TURKISH
CYPRIOT AND TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW
C
O N T E N T S
No.
176/15 16.09.2015
1. Akinci met with Nuland
2. Tacoy accused the Greek Cypriot side of unwillingness;
He called Talat to clarify on which points there was progress at the talks
3. Ozersay has reportedly decided to establish a
political party
4. Kalyoncu confirmed disagreement between Turkey and the
breakaway regime over the administration of water project
5. Nineteen Greek Cypriot missing persons are found
behind the prisons in occupied Nicosia; Columnist wonders why the regime said
nothing on the issue until now
6. The Chief of Turkey’s General Staff held contacts in
the occupied area of Cyprus
7. Three out of the eleven persons listed as the most
wanted persons in Cyprus were arrested in the breakaway regime
8. Fenerbahce Women’s Basketball team to play games in
the occupied area of Cyprus
9. Turkish MFA to pay official visit to Russia
10. Contradictory results by surveys on upcoming general
elections in Turkey
11. “Alarming” decline in media freedom as Turkey fights
militants
1. Akinci
met with Nuland
According to illegal Bayrak television
(online, 15.09.15), the US Assistant
Secretary of State Victoria Nuland has said that the United States strongly
supports a Cyprus deal by Cypriots for Cypriots and that Washington is
encouraged by the leaders’ hard work towards reunification.
“We will continue to support these leaders
as they take difficult steps but we want this to be a Cypriot owned Cypriot led
process” she said following her meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa
Akinci at his office in the occupied part of Nicosia.
The US diplomat said that she had a
productive meeting with Akinci and added: “We are hopeful of both leaders
making courageous decisions for peace, thinking about their people, thinking
about the future of this island. We also had a very good strategic conversation
about the importance of peace and reconciliation not just for all the people of
Cyprus but also for this turbulent neighbourhood which needs stability, which
needs peace, which needs a positive example of two communities living well
together. So the US will continue to support this process”.
2.Tacoy
accused the Greek Cypriot side of unwillingness; He called Talat to clarify on
which points there was progress at the talks
Under the front-page title: “The Greek Cypriots are unwilling for the
solution”, Turkish Cypriot daily Bakis newspaper (16.09.15) reports that
the general secretary of the Democratic
party-National Forces (DP-UG) Hasan Tacoy, in a written statement, accused the
Greek Cypriots of unwillingness to solve the Cyprus problem and called upon
those who support it in the Turkish Cypriot side that a significant progress is
achieved at the Cyprus negotiation talks, openly to say who it favors and what
the progress is.
Accusing
the Greek Cypriot side for having excessive demands at the negotiating table,
Tacoy claimed that the Greek Cypriot sides’ positions on the Cyprus problem are
not different than those in 2004. He also accused the Greek Cypriot side for
using delaying tactics at the talks.
Referring
to recent statements made by the leader of the Republican Turkish Party-United
Forces (CTP-BG) Mehmet Ali Talat that an “important progress” has been achieved
at the talks, Tacoy described Talat’s statements as very strange
and invited him to give details on the progress he mentioned.
Tacoy went on and said that the Turkish Cypriot “people” will never
give up from the “sovereignty of the state they established, their rights and
their independence”.
(AK)
3. Ozersay
has reportedly decided to establish a political party
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper
(16.09.15) reports that former Turkish Cypriot negotiator, KudretOzersay has decided to establish a new political party in the
occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus. Ozersay had been an “independent
candidate” in the April 2015 so-called presidential elections and received 20%
of the votes.
Ozersay said that according to a decision
taken together with his political partners, he will organize a press conference as soon as their preparations are
completed and come before the “people” with the new political formation’s
vision and cadre.
Ozersay
told the paper that they had made the necessary assessments and they will not
leave the “people” without an alternative in the next “elections”. He said
that many persons participating in the existing political parties have
expressed interest to join his party, but he is not positive to this idea,
because “there is a very serious lack of confidence and reaction to the
existing politicians and political parties in the society”.
(I/Ts.)
4. Kalyoncu confirmed disagreement between Turkey and the
breakaway regime over the administration of water project
Turkish
Cypriot daily YeniDuzen newspaper (16.09.15) reports that “prime minister” Omer
Kalyoncu referred to the crisis that has occurred between the breakaway regime
and Turkey over the administration of the water that will be transferred to the
occupied area of Cyprus from Turkey and confirmed that there is a disagreement
over the issue.
Kalyoncu
stated that discussions continue between the two sides and added that he does not know the outcome
of the argument. “What I know is that we insist on our position. We demand that
the water be administrated by us”, he stated.
(CS)
5. Nineteen
Greek Cypriot missing persons are found behind the prisons in occupied Nicosia;
Columnist wonders why the regime said nothing on the issue until now
Turkish Cypriot daily YeniDuzen newspaper
(16.09.15) reports that the number of
Greek Cypriot missing persons found during the excavations in the area behind
the prisons in the occupied part of Nicosia increased to nineteen.
Referring to the same issue, columnist
SenerLevent reports, inter alia, the following in his column in Turkish Cypriot
Afrika newspaper (16.09.15):
“[…] According to what it is said, 40-50
missing persons exist there. The excavations are continuing. Every time this
news is given to the media, a sentence is especially emphasized. It has
certainly drawn your attention as well. It is said: ‘An attempt had been made
for the corpses of around 40-50 Greek Cypriots who died in the clashes in 1974
to be given to the south Cyprus authorities with trucks through the United
Nations from Ledra Palace, but when they were rejected they were buried in the
area behind the prisons after waiting for one night’.
Look what happened. They killed them. They
delivered the corpses, but the Greek Cypriots did not take them, they say! Have
such things also happened in the war? Have they been given to the other side
without anything in return? And if this
is true and the Greek Cypriots rejected to take their dead, many questions are
created in my head. Let us say that you
really gave them and the Greek Cypriots refused to take them gentlemen. What
did you do afterwards? You took them and you buried them in the area behind the
prisons, did you not? It means that you knew that a mass grave exists there.
Denktas also knew, all of you knew. Then, why have you not said it for so long?
Why have you remained silent until today? Should this mass grave not be one of
the first mass graves opened as regards the missing persons who are subject to
official act? What kind of an excuse
is that ‘we gave them, but the Greek Cypriots did not take them?’ Do you want
to say that ‘we were forced to bury them in a mass grave? Where else have you done such a thing? […]”
(I/Ts.)
6.The
Chief of Turkey’s General Staff held contacts in the occupied area of Cyprus
Turkish Cypriot daily Havadis newspaper
(16.09.15) reports that the Chief of the General Staff of the Turkish Armed
Forces, General HulusiAkar, carried out yesterday his first trip abroad, in the
occupied area of Cyprus, where he held a series of contacts.
Akar met separately with the Turkish
Cypriot leader, Mustafa Akinci, the “speaker” of the so-called assembly
SibelSiber, the so-called prime minister Omer Kalyoncu and the new commander of
the Turkish Armed Forces in Cyprus, IlyasBozkurt.
No statements were issued before or
after the meetings.
(AK)
7.Three out of the eleven persons listed as the most wanted
persons in Cyprus were arrested in the breakaway regime
Turkish
Cypriot daily YeniDuzen newspaper (16.09.15) reports that three out of eleven
criminals who were listed at the Zygos Operation, a campaign launched by the
National Crime Agency about the most wanted persons in Cyprus, were arrested in
the breakaway regime.
The
campaign, which was launched on September 2012, continues aiming for the arrest
of nine more persons listed as dangerous criminals.
(CS)
8.Fenerbahce
Women’s Basketball team to play games in the occupied area of Cyprus
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper
(16.09.15) reports that the team of the 4th category of the
Fenerbahce Women’s Basketball Super League will attend the NEU Cup tournament
which is to be organized by the illegal Near East university.
The tournament will start on September
18 and will last for three days. Besides the YDU team, Fenerbahce team, and the
basketball teams of the Mersin Buyuksehir University and the Abdullah Gul
University will also attend the tournament.
(AK)
9. Turkish
MFA to pay official visit to Russia
According to Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily
News (online, 16.09.15), Turkey’s Foreign Minister FeridunSinirlioglu will pay
an official visit to Sochi on Sept. 16-17 following a visit to Azerbaijan,
Ministry spokesperson TanjuBilgic has said.
Speaking at a press conference on Sept. 15,
Bilgic said the visit was part of political consultations between the two
countries, but Ministers will also discuss regional issues, such as Syria and
Ukraine.
The spokesperson said it was important to
be in dialogue with Russia and exchange views.
Asked about Russia’s recent military
engagement in Syria, Bilgic said that any support to the government of
President Bashar al-Assad would lead to an increase in the number of civilians
killed in the neighbouring country.
Elaborating on media reports that Turkey was
unhappy with Russian military activities in Syria and had recently expressed
concern, he said that Sinirlioglu had not recently had any contact with his
Russian counterpart, but that they could exchange views during the visit.
10. Contradictory
results by surveys on upcoming general elections in Turkey
According to Turkish daily Taraf
(14.09.15), the Gezici polling company, which was talked about on account of
its predictions in the 7 June elections, claimed that on 1 November the AKP
[Justice and Development Party] will receive 35-39% of the votes. Murat Gezici, who issued statements to
Meydan'sKamilArli, stated that the people hold President RecepTayyip Erdogan
responsible for the terrorist incidents in Turkey, declaring: "The voters view Mr Erdogan and the AKP
government responsible for the current atmosphere of chaos. When we asked who is responsible for the
atmosphere of chaos in Turkey, approximately 41% of the respondents said
Erdogan". Gezici added: "I believe that in these elections, the
CHP [Republican People's Party] will maintain its votes". "The Gezici polling company's estimates
were the closest to the results of the local and presidential elections. In the latest 7 June elections, in turn, the
same polling company was the second most accurate in its predictions".
Pointing out that "time is needed for
all this to be corrected", Gezici said:
"Because elections are being held very early, the citizens will
have fresh information on this subject. Of the respondents, 52% hold Erdogan responsible
for the failure to establish a coalition government. Around 77% believe that there would not have
been chaos in Turkey today if a coalition had been established. The failure to form a coalition will damage
the AKP."
Underlining that it is impossible for the
AKP to come to power again because this perception has not been eliminated and
is still valid, Gezici stated: "The
possibility that the AKP votes will continue to decline looks high at the
moment. The AKP is like a sinking
ship. Its votes are decreasing. At this stage, I think that the AKP will
receive between 35 and 39% of the votes on 1 November."
Also
referring to the AKP-SP alliance that is frequently mentioned these days,
Gezici said: "About 70% of the SP
grass roots say that they will definitely not vote for the party if it makes an
alliance with the AKP. Therefore, it
looks like it will not be possible for the AKP to receive another 1 or 1.5% of
the votes it is counting on. If
the AKP and the SP form an alliance, they will only receive the votes of 30-35%
of the SP voters. This, in turn, is not
sufficient for the party to come to power by itself."
Pointing out that he believes that the MHP
votes will be over 18%, Murat Gezici said:
"I believe that in these elections, the CHP will preserve its
votes."
"It seems that the voters agree that
while there was a quest for those responsible for the atmosphere of chaos, the
HDP was shown as the target and suddenly became a scapegoat," Gezici said,
and added: "The voters are one of
the most important actors in this regard.
It seems this is true in terms of the voters. It is seen that this is effectively being
used as a propaganda tool. The upcoming elections will be determined
by the undecided and the nationalists, but 94% of the HDP voters say that they
will vote for the HDP if elections are held again. This is an important detail. The HDP will not have a threshold
problem."
Meanwhile, Turkish daily Today’s Zaman
(online, 15.09.15), under the title “Turkish poll shows AK Party falling short
of majority”, reported that support for
Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has risen to 41.4%
from 40.9% in June's election but it is not set to win enough votes to form a
single-party government in another election on Nov. 1, a MetroPOLL survey
showed.
Results of the survey, revealed by
Metropoll chairman OzerSencar on the CNN Turk TV channel on Monday evening,
showed the secular main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) was on
27.3%, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) at 15.3% and the pro-Kurdish
People's Democratic Party (HDP) at 13%.
In the June election, the CHP won 25%, the
MHP 16.3% and the HDP 13.1%.
The survey was carried out on Sept. 2-5
with 2,540 participants.
11. “Alarming”
decline in media freedom as Turkey fights militants
Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (online,
16.09.15) reports that when suspected Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
(ISIL) jihadists organized a deadly attack on Turkish activists in Suruc on the
Syrian border in July, respected newspaper commentator KadriGursel responded
with a tweet critical of President RecepTayyipErdoğan.
“It’s embarrassing that foreign leaders
call the person who is the number one cause of ISIL terror in Turkey to present
their condolences for Suruc,” he tweeted.
Gursel was referring to allegations –
vehemently denied by Ankara – that Erdogan had supported jihadists in Syria in
the hope they would oust the Syrian regime.
The response by his newspaper Milliyet –
long seen as a respected and mainstream title – was swift and merciless.
Gursel, who started working for the paper in the 1990s and began his column in
2007, was fired the same day. The paper said Gürsel’s comments were
journalistically unethical and violated its editorial principles.
His case highlights the problems faced by
the Turkish opposition press as Erdogan pushes a relentless offensive against
the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and prepares for snap legislative
elections on Nov. 1.
The situation appears to have again
deteriorated in recent weeks with the arrests and deportations of international
journalists, attacks on daily Hurriyet and a police raid on a holding company
that owns opposition media.
Milliyet is owned by the Demiroren Group,
one of Turkey’s largest conglomerates with interests in energy, construction
and media. Its chief, YildirimDemiroren, is widely seen as close to the
president.
MehvesEvin, another pro-opposition Milliyet
columnist, was fired last month. “I will not surrender. I will keep on
writing!” she tweeted.
At least 140 journalists have been fired
over the last couple of months, according to a report from the EU-funded Press
for Freedom Project.
“There is no sign of hope. Press freedom is
declining in Turkey,” said Yusuf Kanli, a columnist for the Hurriyet Daily
News.
---------------------------------------------------
TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION
(DPs/
LF)
