threshold brings
with it, the AKP has lost its parliamentary majority. Because it insisted on an
unfair system in pursuit of grander ambitions, the AKP lost its majority
despite winning 42% of the votes. In contrast, back in 2002 it was able to win
a big majority with only 34% of the votes.
Some may
come to see this result as the curse of the 10% threshold, but whatever is the
case June 7 clearly marked the end of Erdogan’s rise in Turkish politics.
4. How
the Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Press covered the results of Turkey’s general
elections
The Turkish Cypriot press gives extensive
coverage today (08.06.15) to the results of the general elections held
yesterday in Turkey.
Daily Kibris
newspaper refers to the issue under the banner front page title “Coalition period in Turkey” and
reports that the Justice and Development Party (AKP), which has been ruling
Turkey alone for the past 13 years, came first in the elections, but it could
not achieve the number of 276 Deputies needed for establishing a government
alone. The paper notes that it is the
first time after three general elections that the AKP cannot establish a
government alone.
Under the banner front page title “Stop to the dictator”, daily Afrika reports that Turkey “turned back
from the verge of a disaster” and that the
Peoples’ Democracy Party (HDP) passed the threshold and “put an end to the
13-year long monopoly of AKP’s rule”. According to the paper, a coalition or an early election are the choices seen on the horizon.
It also notes that “the attention now is on the Nationalist Action Party (MHP)
and that the results were “the beginning
of the end” for President Erdogan.
Daily Havadis
covers the issue under the banner front page title “Earthquake in Turkey” and publishes statements made by the leaders
of the main political parties after the results were known.
Daily YeniDuzen
uses the title “’Peace’ came out from
the ballot” and notes that the “one
man’s rule lost”. The paper reports that the people did not approve President Erdogan’s demand for changing the
regime to a presidential system. Describing as “very important” HDP’s
passing the threshold in the elections, the paper writes that after the
elections all parties announced that they have achieved a victory. According to
YeniDuzen, the distribution of votes for
the Turkish elections in the occupied area of Cyprus was the following: AKP
38.06%, Republican People’s Party (CHP) 26.10%, HDP 19.13%, MHP 13.62% and
others 3.09%.
Under the banner front-page title “Big shock for the AKP”, daily HalkinSesi reports that the AKP
“suffered a huge hemorrhage” as its percentages decreased from 49.95% in 2011
to 40.70% in 2015.
Daily Bakis
refers to the results under the title “AK
Party became first for the fourth time”, while Volkan uses the title “Towards a coalition government”. Vatan, on the other hand, notes that Turkey’s new agenda is “what kind of
coalition” will be established.
Ortam refers to the issue under the title “Coalition period”, while Kibris Postasi notes that coalition
will be established after 13 years. YeniBakis,
on the other hand, writes that “the 13
year-long hegemony ended”.
Daily Gunes
covers the issue under the title “Turkey
was locked up in the elections”, while Diyalog
refers to “three different scenarios”
after the elections. These are: 1) Coalition between AKP and MHP, 2) Coalition
between CHP, MHP and HDP and 3) Early elections.
Daily Detay
reports that “Turkey made its choice, the
presidential system [is left] for another time”.
Meanwhile, All Turkish dailies cover in
their front-pages the results of the Turkish parliamentary elections held
yesterday in Turkey. Following are the titles:
-Sabah:
“Ballot boxes with no party coming into power”. The
paper publishes the results of the elections and writes that in spite of the
fact that the AKP has lost votes, it is again the first party, while the HDP
has achieved to pass the threshold.
-Hurriyet:
“Three possibilities!”. The paper reports that after
the election results in Turkey, no party has won the majority of the votes in
order to be able to establish a single-party government and thus three
scenarios are on discussions. The first one is the establishment of a coalition
government with CHP, MHP or HDP and the AKP to be in the leadership. The second
scenario, is the establishment of a minority government with the precondition
that early elections will follow within a period of a specific time and the
third scenario is the President to ask for the elections to be repeated in case
that it will not be possible to establish a “Council of Ministers” within the
timetable of the 45 days as the Constitution envisages.
-Milliyet: “The first change after 13 years for the AKP”
Zaman: “The nation said enough to the authoritarianism and the prodigality of
the presidential palace”
Cumhuriyet:
“New political map in Turkey. Who was elected and who hasn’t?”
(I/Ts.-AK)
5. Turkish
lira near record low after AKP fails to win majority
According to Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily
News (online, 08.06.15), the Turkish lira traded near a record low on June 8 as
nervous investors reacted to the prospects of a minority or coalition
government after the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) failed to win a
majority in a parliamentary election.
The lira,
already one of the worst performing emerging market currencies this year, hit a
record low in out-of-hours trade on June 7, after results showed the AKP had
taken just short of 41% of the vote.
The result is likely to leave AKP
struggling to form a stable government for the first time since it came to
power more than a decade ago.
“This is definitely the most uncertain of
outcomes. It does open up the prospect of an early election and potentially
there will be more friction in the AKP,” said ManikNarain, an emerging market
strategist at UBS.
While investors were hoping for an outcome
that ensured stability, most hoped there would be no landslide for the AKP,
because it could have led to a constitutional change and handed more power to
President RecepTayyip Erdogan, increasingly seen by critics as an authoritarian
figure.
Some analysts said that the June 7 setback
could inflame Erdogan’s authoritarian tendencies.
By 0454
GMT, the lira stood at 2.7770 to the dollar, tumbling from 2.6615 on June 5,
but off a low of 2.799 that was hit in thin overnight trading when it was
almost 5% down.
6. Akinci:
Our journey will continue until a lasting solution
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper
(08.06.15) reports that the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mustafa Akinci has said that during their visit to New York they
had reiterated Turkish Cypriot
“people’s” commitment to an “egalitarian solution”, adding that “as of tomorrow
our journey towards the solution, just peace and lasting solution will
continue”.
In statements at the illegal Tymbou airport
after returning from New York, Akinci argued that their wish is to enter into a
new period which will include the security of the sides and the respect of
their political equality, a period in which everybody will live in peace and
tranquility, the new generations will be saved from the uncertainty and the
Turkish Cypriot “people” will become a part of the international community.
Akinci said that during the meeting with the UN Secretary-General
they have expressed their commitment to the joint declaration of 11 February
2014 and their readiness to contribute in the process. He noted that they
have reached the conclusion that Ban was very influenced from the positive
climate after the “elections” in the occupied area of the island and observed
that he supports the solution so that the existing window of opportunity not to
be lost.
Akinci said
that during their stay in New York, the Turkish Cypriot negotiator OzdilNami
held “useful contacts” with deputies of the Representatives of the five
permanent members of the UN Security Council. He noted
that the negotiators will be meeting today and the leaders on 17 June.
Noting that the leaders will watch tonight
a theatrical play at Rialto Theater in Limassol, he said that their aim is to
give a positive message to the community and that this kind of cultural activities will be reiterated within the next few
days in the occupied area of the island.
Meanwhile, in statements to Turkish Cypriot
daily HalkinSesi’s (07.06.15) correspondent in New York, Akinci argued that if the Turkish Cypriots are strong, this will be the
“assurance of the solution”, adding that “no federation can survive if one of
its parts is strong and the other is weak”.
“Therefore, steps should be taken on this issue as of today and the
Turkish Cypriots should be assisted in coming to that level”, he claimed.
Akinci noted that a solution in Cyprus will
create “very serious developments in the economy of both sides on the island”
and added that “this reality” has started to be better seen in the Greek
Cypriot side now.
Responding to a question regarding Foreign
Minister Kasoulides’ statement that the issue of the territory will be
discussed in the meeting of the leaders on 17 June, Akinci said: “We have not come yet to the point of
discussing the details on the territory. There are points of convergence in
the process from the past until today. These issues are in a process”.
(I/Ts.)
7. Akinci’s
interview to AP: Cyprus’ financial crisis and the discovery of natural gas are
the two “triggers” for the Cyprus settlement
According to illegal Bayrak television (online,
06.06.15), Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci said that he is optimistic
that an agreement can be reached, possibly within months, to end the
41-year-old conflict that divided the Mediterranean island.
Akinci said that a key lesson from the last
attempt to reach a peace deal in 2004 is the critical need for political
leadership on both sides to convince the Turkish Cypriots and the Greek
Cypriots that it’s time to reunite the country — and that failure to do so
could have serious consequences.
“Time is not on the side of a settlement”,
Akinci warned in an interview with the Associated Press (AP) on Friday.
“With the passage of time collective memory
is getting lost, and unfortunately younger generations are becoming more
alienated from each other”, he said.
If Cyprus isn’t reunified now, Akinci said
that he is very afraid that succeeding generations “will be seeking a different
kind of solution which will be more along the lines of division”.
Akinci, who has a strong track record of
reaching out to rival Greek Cypriots, said that his motivation in pursuing a
peace deal is to end decades of “isolation” for some 300,000 Turkish Cypriots
and ensure that they become “equal partners” in the international community.
The recently elected Turkish Cypriot leader
said that he and Greek Cypriot leader NicosAnastasiades have met several times
and had “a good beginning,” which is important. “We need to continue in this
manner and, more importantly, we need to finalize in this manner. We haven’t
discussed the main issues yet. We started with certain confidence-building
measures”, Akinci added.
Akinci
cited two “triggers” for a solution that weren’t there in 2004 when the two
sides voted on a peace plan backed by Kofi Annan, then the
U.N. Secretary-General.
Noting that the first trigger is Cyprus’ financial crisis, Akinci said that
what perhaps is changing on the Greek Cypriot side is the realization that
joining the EU didn’t solve Cyprus’ financial problems. It also didn’t enable
them to dictate or impose a solution to the conflict with the Turkish Cypriots,
he added.
The second
trigger, Akinci said, is the discovery of natural gas in the eastern
Mediterranean off Cyprus. This has led to the realization in some
quarters, he said, that rather than having the natural gas be a source of
tension between the two communities and with Turkey, it would be wiser to solve
the Cyprus problem and make the gas “an asset for a solution”.
Akinci said that he believes the majority
of the Turkish Cypriots support an end to the conflict.
The
parameters of a deal are well known, he said. “We’re talking about a bi-zonal,
bi-communal federation. We are talking about a two-constituent states that will
have powers for themselves and a central government.”
8.“Green Peace Movement” says that the water from Turkey will
be polluted
Turkish
Cypriot daily Afrika newspaper (07.06.15) reports that DoganSahir, the chairman
of the “Green Peace Movement” in the occupied area of Cyprus, stated that the
water that will be transferred from Turkey will be polluted.
According
to Sahir, the dam that will collect the water to be carried to the breakaway
regime is just near the Akkuyu Nuclear station; therefore, nuclear leakage will
be carried to the island via the water. Sahir went on and added that Cyprus is
negatively affected from every way someone sees it when it comes to Akkuyu
Nuclear station. “Soon enough we will take a bath and we will water our
vegetables and fruits with nuclear waste”, he argued.
(CS)
9. The
39th “TRNC international fair” opened in the occupied area of the
Republic of Cyprus
According to illegal Bayrak television
(online, 06.06.15), the “39 TRNC international fair” opened on Friday night
with a ceremony.
The fair is giving room to 107 local companies
and 30 companies from Turkey. In total 137 firms are displaying their products
for locals to see.
In an opening speech, the self-styled
deputy prime minister, economy, tourism, culture and sports minister
MentesGunduz praised industrialists for their efforts despite the harsh
conditions in the “country” they are still managing to keep afloat. He also
said that “the ministry is continuing to work to improve the exporting
conditions of the industrialists.”
Meanwhile a delegation from Turkey’s
Economy Ministry headed by the acting Exporting Director OzgurVolkanagar also
attended the opening ceremony. Speaking on behalf of the delegation, Volkanagar
referred to the unjust reportedly embargoes imposed against the “north of the
island” and said that Turkey has used every means available in order for the
“TRNC” (editor’s note: the breakaway regime in the occupied area of the
Republic of Cyprus) be integrated into the world economy.
Self-styled prime
ministerOzkanYorgancioglu, for his part, reminded that the industrialists in
the country are working under harsh conditions and claimed that due to the
country being so small and the “embargoes” enforced against the north efforts
are needed to be made to overcome these difficult conditions.
Yorgancioglu further said that the
industrialists need to be prepared in case a solution is found to the Cyprus
problem.
Finally, the self-styled acting president
SibelSiber, during her speech, expressed the belief that the fair will continue
to develop with every passing year and drew attention to the advancements in
technology and pointed to the importance of being able to compete in all
sectors.
The fair will be open until 14 of June.
10.Sertoglu
stated that Blatter’s resignation from FIFA will not affect the process for the
unification of football in Cyprus
Turkish daily YeniDuzen newspaper
(07.08.15) reported on statements by the “chairman” of the “Cyprus Turkish
Football Federation” (KTFF) Hasan Sertoglu who has stated that the resignation
of SeppBlatter from the leadership of FIFA will not affect the process for the
unification of football in Cyprus.
Replying to the paper’s questions,
Sertoglu said that the process and the meetings which are taking place in the
framework of the efforts for the unification of Cyprus’ football, have nothing
to do with the persons and added that no matter who will be elected in the
leadership of FIFA, the process will continue.
(AK)
11.UBP voted in favour of charter changes
Turkish
Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (07.06.15) reports that the National Unity Party
(UBP) has voted in favor of changes that were made in the party's charter
during the UBP’s congress which was held on Saturday, 6 June.
Speaking
during the congress, UBP chairman Huseyin Ozgurgun stated that among the
changes voted is the right of women and
young people to be "strongly represented" in the party organs and to
be given equal representation as
"deputies" and "mayors". In addition, the term of duty of
the "deputies" is limited to three terms or 15 years and the term of
the party officials, including the president, to five terms or 10 years. The
slogan of the congress was “New charter, new vision, new era”.
Ozgurgun
also said that if the party will not receive the most votes in the
“parliamentary elections,” he will resign.
(CS)
12.The
illegal YDU hospital signed an “international cooperation agreement” with 15
Russian speaking countries
Turkish Cypriot daily Star Kibris
newspaper (08.06.15) reports that the
illegal YDU hospital “Near East University hospital” has signed an
international cooperation agreement in the field of health tourism with 15
Russian speaking countries.
Among
the countries are Russia, Ukraine, Moldavia, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan,
Kirgizstan, Uzbekistan and others.
According to a statement issued by the
“press and foreign relations department of the YDU”, the “international
cooperation agreement” was signed between the “YDU authorities” and the
delegations of the 15 countries which visited the “TRNC” to attend the “7th
International Health Tourism forum”.
Speaking
on the issue, the member of the “administration board” of the illegal YDU
AhmetSavasan said that the Russian market has a big potential for “TRNC’s
health tourism”. He added that “north Cyprus” with its geographical position,
its history, its special touristic places and the YDU University can constitute
an alternative health tourism destination for Russian speaking countries.
According to Savasan, the signed agreement envisages amongst
others that more patients from Russian speaking countries will be sent in the
“TRNC” for treatment.
(AK)
13. Borat re-elected as chairman of TMT
Turkish
Cypriot daily Vatan newspaper (06.06.15) reports that Yilmaz Borat was
re-elected as chairman of the Turkish Resistance Organization (TMT)
[Translator's note: A Turkish Cypriot underground organization established in
the 1950's].
In addition
Celal Bayar was also elected as deputy chairman of TMT.
(CS)
---------------------------------------------------
TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION
(DPs/
AM)
