TURKISH
CYPRIOT AND TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW
C
O N T E N T S
No.
74/16
21.04.2016
1.
Nuland met with Akıncı and reiterated U.S support to the efforts
for finding a solution to the Cyprus problem
2.
Eide: A lot of issues have not been concluded in the Cyprus talks but
the climate is good
3.
Turkes
to pay an illegal visit to the occupied area of Cyprus today
4.
Columnist: The change of “Turkey’s aid delegation’s” name
will be an attempt to improve only its “image”
5.
Denktas has allegedly said to a Turkish Cypriot columnist that
April’s salaries will be paid normally without any problem
6.
The new “university” in occupied Morfou to be ready by June
7.
The Illegal University of Keryneia signed a cooperation protocol with
an Iranian University
1.Nuland
met with Akıncı and reiterated U.S support to the efforts for
finding a solution to the Cyprus problem
According
to illegal Bayrak television (20.04.16), the
Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs at the
United States Department of State Victoria Nuland met yesterday with
the Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akıncı at the “presidential
palace”.
Speaking
to reporters after the meeting, Nuland
said that she had a positive meeting with Akıncı during which they
discussed the latest stage reached in the Cyprus negotiations
process. “We’ve also received a positive appraisal of last
night’s meeting between the two leaders. It seems that there is
good progress now in taking the leaders’ agreements and
consolidating them”, Nuland stated.
She
also added that the United States will remain intensively involved in
the Cyprus problem. “Washington is eager to help the sides to come
to an agreement that the Cypriot people need and deserve”, Nuland
stated.
2.
Eide:
A lot of issues have not been concluded in the Cyprus talks but the
climate is good
Turkish
Cypriot daily Vatan newspaper (21.04.16) reports that Espen
Barth Eide,
UN Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Cyprus, has
said that there are currently a lot of issues which have not been
concluded in the negotiations, but the climate in the negotiations is
good.
In statements yesterday, Eide described as “constructive” the
1,5-hour meeting he had with Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci
and noted that he
shares the view that the meeting held between the leaders the day
before yesterday was “productive”.
Eide
argued that contrary
to the expectations of some circles there is no loosening up in the
negotiations and that the negotiators of the two sides are
intensively working.
Referring
to the meetings he had with the British and the French Foreign
Ministers and the US Assistant Secretary of State for European and
Eurasian Affairs, Victoria Nuland, Eide noted that during these
contacts he saw that the above-mentioned officials were willing to
support the process in Cyprus.
“The
international interest and support are very strong at this critical
turning point. During these contacts more concrete issues are
discussed such as the economic support”,
he added.
Asked
what progress was achieved in the negotiations, Eide
said that the announcement on the progress could be made by the
leaders, who will decide when this will happen.
He noted that the issues are being discussed in an interrelated
manner in the negotiations and expressed the belief that this method
would not have been chosen if they did not think that it would have a
result. He
added that the sides are doing whatever they can for overcoming their
differences in the negotiations.
Replying
to a question as to whether the issue of the natural gas resources
had come onto the agenda of his meetings with the French and the
British Foreign Ministers, Eide said: “I have good meetings with
key countries and organizations which expressed support to the
process. I will discuss this issue with them, but not over the
media”.
(I/Ts.)
3.
Turkes
to pay an illegal visit to the occupied area of Cyprus today
Under
the title: “Turkes
is coming”, Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris Postasi (21.04.16) reports
that Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister, Responsible for Cyprus Affairs
Tugrul TurkeS will pay an illegal visit to the occupied area of
Cyprus today for “official contacts”.
According
to information acquired by the “presidency”, Turkes
will meet in the afternoon at the so-called presidential palace with
the Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci.
More
details about Turkes’ program will be announced later in the day.
(AK)
4.
Columnist:
The change of “Turkey’s aid delegation’s” name will be an
attempt to improve only its “image”
Writing
in his column in Turkish Cypriot daily Yeni Duzen newspaper
(21.04.16) columnist Sami
Ozuslu refers to information published yesterday by Kibris Postasi
newspaper which argued that during the recent meeting between Turkish
Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci and Turkish Deputy Prime Minister
Tugrul Turkes, the change of the name of “Turkey’s aid
delegation” in the occupied area of Cyprus was agreed.
The columnist reports that, according to the same information, Akinci
and Turkes agreed also to discuss “changes regarding the way by
which this delegation is operating”.
Under
the title “Why the name of Turkey’s aid delegation is changing?”
the columnist notes:
“If
this information is true, it is possible to comment these news in two
ways. Either
Ankara perceived the reaction of the Turkish Cypriots and decided to
restrain Turkey’s aid delegation’s stance ‘which interferes in
everything’,
- and if this is the issue, this is a proper decision – or
[the situation] is exactly the opposite! That is, Ankara, in spite of
the voices of the Turkish Cypriots which are continuously raised,
decided to further increase the weight of the delegation here.
And if this is the decision and the intention, it means that things
will become even more difficult.
It
is definite that the point to which the relations between Turkey and
the TRNC have come is not sustainable.
This goes for both sides. On
the one hand there is the Turkish Cypriot administration which
continuously ‘begs for money’. And on the other, there is Turkey
which continuously ‘gives money’.
This form of relations, far from poisoning the interstate relations,
increases the distance between the peoples. It cannot be useful for
anything else. However, it
would be naivety to think that this preference is ‘random’.
Ankara is not unhappy at all by the 1983-declared TRNC remaining as a
kind of ‘satellite state’.
Even
though the high amount of money transferred to the TRNC is made an
issue, the ‘full dependency’ relation developed in return for
this is without a cost.
Changing
the name of Turkey’s aid delegation or even the way it operates
under this situation and these circumstances will not go further than
being an ‘image’ operation.
Even
if the ‘good scenario’ is implemented,
it
is obvious that there will be an arrangement which will be aiming at
improving only the perception
[…] As
for the ‘bad scenario’, it will be like in 2011. In
a period during which ‘Rallies for the Communal Existence’ were
taking place, the then president Eroglu
sent a letter to Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan saying: ‘The
technical chairman of the aid delegation, Halil Ibrahim Akca is
interfering too much in our internal affairs, remove him from his
duties’.
And
in response, Akca was hurriedly appointed as Turkish ambassador to
Nicosia!
In
my view history is not comprised of repetitions, but sometimes it can
be repeated!”
(I/Ts.)
5.
Denktas has allegedly said to a Turkish Cypriot columnist that
April’s salaries will be paid normally without any problem
Under
the front-page title: “No need for panic. April’s
salaries are ready”, Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris Postasi newspaper
(21.04.16) reports that according to the paper’s columnist Levent
Ozdam, who held a meeting with so-called deputy prime minister and
“minister of finance” Serdar Denktas, the latter told him that
the salaries for the month of April are ready and that there is no
need to worry about this issue.
The
columnist wonders
in him column entitled: “Free chair…. No need for panic. April’s
salaries are ready”, from
where the “ministry of finance” which until recently had its
treasury empty, has found so much money. “Somehow it has found them
and it gave us good news. Let him announce later where he had found
them…”, writes the columnist, expressing also the belief that
most probably Denktas has struck a happy medium with Turkey on the
issue of the signing of the “economic protocol”.
Ozdam
writes also in his column that Denktas told him that the money was
not given by Turkey.
Asked
to reply to the question on when the “economic protocol” will be
signed, Denktas clarified that the “protocol” is not possible to
be signed with its current form and pointed out to the need to make
some amendments on this.
(…)
(AK)
6.
The new “university” in occupied Morfou to be ready by June
Turkish
Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (21.04.16) reports that Dr.
Serdal Gunduz, member of the “board of trustees” of the “Cyprus
Health and Social Science University” that will open in occupied
Morfou, has announced that the “university” will start
functioning officially as of June 1st.
Gunduz
made the above statements yesterday upon a visit he held to the
paper.
Gunduz
further said that the “goal” of the “university” during its
first year of opening is to reach to 1,250 students.
He
added that the “university” will be covered with 20 thousand
meter square of closed area and of 25 thousand meter square of open
area. Also, the bed capacity of the campus will serve the needs of 50
thousand students.
Gunduz
also stated that inside the campus of the “university” there will
be laboratories, conference meetings, amphitheaters, health centers,
digital libraries, cafeterias, supermarket and other facilities.
(AK)
Turkish
Cypriot daily Halkin Sesi newspaper (21.04.16) reports that the
illegal
Keryneia University (GU) has signed a “cooperation protocol” with
Iran’s Mohaghegh Ardebili University.
According
to the paper, the
“cooperation protocol” envisages cooperation between the two
“universities” in the fields of technology, research and culture.
The
“protocol” envisages also the exchange of students and academic
staff.
The
“protocol” was signed by the “vice rector” of the “Keryneia
university”, Prof Dr. Ilkay Salihoglu and the rector of the
Mohaghegh Ardebili University, Dr. Goudarz Sadeghi Hashjin.
(AK)
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TURKISH
AFFAIRS SECTION
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