TURKISH CYPRIOT AND TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW
C O N T E N T S
No. 173/15 11.09.2015
1. Davutoglu and Tusk discussed the Cyprus problem
2. Reactions to BKP’s and AKEL’s joint visit to Turkish Cypriot 1974 victims commemoration ceremony
3. BKP: We expect steps to be taken especially by Akinci in order for a result to be accomplished in the Cyprus talks
4. A Greek Cypriot and a Turkish Cypriot company signed an agreement in the shipbuilding field
5. Africa newspaper supports that Atalay is not considered a “conceptual religious leader” in the Turkish Cypriot community
6. Information about the number of electronic “IDs” issued in the breakaway regime
7. Davutoglu hints at ground operations against PKK targets in northern Iraq 'if necessary'
8. HDP denied entry to curfew town in southeast Turkey
9. CHP says weeklong curfew cannot be accepted in any state of law
10. Anger mounts against the Turkish government as Turkey continues to bid farewell to fallen officers
11. Candar: "Turkey rhymes with Syria"
12. Turkish columnist blames the responsibility to Erdogan and the AKP government for the rise of terrorism in Turkey
13. Nationalist MHP to form union with BBP for the upcoming snap elections
14. Erdogan’s right hand man tests waters for AKP leadership at convention
15. Turkey’s Ambassador returns to Luxembourg four months after withdrawal
1. Davutoglu and Tusk discussed the Cyprus problem
Under the title “Positive messages were given prior to the Cyprus visit”, Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (11.09.15) reports that Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said yesterday that he discussed the Cyprus problem with the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk who was visiting Turkey before coming to Cyprus today. Davutoglu noted that they had “consultations” on the ongoing negotiations in Cyprus.
Pointing out that the President of the European Council would first visit the camp of the asylum-seekers in Nizip and then depart for Cyprus, Davutoglu added: “We agree that the negotiations on the Cyprus issue and the discussions held for ending this crisis should continue in a more result oriented manner. God willing, these contacts of ours will continue with an increased tempo within the forthcoming days”.
(I/Ts.)
2. Reactions to BKP’s and AKEL’s joint visit to Turkish Cypriot 1974 victims commemoration ceremony
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris Postasi newspaper (11.09.15) reports that representatives of Turkish Cypriot political parties reacted to the incidents during the joint visit of [Turkish Cypriot] United Cyprus Party (BKP) and [Greek Cypriot] AKEL left-wing party to the commemoration ceremony of the Turkish Cypriots from Aloa, Maratha and Sandalaris villages who had been murdered during the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus.
The chairman of the National Unity Party (UBP), Huseyin Ozgurgun told Kibris Postasi that he thinks that the activity of the two parties was positive, but he does not find correct the fact that the “interlocutors of the upsetting event were ignored”. He argued that the inhabitants of the village should have been informed before the visit.
Asim Akansoy, self-styled deputy with the Republican Turkish Party (CTP) in occupied Famagusta, said that he thinks that the activity was correct but did not achieve its goal because of “inadequate organization”. “The activity was turned into a political show because it was not well organized”, he argued and described as “extremely important” the fact that AKEL participated in the visit. He expressed the view that those who organize this kind of activities should be very careful regarding the timing of such “steps of apology”, which should be “constructed” very well.
Hasan Tacoy, general secretary of the Democratic Party – National Forces (DP-UG), described the activity as “untimely and unnecessary” and added that the events dealt a blow to the [negotiations] process. He argued that AKEL’s participation in the activity was a show and accused both political parties of aiming at “performing a political show”.
Dr. Suphi Hudaoglu, general secretary of the Social Democracy Party (TDP), said that they supported the activity, but in spite of the fact that they were sincere, they have been misunderstood. He noted that TDP thinks that this kind of activities are extremely important, but “we understand the feelings deriving from the past”. He said that BKP’s and AKEL’s activity was “extremely good intended” and added that accusing the two parties of “performing a political show” was wrong. He claimed that the reaction to the activity may have derived from what he described as “AKEL’s support to Enosis [Translator’s note: The wish of a part of the Greek Cypriot community to unite Cyprus with Greece]” in the past.
Murat Kanatli, organizational secretary of the New Cyprus Party (YKP), said that the same kind of protest had also happened ten years ago in an activity with the participation of his party and added that the reaction to BKP’s and AKEL’s activity was not correct. He also expressed their disagreement with those who say that this was “untimely” or “too early”. “I think that the activity was correct and it was a good place for the beginning of such activities”, he noted adding that the incidents might not have happened if the inhabitants of the area had been contacted first, but no permission is needed for such things.
Finally, Kudret Ozersay, Turkish Cypriot former negotiator, said that he does not oppose to the activity which was necessary for the two communities coming closer to each other. Noting that this kind of issues are sensitive and must be well organized, Ozersay expressed his disagreement with those who argued that the activity was “untimely and too early”, because the communities need this kind of “confrontations and apologies”. He finally argued that the relatives of the victims should have been asked to say their views before the visit.
(I/Ts.)
3. BKP: We expect steps to be taken especially by Akinci in order for a result to be accomplished in the Cyprus talks
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris Postasi newspaper (11.09.15) reports that Abdullah Korkmazhan, general secretary of the United Cyprus Party (BKP), has said that they expect steps to be taken especially by Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci in order for a result to be taken regarding the substance of the Cyprus problem. Responding to questions yesterday during a TV program, Korkmazhan noted:
“If a result regarding the substance will be taken, we expect steps from the leaders, especially from president Akinci. The negotiations are not under the responsibility of the two leaders and their teams. The society must not be excluded in the efforts for a solution […] For this reason, activities such as the visit to the martyrdom are needed. Mr Akinci must involve the civil society. The process seems imprisoned at the negotiating table”.
Referring to the relations of their party with Akinci, Korkmazhan recalled that BKP had supported Akinci in both rounds of the “elections” and added that they have been asking for a meeting with Akinci for a month, but they received no reply.
Replying to the accusation against his party that the visit to the Aloa, Maratha and Sandalaris villages together with Greek Cypriot AKEL left-wing party was a political show, Korkmazhan said that they do not need political shows and added that they had taken the necessary permits from the “ministry of foreign affairs” and the “police” before the visit.
(I/Ts.)
4. A Greek Cypriot and a Turkish Cypriot company signed an agreement in the shipbuilding field
Turkish Cypriot daily Havadis newspaper (11.09.15) reports that a Turkish Cypriot and a Greek Cypriot businessman have signed a “historic agreement” in the field of shipbuilding. The partnership company’s name is Ocean Well, which is established by Shipyard Famagusta Company that operates in occupied Famagusta port and FAMA Group LTD that offers services at Limassol Shipyard. According to the paper, this is the first serious commercial deal between Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot businessmen after many years.
Referring to the benefits of the agreement for each company, Havadis notes that the Turkish Cypriot Shipyard Famagusta Company will be able to be interested in international tankers’ maintenance and repairing, while FAMA Group will be able to do the same with ships under the Turkish flag in Limassol.
The director of Shipyard Famagusta, Ramazan Gundogru stated that the aim of the agreement is to bring work from Limassol to occupied Famagusta and vice versa.
The director of FAMA Group, Tomis Tzortzis stated that thanks to their cooperation they have become a big shipyard, the biggest in the Eastern Mediterranean, having the one leg in Limassol and the other in Famagusta. He argued that their cooperation will benefit the whole of Cyprus and wished for the politicians to follow their example.
(I/Ts.)
5. Africa newspaper supports that Atalay is not considered a “conceptual religious leader” in the Turkish Cypriot community
Turkish Cypriot daily Afrika newspaper (11.09.15) under the front page title: “Here is the religious leader” reports about the "director" of the "Religious affairs department" in the occupied area of Cyprus Talip Atalay and writes that Atalay represented the Turkish Cypriot community as a “religious leader” during yesterday’s meeting between the leaders of the two communities and the religious leaders.
The paper writes that Alalay who was candidate to be a candidate for the recent parliament elections in Turkey with the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), failed to get nominated as AKP candidate in the elections in Turkey and returned back to the “TRNC”. It adds that Atalay who has an active role in the political life and in mosques after the American’s incitement, is not seen and considered as a “religious leader” in the Turkish Cypriot community.
The paper points out that in the Turkish Cypriot community, Atalay is not considered as conceptual religious leader like the “religious leaders” existed in the past.
(AK)
6. Information about the number of electronic “IDs” issued in the breakaway regime
Illegal Bayrak television (11.09.15) broadcast that occupied Famagusta “municipality” started to issue electronic “identification cards”, following the occupied Lefkosia and Keryneia “municipalities”.
The so-called minister of interior and labour Aziz Gurpinar stated that 5,400 new electronic “identification cards” had been issued since the first launch of the process in occupied Lefkosia on May 28 this year.
7. Davutoglu hints at ground operations against PKK targets in northern Iraq 'if necessary'
Ankara Anatolia news agency (11.09.15) reports that Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has hinted at full-scale military ground action in neighbouring Iraq “if necessary”.
Speaking in a wide-ranging an interview on Thursday on the A Haber channel, Davutoglu said: “Our armed forces and special units enter Iraq when necessary and come back, but we have not yet started a comprehensive ground operation. “A full-scale operation will be launched, if necessary, just like in 2008," he added.
In February 2008, Turkish forces launched airstrikes in northern Iraq backed by ground troops; the week-long operation was aimed at PKK organization which has bases in the mountainous region.
The Prime minister also slammed declarations of local self-rule made by some Kurdish mayors in Turkey’s southeast. “This is not Syria,” said Davutoglu, adding: “Nobody can announce cantons as they wish. In a democratic judicial state the administrative system and its functioning are settled.”
8. HDP denied entry to curfew town in southeast Turkey
Ankara Anatolia news agency (11.09.15) reports that politicians of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) are barred from the south-eastern district of Cizre which has been under curfew for their own safety, Interior Minister Selami Altinok said Thursday.
The Governor's office declared the curfew in Cizre, a district that lies close to the Syrian and Iraqi borders in Sirnak province, on Sept. 4.
A convoy led by HDP co-leaders Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag and including two HDP government Ministers and dozens of HDP lawmakers was stopped by security forces on Wednesday. The delegation set off on foot but was stopped 28 kilometres (17 miles) from the district Thursday.
Altinok said the security forces were acting for the safety of the group. The Minister added that the curfew would be lifted as soon as the security operation is finished and Cizre returned to normality.
9. CHP says weeklong curfew cannot be accepted in any state of law
Turkish daily Today’s Zaman newspaper (11.09.15) reports that the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) has lashed out at the government over the on-going curfew that has being applied in the tense district of Cizre in Sirnak province since last Friday, saying that such a practice cannot be accepted in any state of law.
CHP Deputy Chairman Sezgin Tanrikulu and CHP parliamentary group chairman Levent Gok held a joint press conference in Parliament on Thursday.
Reiterating that the curfew in Cizre has been in place for a week, Tanrikulu said 150,000 people have been affected by this, adding that such a thing cannot exist in a state of law.
Calling on the authorities to lift the curfew as soon as possible, Tanrikulu added that 14 civilians are said to have died in clashes in the past week. Noting that bodies are not being allowed to be buried in Cizre, Tanrikulu said: “This should be stopped as soon as possible. We cannot allow this humanitarian tragedy anymore.”
10. Anger mounts against the Turkish government as Turkey continues to bid farewell to fallen officers
Turkish daily Today’s Zaman newspaper (11.09.15) reports that as thousands of people continued on Thursday to bid farewell to police officers killed by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), funerals held in the hometowns of the people killed were marked by widespread vocal condemnation of both the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government and the PKK.
During the funeral held for Kadir Ozkaya, one of the police officers killed in a PKK bomb attack on a minibus in the eastern province of Igdir on Tuesday, hundreds chanted slogans against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his son Bilal, saying, “Tayyip, enlist your son in the military” and “Tayyip, send your son to die.” Ozkaya's parents and relatives were inconsolable as they embraced his coffin.
Hasan Ozkaya, the brother of the fallen officer, was in tears as he spoke to the press, accusing the AK Party of sharing the blame with the PKK for the deaths of members of the security forces.
In another funeral in Canakkale province, slain officer Fatih Duru's mother, Azime Duru, lambasted the president, accusing him of fooling people by using religion in the name of politics. “He [Erdogan] waved the Quran at rallies and deceived this nation. People still believe him,” she said in tears.
11. Candar: "Turkey rhymes with Syria"
Writing in Turkish daily Radikal newspaper in Turkish (09.09.15) in a commentary under the above title, columnist Cengiz Candar comments on the recent deadly terrorist attacks in Daglica and Igdir in Turkey and supports that unfortunately it seems that Turkey is heading to a “civil war”.
(…) “All this indicates that the country is perilously heading towards ‘civil war’. In almost every corner of the country people are talking about this ‘eventuality’ among themselves. Turkey looks not so much like a country that will hold an election a month and a half from now but more like a country ‘that is laying the paving stones on the road to civil war’
We have been pointing out the danger of Turkey ‘turning into Syria’ for so long now that we have run out of spittle in our mouths and ink in our pens. Some say that the current state is already one of "civil war" while others are saying this is not a full-on "civil war" but it is heading in that direction. What might be the way to stop this "slide" and to prevent our people's blood being spilled?
If the parties in this ‘slide’ insist on sticking to their paths, trying to show a way out is not going to achieve much.
By ‘slide’ what we mean is the state of "civil war." Fine, but who are the parties involved?
There are two principal sides here: the government and the PKK [Kurdistan People's Congress, KGK].
For government read President Tayyip Erdogan. It is he who represents the power of the state. It is he who also represents the ‘executive branch’ after rendering the government ineffective and pointless after 7 June.
As one of the principal actors in this ‘slide’ he announced what the ‘way out’ was and what he saw as the ‘way out’ when he addressed university rectors yesterday: ‘From this moment on the only solution that the state and the nation will accept is the terrorist organization laying down its weapons. The weapons will either be handed over to the state or buried in concrete and made unusable. There is no longer anything else to discuss. Both the state and the nation have shown the necessary patience. It is the terrorist organization that is going to take concrete action. The greatest role to be played in getting the terrorist organization to disarm falls to our people living in the region’.
The long and the short of this opinion, which the President has expressed before and which various government and AKP [Justice and Development Party] officials have stated on various occasions is the PKK accepting "surrender."
Such a development will without any doubt end the ‘blood bath’ in Turkey. It could well be a very desirable development but is it "realistic"?
Does the PKK look willing to do what Erdogan wants it to do? Are there any indicators to this effect?
If there are none, and there are indeed none, and given that it cannot be thought that Tayyip Erdogan cannot see this, seeing that the President is returning to the ‘rhetoric’ that has been used for 40 years to no avail and has taken up this kind of ‘position’ this means he is not hoping for a ‘positive political outcome’ for himself in the near future.
(…)Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is hoping that the increased pressure on the Kurdish rebels in southeast Anatolia is going to secure votes in the elections that are going to be held in two months' time. But the sudden flare up in Kurdish rebel attacks inflicting the highest losses on the Turkish military in recent years have prompted the Turks to wonder if Erdogan might be dragging the country into a civil war for his own political goals. (…)
The columnist concludes and supports that if a ‘third party’ or ‘parties’ were to get involved, this could halt the slide and stop the bloodshed. Failing this, Turkey is going to ‘rhyme’ with Syria”, writes Candar.
12. Turkish columnist blames the responsibility to Erdogan and the AKP government for the rise of terrorism in Turkey
In a commentary entitle: “Who started this fire”, columnist Nazli Ilicak in Turkish daily Bugun newspaper (10.09.15) blames the responsibility for the ending of the “settlement process” and the current rise of terrorism in Turkey to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the AKP government. The columnist writes, inter alia, the following:
“There are those that point their fingers at the “settlement process” as one of the reasons for the current rise of terror. Personally, I believe that the only way out for Turkey is a genuine reconciliation.
Yet, it now became apparent that the AKP government, and particularly Tayyip Erdogan, did not act in good faith during the settlement process and included “establishing a presidential government by changing the Constitution” among the topics that were negotiated. Hence, it is not the settlement process that is responsible for the rise in acts of terror, but those that sacrificed the efforts towards reconciliation to their own personal interests.
(…)
AKP keeps adding fuel to the flame. They keep pointing at Selahattin Demirtas and his colleagues, who reduced AKP to a minority in the Parliament, as targets by reiterating the “PKK=HDP” discourse. It is not just HDP but the Kurds in general that suffer their share of the furor. Seeds of hostility planted among the populace spread far and wide.
Heading to the elections on 1st of November, advisors to the palace thought that they could push HDP under the threshold through controlled acts of violence. But nothing went according to their plans. Things got out of their control. Besides, a significant segment of the people is of the opinion that “AKP has ended the resolution process, because they could not get 400 MPs.”
After all, if there are wide spread acts of violence in a country and these cannot be stopped, it is always those holding political power that a primarily responsible. Those that hope to gather votes over the funerals of martyred soldiers have experienced an outcome contrary to their expectations; the fact that they slowly comprehend the gravity of their situation can be seen on their stooping, exhausted reflections on TV. Appearing as they do, they are also far from instilling confidence and courage in people”.
13. Nationalist MHP to form union with BBP for the upcoming snap elections
Turkish daily Sabah (11.09.15) reports that Turkey's Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and the Great Union Party (BBP) are said to be close to forming a union for the upcoming snap elections.
Far-right nationalist BBP's leader Mustafa Destici said that the negotiations with the MHP are on the track and a possible union is on the horizon.
Before the June 7 general elections in which the MHP gained 16% of the votes and 80 seats in the 550-seat Turkish Parliament, MHP leader Devlet Bahceli rejected BBP's suggestion to form a union. After MHP's failure in the elections, Bahceli is now close to accepting BBP's offer to collaborate, according to reliable sources. MHP is likely to offer two or three seats to BBP Deputies in the parliament should it manage to pass the 10-percent election threshold.
14. Erdogan’s right hand man tests waters for AKP leadership at convention
Turkish Hurriyet Daily News (11.09.15) reports that with one day to go until its general convention on Sept. 12, the Justice and Development Party (AKP) has been rocked by news that Binali Yildirim, one of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s closest aides, is testing the waters for a leadership challenge to AKP head and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.
There are reports that former Transport Minister Binali Yildirim has contacted scores of AKP delegates over his potential return to the party as leader, while his team has also intensified its efforts to promote Yildirim. In private talks with friends, Yildirim is said to be mulling whether to put himself forward as a potential candidate.
Davutoglu was elected as the AKP leader at an extraordinary convention in late August 2014 to replace Erdogan, who was elected as Turkey’s President earlier in the same month. There has since been wide speculation about disagreements between the two men on a number of issues. Yildirim’s move has annoyed Davutoglu and his aides, who evaluated the situation in-depth during a lengthy meeting in his official residence. Some believe that Yildirim’s move is in fact an attempt to put pressure on Davutoglu and force him to appoint names closer to Erdogan to the AKP’s executive board. The Sept. 12 upcoming convention is due to renew the AKP’s main decision-making bodies and there have been rumours that Davutoglu would try to change the lists with figures closer to him.
15. Turkey’s Ambassador returns to Luxembourg four months after withdrawal
Turkish Hurriyet Daily News (11.09.15) reports that Turkey’s Ambassador to Luxembourg, Levent Sahinkaya, returned to his office more than four months after being withdrawn in protest of the Luxembourg Parliament’s move to recognize the mass killings of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire in 1915 as genocide.
Last week, Turkish Foreign Minister Feridun Sinirlioglu and Luxembourg’s Foreign Minister, Jean Asselborn, held a bilateral meeting in Luxembourg on the sidelines of the informal meeting of the EU Foreign Ministers.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tanju Bilgic, speaking with Anadolu Agency on Sept. 10, recalled that Asselborn acknowledged during a press conference following his meeting with Sinirlioglu on Sept. 5 that relevant courts should deal with decisions concerning genocide, which has a certain definition in international law. Asselborn also voiced willingness to have the Turkish Ambassador back to his office as soon as possible, Bilgic said, adding Sahinkaya restarted his work on Sept. 9. Turkey condemned Luxembourg and withdrew its Ambassador in reaction to the Luxembourg Parliament’s Resolution on May 6 to describe the 1915 incidents as genocide.
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