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.
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TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION
(AK/ AM)
