TURKISH
CYPRIOT AND TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW
C
O N T E N T S
No.
158/15 21.08.2015
1. Burcu: Holding a five-party conference on the
guarantees in New York is difficult for the time being, but not impossible
2. Sennaroglu: “The water will reach TRNC on October 28”
3. Sertoglu: The discussions with the CFA (KOP) will be
speeded up
4. KIB-TEK chairman and TDP leader criticized Yildiz’s
recent statement on the electricity issue
5. Forty persons were arrested yesterday after a bloody
fight in occupied Famagusta
6. ERA Turkey, a real estate company, obtained the
authority to open offices in the whole of Cyprus
7. Davutoglu’s efforts to form a caretaker government
8. CHP: One man’s ego dragging Turkey to re-election
9. Turkey's National Security Council to convene
September 2
10. TAVAK research foundation: High hopes for Turkey's
full EU bid
1. Burcu:
Holding a five-party conference on the guarantees in New York is difficult for
the time being, but not impossible
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper
(21.08.15) reports that BarisBurcu,
spokesman of the Turkish Cypriot leader, has
said that in case the expected progress is made in the Cyprus problem until the
contacts which Mustafa Akinci will hold in New York in the end of September
within the framework of the 70th Session of the UN General Assembly,
a five-party conference on the issue of
guarantees with the participation of the guarantor powers (Turkey, Greece and
the UK) might take place in New York.
In statements to Kibris, Burcu noted that
Akinci will most probably visit New York and added: “It was our target and hope to come to a stage in the negotiations
process at which a five-party summit could be held during this visit. Even
though this hope and target of ours are difficult, we are reserving them. The developments during the forthcoming one
month process and the distance to be covered will show whether this is
possible. Now it seems difficult, but it is not impossible”.
Burcu said
that Akinci aims at holding contacts at the highest possible level in New York, like in
every other visit abroad. He noted that the work for Akinci’s contacts is
continuing and when the contacts are clarified, detailed information will be
given on them.
The paper writes that Akinci is expected to
meet with the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon.
Recalling that President Anastasiades will
be visiting New York in the same period, Burcu said: “Various comments are
being made in the public opinion saying that some contacts will be held
separately and some will be held jointly. This
issue has not been clarified yet. Both leaders may hold their contacts
separately. If it is considered to be necessary and there is a possibility, the
environment for meetings together will be secured. This is what could be
said at this stage”.
Referring to the possibility of a social
meeting between the leaders, Burcu pointed out that this could be held when the
programs [of the leaders] are known.
As regards the possibility of Akinci
holding contacts in Washington as well, Burcu said: “The USA is an important
and powerful state of the world. In case
opportunity is created at this stage, we want to visit Washington as well.
However, it should not be forgotten that the period of esteemed president’s
visit to New York, coincides with the session of the UN General Assembly.
Therefore, the USA, with the capacity of the host, will be having intensive
contacts at all levels. We do not know yet whether they will create the chance
for us”.
(I/Ts.)
2. Sennaroglu:
“The water will reach TRNC on October 28”
According to Turkish Cypriot daily Vatan
(21.08.15), the self-styled minister of agriculture, natural resources and food
OnderSennaroglu, who is currently carrying out contacts in Ankara, met
yesterday with the Turkish Forestry and Water Affairs Minister VeyselEroglu.
During the meeting, Sennaroglu reiterated
that the water will reach the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus on
October 28. He stressed that they will try to use it all without wasting even a
drop.
Eroglu, for his part, said that he
witnessed on August 7, the placing of the last water pipeline in the sea. He
reiterated that around 75 million cubic meters of water will be sent to the
occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus from a dam in southern Turkey via a
pipeline, adding that the water project, which includes a water treatment plant
and water tanks, will cost 1.6 billion Turkish liras (576.3 million dollars).
(DPs)
3. Sertoglu:
The discussions with the CFA (KOP) will be speeded up
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper
(21.08.15) reports that Hasan Sertoglu,
chairman of the Turkish Cypriot so-called football federation, has said that after the self-styled council
of ministers approved the “federation’s” work, practices and principles’
“statute” their discussions with the Cyprus Football Association (CFA or KOP)
will continue from the point they had been left and the process will be speeded
up.
Noting that the “federation’s” new
“statute” is in harmony with FIFA’s and UEFA’s criteria, the paper writes that Sertoglu said that their hands had been
tied up for a period of 6-7 months because the “statutes” were waiting for
approval. “Now we will continue from the point we had been left and speed
up this issue”, Sertoglu told Kibris.
According to Sertoglu, the “federation’s”
councilor, Jerome Champagne will visit
the occupied area of Cyprus within the forthcoming days and after KOP’s chairman CostakisKoutsokoumnis
returns from his vacations, they will hold a meeting with him.
The paper
reports that the “federation’s officials” aim at meeting with FIFA’s president
the soonest and adds: “The first job to be done is the
establishment of a Steering Committee. The committee will discuss the issue of
how the relation with KOP will be established. The Committee will be comprised
of four Turkish members, four Greek members and one FIFA representative”.
(I/Ts.)
4.KIB-TEK
chairman and TDP leader criticized Yildiz’s recent statement on the electricity
issue
Turkish Cypriot daily YeniDuzen
newspaper (21.08.15) under the front-page title: “We do not have any right to speak on the electricity”, reports on
statements by the chairman of the “administration board” of the Turkish Cypriot so-called electricity authority (KIB-TEK) IsmetAkim who expressed strong criticism to the
latest statement made by the Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources,
TanerYildiz.
Yildiz stated
yesterday that they wanted to transfer electricity to Cyprus through the private sector
and that they have been preparing a master plan for the entire island for 3-4
years.
Commenting
on Yildiz’s statement, Akim stated that he does not understand how Turkey
prepares projects on behalf of the Republic of Cyprus and added: “The reference
of the Minister to the preparation of a master plan which will provide services
to both sides in the island, creates question marks in respect to international
relations… On the other hand, don’t the Turkish Cypriots have any right to
speak? What kind of approach is this, what sort of international relation is
this?”,Akim wondered.
Akim
stated further that the statements made by Yildiz that in case their plans are
implemented, the prices of electricity in the occupied area of Cyprus will
fall, is completely untrue and accused him for trying to mislead the public.
Akim added also that they are completely
unaware of the master plan that Yildiz referred to and stated that in
consultations with an international company, they have prepared a “feasibility”
study the results of which said that the transferring of electricity from
Turkey to the occupied area of Cyprus via cables will not be worth
implementing.
Meanwhile, Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris
Postasi newspaper (21.08.15) reports on statements by the chairman of the
Social Democracy Party (TDP) CemalOzyigit who commented on Yildiz’s latest
statements on electricity.
Ozyigit noted that in spite of the fact
that two months ago the so-called electricity authorities had made a profit,
today it is in debt and an increase on prices seem inevitable.
Speaking on a TV program on Ada TV,
Ozyigit pointed to the drop in prices in the “south”, as he called the Republic
of Cyprus due to the fall in petrol prices and said that the picture in the
“north” is quite the opposite.
Ozyigit explained also that they do not
oppose to the transferring of electricity from Turkey but he pointed out to the
need to have the administration of the electricity and the water to be
transferred.
(AK)
5. Forty
persons were arrested yesterday after a bloody fight in occupied Famagusta
Turkish Cypriot daily Afrika newspaper
(21.08.15) reports that 40 persons were
arrested yesterday in occupied Famagusta after a bloody fight. According to
the paper, the fight was caused by “IsmetFelek’s gang”, which is believed to be
the breakaway regime’s “favourite”.
Referring to the background of the story,
Afrika notes that IsmetFelek’s gang had beaten Turkish Cypriot businessman Ali
Ucanok in July last year and broke his chin, nose and collarbones. The gang had
then been kept in custody for one day and afterwards was set free on bail.
The case, which had not been examined for
one year, was examined yesterday, but it was postponed again. After the postponement and when the four
defendants were exiting the “court”, they were attacked by Ali Ucanok’s men.
A person named OzcanHangun succeeded in removing the gun of a “police officer”
who was trying to separate the two groups during the fight and pulled the
trigger, but the gun did not fire because it was secured.
Afterwards,
IsmetFelek and his men raided into the hospital where KamilUcanok was under
medical observation, attacked him and broke his nose.Felek’s 15 men and
Ucanok’s 24 men were arrested. IsmetFelek and Ali Ucanok were among the
arrested persons.
The paper reports that the “court’s”
“slacking off” in this issue led to this point and that the “victims” in this
case gave the punishment which the “judge” did not give by delaying one year.
The paper holds the “attorney general” of the breakaway regime responsible of
the incidents happened yesterday in occupied Famagusta and calls on him to
resign.
(I/Ts.)
6. ERA
Turkey, a real estate company, obtained the authority to open offices in the
whole of Cyprus
According to Turkish daily Milliyet
(online, 20.08.15), Turkish businessman Can Eksioglu established in Istanbul in
2012 the ERA Turkey, which is a franchise of the Global ERA Real Estate
situated in the USA. According to the paper, ERA Turkey is now trying to make
its first international attempt by obtaining the rights of the “Cyprus Master
Franchise” from the ERA Global. This means that ERA Turkey obtained the
authority to open offices in the whole of Cyprus, that is in the occupied area
of the Republic of Cyprus and in the government controlled area of Cyprus.
(DPs)
7. Davutoglu’s
efforts to form a caretaker government
According to Ankara Anatolia news agency
(21.08.15), Turkish Prime Minister and
Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chairman Ahmet Davutoglu on Thursday issued
what he said was a “final call” on the Republican Peoples' Party (CHP) and
Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) to join efforts to form a caretaker government
that will usher the country to an early election.
"Ahead of August 23 deadline, let us
do our job by taking the decision for a government [and] early election inside
the Parliament without the need for the President's decree," Davutoglu
told a press conference at his party's headquarters in capital Ankara. "I
am ready to sit at the table according to the agenda, time and place [the two
parties’ leaders] want," said Davutoglu.
Both leaders have announced they would not
name cabinet members for a caretaker government.
In the case that the deadline expires
without a government, either President Erdogan or the Parliament may decide to
hold a new election.
In his remarks, the Prime Minister also
touched on ongoing terror acts across the country and vowed to take "all
kinds of measures" to protect democracy.
"We will not allow suspension of
democracy in Turkey," said Davutoglu and expressed resolution in the face
of terrorist attacks, most of which the Turkish Armed Forces have said were
carried out by outlawed Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK).
Davutoglu
indicated that forming a government with the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic
Party (HDP), in the absence of the CHP and MHP, would be a “constitutional obligation”.
He
reiterated that he will name the HDP cabinet members himself, a practice, he
said, which is in accordance with the Constitution, although the party said it
will seek to name its Ministers on its own.
In a potential caretaker government, the AK
Party is likely to have 12 Ministers; the CHP to have seven while the MHP and
the HDP will have three ministers each, according to number of seats in
Parliament.
The Turkish Constitution stipulates that
the number of cabinet members to be taken from political party groups shall be
determined by the Parliament’s Speaker and communicated to the Prime Minister.
On the same issue, Turkish daily Hurriyet
Daily News (online, 20.08.15), under the title “AKP avoids giving HDP key seats
in interim gov’t”, reported that Davutoglu’s
call to form an interim government did not include the HDP, the only party in
Parliament that said it would send Ministers to an interim government.
The AKP assumes that no Ministries or
portfolios that involve national security will be allocated to the HDP.
In addition to the Prime Minister and the
Justice, Defence, Interior and Foreign Affairs Ministers, Deputy Prime
Ministers are also members of the National Security Council (MGK), which brings
together Turkey’s civilian and military leaders.
Thus, the AKP plans to avoid potential
handicaps by not including any Deputy Prime Ministry post in the election
government, paving the way for a 22-seat cabinet.
The incumbent, 26-seat cabinet is composed
of the Prime Minister, four Deputy Prime Ministers and 21 Executive Ministries.
If the AKP
cannot go ahead with the plan, it will attempt to postpone the upcoming regular
bimonthly meeting of the MGK as the interim government will be in power only
until the election, which is expected to be held in early November.
HDP co-chair Selahattin Demirtas,
meanwhile, reiterated his party’s willingness to be part of an interim
government. “Our taking part in an election government is not meant to be a
partner in the AKP’s government,” Demirtas said, in remarks published in daily
Haberturk on Aug. 20.
8. CHP:
One man’s ego dragging Turkey to re-election
Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (online,
21.08.15) reports that Republican
People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu has accused President
RecepTayyip Erdogan of egoistically “violating democracy” with his push for new
polls, while heaping scorn on both PM Ahmet Davutoglu and Nationalist Movement
Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli for staying silent on the development.
“May God be my witness, I did my best,” the
CHP leader told daily Hurriyet. He accused Erdogan of “resuming terrorism so
that he could impose a presidential system”.
The
President wants to inculcate the sense that without him, the country cannot
survive, Kilicdaroglu said. If Turkey goes to new elections, the CHP
will reap the biggest advantage, according to Kilicdaroglu.
Ultimately,
the election is just an exercise to satisfy Erdogan’s ego, Kilicdaroglu said. “They are
going to elections, but they also seek a partner at the same time. What they
seek is a partner for the project that Erdogan is imposing”, he added.
Kilicdaroglu was also critical of Bahceli
and Davutoglu for not speaking out against Erdogan because the President did
not give the mandate to the CHP to form a government. “This means support for
one who is violating democracy,” Kilicdaroglu said.
9. Turkey's
National Security Council to convene September 2
According to Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily
News (online, 20.08.15), Turkey’s top national security body will hold its next
meeting on September 2 when an interim “election government” is expected to be
in charge of the country, which has been shaken by conflict between the
security forces and outlawed militants.
A regular bimonthly meeting of the National
Security Council (MGK), which brings together Turkey’s top civilian and
military leaders and is chaired by President RecepTayyip Erdogan, will be held
on Sept. 2, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported on August 20, noting that the meeting would focus on “domestic and
external developments”.
The September 2 meeting of the MGK will be
the first meeting to be attended by the new top brass of the Turkish Armed
Forces (TSK), which was appointed in early August during a meeting of the
Supreme Military Council (YAS).
10. TAVAK
research foundation: High hopes for Turkey's full EU bid
Turkish daily Sabah (online, 21.08.15)
reports that a recent research suggests that almost half of the people in
Turkey believe the country will become a full member of the EU. The results
from the fifth year of research on Turkish citizens and the EU conducted by the
Turkey-Europe Education and Scientific Research Foundation (TAVAK) indicates that 43% of those surveyed believe in full EU
membership, which is a record high, as opposed to the record low of 17% in 2012.
Responding to the question of whether
Turkey will be able to become a full member of the EU during the seven-year EU
budget term between 2020 and 2027, 51% of participants answered
"yes", while 31% answered "no". The remaining 18% said that
Turkey will never become a full member. The study said that the time period is
given as such because large countries like Turkey can only be accepted into the
EU during seven-year budget terms.
When asked which country is the most prominent
obstacle to Turkey's full membership, 51% of those surveyed claimed it was
Germany, as was also the case in 2014. France, which previously was considered
the country most opposed until François Hollande's election as President in
2012, is believed to be the country providing the largest obstacle by 20% of
those surveyed. Additionally, 4%
believed that the Republic of Cyprus constituted the strongest opposition and
25% indicated other countries.
The study says that there is no significant
change in the Turkish government's efforts regarding the EU, however, 53% of
the participants said that the government's efforts toward becoming a full
member was insufficient while 37% demanded more serious steps toward it.
Furthermore, the research suggests that the Turkish citizens do not perceive
any other alternative to the EU and they believe that the opposition of EU
countries to Turkey's full membership is due to Islamophobia or anti-Islamic
notions.
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TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION
(DPs/
AM)
