TURKISH
CYPRIOT AND TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW
C
O N T E N T S
No. 09/16 15.01.2016
1. Ban Ki-moon will meet
with Akinci and Anastasiades in Davos
2. Hammond said that the
U.K. is a "strong supporter" of the Cyprus settlement
3.
Burcu: The solution of the Cyprus problem will influence positively all fields
of life
4.
Member of the newly established Technical Committee on Education made
statements to Kibris
5. Schulz: Resolution of the
Cyprus issue will be “symbol of hope” for the world
6. Kalyoncu: The water issue
will be finalized soon
7.
The CTP agreed to support the “government” to overcome the water crisis with
Turkey
8. The “tourism ministry”
participates in the tourism fair “Vankatiebeurs”
9. Turkey shells ISIL positions
after Istanbul attack
10. Turkish Police detain 12
academics amid accusations by President Erdogan of “terrorist propaganda”
11. US Ambassador Bass: PKK needs
to cease its attacks and needs to stop declaring autonomy
1. Ban Ki-moon will meet
with Akinci and Anastasiades in Davos
Turkish
Cypriot daily Vatan (15.01.16) reports that the Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa
Akinci said that the maps and related issues will be settled at the end of the
negotiation process. Akinci stressed
that the issues “Territory” and “Security and Guarantees” are the issues that
will be solved with the participation of all sides and the guarantor countries.
In
statements to the press after his meeting with the Greek Cypriot leader Nikos
Anastasiades, Akinci reiterated that chapters on “Governance and Power
Sharing”, “Economy and EU matter” and more recently the “Property” chapters
have been taken up during the last few months.
Noting
that the issue of “territory” is an issue that will be solved in a meeting that
the guarantor countries will also participate, Akinci explained that there is a mutual understanding on the chapter
“Territory” that the names of villages, maps and percentage will be discussed
at the last stage of the process. “Maps and related issues will be settled
at the end of the process where we shall be shutting ourselves somewhere in
order to avoid any speculation”, Akinci added.
He
also reiterated that the security and guarantee issue as agreed by all sides
will also be taken up at the end of the process with the participation of the guarantor
powers.
Noting
that there are also different understandings, he said that the negotiations are
focusing on how to overcome these difficulties and build bridges on these
divergences. Akinci added that yesterday’s meeting was very beneficial on this
understanding.
Meanwhile,
the paper reports that Akinci said that
both leaders accepted an invitation, which came yesterday during their meeting,
from the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to meet in Davos, Switzerland on the
side-lines of the World Economic Forum. The meeting is scheduled to take place
on Thursday the 21st of January. Finally, both leaders announced their
members’ lists of the Technical Committee on Education.
(DPs)
2. Hammond said that the
U.K. is a "strong supporter" of the Cyprus settlement
According
to Ankara Anatolia news agency (14.01.16), British Foreign Secretary Philip
Hammond has said that the U.K. will stand by Turkey in its fight against
terrorism. Addressing a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart
Mevlut Cavusoglu at the annual ambassadors’ conference in Ankara on Thursday,
Hammond described Turkey as a close and valued partner of the U.K.
About
Turkey's EU accession process, Hammond said: "The U.K. has always been the
strongest supporter of Turkey's membership. We will continue to support
Turkey's EU trajectory and we firmly believe that achieving the reforms that
U.K. is proposing will make EU a better and stronger partner for Turkey. The EU
needs strong relationship with Turkey. Turkey needs a strong relationship with
the EU”.
Commenting on the Cyprus
issue, Hammond said that the U.K. is a "strong supporter" of the
Cyprus settlement and added: "We are willing to do whatever we need to do
to facilitate a settlement".
Cavusoglu,
for his part, said: "We know that [they] need our support, meaning the
support of guarantor countries, especially the U.K., Greece, and Turkey’s
support. Turkey keeps giving the strongest support all the time. But this time
we want to see results. It is needed to reach a result."
Turkey’s
EU Minister Volkan Bozkir has previously said that an anticipated referendum on
Cypriot reunification would likely be held in the first half of 2016.
About
the freezing of bank accounts of the Turkish diplomats following a British
court decision to implement a ruling made in Cyprus, Hammond said: "The courts in the U.K. are completely independent
of the government. On this occasion, we have sought to intervene in this case
to ensure that the court recognizes that some of the accounts that have been
frozen are accounts operated by the Turkish embassy in London. So yes, we are
taking action to try to resolve the situation, which is regrettable".
On
this issue, Cavusoglu said: “Of course we too believe in the independence of
courts and the governments shouldn’t [get] involved. But there are
international agreements that we are a part of and these agreements are above
internal law and the courts should comply with them".
(DPs)
3. Burcu:
The solution of the Cyprus problem will influence positively all fields of life
Turkish Cypriot daily Havadis newspaper (15.01.16)
reports that Baris Burcu, spokesman
of the Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci, has said that together with the solution of the Cyprus problem, the
Turkish Cypriots will experience big and positive developments both politically
and in all fields of life. In statements to a television station last
night, Burcu noted that Akinci is exerting efforts for a solution which will
establish the freedom, equality and safety of the Turkish Cypriots and added
that after the desired solution is reached, sufficient time for debates will be
given.
Burcu argued that with
the solution, the status of the Turkish Cypriots will experience a
“revolutionary change”.“We will start organizing our lives, not as the
unrecognized institutions and individuals of an unrecognized state, but as
institutions and individuals of a recognized state in which we are equal
partners”, he added.
Noting that absolutely no legislative process will be
taking place by excluding the will of the Turkish Cypriots, Burcu added that he
could say the same for the legal system and the executive power. “There is no principle of superiority
between the laws of the founding state and the laws of the federal state”,
he argued describing as very important the representation of the Turkish
Cypriots and their right of having a say in the legislative, executive and
judicial organs of the federal state.
Replying to a question, Burcu said that it is not
possible to step back from the bi-zonality and bi-communality and noted that
the necessary measures will be taken for this to materialize in the everyday
life.
(I/Ts.)
4. Member
of the newly established Technical Committee on Education made statements to
Kibris
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (15.01.16)
reports that Onurkan Samani member of the bi-communal Committee of Association
of Historical Dialogue was also appointed as member of the Technical Committee
on Education and made statements to Kibris about her new post.
Samani stated that the aim of the new Committee
is to bring up children and persons who
will have the consciousness of a common motherland under a federal state. She also stated that efforts will be made so
that things to change and contemporary programs based on EU values to be
adopted in the education system of both sides. Additionally, in the framework
of the confidence building measures students and teachers could meet and
exchange views.
5. Schulz: Resolution of
the Cyprus issue will be “symbol of hope” for the world
According
to Ankara Anatolia news agency (14.01.16), European Parliament President Martin
Schulz said that it is possible to reach a solution on the divided island of
Cyprus.
Addressing
the European Parliament in Brussels on Thursday, Schulz spoke about the Cyprus
issue while listing EU’s priorities in the New Year. "I think it’s possible to achieve reunification of Cyprus and
negotiation between the two groups on the island is looking very promising at
the moment”, he said. "We must do everything within [the] power of EU
institutions to ensure we play our part in a constructive outcome", Schulz
added.
"If
in this crisis year, we can achieve the reunification of Cyprus, I think this
is a symbol that would speak to the international community and would give
everyone hope", Schulz said.
(DPs)
6. Kalyoncu: The water
issue will be finalized soon
Illegal
Bayrak television (15.01.16) broadcast that self-styled prime minister Omer Kalyoncu expressed his views on the water issue,
BESKI and the economic protocol speaking
after a meeting of the “Council of ministers”.
Touching
upon the issue of BESKI, he expressed the need to wait and see the developments
on the issue. “Both wings of the
government have carried out work on this issue. I think we will finalize it
soon” he said, adding that work on drafting the 2016-2018 economic protocol was
also about to be completed. The economic protocol is almost completed.
However, we will give extra time to the ministries if they want to add anything
to the protocol which should be finalized in a week’s time. The technical
delegations of the TRNC and Turkey have been discussing the issue. I think it
is about to be finalized” Kalyoncu said.
7. The
CTP agreed to support the “government” to overcome the water crisis with Turkey
Turkish Cypriot daily Havadis newspaper (15.01.16)
reports that the party assembly of the
major “coalition partner”, the Republican Turkish Party (CTP) convened last
night for 3.5 hours and “achieved serious progress” on the issue of the
administration and the management of the water transferred to the occupied area
of Cyprus from Turkey with pipelines. The
party agreed that an autonomous water administration board should be
established with the participation of the “municipalities” and an international
tender to be invited for the management of the water.
Taking into consideration its own sensitivities, CTP’s
assembly decided also the establishment
of a technical water committee. The members of the assembly agreed that they are close to reaching a
consensus on the issue. The technical committee will carry out the
technical work in the direction of quickly overcoming the crisis with Turkey. The tendency of CTP offering support to any
kind of initiative undertaken by the “government” on this issue prevailed in
the assembly last night.
After the consensus within the CTP, the attention is
now turned to the UBP, reports Havadis, noting that the UBP is expected to
convene today and evaluate CTP’s decisions.
Writing in his column in Turkish Cypriot daily Afrika
(15.01.16), Mehmet Levent notes that the
water issue is heading towards a solution in favor of Turkey and against the
“TRNC”. Levent notes that Turkey paid no attention to the establishment of
BESKI Company by the “municipalities” and said that Turkey has the position
“administrating this water is a serious job, you cannot do this”.
“It demanded the water to be administrated by Turkey
and to be formed by a method determined by Turkey”, he says pointing out that
Turkey insisted that the land from which the water will pass should belong to
Ankara and asked for the right to control the underground water resources of
the island.
Levent reports the following: “There is no agreement
between the CTP and the UBP on the water issue. The UBP has in any case been
submissive from the very beginning. The government wing in the CTP says one
thing while the party assembly says another thing. There were some who were even seeing elections in the end. At this very
moment, Tugrul Turkes comes on the scene and says ‘We have no intention of
spoiling the coalition in Cyprus’! That is, the issue is a matter of intention.
[…] So, what else he should say?”
Finally, Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper
(15.01.16) covers the issue under the title “The CTP has no intention of spoiling the government”.
(I/Ts.)
8. The “tourism ministry”
participates in the tourism fair “Vankatiebeurs”
Turkish
Cypriot daily Haberal Kibrisli (15.01.16) reports that the so-called ministry
of tourism is participating in the tourism fair “Vankatiebeurs”, which is held
in Utrecht, Netherlands between January 12 and 17, within the framework of
promoting the tourism sector abroad.
(DPs)
9. Turkey shells ISIL
positions after Istanbul attack
Ankara Anatolia news agency (15.01.16) reports that Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said
that 200 militants were killed in artillery attacks on
ISIL positions in Syria and Iraq.
“About 200 ISIL militants, those detected one by one,
including so-called regional-heads were neutralized (referring to killing)
within the last 48 hours,” Davutoglu said addressing the 8th Ambassador’s conference
in Ankara.
Turkish PM said that after detected that ISIL carried
out the attack in Sultanahmet, Istanbul, Turkish artillery carried out more
than 500 shots against ISIL positions in Syria and Iraq.
10. Turkish Police detain 12
academics amid accusations by President Erdogan of “terrorist propaganda”
Ankara Anatolia news agency (15.01.16) reports that Turkish Police in the northwestern province
of Kocaeli have detained 12 academics that signed a petition to call for an end
to military operations in Southeast Anatolia, just days after President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan slammed the academics for making “terrorist propaganda.”
The Kocaeli Public Prosecutor’s Office launched an
investigation against 21 academics from Kocaeli University that signed a petition
by the “Academics for Peace” initiative. The signatories of the petition, some
1,128 local and international academics and intellectuals, were labeled “poor
excuses for intellectuals,” by Erdogan.
Police raided the academics’ houses early on Jan. 15 and
detained 12 who were at their declared addresses at the time. The remaining
nine will also be detained.
According to reports, the
academics are being charged with violating the controversial Article 301 of the
Turkish Penal Code, according to which it is illegal to insult the Turkish
nation, the state of the Turkish Republic or the Grand Assembly of Turkey and
the state’s judicial institutions. The academics are also accused of “terrorist
propaganda.”
In addition, Hurriyet Daily News (15.01.16) reports
that Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet
Davutoglu has slammed hundreds of academics and intellectuals who called on
Ankara to end military operations in southeast Turkey, urging them to condemn
acts of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) instead.
"It is really very saddening that some of our
academics have signed such a declaration while we are fighting terrorism. Every
day we are fighting against international terror such as DAESH and against the
separatist terrorist organization that kills civilians in dormitories,
including a five-month-old baby. We working to secure the life and security of
our citizens," Davutoglu said on Jan. 14, speaking at a technology forum.
11. US Ambassador Bass: PKK
needs to cease its attacks and needs to stop declaring autonomy
Turkish daily Sabah (15.01.16) publishes an interview
with the U.S. Ankara envoy Bass who said that PKK organization should give up
policies for autonomy and use of violence and that Washington does not approve
of the PKK-affiliated PYD's efforts to form a Kurdish corridor disregarding the
demographic structure of northern Syria.
"The PKK needs to cease its
attacks and it needs to stop declaring autonomy within zones or neighborhoods
or regions inside Turkey. That's an attempt to change political arrangements by
force, and that is something we strongly reject," Bass said regarding PKK attacks while defining the resumption of
large-scale violence in the southeast as a great tragedy. "We believe
strongly that the last thing the wider region needs, the last thing that Turkey
needs, is more conflict," he said, and added that security forces that
conduct operations should have restraint and be done with precision to avoid
killing civilians and impact wider communities and civilians. "We continue
to strongly urge both the PKK to stop its attacks, and the government to be
ready to begin a new, or a resumed, political conversation with people across
society about that important political future," Bass said.
[…]
As to whether the U.S. shares Turkey's concerns about
the establishment of a Kurdish corridor in northern Syria and a potential
change in regional demography, Bass said that the U.S. does not support the
Democratic Union Party (PYD) or its armed Peoples' Protection Units (YPG) being
the force that clears ISIL out of that remaining section of the border,
displacing Arab communities in the areas and connecting the areas under its
control in north central and northeastern Syria. "
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