TURKISH
CYPRIOT AND TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW
C
O N T E N T S
No.
208/15 03.11.2015
1. Akinci congratulated
Davutoglu over poll results and invited him to the occupied area of Cyprus
2.
Diplomatic sources have reportedly said that the Cypriot natural gas will be
used for paying the compensations on the property issue
3.
The regime will be granting “residence permit” to foreigners more easily
4. Hotels in the occupied
area of Cyprus had a 58% occupancy rate on October
5. How the new AKP will act
towards the Cyprus problem
6. Turkish polls hindered by
security environment, violence, and media restrictions
7. Erdogan calls for world
to respect Turkish election vote for stability
8. Election failure may push
MHP to question discourse
9. Information about the new
AKP cabinet
10. Nokta magazine latest
edition to be withdrawn from shelves
11. Survey reveals that 80%
of minorities in Turkey cannot express themselves openly
1. Akinci congratulated
Davutoglu over poll results and invited him to the occupied area of Cyprus
Turkish
Cypriot daily Havadis (03.11.15) reports that the Turkish Cypriot leader
Mustafa Akinci phoned Turkey’s Prime Minister and leader of Justice and
Development party (AKP) Ahmet Davutoglu to congratulate him on his election
success.
According
to a written statement released by Akinci’s office, the Turkish Cypriot leader
expressed the hope that the seeds of compassion will be planted and grow in the
new term as Davutoglu expressed in his balcony speech on the 1st of
November. Akinci also said that he will
be pleased to see Davutoglu at the first opportunity in the “TRNC”
(translator’s note: the occupied area in the Republic of Cyprus). Davutoglu, for his part, thanked Akinci for
his wishes and said that he will be glad to visit the “TRNC” as soon as he
establishes the new government.
Akinci
also sent congratulatory messages to all the party leaders who gained the right
of representation at the Turkish Parliament.
(DPs)
2. Diplomatic
sources have reportedly said that the Cypriot natural gas will be used for
paying the compensations on the property issue
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris Postasi newspaper
(03.11.15) reports that diplomatic
sources told the paper that the income to be acquired from the natural gas
reserves found in Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) will be used for paying
the compensations in the property issue in case of a possible solution to the
Cyprus problem.
“Thus it is aimed to leave behind the concerns of the
Turkish Cypriots that they will be forced to put their hand in their pocket”,
writes journalist Ulas Baris in a report today. “Accordingly, the Northern Founding State, which with the solution will
have rights on the gas reserves found around the island, will cover the
compensations to come up in the property with the income to be acquired from
here”, he writes adding:
“While the cost
of the property that will come up together with the solution in the new
plan which is debated is calculated to
be approximately 25 billion euro, it is foreseen that this will be covered by international financing organizations on behalf
of the Northern Component State and when it is covered the natural gas which
will be extracted in the future will be ceded and [the money] will be taken
back. Among the acquired information is that the International Monetary
Fund (IMF) and the World Bank are activated on the issue of financing the
estimated 25 billion euro for covering the compensations for the Greek Cypriot
properties located within the boundaries of the Northern Founding State, but
both institutions are waiting for the achievement of ‘tangible’ progress by the
sides at the negotiating table […]”
Noting that Espen Barth Eide, UN Secretary-General’s
Special Adviser for Cyprus, has made some contacts on the issue, Baris recalls
of Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci’s statement that the USA is also
interested on this issue and is ready to contribute.
(I/Ts.)
3. The
regime will be granting “residence permit” to foreigners more easily
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (03.11.15)
reports that the so-called “permanent
residence permit draft-law” was approved yesterday with simple majority by the
self-styled assembly of the breakaway regime in the occupied area of the
Republic of Cyprus.
According to the “law”, the foreigners, who have worked for six years in the occupied area of
Cyprus having acquired a “work permit” and/or “permit” for establishing a
business, will be given “permanent residence permit”, so that they are not
forced to take this “permit” every year. Furthermore, the foreigners who have completed living six years in the occupied area
of Cyprus will be given some other rights that will facilitate their lives.
Serdar
Denktas, chairman of the
Democratic Party (DP), said that they
would vote against the “draft-law”, because they believe that it would not
achieve its goals. He expressed the view that everyone living in the occupied area of Cyprus should be granted a
“white card” and should obtain all
rights except for “voting and being elected”. He said that people, who live
in the occupied area for 20-25 years and persons, who have been born there,
will not be able to benefit from this “law”.
Zeki Celer, “deputy” with the Social Democracy Party (TDP),
said that his party would vote in favor of the “law”, adding that they have
some drawbacks as regards the “fake marriages” and that a more detailed
statement should be submitted on this issue.
(I/Ts.)
4. Hotels in the occupied
area of Cyprus had a 58% occupancy rate on October
According
to the Turkish Cypriot daily Havadis (03.11.15), the rate of the hotel
occupancy in the occupied area of the Republic Cyprus on last October was 58%.
According
to data by the “Turkish Cypriot hoteliers union” (“KITOB”), the hotels had seen
a drop of 19% in occupancy rates this October compared to September. The 5 star
hotels had recorded occupancy of 68% for October 2014; however there is a drop
of 22% for October 2015 and a drop of 12% for September 2015 compared to the
same months last year.
Smaller
hotels recorded occupancy of 48% for October 2015, which was also a drop of 29%
compared to the same month last year. On average, all hotels had a 58%
occupancy rate on October this year and compared to 2014 this was on average a
drop of 24% for the same period.
(DPs)
5. How the new AKP will
act towards the Cyprus problem
Turkish
Today’s Zaman (03.11.15) writes that after its victory οn Sunday’s election, the
Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government will be in a strong
position to steer Turkish foreign policy in a challenging security environment,
particularly stemming from the Syrian conflict.
Sinan
Ulgen, a former Turkish diplomat who chairs İstanbul-based think tank «Centre for Economics and
Foreign Policy Studies»
(EDAM), told Today's Zaman on Monday that it is not clear at this point how the
AK Party will interpret its strong position after the elections.
“The
AK Party may take a more realistic approach in terms of foreign policy issues,
after garnering a very high percentage of support from its voters, or it may
see this as a support for its foreign policy vision in the region which
previously caused the isolation of the country from the rest of the world. If
it reads right the recent signals from the world and reshapes its foreign
policy based on a realistic approach, then the government will be able to
create more positive results both for itself and for the region,” said Ulgen.
Ulgen
said there is certainly a more positive political environment in the country as
there is no election in the near future and a single party government will be
able to take a decisive position on many issues, without any populist concerns.
He
pointed out that the Cyprus issue may be one of those issues to which the government might push for a
solution without worrying about upsetting the nationalists in Turkey, as the
peace talks in the ethnically divided island between Turkish Cypriots in the
north and Greek Cypriots in the south appear to be getting close to a final
solution.
6. Turkish polls hindered
by security environment, violence, and media restrictions
Turkish
Hurriyet Daily News (03.11.15) reports that international observers stated that
Turkey’s Nov. 1 election offered voters choices but the challenging security
environment and violence against party members, party buildings and campaign
staff hindered candidates’ ability to campaign freely.
Restrictions
on media freedom remain a serious concern, said observers from the Organization
for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), speaking at a press conference
in the capital Ankara.
“While
Turkish citizens could choose between genuine and strong political alternatives
in this highly polarized election, the rapidly diminishing choice of media
outlets and restrictions on freedom of expression in general impacted the
process and remain serious concerns,” said Ignacio Sanchez Amor, the special
coordinator and leader of the OSCE’s short-term observer mission. “Physical
attacks on party members, as well as the significant security concerns,
particularly in the southeast, further imposed restrictions on the ability to
campaign,” Amor added.
The
OSCE group was unable to monitor polling stations in regions where clashes
between the security forces and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) had
taken place because the insurance company refused to cover them.
7. Erdogan calls for
world to respect Turkish election vote for stability
Turkish
Hurriyet Daily News (03.11.15) reports that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
made a call on Nov. 2 for the whole world to respect the country’s
parliamentary election result, which gave the Justice and Development Party
(AKP) nearly 50 % of the vote.
Speaking
to reporters after praying at a mosque in Istanbul, Erdogan said that Turks had
voted for stability on Nov. 1 after the failure of coalition talks following a
June vote.
When
a reporter asked about international media reports criticizing his leadership,
Erdogan said, “Why don’t they respect the national will? They haven’t displayed
respect since the day when the national will elected Erdogan as President with
52 % up to this date. One should ask, ‘Is this your understanding of
democracy?’” Expressing “gratitude to
the nation,” Erdogan also voiced pleasure over witnessing “democratic maturity”
in the elections.
“The
national will has been manifested as of Nov. 1 in favour of stability and those
short-term developments told the national will ‘There is no other way than the
national will,’ and displayed the making of such a decision,” Erdogan said,
urging the nation to be united in the face of “great plots” that are being set
up in the entire country.
“I
always said something; I said ‘one nation,’ ‘one flag,’ ‘one homeland’ and ‘one
state.’ These four titles are virtually sine qua non for us. We need to enrich
these four titles and respond to those plots via claiming these,” he said.
8. Election failure may
push MHP to question discourse
According
to Turkish daily Today’s Zaman (online, 03.11.15), the Nationalist Movement
Party (MHP) may well feel the need to question its discourse and unwillingness
to cooperate following the heavy defeat it suffered on Sunday's snap election,
although the party's leader has ruled out resignation.
The
MHP failed to win any Deputy in 58 of the 81 provinces, as some leading figures
from the party have been left out of Parliament due to the sharp fall in votes.
Deputy
Chairpersons Sadir Durmaz and Ruhsar Demirel, Koray Aydın, a prominent figure
in the party who is currently Deputy Parliament Speaker, and Durmus Yılmaz, a
former head of the Central Bank, failed to get elected. While officials of the
party mostly remained silent over the election defeat, Deputy Chairman Demirel
admitted responsibility for the thrashing.
In
remarks to a local television channel in Eskisehir, Demirel was quoted by the
Hurriyet daily as saying on Monday, “We have lost votes all over Turkey --. I'm
an official of the party. I'm also at fault if I can't win a seat [in
Parliament] in my province”. Eskisehir, where the party failed to win any
Deputy, is the province where Demirel was elected deputy in the June election.
The
defeat the MHP has suffered in the repeat election is big, considering that the
party failed to get more than 10% of the vote in Istanbul, which has a
population of around 15 million people. Its votes in Central Anatolia, a region
that is the party's stronghold, have also sharply fallen, while in the Black
Sea region the party is not a player to be reckoned with.
As
compared to the June election, the MHP lost nearly 2 million votes. Based on
unofficial figures, the party got almost 5.7 million votes in the snap
election. The only province where the party managed to increase its votes was
the eastern province of Ardahan.
9. Information about the
new AKP cabinet
Turkish
Hurriyet Daily News (03.11.15) reports that following the Justice and
Development Party’s (AKP) victory, the party’s chairman Ahmet Davutoglu is
getting ready to form a new cabinet and reveals information about the possible
new ministries of Turkey.
According
to the paper, Ali Babacan was reportedly persuaded to continue his political
career with the AKP in the Nov. 1 elections thanks to the personal efforts by Davutoglu.
However, Babacan is said to be unwilling to take part in the government if he
is not given control over the economy. Istanbul Deputy Berat Albayrak, Erdogan’s
son-in-law, is also being touted for a possible role in economic management,
but the chances of his involvement in the event of Babacan taking control are
seen as low.
The
eventual decision about Babacan will also be decisive for the positions of
Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek, Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci and Customs and
Trade Minister Nurettin Canikli. The portfolios of these three figures will be
defined according to whether Babacan runs the economy or not.
Babacan,
however, has also been tipped to become a Foreign Minister after a hiatus of
more than six years. Babacan took over as Foreign Minister in August 2007 after
his predecessor, Abdullah Gul, was elected President before handing over his
seat to Davutoglu in May 2009.
Previous
Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu could also return to the post, according to
observers.
With
seats to be allocated to veteran figures of the party, speculation is growing
as to whether İzmir Deputy Binali Yildirim, one of Erdogan’s closest aides,
will become part of the cabinet. Yildirim may either return to the
Transportation Ministry seat or become a Deputy Prime Minister, while he may
eventually be tasked with a senior post at party headquarters due to his
experience.
Rumor
has it that AKP Deputy Chairs Bekir Bozdag and Omer Celik are likely to hold
cabinet seats, while Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus is expected to
retain his current post.
A
former member of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Tugrul Turkes, who
joined the AKP after the June 7 vote, is likely to get a cabinet seat as well.
According
to claims, Faruk Celik may return to the Labor and Social Security Ministry,
Bekir Bozdag may return to the Justice Ministry, Taner Yildiz may return to the
Energy Ministry, Recep Akdag may return to the Health Ministry and Cevdet Yilmaz
may return to the Development Ministry.
Either
Mehdi Eker or Galip Ensarioglu, both Kurdish politicians, might be given a
cabinet post as part of an undeclared “Kurdish quota,” while Fatma Betul Sakan
Kaya, a heads carved politician, is being touted for the Family and Social
Affairs Ministry.
10. Nokta magazine latest
edition to be withdrawn from shelves
Turkish
Today’s Zaman newspaper (03.11.15) reports that the Nokta magazine in Turkey
was subject on Monday to a decision by the İstanbul 5th Penal Court of Peace,
which led to its 24th edition being withdrawn from shelves and two of its
editors being detained by police officers.
Police
notified the magazine of the decision to pull the publication from shelves
after going to its headquarters on Monday, a day after the parliamentary
election which gave the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) enough votes
to form a single party government.
Nokta,
which is known for its critical stance toward the government, announced the
decision on its website, saying that the police took all of the magazines at its
headquarters and also started to gather the issues already out at distribution centres.
Nokta's
cover features a picture of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and shows the date
Nov. 2 as “the start of Turkey's civil war.”
It
was also stated on the magazine's website that Nokta's Editor-in-Chief Cevheri
Guven and responsible manager and the representative of the owner Murat Capan
were detained after a decision by the İstanbul Public Prosecutor's Office.
11. Survey reveals that
80% of minorities in Turkey cannot express themselves openly
Turkish
Hurriyet Daily News (03.11.15) reports that 80% of minorities in Turkey say
they cannot express themselves openly on social media, while 35 % said they are
subject to hate speech on the same platform, according to a recent survey
conducted by a minority organization funded by the European Union.
Four-fifths
of minorities with Greek, Armenian, Jewish and Syrian origins said they could
not freely express their ideas on social media, according to the survey conducted
by the Yenikoy Panayia GreekOrthodox Church, Bilgi University and the Konda
pollster company.
The
survey was conducted among 746 Turkish citizens who are members of the Greek,
Armenian, Jewish and Syrian communities between Jan. 30 and April 17.
Only
20 % of the respondents said they felt free to share their thoughts on social
media, while the rest said they did not share their real opinions on social
media due to fear and concerns. The respondents said the social media platforms
they used most commonly were Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, respectively.
Over
one-third of respondents also said they were subject to defamation,
humiliation, obscenity or threats due to their minority identity on social
media.
The
survey revealed that, even though minorities cannot express themselves freely
on social media, some 60 % of minorities in Turkey believe that social media
has enhanced their relationship with the rest of the society.
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TURKISH
AFFAIRS SECTION
(CS/ AM)
