TURKISH
CYPRIOT AND TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW
C
O N T E N T S
No.
01/16 01-04.01.2016
1. Akinci’snew year message: It is possible to reach a
solution in 2016
2. Burcu: The property issue will mainly be resolved
through compensation; the estimated money to be paid for the compensations is
25 billion US Dollars
3. Burcu: We are more hopeful than in the past for a
solution in Cyprus
4. The provision of electricity to the Turkish Cypriots
by the Republic of Cyprus is described as “temporary but important step”
5. Further decrease in the number of applications to the
“immovable property commission” in 2015
6. Ozgur: The economic ‘protocol” with Turkey must be
signed the soonest
7. Columnist Yusuf Kanli reports that Turkey always save
the economy of the breakaway regime in the occupied area of Cyprus
8. MHP delegation is carrying out contacts in the
occupied part of Cyprus
9. An unmanned aircraft fell into the open sea area of
occupied AgiosAmvrosios village
10. Illegal Tymbou airport received 3,5 million
passengers in 2015
11. Erdogan said Hitler’s Germany an example of
presidential system with unitary state
12. Davutoglu will increase the initiatives for a Cyprus
settlement at Davos
1. Akinci’snew
year message: It is possible to reach a solution in 2016
According to Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris
(01.01.16), Mustafa Akinci, the Turkish Cypriot leader, said that they will
enter the new year with the determination to leave behind the Cyprus problem
and with the hope and desire to create a brand new future within peace for the
young generations.
Akinci said that although they have not
overcome all the difficulties, they will continue with the same determination
their efforts for understanding and there is a possibility to reach a solution
within 2016.
(DPs)
2. Burcu:
The property issue will mainly be resolved through compensation; the estimated
money to be paid for the compensations is 25 billion US Dollars
Turkish daily Milliyet (03.01.16) reports
that Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci’s spokesman BarisBurcu reiterated Akinci’s statement that
the Turkish Cypriot community will not vote for an agreement that will not
include Turkey’s guarantees.
In an interview to the paper, Burcu said
that there will not be a solution in Cyprus which the one side will be happy
and the other side will be disappointed. He argued that the island will prosper
after a solution.
He also added that the issue of guarantees,
which is seen as a threat for the Greek Cypriots, can be reconsidered. “TheTurkish Cypriots, for their own safety,
want the guarantee of Turkey. We should start thinking how we can create a
guarantee system which will not mean safety for one side and a threat for the
other. We should also be creative and constructive when the time comes to discuss
this issue” Burcu said.
Explaining that the guarantee agreements
were international agreements and that they could only be changed if all sides
with signatures on the agreement came together and gave permission, he said
“the guarantee system in 1960 was designed according to the conditions of the
time. 55 years have passed since then. We are not living in the 60’s anymore.
The content of the solution to be found will also be very different. It is
going to be a bi-zonal solution.”
Stating that Governance and Power Sharing
and the EU and Economy chapters are about to be finalized, Burcu said that “one
of the thorny topics of the negotiations, the property issue is on the table
now”. He added: “There will be a
solution on the property issue which will not ruin the bi-zonality. The Turkish
Cypriots will be the majority in their region”.
Stating that reinstatement will take place
on some properties, he said it was their target to keep these property returns
limited and prevent this from affecting the daily lives of the “people”.
“There is a search for a model in property
which both sides would benefit from. Alternative properties or compensation
will be granted for the Turkish Cypriots who will need to return a limited
number of properties to the Greek Cypriots. The uncertainty will go and the
properties will gain value. The property
issue will mainly be resolved through compensation. We don’t have an extreme
expectation that all money for compensation will be supplied by foreign powers,
however we will receive substantial contributions. If this happens then the
compensation will be paid in cash. The estimated money to be paid for the
compensations is 25 billion US Dollars, said Burcu.
Noting that it is not true that the
discussions are only focused on the property issue, Burcu stressed that the
presence of the Turkish Cypriot community in the world is also important. He
added: “Although we have established the TRNC we haven’t managed to become a
recognised state. If we manage to find a solution then we will take our place
in the world arena with a state structure which the Turkish Cypriot community
will be an equal partner of”.
3. Burcu:
We are more hopeful than in the past for a solution in Cyprus
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper
(01.01.16) reported that BarisBurcu,
spokesman of the Turkish Cypriot leader, has
said that together with the solution of the Cyprus problem, the Turkish Cypriot
“people” will acquire a legal status in the international law. In
statements to a television channel Burcu evaluated the negotiations process for
finding a solution to the Cyprus problem and noted that when the current negotiations are compared to the previous processes,
we should be more hopeful.
Burcu claimed: “If there will be a solution, it should be balanced for both
communities and should be able to take the approval of both sides. Our
esteemed president has these balances. He knows well the language of the world
and peace. However, he also knows well what the Turkish Cypriot people expect
from him. He has created a vision by remolding all these”.
Recalling that an ad hoc committee has been
established for the preparation of the Turkish Cypriots for the EU, Burcu said
that the self-styled ministries of the regime, the working groups and the
technical committees are working on these preparations. “It could not be
expected from us to cover within 3-5 months the distance covered by other
countries in 10 years”, he argued adding that what they are doing now is to
prepare for the EU as soon as possible.
Wishing for the solution to speed up this
harmonization process, Burcu said that Akinci
will not sign an agreement that is not accepted by the people and added that the
negotiating process is based on two fundamental principles: The one is that
nothing is agreed until everything is agreed and the other is the secrecy
principle. “In these conditions, it is not possible for us to share
everything, but if the day comes we will share it with our people within an
adequate period of time”, he added.
Describing
the possible solution as “revolutionary change” for the Turkish Cypriots’status, Burcu
said: “Today we are complaining about everything. We are complaining about our standards,
the services we are offered. The EU
norms and standards will make us jump a level for arranging all these. […] The solution will offer us important
possibilities. We have infrastructure deficiencies. This is very obvious.
Especially under the ‘Economy’ chapter we are discussing how to overcome these.
Tourism will develop. With the Euro we will obtain a stable monetary unit. A
constructions boom will be experienced and this will develop 40 side sectors.
[…]”
(I/Ts.)
4. The
provision of electricity to the Turkish Cypriots by the Republic of Cyprus is
described as “temporary but important step”
Under the title “The first unification in
electricity”, Turkish Cypriot daily HalkinSesi newspaper (02.01.16) reported
that a big step had been taken on 1
January on the issue of the unification of the electricity networks in the
occupied area and the government-controlled area of Cyprus within the
framework of the Confidence Building Measures (CBM) decided by the two
community leaders during the negotiations for finding a solution to the Cyprus
problem.
According to the paper, electricity of 20-30 MW was transferred
though the network because of a defect in the Turkish Cypriot “electricity
authority’s” (KIB-TEK) power plant.
Meanwhile, Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris
newspaper (03.01.16) reported that BarisBurcu,
spokesman of the Turkish Cypriot leader, has
said that the work launched within the framework of the Cyprus negotiations
have not yet come to the point of permanently uniting the electricity networks
in Cyprus, but electricity could be given on a temporary basis.
Replying to questions regarding KIB-TEK
purchasing electricity from the Republic of Cyprus’ Electricity Authority
(AIK), Burcu noted that KIB-TEK asked for electricity from AIK because one of
its steam boilers was out of order while maintenance was conducted to the
other. He said that KIB-TEK will pay the cost for this electricity.
Commenting on the issue, the self-styled
minister of agriculture, natural resources and food, ErkutSahali said that the unification of the electricity networks was
“a temporary but important step”. He noted that this is a CBM and everybody
will be able to benefit from this.
(I/Ts.)
5. Further
decrease in the number of applications to the “immovable property commission”
in 2015
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibrisli newspaper
(03.01.16) reported that the interest
for the “immovable property commission” established by Turkey in the occupied
area of the Republic of Cyprus is continuously decreasing. The number of the Greek Cypriot refugees
who applied to the “commission” for their occupied properties was 375 in 2014
and decreased to 182 in 2015.
Fifty applications were filed in January
2014 and only 13 in January 2015. The number of the applications filed last
month (December 2015) reached 19.
The total number of applications is 6,261.
723 of these were settled with an amicable agreement and 21 in “court”.
(I/Ts.)
6. Ozgur:
The economic ‘protocol” with Turkey must be signed the soonest
Turkish Cypriot daily Detay newspaper
(03.01.16) reported that BirikimOzgur,
self-styled finance minister of the breakaway regime in the occupied area of
Cyprus, has underlined the importance of
signing an economic “protocol” with Turkey the soonest. Ozgur said that if they
do not sign a “protocol’, they will not get any aid, adding that the “protocol”
must be signed within January 2016.
Referring to the payment of the 13th
salary, Ozgur said that he provided for paying this salary from the reform item
within the framework of their agreement with Turkey in 2015.
He added: “The year ended and we do not
have the possibility of taking this support. During this year, with the new
possibilities we will have to cover both our liabilities from 2015 and those of
2016. There are 30 million Turkish Liras
(TL) now in the safe of the ministry of finance and 191 million TL are needed
for the 13th salary”.
According to the paper, Turkey granted 62,5
million TL for the regime’s budget. 30 million TL of this sum was granted
within the framework of the “economic protocol”, 20 million TL were given for
defense expenses and 12,5 million TL for infrastructure investments and the
real sector of the economy.
(I/Ts.)
7. Columnist
Yusuf Kanli reports that Turkey always save the economy of the breakaway regime
in the occupied area of Cyprus
Columnist Yusuf Kanli, writing in Turkish
daily Hurriyet Daily News (online, 01.01.16), argued in the following
commentary under the title “Saving Turkish Cypriots...” that the economy of the
breakaway regime in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus depends on
Ankara’s budget:
“Hurrah... Once again Turkey extended its generous helping hand and salvaged the
Turkish Cypriots from an economic collapse. Deputy Prime Minister
TugrulTurkes - a Turkish Cypriot from his late father AlparslanTurkes - signed
a 62.5-million-Turkish-Lira check to save the Turkish Cypriot economy days
before the start of the new year, though on the island the leader of the
majority party of the left-right coalition was telling news people that
disagreement with Ankara over the administration of water Turkey provided
through a suspended pipeline might turn into an unthinkable full-fledged crisis
between the Turkish Cypriot and Turkish governments.
It has
become some sort of a tradition for Turkey, despite all the rhetoric and indeed
efforts to build a self-sustainable economic system in Turkish Cyprus, to
salvage the Turkish Cypriot budget from the verge of bankruptcy almost every
yearend. Do Turkish wage earners receive a 13th salary? They are even
unaware of such a payment. Repetitive Turkish Cypriot governments have all
hinted at the possibility of giving up the application of 13th salary, a tax-free
additional check at an amount equal to around 1.4 the monthly wage distributed
every year sometimes in December or January. Yet, neither the conservatives nor
the socialists could walk that very difficult road that might end with
considerable decrease in their votes. After all, is it not a fact that directly
or indirectly some 60% of the Turkish Cypriots are on the public payroll?
An economy
which is not self-sustainable or surviving every year on loans from Turkey - a
penny of which has not been so far paid back - should
perhaps have given up the 13th salary practice long ago (…) Yet, who would walk
that costly road, particularly if every single vote has become so existentially
important for the Turkish Cypriot political parties? For example, all through
the past two decades, more or less, there has been a cliff-hanger distribution
of left-right seats in the Turkish Cypriot parliament, mostly just a few seats
in favour of conservatives but sometimes a seat or two in favour of the left.
That is, one parliamentarian might bring a party to government or terminate its
government.
With the money Turkes - who has been
boasting of being the first Turkish Cypriot Minister in Turkish governments
since the time of his late father - signed and sent to Turkish Cyprus the
publicly-owned milk products giant SÜTEK paid a substantial portion of its
overdue payments, while state subsidies for agricultural products were
distributed and payments long overdue for agricultural products procured by the
public sector were completed. (…) Well, there is still 12 months to think on
the problem for 2016’s 13th salary. Who knows what will happen by that time? There might be a Cyprus resolution - in
that case, leave the issue for the first federal cabinet to solve the problem
- or the country might be compelled to go to an early election or the
conservatives might wake up and realize that their combined vote is more than
enough to come to power together…
(…)
The Turkish Cypriots are right in objecting
to Turkey’s pertinent demands that the Turkish State Water Works must be given
the right of local administration of the water it provided. It might of course
have a share in a company to be established for that purpose, but is Cyprus a
colony of Turkey to leave such administration of such a vital resource to a
Turkish public agency? The Turkish Cypriots are wrong in demanding that water
must be administered either directly by the Turkish Cypriot public water works
agency or with a joint company of the public water works and the municipalities.
Turkish Cyprus’ public works has been highly politicized and with political
appointments has been extremely overstaffed. It cannot function now and cannot
collect water fees particularly from the public institutions or hotels.
Municipalities have been problematic for similar reasons. Was not the collapsed
Nicosia municipality salvaged with Turkey’s support only three years ago?
(…)”
8. MHP
delegation is carrying out contacts in the occupied part of Cyprus
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris (03.01.16)
reported that a delegation from the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) will pay
an illegal visit to the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus on January 4 to
carry out various contacts.
The MHP delegation is consisting of MHP
deputy leader UmitOzdag and the Deputies ArzuErdem, Mustafa Parsak and
NuriOkutan. They will have separate meetings with Turkey’s illegal ambassador
to the occupied part of LefkosiaDeryaKanbay, the self-styled minister of
transport TahsinErtugruloglu and the leader of the National Unity Party Huseyin
Ozgurgun. They will also have meetings with KudretOzersay, AtanAtun and Mehmet
Hasguler. The MHP delegation will hold a press conference on Tuesday before
their departure.
(DPs)
9. An
unmanned aircraft fell into the open sea area of occupied AgiosAmvrosios
village
Turkish Cypriot daily YeniDuzen newspaper
(02.01.16) reported that an unmanned
aircraft has fallen into the open sea area between the occupied villages of
AgiosAmvrosios and Akanthou. According to the paper, a citizen took
pictures of the aircraft. It is not
known which country it belongs to or why and how it fell.
Meanwhile, Turkish Cypriot daily YeniDuzen
newspaper (03.01.16) reported that the
so-called security forces made a statement on the issue noting that they do not
know who owns the unmanned aircraft and that they are conducting investigations
on the issue. They said that they found nothing which will endanger the
“people’s security”.
The aircraft was brought to the shore and
was handed over to the “police”. It is noted that the aircraft was carrying
cameras.
(I/Ts.)
10. Illegal
Tymbou airport received 3,5 million passengers in 2015
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper
(04.01.16) reports that the illegal
Tymbou airport received more than 3,5 million passengers in 2015. The
“civil aviation airports operation director’, Mustafa Sofi told Kibris that
only yesterday 108 flights were conducted, something which happens for the
first time. Sofi said that the number of the passengers received by the “airport”
increased by 8% in 2015 comparing to 2014 and pointed out that the annual
passenger capacity of the “airport” is one million persons.
(I/Ts.)
11. Erdogan
said Hitler’s Germany an example of presidential system with unitary state
Turkish daily Today’s Zaman (online,
31.12.15) reported that Turkish
President RecepTayyip Erdogan, who is a strong advocate of a switch to a
presidential system, has said that the implementation of a presidential system
while remaining a unitary state is possible, showing Hitler's Germany as an
example.
Speaking at a press conference late on
Thursday shortly after his return from a trip to Saudi Arabia, which was cut
short due to the death of pro-government journalist Hasan Karakaya, Erdogan was
asked whether a presidential system could be adopted while keeping the
country's unitary structure.
“There is
no such thing as 'no presidential system in unitary states'. There are examples
of this around the world. There are examples in the past, too. When you look at
Hitler's Germany, you can see it there. You can see examples in other countries
as well," Erdogan said. "What is important is that a presidential
system should not disturb the people in its implementation. If you provide
justice, there will be no problem because what people want and expect is
justice."
On the same issue, Ankara Anatolia news
agency (01.01.16) reported that Turkish President Erdogan’s office on Friday
hit back at media reports that quoted the President as giving Nazi Germany as
an example of a presidential system.
In a statement, the President’s office
said: “That type of comparison is out of the question. The attempt to represent
remarks by the President, who has declared the Holocaust and anti-Semitism as a
crime against humanity alongside Islamophobia, as a positive reference to
Hitler’s Germany is unacceptable”.
Erdogan is a proponent of changing Turkey’s
parliamentary system for a presidential model.
Clarifying his comments, the statement
said: “A presidential system can be implemented in unitary states as well. The
presidential system of governance does not have to rely on federalism. What
matters first and foremost in both parliamentary and presidential systems is to
enforce principles of justice and meet the expectations of the public.
If the system is abused, be it a
parliamentary or presidential system, disastrous administrations could result,
as in the example of Nazi Germany. Neither the parliamentary system, nor the
presidential system, can single-handedly prevent such consequences. What is
truly important is adopting an equitable system of governance that serves the
nation.”
The statement added that representing
Erdogan’s comments as holding Nazi Germany as an example of the effectiveness
of a presidential system breached journalistic principles of objectivity and
honesty.
12. Davutoglu
will increase the initiatives for a Cyprus settlement at Davos
Turkish daily Milliyet (04.01.16) reports
that Turkey’s Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu will allocate his time for the
foreign and economy policy in the first month of 2016. He will meet with
international investors in Britain, will participate in Davos meetings and will
participate in a joint cabinet meeting in Berlin.
The paper also reports that Davutoglu at
the Davos meetings where Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci is also expected
to participate will increase the initiatives for a Cyprus settlement within the
context of the EU relations.
(DPs)
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TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION
(DPs
/ AM)
