TURKISH
CYPRIOT AND TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW
C
O N T E N T S
No.
226/16
24.11.2016
1.
Cavusoglu to visit the occupied area of Cyprus
2.
Akinci held telephone conversations with Biden and Ban
3.
Ozgurgun evaluated Mont Pèlerin talks
4.
TDP calls the two leaders to move forward and determine a new road
map
5.
Toros says that the depreciation of the Turkish lira causes crisis in all
sectors of the economy in the occupied area of Cyprus
6.
Cirali and Tulga commented on the outcome of the Mont Pelerin
talks
7.
Turkish Cypriot press: Akinci succumbed to Turkey’s interference at Mont
Pelerin; The Turkish Cypriot delegation cried; Empathy is
needed
8.
MHP deputy leader asked for the interruption of the Cyprus
talks
9.
Atun: “The goal of the GCA is to claim the entire Turkish
land”
10.
An American company will start operating in the occupied area of Cyprus
11.
Two killed, 21 wounded in terror attack at Adana Governor’s
Office
12.
Erdogan rails against high interest rates on eve of Central Bank
meeting
13.
Turkey to chair presidency of the 2017 Shanghai Cooperation Organization Energy
Club
14.
Turkey’s parliamentary commission abolishes motion on child
abuse
1.
Cavusoglu to visit the occupied area of Cyprus
Turkish
Cypriot daily Kibris Postasi newspaper (24.11.16, online,
http://www.kibrispostasi.com/index.php/cat/35/news/206521/PageName/KIBRIS_HABERLERI)
reports that Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu will visit the
occupied area of Cyprus tomorrow in order to assess the developments on the
Cyprus problem with Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci and his
negotiating team.
In
a statement issued on 22 November by Ambassador Huseyin Mufutoglu, spokesman of
the Turkish Foreign Minister, it was said that during Cavusoglu’s visit “a
detailed evaluation with the Turkish Cypriot side will be made on the point we
have come”.
Cavusoglu
is expected to depart from the occupied area of the island on the same
day.
(I/Ts.)
2.
Akinci held telephone conversations with Biden and
Ban
Turkish
Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (24.11.16) reports that Turkish Cypriot leader
Mustafa Akinci spoke over the phone last night with the US Vice-President Joe
Biden and the UN’s Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon.
According
to a statement issue by the “presidential palace”, Akinci discussed with
Biden the latest developments in Mont Pelerin and conveyed the Turkish Cypriot
stance. He also reiterated the Turkish Cypriot side’s decisiveness towards the
solution and its political will towards this
direction.
Meanwhile,
during the telephone conversation with Ban, Akinci briefed the
Secretary-General about the developments in Mont Pelerin, he explained the
“positive steps” undertaken by the Turkish Cypriot side and its constructive
stance and reiterated that their goal is to reach a solution within 2016. Ban
reiterated in his turn, his support on the Cyprus negotiation process.
(AK)
3.
Ozgurgun evaluated Mont Pèlerin talks
According
to illegal Bayrak television (online, 24.11.16), self-styled prime minister
Huseyin Ozgurgun has alleged that the Mont Pèlerin talks had failed to achieve
any results despite Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci’s more than expected
flexible approach because of the Greek Cypriot side’s greedy
demands.
Speaking
on “BRT 1” yesterday, Ozgurgun repeated his view that a representative from
the “government” should be on the Turkish Cypriot negotiating team and
added: “We were able to follow the results of the talks from the press. We shall
learn about what really happened there when we meet with the president (Turkish
Cypriot leader Akinci) later on. But the facts are clear. That is that there was
no agreement reached and the goal of reaching a solution before the end of 2016
is now in danger”.
Claiming
that this was not the first time the Greek Cypriot side adopted an intransigent
attitude at the negotiating table, Ozgurgun questioned as to how much more is
the Turkish Cypriot side going to tolerate this attitude.
Arguing
that Akinci had been too flexible in the steps he had taken forward, Ozgurgun
alleged: “For us, his steps were too flexible. However we chose to remain silent
with the hope that an agreement could be reached. However as it can be seen, the
outcome was once again inconclusive because of the Greek Cypriot side’s greedy
stance”.
Noting
that the Turkish Cypriot “people” will never accept living as a minority,
Ozgurgun argued that the events of 1963 and 1974 as well as the recent
developments in the region clearly proved the importance of the guarantees for
the Turkish Cypriot “people”.
Alleging
that the Turkish Cypriot side has never run away from a solution, Ozgurgun
complained that the Mont Pèlerin talks was the latest of a long line of
negotiations that ended with failure because of the Greek Cypriot side’s
intransigence.
“How
much longer will the Turkish Cypriot side wait for the Greek Cypriots at the
negotiating table? We could resume the talks in a manner which makes the Greek
Cypriot side comfortable but to what end? This has to be questioned. The Greek
Cypriot side should clearly understand that the Turkish Cypriot people are just
as educated as the Greek Cypriot people and have earned a strong mature sense of
democracy. It will not be possible to reach a solution unless you come to terms
with this reality”, Ozgurgun claimed.
4.
TDP calls the two leaders to move forward and determine a new road map
Turkish
Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (24.11.16) reports that the Social Democracy
Party (TDP), in a written statement evaluated the Cyprus negotiation process in
Switzerland and called the sides in Cyprus to continue with decisiveness the
efforts aiming to reach to a solution on the Cyprus problem.
TDP
underlined in the statement that the outcome of the summit in Mont Pelerin did
not meet their expectations.
The statement added, however, that this situation should not be perceived as
the end of the process. “It would be a great mistake to expect for a 50 years
prolonged problem to be solved in one night”, adds the statement.
The
statement also emphasizes that the two leaders achieved a remarkable progress in
the talks and suggests that at the current stage, what is necessary to be done,
is not the leaders to enter into the game of accusations but to move forward in
the framework of a new road map that will be mutually determined.
(AK)
5.
Toros says that the depreciation of the Turkish lira causes crisis in all
sectors of the economy in the occupied area of Cyprus
Turkish
Cypriot daily Havadis newspaper (24.11.16) reports that Fikri
Toros, chairman of the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce, has referred to the
consequences of the depreciation of the Turkish lira (TL) on the Turkish Cypriot
economy. Toros told the paper that the interest from Turkey for purchasing
immovable property in the occupied area of Cyprus is high and that the majority
of tourists and students in the occupied area of the island comes from Turkey.
The
Turkish capital holders’ and households’ purchasing power decreased due to the
depreciation of the TL, he said adding that this directly influenced the
occupied area of Cyprus which is “an importer country”. The prices of a great
part of the Turkish goods that are exported are indexed to foreign currency and
therefore the TL’s depreciation resulted in an increase of the cost of the
imports, he explained. Toros noted that because the profit in the occupied
area of Cyprus is estimated in TL a “serious imbalance and contradiction is
caused”, adding that this created a serious crisis in the Turkish Cypriot
economy which will influence all sectors.
He
said: “When the businesses have loses from their turnover, they reduce the
number of their employees and are activated in a narrower business field.
Unfortunately, this is what is happening now. Serious unemployment started
and I think that it will increase during the next few months […]”
(I/Ts.)
6.
Cirali and Tulga commented on the outcome of the Mont Pelerin
talks
Turkish
Cypriot daily Yeni Bakis newspaper (24.11.16) reports that business circles in
the occupied area of Cyprus described as normal the crisis occurred in Mont
Pelerin talks, expressed hopes on the continuation of the negotiation process
and stressed the need for a five-party meeting to take
place.
According
to the paper, the “chairman” of the “Turkish Cypriot chamber of industry” Ali
Cirali, commenting on the outcome of the Mont Pelerin talks, stated that
although the result was not the desired one, he considers that “this is not the
end of the world or the end of the process”.
Cirali
expressed hopes that the negotiation process will continue and underlined the
need for an outcome to come up after the meeting between Greece and Turkey on
December 5. He also claimed that the negative outcome of the summit in
Switzerland derives from Greece’s stance.
Also
speaking, Hurrem Tulga, “general coordinator” of the “Turkish Cypriot chamber of
craftsmen and tradesmen” (“KTEZO”) referring to the outcome of the summit in
Mont Pelerin, stated that they cannot accept that the “process is collapsed” and
added that similar crisis and deadlock appeared in negotiation processes in the
past and afterwards the negotiations continued from the point they were left.
Stressing
the need for both leaders to continue the process, Tulga expressed optimism and
added that the two leaders should continue with a five-party meeting, since all
chapters of the Cyprus problem were discussed during the last 18 months.
Referring
to the forthcoming meeting between Tsipras and Erdogan, Tulga expressed optimism
over the outcome of this meeting.
(AK)
7.
Turkish Cypriot press: Akinci succumbed to Turkey’s interference at Mont
Pelerin; The Turkish Cypriot delegation cried; Empathy is
needed
Turkish
Cypriot daily Afrika newspaper (24.11.16) cites “political
analysts” and reports that during the second round of the negotiations for
finding a solution to the Cyprus problem at Mont Pelerin, Switzerland, Turkish
Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci had often discussions with Ankara, was
subjected to “strong pressure” and was forced to succumb to Ankara’s “brake” on
the territory issue. According to the paper, Akinci undertook an
initiative and fell from 29,2% to 28,2% [as regards the territory to be left to
the Turkish Cypriot constituent state], but could not oppose to Ankara’s
interference in this.
In
his column today, the paper’s publisher, Sener Levent writes that surprise was
caused by the fact that during the discussions on the population issue, the
Turkish side was able to impose more settlers from Turkey as citizens of the
“new state” by saying that the population in the occupied area of Cyprus
increased during the 12 years which passed since the Annan Plan, but it alleged
that the number of the Greek Cypriot refugees who would return was high, because
some of these refugees died during that period.
In
his article in the same paper under the title “The actual maximalist”,
Mehmet Levent reports that in the eve of the Mont Pelerin talks,
Turkish President Erdogan had sent the message that “Morfou can never be
returned” and that “a territory below 30% can never be accepted”. “This
message was the last sign that the Mont Pelerin summit would collapse”, he
notes adding that only this message by itself showed very clearly who the
actual maximalist preventing the solution is.
Meanwhile,
Turkish Cypriot daily Havadis newspaper’s (24.11.16) publisher
Basaran Duzgun writes in his column today that on Monday night towards
Tuesday morning when the talks at Mont Pelerin collapsed, a member of the
Turkish Cypriot negotiating delegation told him that the entire team was crying
when it became understood that the negotiations would end with failure”.
Moreover, the columnist reports UNSG’s Special Adviser on Cyprus, Espen Barth
Eide could also not control his tears when the deadlock at the negotiating table
became definite. Duzgun argues the following: “It is not only the Mont Pelerin
summit that ended with failure. The trust between the two leaders also
collapsed. The harmony, which had been created between them, was influencing
positively the negotiations. Now not only the problem in the negotiations
exists, but also a serious problem of trust between the two leaders”.
Furthermore,
under the title “Mont Pelerin wreck”, columnist Mert Ozdag in Turkish
Cypriot daily Yeni Duzen newspaper (24.11.16) reports that “the
most sincere necessity in this ‘game’”, as he describes the Cyprus negotiations,
is to pass into the “empathy part”. Noting that the Greek Cypriots and the
Turkish Cypriots have different “political sensitivities” and way of reaction,
Ozdag argues that this makes finding a “middle way” more difficult, something
which we saw at Mont Pelerin. He notes the following:
“[…]
When the Greek Cypriot side behaved in a concessive manner towards the
Turkish side on the issue of population and the political equality, it did this
in return to the concession it would take in the territory, we can estimate
that. If we need to say it more clearly, Anastasiades is the one who gave
Akinci the opportunity to boast that ‘all the citizens of the TRNC will become
citizens of the new state’. This should be noted […] The Greek Cypriot
policy has been pursued for years on the position in its political literature
that ‘we will return to our homes’. When I think it from their point of view, I
find this situation to be justified. […] A war happened and people were
forced to leave their homes and the land they were living taking their memories
with them. What is on the agenda now is returning home. The official Greek
Cypriot policy is established on this position! For them returning home is
the meaning of the solution. […] While for us it expresses a meaning over
other concepts such as becoming a part of the world, being recognized and being
included in the international law. In this case, now finding a shelter
in the port called empathy is necessary. We need to realize and stick in our
minds that there will be no solution without satisfying to the maximum extent
the expectations of the Greek Cypriots formed on the issue of returning to their
homes. This is the reason why the positions submitted by the Turkish side
at Mont Pelerin on the territory did not lead to a positive outcome and did not
satisfy the Greek Cypriots. […] We must get out of this crisis and abandon
the taboos, the red lines, these hard positions, whatever you call them. […] We
must see that political concerns such as the current unemployment, the worry for
the future, the possibility of a conflict and war and turning into Turkey, are
worse than the worst solution. Let ten more thousand Greek Cypriots come to
the territory in the north, but let us become a part of the international law
and sit at the positions which are waiting for us empty in that pool of
prosperity and human rights called EU. […] If we remain like this and
continue suffering under the Mont Pelerin wreck and this situation becomes
permanent, the end of this process is annexation! Regardless of what anyone
says, the unofficial Turkish policy that escalated with 2011 is formed with a
design which will include the northern part of Cyprus to their lands. […]
If we need to say it more clearly, if this last chance is also wasted, the
end of this issue is integration. […]”
(I/Ts.)
8.
MHP deputy leader asked for the interruption of the Cyprus
talks
Turkish
daily Haberturk newspaper (online, 23.11.16) reports that the deputy leader
of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Sefkat Cetin said that the door of the
energy corridor that will be extended to the Mediterranean is Cyprus, adding
that it is time the national policies in Cyprus to be implemented again.
In
a written statement, Cetin, evaluating Turkey’s change of policy on Cyprus as a
life necessity, alleged that the bad behaviour of the Greek Cypriots because
they have been tolerated in the EU as the owner of the whole island, weakens the
hand of the Turkish nation in Cyprus.
Claiming
that “the search for a solution on the alleged Cyprus problem has become
synonymous with demands of renouncing the sovereignty and territory of the
turkishness in Cyprus”, Cetin alleged that from the Cyprus talks which have been
occurred until today no result has turned out to be in favour of the Turkish
nation and for this reason the Cyprus talks should be ended.
Cetin
defined the Cyprus talks as “a part of a directed project which aims to break
off Cyprus from Turkey, to encircle Turkey and lock the Turkish nation in the
Anatolia”. He also alleged that it is not possible for Turkey to continue the
stand of “give and rescue” in Cyprus.
Cetin
further claimed that the Turkish nation will not permit that Cyprus to be
offered within a gold tray to the powers that rushed in the area in order to
share the wealth of the natural gas and oil of the Eastern Mediterranean.
Alleging
that Turkey’s security is directly depended on the strategic position of Cyprus
in the Eastern Mediterranean, Cetin claimed that the path of controlling the
energy and water resources of the region by the Turkish nation is passing from
protecting their rights in Cyprus.
(DPs)
9.
Atun: “The goal of the GCA is to claim the entire Turkish land”
Turkish
Cypriot daily Kibris (24.11.16) reports that so-called minister of economy
and energy Sunat Atun, in statements while addressing the meeting of the
Economic and Commercial Cooperation Permanent Committee (ISEDAK) of the
Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) which is taking place in İstanbul,
alleged that the Turkish Cypriots live for half a century under “unfair
isolations” and claimed that “it is not possible for the Turkish Cypriots to be
sentenced to continue with open-end talks and live into an uncertain future”.
Referring
to the negotiation talks in Mont Pelerin, Atun alleged also the following: “It
has been made crystal clear that the only goal of the Greek Cypriot
administration is to claim the entire Turkish land and to perceive the
conditions that will obtain this”. He went on and underlined the importance of
the ISEDAK member state’s support to the Turkish Cypriot side.
Atun
added also that the “government” provides incentives to foreign investors who
want to invest in the “TRNC” and claimed that the foreign investors could
“trust” the “government”.
Referring
to the water transferred from Turkey, Atun alleged that the water will increase
the trade potentials for member states of the ISEDAK.
Meanwhile,
according to information acquired by the “ministry”, Atun, within the framework
of the inauguration ceremony of the meeting, he met with Turkish President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan and Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek. He also held
bilateral meetings with Uganda’s Minister of Finance, Matia Kasaya, the General
Chairman of the Islamist Trade Development Center Dr. El Hassane Hzaine and the
Minister of State Planning of the Sultanate of Umman, Salim Said Al-Habsi.
(AK)
10.
An American company will start operating in the occupied area of Cyprus
Turkish
Cypriot daily Kibrisli newspaper (24.11.16) reports that the
American Turkish Board of Development Council (ATBD Council) is expected to
start operating in the occupied part of Nicosia by the end of the
year.
The
chairman of the ATBD Council, Ugur Terzioglu said that many Greek Cypriot
businessmen live in the USA and want a lasting solution in Cyprus. He noted that
a delegation from the Council and some of these Greek Cypriot businessmen had
held contacts both in the occupied area and in the government-controlled area of
the island. He argued: “The Greek Cypriot businessmen living in America want
the territorial integrity and a lasting peace to be ensured in the island, like
the Turkish businessmen who are our members. Owners of huge companies are
included among them. They insistently asked from us to open a representation
office in the island. […]”
Terzioglu
stated that they assigned Serhat Akpinar, second chairman of ATBD Council and
chairman of the administrative council of the “Universities’ Union” in the
occupied area of Cyprus, with the duty of establishing their representation
office in the island and added that upon a proposal from the “south Cyprus
Greek Sector”, as he described the Republic of Cyprus, in parallel to a Greek
Cypriot and a Turkish Cypriot representative, representatives from Greece and
Turkey will also become members of the administrative council of the office in
Cyprus.
Terzioglou
noted also that during this month the US Keller &Williams company, which
is active in the land estates field, opened a shop in occupied Keryneia and in
this manner an American company came for the first time to the occupied area of
Cyprus. He argued that the number of the American firms which invest in the
island will increase within the forthcoming period.
(I/Ts.)
11.
Two killed, 21 wounded in terror attack at Adana Governor’s
Office
According
to Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (online, 24.11.16), two people were
killed and 21 were wounded on Nov. 24 in an explosion in the parking lot of the
Governor’s Office in the southern province of Adana.
Adana
Governor Mahmut Demirtas said that a bomb-laden vehicle was detonated near the
entrance of his office. “It is thought that a female suspect carried out the
attack,” Demirtaş said, adding that the license plate of the suspect's car had
been identified.
Deputy
Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmuş condemned the attack on Twitter, vowing that
Turkey would "not surrender to terrorism". EU Minister Ömer Çelik also vowed
Ankara's commitment to "fight terrorism to the end in the name of
humanity".
12.
Erdogan rails against high interest rates on eve of Central Bank
meeting
According
to Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (online, 24.11.16), Turkey’s real
interest rate is among the highest in the world and that needs to be changed,
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Nov. 23, taking aim at borrowing costs on
the eve of a Central Bank meeting.
In
a speech, Erdogan also said that the Central Bank was independent but he
reserved the right to criticize it. Following his comments, which were
broadcast live on television, the lira sank to a record low of 3.4170 against
the dollar.
“Since
I took on the job of leading Turkey 14 years ago, I have only fallen short of
making headway in a few areas that I desired. One of those is the cutting of
interest rates,” he said in a speech at the Istanbul
bourse.
“I
have nothing against the independence of the Central Bank, but I cannot allow my
people’s will and rights to be taken away with high interest rates,” he
said.
Twelve
of 19 institutions in a Reuters poll expect the Central Bank to hike its main
one-week repo rate by 25 basis points to 7.75% on Nov. 24.
That
would be the first hike since January 2014, when the bank met in an emergency
session and raised its main interest rate to 10% to stem sharp lira
falls.
Determined
to boost growth, Erdogan - who has previously described himself as an “enemy” of
interest rates and declared them a means of “exploitation” - urged the country’s
commercial banks to do more to bring down borrowing costs.
13.
Turkey to chair presidency of the 2017 Shanghai Cooperation Organization
Energy Club
According
to Ankara Anatolia news agency (23.11.16), Turkey will chair the 2017
presidency of the Energy Club of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO),
making it the first non-member country to do so, the Turkish Energy Ministry
announced Wednesday.
Turkey's
nomination to the chair comes after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hinted
recently that his country would consider joining the non-Western body if the EU
did not decide on its accession process soon.
Turkey
had proposed that all SCO partner countries should take turns in presiding the
Energy Club for a year. The proposal was accepted and Turkey was unanimously
elected to chair the Energy Club in 2017.
14.
Turkey’s parliamentary commission abolishes motion on child
abuse
According
to Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (online, 23.11.16), a parliamentary
commission abolished a contentious motion regarding the sex abuse of minors on
Nov. 23 following strong reaction from opposition parties and many
non-governmental organizations.
Speaking
at a commission meeting on Nov. 23, Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said that a
specific clause in the 48-item regulation did not include amnesty to “even a
single rapist”.
“The
regulation we put forward did not actually include a single rapist but it was
misunderstood. We also could not explain it well. We are withdrawing this
regulation due to the public reaction”, Bozdag said, before he announced that
the motion was totally abolished.
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TURKISH
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