TURKISH
CYPRIOT AND TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW
C
O N T E N T S
No.
18/16 28.01.2016
1.Siber:
“The Turkish Cypriots will not accept a solution that will not envisage
Turkey’s guarantees in Cyprus”
2.Elcil: “The ambassador speaks the language of CHP and
MHP”
3.
Kalyoncu: We shall finalizing the water issue after meeting with Turkish
officials
4. Excavations are taking place today in two military
zones in occupied Mia Milia and AgiosGeorgiosKeryneia
villages
5. Number of vehicles registered
in the breakaway regime for 2015
6. The occupation regime participated in a tourism
fair in Dublin
7. Illegal YDU received European
Network of Engineering Education
8.
Turkey’s NSC discussed Syrian crisis, Turkey-EU relations and Cyprus issue
9.
Columnist: “Is the Cyprus problem nearing a solution?”
10.
Erdogan to visit South America
1.Siber: “The Turkish Cypriots will not accept a
solution that will not envisage Turkey’s guarantees in Cyprus”
Turkish Cypriot
daily Kibris newspaper (28.01.16) under the title: “Turkey undertakes all the necessary steps towards the solution of the
Cyprus problem”,reports on statements by the “speaker” of the so-called
assembly SibelSiber who evaluated to Ankara Anatolia news agency the latest
stage of the Cyprus negotiation process and Turkey’s role to the process as a
guarantor country.
Referring to the
contacts she held yesterday with high level officials in Ankara and with
Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister, responsible for Cyprus Affairs TugrulTurkes, Siber alleged that Turkey has always
supported the solution of the Cyprus problem and it has shown a clear and lucid
stance. “Turkey always sent positive messages; it supports the negotiation
process and it undertakes steps towards the solution. Turkey is always by our
side and its support is important”, Siber said.
Referring to the issue of “guarantees”, Siberargued:
“Turkey’s guarantees are a security for us and the stance of the Turkish
Cypriots towards this is clear. A solution which will not envisage Turkey’s
guarantees will not be accepted by the Turkish Cypriot people”.
Siber added
further that that the guarantees issue will be discussed at the end of the
talks by the Greek Cypriot side, the Turkish Cypriot side, Turkey, Greece and
the UK in a five-partite summit.
Asked to evaluate the interconnection of Turkey’s EU
bid with the Cyprus problem and the fact that the “Greek Cypriot
administration”, as the Republic of Cyprus is called, blocks the opening of
chapters for Turkey, Siber said: “In fact, it shouldn’t be like this. It is
unacceptable the connection of the Cyprus problem with Turkey’s ties with the EU”.
“We demand by the
Greek Cypriot side, which is a member of the EU, not to put obstacles in
Turkey’s EU bid and not to block Turkey’s EU bid, since, Turkey is at present
in favor of the solution of the Cyprus problem”, she added.
Referring to the issue of the energy sources in the
Eastern Mediterranean, Siber expressed the wish that these would not bring pain
and create distress in the region.
On the ongoing
Cyprus negotiation process, Siber reminded of the fact that the process is
carryied out on the basis of the federation model and added that in this
framework, the two founding states to be, will be established under the
umbrella of a “federal state” and will have their own “government” and
“assembly”. “We wish a fair and viable
solution of the Cyprus problem. Our wish is the rotating presidency. Without a
rotating presidency, we will not consider ourselves as equal partners. We want
the president of the federal state to be, to be elected by turns”, Siber also
said.
Siber added
further that due to the so-called embargoes, the voice of the “TRNC” is not
possible to be heart in the international community and called for the lifting
of the “embargoes”.
(AK)
2.Elcil: “The ambassador speaks the language of CHP
and MHP”
Turkish Cypriot
daily Kibris newspaper (28.01.16) under the above title, reports that the chairman of the Turkish Cypriot
Teacher’s Trade Union (KTOS) SenerElcil, in a written statement yesterday,
condemned strongly the so-called Turkish ambassador to the occupied area of
Cyprus DeryaKanbay and supported that the “ambassador” speaks the language of
the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).
Elcil added that Kanbay’s views are opposite to the views of the AKP towards
the issue of the federal solution in Cyprus.
Supporting that
Turkey implements a colonial policy in the “northern part of the island”, Elcil
accused Turkey of its imposition policies in the “TRNC”.
(AK)
3.
Kalyoncu: We shall finalizing the water issue after meeting with Turkish
officials
According to illegal Bayrak television
(online, 27.01.16), self-styled prime minister Omer Kalyoncu said that work on determining how the water being pumped from
Turkey is to be managed is expected to be finalized in the coming days.
Commenting on the issue before entering
a “council of ministers” meeting, Kalyoncu said that the careful and detailed
deliberations on a sensitive and crucial issue such as water are only natural.
He said that work to ensure that the water is brought to the people at the
highest possible standard and quality is continuing. “We shall be finalizing the issue in the coming days after meeting with
officials from Turkey” he said.
Also commenting on the escalation of the
war of words between self-styled communication minister TahsinErtugruloglu and
the “ombudsperson” EmineDizdarlı over a tender awarded to a company to audit
services at occupied airport of Tymbou, Kalyoncu said that it is wrong for the
issue to be handled this way. “From journalists to ordinary citizens, everyone
is involved and has taken sides. This is not the way to go about it. Our legal
experts are looking into the matter”, he said.
4. Excavations are taking place today in two military
zones in occupied Mia Milia and AgiosGeorgiosKeryneia villages
Turkish
Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (28.01.16) reports that the office of the Turkish Cypriot Member of the Committee of the
Missing Persons announced that excavations are taking place today in two
military zones in occupied Mia Milia and AgiosGeorgiosKeryneia villages.
According
to the Committee, the excavations are taking place in areas that there is
information that can lead to findings of new evidence for missing persons. In occupied Mia Milia there is information
about the remains of a Greek Cypriot soldier and in occupied
AgiosGeorgiosKeryneia about the remains of three Greek Cypriot soldiers.
(CS)
5. Number of vehicles
registered in the breakaway regime for 2015
Turkish Cypriot daily Havadis newspaper (28.01.16)
reports that the system of renewing the road tax license faces many problems
leading the breakaway regime to lose millions.
According to the paper, around 25,000 vehicles did not
renew its road tax in 2015 while 102,000
other deleted their registration. The paper adds that 175,982 vehicles were
registered in 2015 and only 135,406
of them pay for the road tax and as a result the breakaway regime received only
80, 316,270 Turkish Lira.
In statements to the paper, the chairman of the
“vehicles importers and sellers” Ibrahim Akin, stated that the breakaway regime
must adopt the European standards on the issue noting that this is the only
solution for clearing things up.
(CS)
6.The occupation regime participated in a tourism
fair in Dublin
Turkish Cypriot
daily Kibris newspaper (28.01.16) reports that the so-called ministry of tourism represented the occupation regime in
“The Holiday World Show 2016” fair which took place in Dublin, Ireland on
January 22-24.
According to a
statement issued by the so-called ministry, in the framework of the fair, “officials” of the so-called ministry and
“representatives” of the “tourism sector” held contacts with several tour
operators from the EU, Ireland and the UK.
7.Illegal YDU received
European Network of Engineering Education
Turkish Cypriot daily Havadis newspaper (28.01.16)
reports that the Faculty of engineering of the illegal Near East University
(YDU) has been given the accreditation of the European Network of Engineering
Education (ENAEE).
According to the paper this is the highest
accreditation for this field of study.
(CS)
8.
Turkey’s NSC discussed Syrian crisis, Turkey-EU relations and Cyprus issue
Turkish daily Milliyet (28.01.16)
reports that the first regular meeting of the National Security Council (MGK)
in 2016, which brings together top civilian and military officials, lasted for
almost seven hours on Jan. 27, as Ankara has been increasingly alarmed over the
prospects of the inclusion of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD)
in planned U.N.-backed talks on Syria.
Turkish top officials also discussed
other critical matters mainly focusing on the anti-terror operations against
the PKK and Daesh, Turkey-EU relations and the Cyprus problem.
According to Turkish daily Sabah
(online, 27.01.16), the National Security Council concluded that Turkey's
determination to continue its support to the Turkmens in North-western Syria
who are being targeted by the Russian airstrikes will continue.
The Council reiterated determination to
fight against terror and Turkey's stance on the Syrian crisis, adding that a
solution to the atrocities in the country cannot be achieved with the President
Bashar al-Assad, or the Democratic Union Party (PYD) terrorist organization,
which is the Syrian wing of the PKK.
9.
Columnist: “Is the Cyprus problem nearing a solution?”
Columnist and former Turkish Foreign
Minister YasarYakis, writing in Turkish daily Today’s Zaman (online, 27.01.16),
pointed out the two main reasons of being difficult to find a solution to the
Cyprus problem in the following commentary:
“There
have been signs of optimism coming from officials deeply involved in the Cyprus
problem. They have re-emphasized their hope that a solution is likely in
2016. This hope was also expressed last week by Turkish Prime Minister
AhmetDavutoglu during his talks with British Prime Minister David Cameron.
One of the differences in the present
attitudes of the Turkish and Greek Cypriot leaders, Mustafa Akinci and Nikos
Anastasiades, respectively, from previous attitudes is that they seem to be
more target-oriented. In the words of
someone closely involved in the process, ‘The leaders and their teams do not
defend positions but actively seek solutions’.
The intricacies of the problem are the
same as in the past. Some of the major
thorny issues include security and guarantees, property, power-sharing and a
rotating presidency.
I will discuss only two of these issues
in order to point out the difficulty in overcoming them: property and security.
Property
The property issue constitutes one of
the most difficult topics. Tens of thousands of Cypriots on both sides had to
leave their homes after Turkey's military intervention in 1974. Turkish
Cypriots living in the south of the island had to move to the north and settled
in houses vacated by Greek Cypriots. Similarly, Greek Cypriots moved into
houses vacated in the south by Turkish Cypriots. Some of the houses were sold
by the original owners to the new occupants. Therefore, the problem seems to be
solved, but only for this group that constitutes a small number, as a bigger
unsolved property issue still remains.
A new group will find themselves dealing
with this property issue when the border delineating the boundary between
Turkish and Greek parts of the island is redrawn. Turkish Cypriots who will
have to be evicted from their ancestral homes or from the homes they have lived
in for more than 40 years will have to be resettled in a new place and be
provided the opportunity for livelihood. This will require more than $10
billion. Such a huge sum is not readily available. The European Union and the
international community are expected to come forward and cover at least part of
this cost. Furthermore, Cyprus may take long-term loans from international
financial institutions, which would be paid back with money that the solution
of the Cyprus problem could generate. But Cypriots of neither side will find
any incentive to vote in favor of this solution in a referendum if the money is
not promised to be paid back immediately.
Security
Security is another serious issue in the
solution process. There is a general understanding that this topic will be left
until the end of the talks because it is what lies behind the mutual distrust
between Turkish and Greek Cypriots.
This issue has three parts: The first is
the guarantees enshrined in the 1960 and 1961 London and Zurich agreements.
These guarantees are provided by the three guarantor powers that established
the Republic of Cyprus, which are Turkey, the United Kingdom and Greece.
The second is the question of the
presence of the Turkish military unit in Cyprus. Turkish Cypriots attach great
importance to the Turkish military presence because the atrocities they
suffered at the hands of Greek Cypriot activists are still fresh in their
minds. They perceive the insistence of the Greek Cypriots on getting rid of the
Turkish military presence as an indication of their intention to attack the
Turks again in the future. Similarly, the Greek Cypriots perceive Turkey's
insistence to keep its military presence on the island as an indication of its
intention to intervene again militarily in the future.
The third part of the security issue is
the separate police force for Turkish and Greek Cypriots in addition to a
federal police force.
Reaching an agreement on these and other
issues is not impossible, but it needs hard work and determination. After the leaders reach an agreement, they
will have the harder task of persuading their respective electorates to vote in
favour of the solution in a referendum to be held at the end of the process.
There are reasons for optimism this time, but mine is still a cautious
optimism.”
10.
Erdogan to visit South America
Turkish state channel TRT (online, 27.01.16)
broadcast that Turkey’s President Press Office on Wednesday issued an official
statement saying that Turkish President, RecepTayyipErdogan, is going to visit
South American countries in order to strengthen economic relations. The Turkish
President will visit Chile, Peru, Colombia and Ecuador from Jan. 31 to Feb. 5.
Erdogan's three-nation Latin America
tour will be very important for the development of Turkey's bilateral relations
with these countries, according to Turkish officials. The President will first
head to Chile on Jan. 31 and will stay there until Feb. 2, when he will go to
Peru. On Feb 3, he will go to Ecuador.
"On the visits, bilateral political
and economic issues will be discussed as well as regional and international
developments," the statement said.
Erdogan's
trip to Chile will be the second visit to the country in nearly 20 years. It
will be the first visit to Peru and Ecuador by a Turkish President, the
statement added.
The President will preside over the
signing of a series of important agreements which are expected to cover areas
such as economic and technical assistance, industrial investment,
infrastructure development and technical and scientific exchanges among the
countries.
Erdogan is also expected to address
Turkish and South American business people on his visit.
The trade volume between Turkey and
Chile was $417 million in the first 11 months of last year, a decrease from
$921 million in the same period of 2014.
Chile's former President, Sebastian
Pinera, visited Turkey in 2012, when he signed a number of agreements as part
of a strategic partnership framework. Chile was the first Latin American country
with which Turkey signed a free trade agreement.
---------------------------------------------------
TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION
(AK/
AM)
