TURKISH
CYPRIOT AND TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW
C
O N T E N T S
No. 10/16 16-18.01.2016
1. Eide: Referendum could be held this year, but we do not
want to put emphasis on time tables
2.
Burcu on the negotiations process
3. Merkel expressed hopes over the solution of the
Cyprus problem in the next few months
4. Juncker: “The EU is very confident over a Cyprus
settlement within the next six months”
5. Davutoglu tours Europe; He will discuss the Cyprus
problem with Cameron
6.
Serdar Denktas accused the Turkish Cypriot negotiating team of not having “red
lines” at the Cyprus talks
7. Talat on the water crisis:
“All sides are exerting efforts to reach the best possible solution on the
problem”
8. CHP Deputies asked the Turkish
Assembly to launch an investigation on the water transfer project
9. Delegation of the “Turkish Cypriot
Chamber of Industry” to visit Azerbaijan
10.
The “TRNC” is represented in tourism fairs in Stuttgart and Vienna
11. Five persons were diagnosed with swine flu in the
occupied area of Cyprus; Statements by the “ministry”
12. Turkey’s MFA welcomes implementation of Iran
nuclear deal
13. Turkish academics released after detention for
“terrorist propaganda”; The EU and foreign Ambassadors condemned the detentions
14. Kılıcdaroglu re-elected as CHP’s chairman
1. Eide: Referendum could be held this year, but we do not want to
put emphasis on time tables
Turkish Cypriot daily Halkin Sesi newspaper (17.01.16)
reports that Espen Barth Eide, UN
Secretary-General’s Special Adviser for Cyprus, has said that a referendum for the solution of the Cyprus problem could
be held this year and added that it would be a pity if this “historic
opportunity” was wasted.
In statements to the paper’s correspondent in New York
Ozlem Sahin Sakar, Eide noted that he
does not want to create the climate that a solution will be reached very soon,
but he wondered: “If Mr Akinci and Mr
Anastasiades do not achieve the creation of a united Cyprus, who else could do
this?”
Responding to a question as to whether progress could
be achieved on the property issue in order for a referendum to be held within
this year, Eide said:
“Yes, this could happen. […] Of course we want the solution to be reached the soonest, but we do not
want to put emphasis on time tables. The
important thing is not in which month this will happen, whether it will be in
this month on in the other, but to be able to come to this point. The
acceleration gained eight months ago is still there, […] but it will not be
there forever. Now there is a historic opportunity from the point of view of
the support of the sides to the two leaders and the great interest and support
of the international community to the Cyprus problem […]”.
Eide
explained that he cannot give a date on when a solution could be reached,
because when you give a date, this date “starts to control the agenda”. “And this is something which we do not want to
happen”, he added.
Replying to a question, the UN diplomat said that he
is focused more on the economic aspect of the problem in comparison to his
predecessors and explained that his aim is “to secure that the solution will be
not only a political success for the Cypriots, but also an economic one”.
He
pointed out that the non-solution has a cost and added that he is certain that
many international investors will be interested to come to a united Cyprus. He recalled the cooperation between the businessmen of
the two communities and noted that they told him that they lose money because
of the division of the island.
He
expressed the view that the Cypriot identity is culturally very strong on the
island in spite of the religious and linguistic differences andtherefore the
two communities could live on the island together without any problems.
Eide said that he feels that the Turkish Cypriots want
a solution to the Cyprus problem. “There are many people who want the end of
this division on the island”, he noted.
Asked whether there would be a meeting between the
community leaders, the UNSG and the guarantor powers in Davos this week, Eide recalled that the two leaders would
meet with the UNSG adding that no meeting with the guarantor powers was
planned, because “such a meeting would be held only when the time is right” and
“we did not think that the time was right for such a meeting”. He added
that the Cyprus problem will be one of the issues discussed in Davos by
political leaders, academicians, businessmen and NGO leaders. “There is a great
interest for this problem and not only by the state, but by the business
circles as well”, he noted.
Asked what the problem will be if the leaders meet
with the guarantor powers, Eide replied: “I
do not keep anyone from meeting with anyone. Those who want to meet will meet.
However, I am not organizing such a meeting. The Davos meeting is a private
meeting and not a UN General Assembly meeting […]”.
(I/Ts.)
2.
Burcu on the negotiations process
According
to illegal Bayrak television (18.01.16) the
so-called presidential spokesman Barıs Burcu said that the contacts to be held
separately by the two leaders at the world’s leading economic summit in Davos
Switzerland as well as the joint meeting they will be holding with the UN
Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, will contribute greatly to the efforts aimed at
reaching a settlement on the island.
Responding to reports in the
Greek Cypriot press that the UN had changed the current timetable on the talks
and had postponed a possible referendum to after the general elections in
“south Cyprus”, Burcu said that there was no such timetable or deadlines.
Burcu said that these
reports were pure fabrication as it was not possible to speak of a referendum
date before an agreement had been reached.
Burcu
however stressed the importance of reaching a settlement as soon as possible,
adding that they are working for this.
Also,
responding to reports that there had
been more progress reached in the talks than announced by the two sides, Burcu
said that this depended from which angle you looked at the issue. “We are receiving different types of comments.
Some claim that we are progressing, while others claim we are trailing behind
on substantive issues. We on the other hand are focusing towards achieving
results. In any case, nothing is agreed
until everything is agreed.”
On the upcoming visit to
Davos, Burcu said that the summit was an important opportunity for both sides
considering that the world’s leading economic actors would be attending the
World Economic Summit.
He said that the financing
of a settlement could come up during the meetings in Davos. “We can’t wait for
a donor’s conference to start thinking about the financing of a settlement. At
least we can bring to the attention of those economic actors the high cost of a
settlement and the importance of any support they might be able to lend”, he
added.
Burcu also stressed that
there would be no meeting held to discuss the issue of guarantees as reported
in the press. “The Treaty of Guarantees will be discussed at the very end of
the process with the participation of all three guarantor powers and the two
sides on the island. We are still not at that stage…there is still much
distance we need to cover on the property and territory issues”,
added Burcu.
3.Merkel expressed hopes over the solution of the
Cyprus problem in the next few months
Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (17.01.16) reported
that German Chancellor Angela Merkel
stated in a weekly Q&A video exchange published on January 16 that Turkey
still has a long way to go in its bid to become a full member of the European
Union.
Responding
to a question on whether Turkey should expect to be an EU member state within
10 years, Merkel said: “The negotiations are open-ended for both sides. We have
opened a new chapter in this process and new chapters are possible too. There
is a long way ahead, but I see the frequent meetings as positive. I am also
hoping to see progress in the Cyprus issue in the next few months”. She added
that it was “not realistic” to give a time frame at the moment.
Merkel’s
remarks came ahead of Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu’s official visit
to Germany for a Turkey-Germany High-Level Cooperation Council meeting on
January 22.
The German Chancellor also said this week’s meeting
was independent from the January 12 terror attack in Istanbul’s historic
Sultanahmet neighborhood, which killed 10 German citizens.
“We
must not let the terrorists change our agenda,” Merkel said, stressing that the
meeting was scheduled long before the Sultanahmet attack.
(…)
Meanwhile, the German Chancellor said the Kurdish
issue and the issue of press freedom would also be on the agenda of her meeting
with Davutoglu and a team of Ministers from both sides.
“We were pleased with Turkey’s peace negotiations with
the Kurds in the past, and we always say that military operations should be
proportional. In the meeting we want to discuss what can be done politically.
Of course Turkey should take precautions against the [outlawed Kurdistan
Workers’ Party] PKK’s terrorist operations, but the Kurds should also be given
a reasonable chance,” Merkel added.
4. Juncker: “The EU is very confident over a Cyprus
settlement within the next six months”
Ankara Anatolia
news agency (15.01.16) reported that the
European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said on Friday that he is
"very confident" that negotiators will reach a final agreement to
reunite Cyprus within the next six months.
"I am very confident that in the first six months
of this year we will come to a final agreement on the reunification of that
island," Juncker, said in a press conference in Brussels.
"I
certainly hope that will be the case because I very much like the
Cypriots," Juncker said adding: "I think they are very, very
efficient, intelligent and hardworking and very educated people on both sides
of the island. I hope 2016 will be the
year that we can finally resolve the Cyprus issue," he added.
(…)
5.Davutoglu tours Europe; He will discuss the
Cyprus problem with Cameron
Turkish daily
Hurriyet Daily News (17.01.16) reported
that Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has launched yesterday a one-week
European tour including London, Davos and Berlin, during which he will meet
foreign investors and discuss counter-terrorism measures with European
counterparts.
According to a written statement by the Prime Ministry
office on January 16, Davutoglu will meet his British counterpart David Cameron
in London to discuss the Cyprus reunification talks, the situation in Syria and
Iraq, and counter-terrorism.
Davutoglu will
also address the opening of a Turkish investment conference in London,
organized by Bank of America Merrill Lynch and also speak at events arranged by
Bloomberg, Goldman Sachs and the Foreign Economic Relations Board. He will be
accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek, several other Ministers,
and a number of senior economy officials.
It will be their
first meeting with investors abroad since the Justice and Development Party
(AKP) won back its parliamentary majority in November. The cabinet announced
its revised Medium-Term Economic Program ahead of visits to Turkey from
investors on Jan. 11.
The meetings in
Europe will aim at convincing investors that Ankara will push through reforms
including privatizations and labor market liberalization, according to sources.
Davutoglu will further attend the Davos Summit on
January 20-23 after his meetings in London.
Europe’s migrant
crisis and devastating terror attacks will combine with the plunging oil price
and China’s economic slowdown to give the elite of the political and business
worlds plenty to talk about when they gather in Davos on January 19.
At the end of his tour, Davutoglu will meet with
Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin to hold a high-level cooperation council
meeting.
6.
Serdar Denktas accused the Turkish Cypriot negotiating team of not having
“red lines” at the Cyprus talks
Turkish
Cypriot daily Kibris (18.01.16) reports that Serdar Denktas, leader of the
Democratic Party – National Forces (DP-UG), said that his father, former
Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktas, was always sitting at the negotiating
table with his “red lines” and at the beginning of the Cyprus talks, he always
stressed that he would not discuss these “red lines”. He claimed that he is
sure that his late father won’t sleep well in his grave because there are no
“red lines” at the negotiating table.
Speaking
on a Radio Guven programme, Denktas argued that when Rauf Denktas sat at the
negotiating table, he did not make any concessions on the political equality,
sovereignty and Turkey’s guarantees.
Commenting
on the guarantee issue, Denktas said that he has concerns on this issue,
because the negotiations are continuing on the ground that the guarantor system
will be discussed. According to Denktas, this means that the Treaties of
Guarantee and Alliance will be lifted and there will place another guarantee
system. Denktas said that he believes that if Turkey’s guarantees are removed,
then a new conflict will begin.
(DPs)
7.
Talat on the water crisis: “All sides are exerting efforts to reach the best
possible solution on the problem”
Turkish Cypriot daily Havadis newspaper (18.01.16)
reports that the chairman of the Republican Turkish Party (CTP) Mehmet Ali
Talat gave an interview to the paper evaluating the latest developments on the
water crisis.
Talat stated that the dialogue with Turkish officials
as regards the issue which occurred with the administration oothe water
transfer from Turkey is continuing and said that all sides are exerting efforts
to reach the best possible solution to the problem.
He said that what is important in the negotiations is
to reach a consensus which will be taking into consideration their
sensitivities and not preserving the same stance. “There are a lot of
sensitivities. The important thing is to reach a result by taking into
consideration these sensitivities”, he stated.
Talat also said that there is no question about the
right of the “Turkish Embassy” to the breakaway regime to make an announcement.
“However, you must also have the right to also say something about the
statement made”, he said.
(CS)
8. CHP
Deputies asked the Turkish Assembly to launch an investigation on the water
transfer project
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (16.01.16)
reported that Elif Dogan, Deputy with
the Republican People’s Party (CHP) in Turkey along with twenty two other
Deputies asked from the Grand National Assembly of Turkey to launch an
investigation regarding the water transfer project from Turkey to the occupied
area of Cyprus.
According to a motion presented to the speaker of the
Assembly, the Deputies asked for an investigation regarding the 600 million
dollars spent for the project’s infrastructure. In addition they ask to be
informed about who will sell and distribute the water as well as about the
disagreement which occurred between Turkey and the “government” in the
breakaway regime on the issue, which led the persons living in the occupied
areas of Cyprus not to be benefitting from the project despite the amount of
money spent.
(CS)
9.
Delegation of the “Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Industry” to visit Azerbaijan
Turkish Cypriot daily Gunes newspaper (16.01.16)
reported that a delegation of the
“Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Industry” would visit Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku,
between 17-20 January 2016.
Self-styled
minister of Trade and Industry Sunat Akun would also participate in the
delegation travelling to Baku,
writes the paper adding that the aim of
the visit is “to introduce to the world industrial and agricultural products of
the TRNC” and try to find ways for these products to be sold by Azeri
firms.
The
delegation would hold contacts with the Ministry of Economy and Industry of
Azerbaijan, the Turkish
Ambassador to Baku and with various Azeri foundations and organizations like
the Azerbaijan –Turkey Industrialists and Businessmen Community during its
visit.
(CS)
10.
The “TRNC” is represented in tourism fairs in Stuttgart and Vienna
Turkish
Cypriot daily Gunes (18.01.16) reports that the so-called tourism ministry of
the breakaway regime in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus is taking
part at the CMT Stuttgart tourism fair in Germany, which will continue until
January 24.
The
self-styled minister of tourism Faiz Sucuoglu attended the opening ceremony of
the fair and visited the “TRNC kiosk”. He also carried out contacts with some
tour operators from different countries.
On
the same issue, Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris (18.01.16) reports that the
so-called tourism ministry is also represented in the tourism fair “Ferien
Messe 2016” in Vienna, Austria.
Meanwhile,
Turkish Cypriot daily Havadis (17.01.16) published an interview with Sucuoglu
on the measures that the “tourism ministry” will take in order to prevent the
effects of the terror attacks in Turkey on the tourism in the occupied area of
the Republic of Cyprus.
Sucuoglu
said that the terror attacks in Turkey affects also the tourism in the occupied
area of the Republic of Cyprus, because there are no direct flights and the
tourists should fly through Turkey. Sucuoglu explained that they have already
carried out contacts with tourism officials in Turkey. They met and discussed
this issue with Tugrul Turkes, Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister Responsible for
Cyprus Affairs. They also visited Turkey’s Minister of Tourism and explained to
him their difficulties.
Sucuoglu,
further said that they also met with tourist operators in the “South”
(translator’s note: the government controlled area of the Republic of Cyprus),
in order that tourists who visit the “South” to also visit the “North”. He
added that their target on tourists in the “South” is the Russian tourists.
(DPs)
11.Five persons were diagnosed with swine flu in
the occupied area of Cyprus; Statements by the “ministry”
Turkish Cypriot daily Yeni Duzen newspaper (18.01.16)
under the title: “There are five flu
cases but there is no danger”, reports that the “undersecretary” of the
so-called ministry of health Omer Gur, in a written statement yesterday,
announced that the number of patients in the occupied area of Cyprus who were
diagnosed with the symptoms of the H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu has
reached to five. He however, called for calm supporting that they have
everything under control and that the patients are not in danger.
Gur further said that the “ministry” has taken all the
necessary measures for avoiding the spreading of the virus and added that the
H1N1 does not differ from the other flu cases.
He
added that the three patients with the virus are being hospitalized at the “Dr.
Burhan Nalbantoglu state hospital” while the other three at the “hospital” of
the illegal Near East university (“YDU”).
(AK)
12.Turkey’s MFA welcomes implementation of Iran
nuclear deal
Turkish daily Today’s Zaman (17.01.16) reported that the Turkish Foreign Ministry in a written
statement on Sunday welcomed the official implementation of a landmark nuclear
deal between Iran and six world powers and called on all parties to work for
restoration of security and stability in the region.
"Turkey
has maintained from the outset that the only way for a resolution regarding
Iran's nuclear program is through diplomacy and negotiations", the
statement said.
Iran emerged from years of economic isolation on
Saturday when world powers lifted crippling sanctions after confirming that
Tehran had curbed its nuclear program as part of a deal agreed upon last year.
The
statement said that Ankara now expected thorough and uninterrupted
implementation of the deal in full transparency under the supervision of the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). "We strongly emphasize that all
parties display responsible behavior that does not encourage division for the
restoration of security and stability in the region”, added the statement.
13.Turkish academics released after detention for
“terrorist propaganda”; The EU and foreign Ambassadors condemned the detentions
Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (17.01.16) reported
that the twenty four academics, who
signed a petition calling for an end to military operations in southeast
Turkey, were released late on January 15 after being detained for a short
period by police in the northwestern provinces of Kocaeli and Bolu.
Universities
and prosecutor’s offices across the country have launched probes into many of
the 1,128 local and international academics and intellectuals who fall within
Turkey’s jurisdiction, arguing that the petition went beyond the limits of
academic freedoms.
In a dawn operation in the northwestern province of
Kocaeli on January 15, police raided the houses of academics and detained 21 of
them. In Bursa, police detained three academics on the same charges.
On January 15, the Anatolian, Istanbul and Bakırköy
chief public prosecutors also launched investigations into at least 123
academics employed by universities in Istanbul. The Anadolu public prosecutor
initiated probes into 82 academics and Bakırkoy into 41 academics; the Istanbul
public prosecutor did not disclose the number of investigations.
A number of signatory academics employed by
universities outside of Istanbul are also facing charges, with the public
prosecutor’s offices in Bartın, Diyarbakır, Kayseri, Mardin and Samsun also
announcing that probes would be launched into academics who have signed the
petition. It remains unclear exactly how many academics outside of Istanbul are
being investigated by prosecutors.
According
to reports, some of the academics are being investigated on suspicion of
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” and of
“inciting hatred and enmity.”
At
least 41 academics are facing, among other punishments, suspension and
dismissal from their universities. This figure does not include the group of
academics that have been announced as being dismissed by Cukurova University
and Gediz University.
The
investigations and detentions came soon after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
slammed the petition’s signatories, stating that human rights violations in the
southeast are being committed by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants
and not the Turkish state.
Meanwhile,
the European Union in a statement on January 16 condemned as "extremely
worrying" Turkey's arrest of academics who signed a petition criticizing a
military operation in the country's southeast.
"The
steps taken against the Turkish academics who signed a declaration regarding
events in the southeast of Turkey are an extremely worrying development," said
the EU spokesperson on Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini in a statement.
Also,
the British Ambassador to Turkey Richard Moore joined the criticism on
Saturday, saying in a statement that he was "very concerned to hear
reports of academics being suspended and investigated for expressing their
views on conflict in southeast."
"Freedom
of expression is vital in a democratic society, and especially in education.
That includes the right to express views we might think are mistaken, or
one-sided," Moore said.
Moreover, the
US ambassador in Ankara John Bass expressed concern over legal and disciplinary
actions against more than 1,000 Turkish academics who signed a petition
criticizing the government's policies in the southeast and calling for peace.
“We
are seeing reports of academics being investigated and subject to penalties for
expressing their opinions about the conflict in the southeast. While we may not
agree with the opinions expressed by those academics, we are nevertheless
concerned about this pressure having a chilling effect on legitimate political
discourse across Turkish society regarding the sources and solutions to the
ongoing violence,”
Bass said in a statement. “In democratic
societies it is imperative that citizens have the opportunity to express their
views, even controversial and unpopular ones.”
Ambassador Bass said: “Expressions of concern about violence do not equal support for
terrorism. Criticism of government does not equal treason. Turkish
democracy is strong enough and resilient enough to embrace free expression and
uncomfortable ideas.”
14.Kılıcdaroglu re-elected as CHP’s chairman
Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (17.01.16) reported
that Kemal Kılıcdaroglu was re-elected
as chairman of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) for his
fourth consecutive term at the party’s convention over the weekend, saying he
aimed to renew the CHP’s management with “more new and young faces.”
Kılıcdaroglu
received the votes of 990 delegates out of 1,238, running alone as his sole
contender İzmir Deputy Mustafa Balbay failed to garner the required number of
signatures to be a candidate.
“We
will open a new page in Turkey. We will bring democracy and freedoms. We will
fight unemployment. We will be the party of the poor and the disowned. We will
defend their rights,” Kılıcdaroglu said after his re-election on January
16.
The 1,238 party delegates were on January 17 due to
elect the 60-seat Party Assembly, the highest decision-making body of the CHP
from which Kılıcdaroglu picks his closest aides to the Central Decision-Making
Council (MYK). Around 700 party members applied to run for the Party Assembly,
as Kılıcdaroglu encouraged more youngsters and women to race for a seat at the
assembly.
The CHP’s convention started on Jan. 15 with a long
speech by Kılıçdaroğlu full of criticism targeting the Justice and Development
Party (AKP) and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“The
point at which Turkey has arrived is not a promising one. We are facing the
reality that Turkey is not well-governed. The government is responsible for
this pessimistic picture,” he said.
Among
the key pieces of evidence that the government cannot rule properly is the
“rise of terrorism,” Kılıcdaroglu said, recalling that when the AKP took power
in 2002 terrorism was almost at “zero.”
“They
took over in 2002 when there was zero terror but they turned the country into a
bloodbath. Who is responsible for this?” Kilicdaoroglu added, saying the way
the government had launched talks with the Kurdistan Workers’ (PKK) was a
“serious mistake.”
“What
is the difference between the photos currently being taken in Turkey’s
southeast and those coming from Syria or Lebanon?” Kılıcdaroglu said.
Underlining his party’s willingness to support
initiatives to renew Turkey’s Constitution along “pro-freedom and democratic”
lines, Kılıcdaroglu also vowed that the CHP will not negotiate the first four
articles of the current charter, which describe the characteristics of the
Turkish state as “democratic, secular, social and rule of law-based.”
“We’ll actively participate in efforts to rid our
country of junta-made laws. But we won’t allow the country to be remade upon
the personal views of any individual,” he said, referring to Erdogan’s ambition
to change the system to a presidential one.
“We will not allow a change to the system. You make
references to the Ottoman Empire all the time. Don’t you know the Ottomans also
had a parliamentary system? Why now this change?” Kılıcdaroglu added.
Kilicdaroglu also slammed Erdogan over his frequent
interventions into political life, despite the fact that the Constitution requires
him to remain neutral. “We know how
concepts like honor and pride. If one gives one’s word of honor, he or she
should fulfill this to the death. Because honor and pride are undisputable for
us. You tell us, so-called dictator, what do honor and pride mean to you?” he
asked.
Upon Kılıcdaroglu’s harsh words, AKP Deputy Chair
Selçuk Özdağ, who had been invited to the convention by the CHP, left the
convention center.
(…)
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TURKISH
AFFAIRS SECTION
(AK / AM)
