TURKISH CYPRIOT AND TURKISH MEDIA
REVIEW
C O N T E N T S
No. 127/16
08.07.2016
1. Turkish and Turkish Cypriots visited Hala Sultan Tekke in the
framework of Seker Bayram
2. The head of the “EU coordination centre” evaluates the impact of
Brexit on Cyprus
3. Columnist wonders with the mentality everything belongs to the
“TRNC” how they can proceed to a “give and take”
process
4. The Communal Democracy Party participated for the first time
officially in the Socialist International
5. There is a recession on tourist arrivals in the occupied area of
Cyprus
6. Turkish Foreign Ministry calls French genocide denial bill a risk
to freedom of expression
1. Turkish and Turkish Cypriots visited Hala Sultan Tekke in the
framework of Seker Bayram
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (08.07.16) reports that more
than a thousand Turkish Cypriots and settlers visited the Hala Sultan Tekke in
Larnaka yesterday for praying in the framework of the Islamic holiday of Eid
al-Fitr.
Speaking to Greek Cypriot journalists, the Head of the Religious
Affairs Department, Talip Atalay stated that “religious freedoms must be applied
to everyone”. Atalay was asked to comment on the limitations that the breakaway
regime has recently applied to exercise of religious ceremonies in the churches
located in the occupied area of Cyprus.
Atalay also thanked the authorities of the Republic of Cyprus,
especially the Minister of Foreign Affairs Ioannis Kassoulides, the Archbishop
of Cyprus and the UN for facilitating their visit to Hala Sultan Tekke.
(CS)
2.
The head of the “EU coordination centre” evaluates the impact of Brexit on
Cyprus
Turkish
Cypriot daily Kibris Postasi newspaper (08.07.06) publishes an interview with
Kudret Akay, the newly appointed head of the “EU Coordination Centre” in the
occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus.
Asked
to evaluating the impact of Brexit on Cyprus, Akay argued that the new issue of
the United Kingdom in case that there is not a Cyprus settlement, is that it
will turn into a whatever country which is not an EU member. In these
circumstances, UK will organize its international relations again one by one
with all the countries in the economic and defence issue. Within this framework
it will also have an agreement also with South Cyprus, as he refers to the
Republic of Cyprus.
Akay
stressed that British citizens will not be able to cross to the government
controlled area of Cyprus when they enter Cyprus via the illegal airports and
ports in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus, since they won’t be
considered anymore EU citizens.
Noting
that the Green Line Regulation will not be valid anymore for the UK, Akay
claimed that “direct trade” may emerge as a possibility. He further argued that
the decisions of the European Court of Justice will not be able to be
implemented in the UK, adding that the UK may develop a policy on Cyprus
independently from the EU.
Akay
further argued that another possibility is that the UK may be member of the
European Economic Area (EEA) or the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). In
this case it is quite likely the UK to be binding to the Green Line Regulation.
Then the British citizens will be able to cross from the occupied area of Cyprus
to the government controlled area of Cyprus even though they enter Cyprus
through illegal airports and ports.
(DPs)
3.
Columnist wonders with the mentality everything belongs to the “TRNC” how
they can proceed to a “give and take” process
Under
the title “Solution or occupation?”, columnist
Cenk Mutluyakali, writing in Turkish Cypriot daily Yeni Duzen newspaper
(08.07.16), wonders whether it is a coincidence that those who are the most
ferocious opponents to the solution are those who “estimate” the wonderful
properties of the Greek Cypriots at least half of their real value.
Mutluyakali
writes: “When we look the issue ‘to give’, we forget that we will live together.
On top of that, we don’t give…
(…)
The focus of the work is
not Morfou…
It’s
mentality!
Are
we carrying a solution process on the ‘international level’ or on a conquer
level, let them tell us!
The
prime minister says that ‘Morfou is a TRNC’s district and cannot be returned’.
Everything is ‘TRNC’s district, village or neighbourhood’. In that case the
mentality is nothing is returned.
-
‘TRNC
will stay forever, the name will be solution’.
(…)
What
will be your role now at the ‘give and take’ solution
process?
You
will say, give back to me the partnership of a recognized state by the world and
forget its property!
If
you were you, what would you have done?
I am not angry with
Ozgurgun.
Because,
this mentality has been indeed generally internalized in the south
Cyprus.
The
Turkish Cypriots who visit their ‘houses’ in every opportunity when they cross
to the south, they say ‘these are ours’ (...)
Somehow they have erased from their memories the owners of places in the
north. They have convinced themselves that ‘those are also theirs’. What a vain
memorising!
Very few Greek Cypriots want to return back to the north and live there
again. Tens of studies show this... however, they want their rights, they will
want them. Who wouldn’t? (...)”
(DPs)
4. The Communal Democracy Party participated for the first time
officially in the Socialist International
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (08.07.16) reports that a
delegation of the Communal Democracy Party (TDP) consisting of its leader Cemal
Ozyigit and the member of the central committee of the party, Baris Erkmen,
participated for the first time officially in the ordinary meeting of the
Socialist International which took place on July 1-2 in
Geneva.
The two men held contacts with party leaders and party members on the
sidelines of the meeting.
According to the paper, the political will of the two leaders in
Cyprus for reaching a bi-communal, bi-zonal solution based on the political
equality of the two communities in Cyprus were noted in the final document of
the paper. In addition, criticism towards ELAM for its attacks against Turkish
Cypriots was included in the final document.
(CS)
5.
There is a recession on tourist arrivals in the occupied area of
Cyprus
Turkish
Cypriot daily Yeni Duzen newspaper (08.07.16), on its front page, reports that
while there is a record of tourists in the “South”, there is a recession on
tourists in the “North”. The paper reports that the first reason of the
recession of tourists in the occupied area of Cyprus is “political” due to the
connection with Turkey.
According
to data prepared by the so-called ministry of tourism of the breakaway regime in
the occupied area of Cyprus, during the period January-May 2015, 4,593 Russians
visited the occupied area, while the same period in 2016, the number of Russian
decreased to 2,997. While, in 2015, 4,208 persons from Austria visited the
occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus, the number decreased to 1,746 in 2016.
There were 3,233 tourists from Belgium in the period of January-May 2015, while
during the same period in 2016 there were only 722. While the German visitors in
2015 were 31,073, in 2016 there were only 18 thousands.
The
paper reports that while there is decrease on the visitors from the European
countries, there is an increase on visitors from the Middle East countries.
While in 2015, 7,645 Iranians visited the occupied area of Cyprus, in 2016 there
were 9,326. Also, the number of Jordanians was 1,492 in 2015 and 2,136 in 2016.
(DPs)
6. Turkish Foreign Ministry calls French genocide denial bill a
risk to freedom of expression
Turkish Hurriyet Daily News (08.07.16) reports that the Turkish
Foreign Ministry has cautioned that a French bill criminalizing the denial of
“genocide,” unanimously passed by the Lower House of the French Parliament on
July 1, had the potential to unlawfully limit freedom of expression, while a
former diplomat has claimed the bill was related to the “personal interests” of
French politicians.
“We have closely followed the preparation and adoption processes of
the draft amendments to the Law on the Freedom of Press that the French National
Assembly adopted concerning criminalization of the denial of war crimes, crimes
against humanity and the crime of genocide under certain conditions,” said
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Tanju Bilgiç in a written statement released late
on July 6.
“In the event that the draft is enacted in its present form, it has
the potential to pose the risk of unlawfully limiting the freedom of expression,
especially impinging on the jurisprudences of the ECHR [the European Court of
Human Rights] and the Constitutional Council of France,” said Bilgiç in the
statement, which came in the form of an official answer by the spokesperson to a
journalist’s question.
“We will also closely follow the upcoming process at the French
Senate in the near future regarding the draft, which has not yet been enacted,”
said the statement. “We expect that the French Senate will remove the elements
that may have the potential to pose the risk of limiting the freedom of
expression from the draft,” concluded the statement.
---------------------------------------------------
TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION
(CS/ AM)
