14/7/16

TURKISH CYPRIOT AND TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW

TURKISH CYPRIOT AND TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW
C O N T E N T S

No. 131/16                                                                                        14.07.2016
1. Eide: “There is no time to waste if the leaders want a Cyprus settlement within 2016”
2. Durust: We will continue to invest in every place of “TRNC”
3. Izcan: “The determination of the fate of the missing persons will contribute to the peace in the island”
4. Columnist: Turkey should reexamine its “population policy” in Cyprus
5. Columnist: Those who say that Turkey wants a solution in Cyprus mislead the international community
6. A “Radiation Oncologic Unit” at the “Dr Burhan Nalbantoglu state hospital” into service
7. Yıldırım: “Turkey needs to normalize relations with Syria”
8. Turkey and Russia to begin normalization process by cooperating in tourism

1. Eide: “There is no time to waste if the leaders want a Cyprus settlement within 2016”
Turkish Cypriot daily Vatan newspaper (14.07.16) reports that the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Cyprus Espen Barth Eide said that there is no time to waste if the leaders want to reach their target, which is a Cyprus settlement within 2016.
Speaking to the press after a two hour meeting with the Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci, Eide said that he had a good meeting with Akinci on important issues. Noting that he predicts there will be six meetings between the leaders in July on substantial issues, Eide added that at this stage, issues that have already been discussed by the negotiators are being discussed now in-depth at the level of leaders.
Noting that the leaders have made a progress at the negotiations, Eide said that the months of July, August and September should be utilized well. Underlining that there are no time limitations by the UN, however, Eide added that the leaders set a target for “reaching a solution within 2016”. Eide further said that he thinks that they are working towards this target and they are working well, adding: “Constructive ideas are being produced by both sides”.
Eide explained that he cannot give information regarding the issues in the negotiations because the negotiation is  a process carried out by the Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot leaders, adding that the leaders may make an announcement regarding the core issues.
(DPs)

2. Durust: We will continue to invest in every place of “TRNC”
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris Postasi newspaper (14.07.16) reports that self-styled minister of transport and public works Kemal Durust, during a visit to the occupied villages of Ashia, replied to statements by the Greek Cypriot side regarding Ashia and Morfou. He claimed: “No one can ignore the existence of the Turkish Cypriots in the island since 1571. We have never stood against a just and permanent solution. However, we have never thought or will think that our investments in the TRNC (translator’s note: the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus) will stop because there will be a solution”.
Durust further alleged that all the places, which are within the “TRNC borders” , like Morfou and Ashia, are important, adding that they will continue to carry out investments in every place in the “TRNC” in order the “country” to be developed.
(DPs)

3. Izcan: “The determination of the fate of the missing persons will contribute to the peace in the island”
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (14.07.16) reports that the leader of the United Cyprus Party (BKP) Izzet Izcan, in a written statement yesterday, has stated that the determination of the fate of the missing persons will contribute to sooth the pain of their relatives and to the peace in the island.
Describing the issue of the missing persons in Cyprus as the bleeding wound of the Cypriot people, Izcan called everyone who has any information on the issue to convey them to the competent departments.
Pointing out that it is important the “state” and the “official authorities” to open their archives in a sincere and clear way, Izcan called also the Turkish Government to make statements on the issue of the Greek Cypriot missing persons who were transferred to Turkey in 1974, in order as he said to shed light on the discussions launched towards this matter.
(AK)

4. Columnist: Turkey should reexamine its “population policy” in Cyprus
Writing in Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (14.07.16) Ali Baturay reports that all political parties in Turkey are against granting the Turkish citizenship to three million refugees from Syria and notes that the Turkish people believe that the three million are too much within a population of eighty millions and that the Syrians will create more problems in case they are granted the citizenship.
Under the title “What the reaction to the Syrians in Turkey reminds you of?” Baturay reports that the other day one friend from Turkey called him and told him that now he understands better the Cypriots who are protesting to the transfer of population from Turkey to the occupied area of the island.
“A fertile country like Turkey is now afraid even of the fertility of the Syrian refugees”, he notes and points out that “those who were showing the hardest reaction when the Turkish Cypriots said ‘we do not want uncontrolled population’, do not want the Syrians now”.
The columnist writes the following:
The officials from Turkey, who exert pressure on the governments of northern Cyprus saying ‘grant citizenship to more refugees from Turkey’, must look well at the reaction even of members of their own party to the ‘citizenship to the Syrians’.  The reactions there are no different than the reactions here. Therefore the officials from Turkey must once more reexamine their ‘population policy’ in Cyprus […]”. 
(I/Ts.)

5. Columnist: Those who say that Turkey wants a solution in Cyprus mislead the international community
Writing in Turkish Cypriot daily Yeni Duzen newspaper (14.07.16) columnist Sami Ozuslu reports that “those who consider that Turkey still supports the solution in Cyprus mislead both the society and the international community, because Turkey has not even the slightest motivation for a federal solution in Cyprus”.
Under the title “What Turkey wants in Cyprus?” Ozuslu argues that Ankara does not know what it wants in its foreign policy and notes: “For this reason […] I prefer seeing Turkey’s U turn efforts in the recent period as an effort of the diplomacy to restrain Erdogan”. 
Claiming that President Erdogan and the AKP government are in panic because of the economic crisis which is at Turkey’s doorstep, terrorism and “international isolation”, the columnist argues:
Therefore thinking, hoping and even dreaming that Ankara projects, targets, wants and desires a federal solution regarding Cyprus seems vain. It is clear and evident that the peoples of Turkey need a solution in Cyprus very soon. The reunification of Cyprus will mostly be in the benefit of the Turkish Cypriots, but at the same time it will unbelievably contribute to democratization and internal peace of those who live in a country in which the steering control has been lost. The conclusion is the following: Contrary to what is always said, the Turkish Cypriots are not the ones who need Turkey, but Turkey’s peoples are those who actually need the Turkish Cypriots. […]”
Ozuslu expresses also the view that Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci and all the pro-solution forces should secure the support of the Turkish Cypriots and focus on the target of “dragging Ankara to the correct basis again in Cyprus”. Otherwise it is not important whether a “five-party conference” is convened in 2016 or during this week, he points out.
(I/Ts.) 

6. A “Radiation Oncologic Unit” at the “Dr Burhan Nalbantoglu state hospital” into service
Turkish Cypriot daily Star Kibris newspaper (14.07.16) reports that the “Radiation Oncologic Unit” of the Oncological Department of the so called Dr Burhan Nalbantoglu State Hospital in the occupied part of Lefkosia, came into service as of yesterday.
In statements on the issue, so-called minister of health Faiz Sucuoglu, has said that totally three patients were already treated in the radiation unit during the last two days and added that their goal is to be able to provide services to 600 patients annually.
Sucuoglu added that with the opening of the new “unit” they will be able to save around 8 million dollars.
(AK)

7. Yıldırım: “Turkey needs to normalize relations with Syria”
Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (13.07.16) reported that Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım stated that Turkey will eventually normalize relations with Syria and added that such a move is necessary amid ongoing efforts to restore diplomatic ties with Israel and Russia.
“We will expand the circle of friendship as far as possible. This is our aim. We will expand the circle of friendship inside and outside the country. We have already begun to do this. We have returned our relations with Israel and Russia to normal. I am sure that we will return to normal relations with Syria as well. We need that. Syria and Iraq need to reach stability for success in the fight against terror,” Yıldırım said at a meeting of ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) provincial leaders in the capital Ankara.
He also stated that there is “malicious intent” in the heated recent debates over granting Syrian refugees the Turkish citizenship.
(…) “It has once again been revealed that some have malicious intent on the issue, despite necessary statements that were made. It has been seen that no one else cares about the future of Syrians. Citizenship is something that has existed for many years of human history. Countries naturalize and denaturalize. Those have rules, standards and conditions. Anyone who fulfills those conditions is naturalized. It is out of question that people involved in particular crimes, terrorism crimes, or have been involved in other illegal affairs, can ever be granted citizenship,” he added.
Merciless accusations against those who have been left stateless, homeless and searching for a safe port, an honorable people who have escaped death, do not exist in the genes of the Turkish nation or in its traditions. If we extend a hand for those who are in trouble, particularly Syrians, we are doing this as a necessity of our humanity and faith,” Yıldırım said.

8. Turkey and Russia to begin normalization process by cooperating in tourism
Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (13.07.16) reported that a delegation from Turkey will travel to Moscow and hold a meeting with their Russian counterparts on July 14 in order to tackle bilateral cooperation in the field of tourism, as well as bilateral relations as a whole, in another step towards normalization between the two countries.
According to a written statement released by the Foreign Ministry on July 13 said, the visit to Moscow will take place upon an invitation by the Russian Federation and the delegation, helmed by the Foreign Ministry, will be composed of authorities from the Culture and Tourism Ministry, the Transport, Maritime and Communications Ministry and the Interior Ministry, as well as representatives from the tourism sector.
“The delegations will exchange their views over preparations to restart charter flights between Russia and Turkey, the security of tourists and measures taken to this aim”. The meeting in Moscow will also aim to determine new cooperation areas regarding the future of relations in tourism”, the statement said.
According to a recently released report by Ata Investment analysts, recent moves to normalize relations between Turkey and Russia after months of strained ties will make an additional contribution of around $10 billion to the Turkish economy over the next two years.
The report noted that Turkey was located in one of the world’s most risky regions and has not seen any calm periods since the first Gulf War in 1990. Since then, diplomatic turbulence with Russia, following the downing a Russian jet by Turkey last November, has been among the most troubling developments, the report stated.
“We believe that the bilateral economic and trade ties between Turkey and Russia will improve in a short period of time after the current problems are resolved. This will create an additional contribution of around $4.5-5 billion to the Turkish economy annually, thanks to a rapid improvement in trade and tourism relations with Russia, totaling $10 billion of yields over the next two years,” said the report.
“These improving ties will also help Turkey finance its current account gap”, the report also added.






---------------------------------------------------
TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION
(AK/ AM)