TURKISH
CYPRIOT AND TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW
C
O N T E N T S
No.
121/16
30.06.2016
1.
$1.2 billion Turkey-“TRNC” deal enters into force
2.
Erdogan and Putin agreed to meet in person in first phone call after jet
crisis
3.
Istanbul airport terror attack death toll rises to 42
4.
Turkey and China signed a deal on nuclear cooperation
5.
The “municipal council” of occupied Nicosia is discussing again the issue of
joining the system of taking water from Turkey
6.
Cavusoglu: Distribution of water in the occupied part of Lefkosia can start as
from the weekend
7.
Hudaoglu stated that the water transferred from Turkey will not be enough to
cover the annual needs of the Turkish Cypriots for potable
water
8.
Akinci met with the former and the newly appointed chairman of the “Civil
Defence organization”
9.
Social Democratic Party (SDP) will hold its first ordinary congress on July
1
10.
Fresh secularism debate stirred in Turkey over authority given to religious
heads on marriage
1.
$1.2 billion Turkey-“TRNC” deal enters into
force
According
to Ankara Anatolia news agency (30.06.16), an economic cooperation agreement
between Turkey and the “TRNC” (editor’s note: the breakaway regime in the
occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus) worth 3.5 billion liras ($1.2
billion) was published in the “official gazette” on Wednesday.
The
agreement was signed in Ankara on May 27 and became valid following ratification
by Turkey's Cabinet members on June 13.
The
new agreement proposes loans and grants of up to $1.2 billion from Turkey to
“Northern Cyprus” to support public finance, real sector, infrastructure
investments, defence and structural reforms for a three-year
period.
Aside
from financial help, Turkey will also provide technical support to Turkish
Cypriots in all fields and Turkish public officials will also be able to be
stationed temporarily at “Northern Cyprus” as long as
requested.
Also,
a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a joint customs committee between the
Trade Ministry of Turkey and the “finance ministry” of the breakaway regime in
the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus was also ratified, the “official
gazette” revealed.
According
to the MoU, a joint committee will identify key areas of cooperation and also
oversee collaboration in “customs areas” between Turkey and the
“TRNC”.
2.
Erdogan and Putin agreed to meet in person in first phone call after jet
crisis
According
to Turkish daily Sabah newspaper (online, 29.06.16), Russian President
Vladimir Putin made a phone call to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday
as the first time since the jet crisis, which took place in November 2015
when Turkey shot down a Russian warplane, and the two leaders agreed to meet
in person at the upcoming G20 meeting in China in
September.
Shortly
after the phone call, presidential sources said that the meeting had ended on a
positive note and that Putin also offered his condolences for the deadly suicide
attacks that hit Turkey's largest airport in Istanbul on Tuesday
night.
A
written statement was released later, which emphasized that both leaders had
both expressed determination to revive mutual relations and fight
terrorism.
The
two leaders also agreed to meet in person, Erdogan's office said, adding that
"necessary steps" should be taken to revive relations. The statement said
that Erdogan and Putin "highlighted the importance of the normalization of
bilateral relations between Turkey and Russia".
Putin
said during the meeting that the current situation is to the disadvantage of
both Russia and Turkey, emphasizing that both countries had to turn a clean page
to overcome the crisis, according to Turkish presidential
sources.
"As
major regional powers, Russia and Turkey have a lot to do", Putin reportedly
said. The Russian President also fully agreed with Erdogan's statement on
counter-terrorism following Tuesday night's terror attack in Istanbul,
presidential sources stated.
Erdogan
told Putin that, "We intend to take important steps at the bilateral and
regional levels. We will further strengthen our cooperation with Russia,"
reported presidential sources. The Turkish president reportedly said it was
"important that we listened to the demands of our
peoples".
Later
that day the Kremlin also released a statement regarding the call, saying Putin
had ordered trade relations with Turkey to restart.
On
the same issue, Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News newspaper (online, 29.06.16)
reported that Putin will order government to start negotiations to restore
bilateral trade cooperation with Turkey, according to a statement by Kremlin. He
will also drop restriction measures against Russian tourists visiting Turkey,
the statement added.
3.
Istanbul airport terror attack death toll rises to 42
According
to Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News newspaper (online, 30.06.16), the death
toll in Tuesday night's terror attack at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport has risen to
42 from 41 after the death of a young woman, according to hospital
sources.
According
to a statement issued by the Istanbul Governor’s Office earlier, among the 42
were 10 foreign nationals and three others who had dual Turkish
citizenship.
A
total of 109 injured people out of 239 have been discharged from hospitals in
Turkey's most populous city, the statement added.
The
Turkish Prime Ministry announced a one-day national mourning in the aftermath of
the Istanbul airport attack. Turkey will host its flags at half-mast across the
country and in Turkish foreign representations around the world, the Prime
Ministry said in the statement.
4.
Turkey and China signed a deal on nuclear
cooperation
According
to Turkish daily Sabah (online, 30.06.16), Turkey’s Energy and Natural
Resources Minister Berat Albayrak and Chinese National Energy Administration
Director Nur Bekri signed a memorandum of understanding regarding the
cooperation between the two countries in the field of nuclear power,
yesterday. The memorandum covers the mutual development of the nuclear
technologies and cooperation between Turkey and China.
During
his visit to Beijing, Albayrak hold a series of bilateral meetings, where he
discussed Turkey's investment opportunities in energy, coal and renewable energy
in particular, and invited Chinese firms to invest in Turkey.
5.
The “municipal council” of occupied Nicosia is discussing again the issue of
joining the system of taking water from Turkey
Turkish
Cypriot Kibris newspaper (30.06.16) reports that the “municipal council” of
occupied Nicosia is once again discussing tomorrow the issue of joining the
system of taking water from Turkey. In a voting that took place recently,
the “council” refused to join the system, as eleven members voted “no” and only
eight members said “yes”. Tomorrow the “council” will re-evaluate this
decision and the issue of giving self-styled mayor Mehmet Harmanci the authority
to sign the relevant “subscription agreement”.
Noting
that the votes of the members of the “municipal council” which belong to the
Republican Turkish Party (CTP) and the Social Democracy Party (TDP) will
determine the decision, the paper writes that the CTP’s vote is expected to
be positive tomorrow. The “municipal council” members which belong to the
CTP had rejected the “agreement” because they considered that the price of the
water was high. The two members which belong to the TDP and Murat Kanatli from
the New Cyprus Party (YKP) had voted “no” because they believe that the
“agreement” was opening the door to privatizations. The positive votes came from
the members, which belong to the National Unity Party (UBP) and the Democratic
Party (DP).
(I/Ts.)
6.
Cavusoglu: Distribution of water in the occupied part of Lefkosia can start
as from the weekend
Turkish
Cypriot daily Kibris Postasi (30.06.16) reports that the self-styled minister of
agriculture and natural resources, Nazim Cavusoglu, stated that if the decision
of the “municipality council” of occupied “Lefkosia municipality” as regards the
use of water transferred from Turkey change, then the occupied part of Lefkosia
will start receiving water as from the weekend.
The
“ Lefkosia municipality council” had previously rejected the use of the
transferred water due to its selling price, but according to the Turkish Cypriot
press, it may decide differently in the coming days.
Cavusoglu
further stated that following the distribution of water to occupied Famagusta
and Morfou, the water will start distributing to occupied Trikomo and the
southern part of Mesaoria as well.
(CS)
7.
Hudaoglu stated that the water transferred from Turkey will not be enough to
cover the annual needs of the Turkish Cypriots for potable
water
Turkish
Cypriot daily Havadis newspaper (30.06.15) reports on statements by the
“chairman” of the “Chambers of Cyprus Turkish Engineers and Architects”
(“KTMMOB”) who in a press conference yesterday evaluated the “water transferred
project” from Turkey to the occupation regime.
Referring
to the provision in the “water protocol agreement” which envisages that Turkey's
State Water Affairs Department (DSI) will be responsible for the administration
and the serving of the purification plant and the pumping station, he described
this provision as an “issue that will create quarrels” and asked for the Turkish
Cypriots to be educated on this issue and to be included in the system.
Explaining
that the annual need for potable water in the “TRNC” increases, Hudaoglu stated
that the need for potable water has reached to 105 million tons and argued that
the 75 million tons of water send annually by Turkey to the occupation regime
will not be enough to cover their needs.
(AK)
8.
Akinci met with the former and the newly appointed chairman of the “Civil
Defence organization”
Turkish
Cypriot daily Havadis newspaper (30.06.16) reports that the Turkish Cypriot
leader Mustafa Akinci met yesterday with the former “chairman” of the “civil
defence organization”, Fatih Yarimbas and the newly appointed “chairman”,
Erdogan Celebi with whom he discussed the preparatory work needed to be made by
the “state” in possible disaster cases.
Speaking
during the meeting, Akinci stressed the need to get prepared in order to be
ready to confront a possible big disaster in the “country” and underlined that
“the biggest disaster derives from the non-good preparation”. Stressing the
important role of the “civil defense organization” in emergency cases, Akinci
stated that he would support the “organization”.
(AK)
9.
Social Democratic Party (SDP) will hold its first ordinary congress on July
1
Turkish
Cypriot daily Star Kibris newspaper (30.06.16) reports that the Social
Democratic Party (SDP) will hold its first ordinary congress on July 1.
The
party was established two years ago by its chairman Tozun
Tunali.
(CS)
10.
Fresh secularism debate stirred in Turkey over authority given to religious
heads on marriage
Turkish
daily Hurriyet Daily News newspaper (online, 30.06.16) reports that a series
of new regulations enabling provincial and district religious affairs
authorities to conduct official marriages has sparked fresh debates on
secularism in Turkey.
Speaking
at his Justice and Development Party (AKP) parliamentary group meeting on June
28, Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım said that local müftis and muhtars
(village heads) of villages with neighbourhood status will be given authority to
conduct marriages.
Legal
experts and academics have suggested that such a regulation would contradict
with Turkey’s constitutionally protected principles of
secularism.
Turkey Bar Association (TBB) head Metin Feyzioğlu has claimed that the
regulation is “the first step in switching from secular to sharia law”.
“This
regulation will remove women’s right to marry of their own free will. This is a
dangerous development that is removing safety,” argued Feyzioğlu, adding that
the “modern Turkish Republic’s gains” will be taken away from women with the
regulation.
“Currently,
in marriages conducted at municipalities, only registrars can conduct marriages
and they do not see themselves authorized to act on other issues. Muftis, imams,
and muhtars, however, are different. They will be able to put pressure on young
people to marry. It will be women who see the greatest harm from this pressure,”
he added.
Dr
Devrim Güngör of Ankara University’s Law Faculty also said that the regulation
was “against the constitution’s principles of secularism and the state of law.”
“In
a secular state of law, imams or müftis cannot be given jurisdiction to conduct
marriages. Marriage is a legal institution that is made official by the Civil
Code,” said Güngör, adding that parties can choose to have a religious ceremony
only after these civil requirements are met.
“For
example, in Italy, which hosts the Catholic Church, church marriages do not have
legal acceptance and only have a symbolic meaning. Only municipalities can
conduct lawful marriages,” said Güngör.
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