Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 10-11-12

Cyprus Press and Information Office: Turkish Cypriot Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: The Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office Server at <http://www.pio.gov.cy/>

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT PRESS

[01] Eroglu is not hopeful of the negotiations

[02] Ulucay says the territory will come onto the agenda at the meeting in New York; Angolemli asks from Eroglu to take the political party leaders to New York

[03] The Turkish Stars will once more violate the airspace of the Republic of Cyprus on 15 November

[04] War veterans from Turkey visit the occupied areas of Cyprus

[05] DP will not participate in the reception and the dinners for the UDI

[06] DPs mouthpiece describes the statement by the Turkish embassy on the course of the financial protocol as offending

[07] Russian businessmen are reportedly interested in investing in the occupied areas of Cyprus

[08] Tatar calls on the Turkish Cypriots not to shop in the government controlled areas

[B] TURKISH PRESS

[09] Erdogan: Barroso will implement a special effort on Cyprus

[10] Turkish Minister says Turkish-Syrian border will become meaningless

[11] Turkeys Central Bank announced economic data for first three quarters of 2010

[12] Halt in Turkish-EU ties the worst prospect for Greek Cypriots

[13] Highlights

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT PRESS

[01] Eroglu is not hopeful of the negotiations

(I/Ts.)

[02] Ulucay says the territory will come onto the agenda at the meeting in New York; Angolemli asks from Eroglu to take the political party leaders to New York

In statements yesterday at the assembly, Ulucay asked for the Turkish Cypriot side to be prepared for this. If a solution is not reached until June [2011], the UN will submit an interim formula, he argued.

Ulucay said that the proposals submitted by the two sides on the property issue give no opportunity for convergence and that the negotiations entered into a deadlock. He added that the UN Secretary-General is undertaking an initiative for the overcoming of this deadlock and that Ban Ki-moon wants the continuation of the talks at least until June 2011.

He said: Of course the territory is the issue which will be discussed last. We do not want a map to come up, but the sides did not show any convergence in the proposals on the property. And an opening over these proposals or a clarification on another chapter, which will complete these proposals, is needed in order for convergence to be secured.

Moreover, Turkish Cypriot daily Halkin Sesi (12.11.10) reports that Huseyin Angolemli, self-styled MP with the Social Democracy Party (TDP), has said that Eroglu should take the political party leaders with him to New York where he will meet with Ban Ki-moon and President Christofias. Angolemli noted that this will strengthen Eroglu and increase the prestige of the Turkish Cypriot people

(I/Ts.)

[03] The Turkish Stars will once more violate the airspace of the Republic of Cyprus on 15 November

The airplanes of the Turkish army known as Turkish Stars will participate in the celebrations in the morning of the 15th of November. At 11:45 hours the Turkish Stars are expected to carry out aerobatic show above the parade.

Meanwhile, the TCG Gemlik frigate, TCG Saldiray submarine and TCG Bozcaasa corvette which belong to the Turkish Naval Forces, will dock at the occupied ports as part of the celebrations, where they will be opened to visitors on 14-15 of November.

The paper reports that the celebrations for the UDI, which have begun today, will end on 26 November.

[04] War veterans from Turkey visit the occupied areas of Cyprus

The delegation, which consists of 15 war veterans who fought in the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus, is headed by Brigadier Tufan Hurmeric, who reiterated their continuous support to the Turkish Cypriots.

Receiving the delegation first, Eroglu highlighted the Turkish war veterans contributions to the Cyprus Turkish struggle for existence and thanked them for their support.

Denktas expressed his concerns regarding the developments in the Cyprus negotiations and urged people not to give up on the TRNC.

Kaya Turkmen for his part expressed his gratitude to the war veterans on behalf of the TRNC and Turkey.

Bozer said that the Cyprus Turkish people gained their state after waging a long and heavy struggle, adding that the TRNC does exist despite its non-recognition.

Kucuk expressed gratitude to the war veterans of the Turkish Armed Forces for their contributions in the establishment of the TRNC and alleged that it was a constitutional right of motherland Turkey to arrive in Cyprus in 1974. The Cyprus Turkish People were saved from being massacred by Greek-Greek Cypriot forces with the arrival of the Turkish Armed Forces, he alleged.

[05] DP will not participate in the reception and the dinners for the UDI

In a written statement issued yesterday, Denktas recalled that his party had asked reduction of the number of the guests in these activities and the money which would be saved to be given to the employees of the illegal Turkish Cypriot airlines who have lost their job. Denktas drew attention to the difficulties these employees are facing especially now in the eve of the Moslem Feast of the Sacrifices.

(I/Ts.)

[06] DPs mouthpiece describes the statement by the Turkish embassy on the course of the financial protocol as offending

The paper argues that the officials of the Turkish embassy, who gave detailed information on the TRNC budget before the commencement of the discussion on this budget at the assembly, revealed that the issues to be discussed at the assembly will be only for the show and that everything has been planned and decided beforehand.

(I/Ts.)

[07] Russian businessmen are reportedly interested in investing in the occupied areas of Cyprus

Oleg Zavadski, administrator of AZSK, told Star Kibris that his company has already started talking with investors. He noted that they are trying to offer any kind of facilities to the Russian investors who cannot visit the occupied areas of Cyprus regularly.

Zavadsky said that his company is flooded with demands from entrepreneurs and that they advise these people where they should buy houses in the occupied areas of Cyprus. Zavadsky noted that the Russian investors are mostly interested in the areas of Bogazi, Kaprass and Agios Amvrosios. He said that with a conference they will organize in Kiev and Saint Petersburg they aim at reaching to more people.

(I/Ts.)

[08] Tatar calls on the Turkish Cypriots not to shop in the government controlled areas

Tatar said: It would be a waste to needlessly spend your money in South Cyprus because the money and its taxes are left behind in the south too. He also claimed that the Greek Cypriots refrained from spending any money in the occupied areas.

He concluded by saying if all the people in the TRNC stood by local tradesmen, then the states economy would improve and the country would prosper.

[B] TURKISH PRESS

[09] Erdogan: Barroso will implement a special effort on Cyprus

Replying to questions after the meeting, Erdogan said that Barroso will implement a special effort on Cyprus. We discussed the EU Progress Report on Turkey with Barroso. Turkey is in a better status compared to the past. We will be much better tomorrow. We had a chance to evaluate the report.We also talked on Cyprus. Mr. Barroso will conduct a special work on Cyprus. He invited me to Brussels. And, I invited him to Turkey after his election as the EC President. I will pay a visit to Brussels soon and we will discuss various issues in detail.

[10] Turkish Minister says Turkish-Syrian border will become meaningless

Borders should be regions which unite people, not keep them apart, he said and noted that Turkey invested 15 million USD and Syria invested 10 million USD in this cooperation program, Yilmaz said also that Islamic Development Bank donated one million USD for the program.

[11] Turkeys Central Bank announced economic data for first three quarters of 2010

The current account deficit (CAD), often pointed to as the most perilous hazard in the health of the Turkish economy, was up by 232.7 percent in the January-September period compared to the previous year, rising from $9.76 billion to $32.48 billion. The trade deficit in the nine-month period grew by 114.5 percent over a year ago, to $37.55 billion from $17.5 billion.

Revenue from FOB exports (free on board) rose by 12 percent, to $81.88 billion in the January-September period, while at the same time the shuttle trade, also known as the suitcase trade, recorded only an 8.1 percent rise to $3.78 billion. Expenditures on imports, including the purchase of gold from abroad (CIF, or cost, insurance and freight) surged by 29.8 percent to $130.52 billion.

The central bank figures also illustrated a decline in net revenue from tourism activities. Turkeys tourism revenue fell by 9.2 percent in the nine months, to $12.08 billion over the same period of the previous year.

Another major item in the balance of payments, the net foreign currency inflows from construction projects abroad by Turkish companies, also suffered a plunge, down by 24.4 percent to $595 million in the January-September period over a year ago.

Portfolio investments in Turkey logged a considerable rise of 1,632 percent from $777 million to $13.46 billion in the January-September period.

[13] Halt in Turkish-EU ties the worst prospect for Greek Cypriots

It is not certain what will come out of the talks between Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu and Dimitris Christofias on Nov. 18 in New York, where they will be following the invitation of U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

Although it is much desired, it is not clear if a breakthrough will be achieved as a result of this meeting. What is certain, however, is that few people on the Turkish side are holding their breath in anticipation.

This is clearly due to the fact that the chances are much higher for nothing to come out of these talks than vice versa. After countless unsuccessful such meetings over the past three decades the general inclination is to be sceptical.

Despite this, it is clear that the Cyprus issue is beginning to loom large in Turkish-EU ties with dire warnings being issued to Ankara to comply with its commitments in this respect.

Stefan Fule, the EU commissioner for enlargement, for example, warned on Tuesday, as he presented the annual progress reports on Turkey, that the key to changing the situation lay primarily with Turkey, which is expected to fully implement its current contractual relations with the EU.

He was referring to the fact that Ankara has to open its ports to Greek Cypriot vessels as it said it would before membership talks were opened. Ankara refuses to do so because it says the EU did not keep its promises to the Turkish Cypriots, especially concerning direct trade with Europe.

But the response from Turkey to calls such as Fules remains frosty. The Cyprus issue will be solved on its own parameters, and we will not settle for anything just in order to open a chapter or two, according to Egemen Bagis, Turkeys chief EU negotiator, who was talking on the same day that Fule made his remarks.

Seventeen [negotiation] chapters are blocked. I don't even have a clear date to end the negotiations. I have so many [EU] leaders saying Turkey shouldn't join at all. So why should I give up on Cyprus? Bagis added, echoing a universal sentiment in Turkey.

Centre-right German MEPs Werner Langen and Markus Ferber argue, however, that the talks with Ankara must stop completely until Turkey ends its blockade of Cyprus. This view can be taken as representative of those in Europe who are against Turkeys joining the EU in the first place.

Britains former foreign minister, Jack Straw, pointed to this in a remarkably blunt letter to The Times this week, in which he openly accused those opposing Turkeys EU bid of using the Cyprus issue to this end.

He also had harsh words for the Greek Cypriot government which he said is using what is a relatively tiny dispute, so far as numbers are concerned though crucial in the terms of human beings to try and stop Turkey coming into the European Union.

His remarks, in which he even suggested that the island should be divided if there is no settlement, as expected, caused outrage among Greek Cypriots. No doubt Straws remarks also caused deep dissatisfaction among right-wing Europeans who are opposed to Turkey.

It is nevertheless a fact that there is a growing concern in EU circles about the future of Turkish-EU ties, which it is suggested could come to a standstill very soon since there will be no more chapters for membership that can be negotiated.

But the problem from a Turkish perspective always comes back to the same point. If Turkey were to concede for the sake of its EU bid and give in on Cyprus, there is no guarantee that this will somehow magically open Turkeys path to the EU.

Eight chapters in the negotiations are blocked because of the Cyprus issue currently. But even if there were a Cyprus settlement tomorrow this will not alter the fact that France which is trying to prevent Turkeys EU membership has unilaterally blocked five chapters, and has given no indication that it is prepared to lift its blockade anytime soon.

The simple fact is that Turkey does not trust the EU on Cyprus enough to engage in political gestures and allowing Greek Cypriot ships to use Turkish ports, as EU officials are calling for now.

Few in Ankara forget the outcome of the Annan Plan process which collapsed in 2004 when the Greek Cypriots rejected the U.N.s blueprint for a settlement that was also endorsed by the majority of EU members.

The result was that the Greek Cypriots were rewarded with the membership that they use against Turkey today, while the Turkish Cypriots were left out in the cold again, where they remain isolated from the international community today, even though they accepted the Annan Plan.

Some European diplomats are of the opinion that Turks should not remain fixed on the events of 2004 and look to the future instead. Turks would, however, argue that the EU fulfilled their worst expectations back in 2004, following the collapse of the Annan Plan, and that there is a serious once bitten twice shy syndrome involved that can not be overlooked.

Put briefly the prospects for a settlement on Cyprus do not look well at the moment, and this casts a shadow over Turkish-EU ties, which is no doubt pleasing to right-wing Europeans.

The problem from Turkeys perspective is that serious turbulence in Turkish ties, while worrying for planners and strategists, does not appear to be of much concern to the Turkish public which hardly has any faith in Europe left anyway.

Given that Turkey is entering what promises to be a hard-fought and vitriolic period of campaigning for the general elections next June, it is unlikely that any politician in Turkey can appear to be conceding on Cyprus for the sake of the EU.

But the fallout from this will not be one sided, and the concerns being expressed by a host of reputable Europeans, Jack Straw being only the latest, shows that there are influential Europeans who are worried about the consequences of alienating Turkey.

As for the Greek Cypriots, it appears that they will be the real losers as a result of Turkish-EU ties coming to a standstill. The reason is simple. The EU is the only leverage point against Turkey that is left for them, the assumption being that Turks want membership so much that they will accept Greek Cypriot terms.

Ankara has shown that this is not the case and this situation is not likely to change any time soon. Put another way, disrupting Turkish-EU relations to the extent that the Greek Cypriot government and its allies in Europe are doing, in fact reduces the chances of a permanent settlement in Cyprus and increases the chances of a permanent division of the Island.

It is not clear, however, that the Greek Cypriot side understands this, and therefore that the severance of Turkish-EU ties will in fact be the worst thing that can happen to it in its fight against Turkey.

[14] Highlights

a) Government Appoints New Head of Religious Affairs Directorate

A report entitled "Bardakoglu Removed From Office" in Hurriyet says that the Turkish government has replaced Ali Bardakoglu, Head of the Religious Affairs Directorate, with Mehmet Gormez, his deputy, amid speculation that Bardakoglu has been removed from office because of his reluctance to support the government's overture to the Alevi community and its proposal to permit sermons in Kurdish.

b) Turkish-EU relations

In an article entitled "Cyprus is Just an Excuse. They Have a Problem With Islam", Milli Gazete columnist Abdulkadir Ozkan criticizes the latest EU Progress report on Turkey as a confirmation that Turkey has no place in this "Christian club." He argues that Turkey should press ahead with its democratization efforts for its own sake rather than for the purpose of "pleasing" the EU, adding that the EU's reservations about admitting Turkey to membership stem from the fact that it is a Muslim society and remains one despite "all efforts to dissociate it from its faith."

In an article entitled "Semi-Pregnant," Hurriyet Daily News columnist Yusuf Kanli draws attention to complaints voiced by Turkish leaders about the EU's ambiguous attitude toward Turkey and eroding enthusiasm for joining the Union. Stressing that the EU must make its final decision about Turkey's accession without further delay, Kanli says: " If Europe does not want Turkey in, Turkey definitely does not want to be with the EU either. Turkey is no parasite which might think membership in the EU is an existential issue for itself."

In an article entitled "'The EU Process Is Decaying,'" Cumhuriyet columnist Nilgun Cerrahoglu quotes Emma Bonino, an Italian politician who is a member of the group of "three wise men" led by former Finnish President Marti Ahtisaari, as cautioning that Turkey's accession process will be blocked if no new chapter is opened in the ongoing negotiations by March. Bonino ascribes the current stalemate in the accession talks to insufficient support given by some European countries which are in favour of Turkey's membership and some drawbacks resulting from Turkey's foreign policy which reflected "excessive arrogance."

c) Headscarf issue

Applauding Hayrunnisa Gul, wife of Turkish President Abdullah Gul, for saying that girls attending primary schools should not be allowed to wear headscarf in an article entitled "First Lady's Justifiable Complaint," Milliyet columnist Asli Aydintasbas criticizes the leadership of the ruling Justice and Development Party, AKP, for declining to express support for her remarks mainly due to the fact that it does not want to alienate conservative voters in southeastern cities who want to see their underage daughters wearing headscarf in primary schools. She says: "This is wrong. They keep pushing anxious people leading a modern lifestyle in coastal cities away in the interest of not upsetting a marginal part of its grass roots."

In an article entitled "Opportunity Offered by Hayrunnisa Gul," Vatan columnist Rusen Cakir says that Hayrunnisa Gul's remarks about the headscarf issue caused a shock among conservative people while some conservative intellectuals raised strong objections to her opinion. Pointing out that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has implied that he does not share Hayrunnisa Gul's opinion which was also endorsed by President Gul, Cakir emphasizes that the pro-secular camp can play an active role in finding a solution to the headscarf issue which would be acceptable to all parts of the Turkish society. He concludes by saying: "In conclusion, we are at a very critical and suitable juncture. We should not miss this opportunity. We can and should start with lifting the headscarf ban in universities which has already been lifted de facto

d) Controversial interview with the Pope's failed assassin

A report entitled "They Asked Me To Wound the Pope, Not To Kill Him" in Star quotes Mehmet Ali Agca who was released early this year after serving his 30-year prison term for shooting Pope John Paul II and assassinating a prominent Turkish journalist as saying in an interview with the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation, TRT, that he had been instructed by the Vatican government to wound the Pope rather than killing him. He also said that he had been paid $50,000 for shooting at the Pope.

In an article entitled "The Murderer Has Been Declared 'Not Guilty' in TRT's Program," Hurriyet columnist Mehmet Yilmaz strongly criticizes the host of the interview aired by the TRT for saying that Agca is no longer guilty under the Turkish law because he has been released after serving his prison term. Yilmaz also criticizes Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan for saying that the TRT has done nothing wrong by interviewing Agca because it should be regarded as a matter concerning freedom of expression.

Under the headline "Media Cartel Hounded Me for an Interview," Yeni Akit carries a front-page report which quotes Mehmet Ali Agca, the gunman who assassinated Turkish journalist Abdi Ipekci and shot Pope John Paul II, as saying that the same "cartel" dailies that accused the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation, TRT, of "putting a killer on TV" in interviewing him declared General Kenan Evren "man of the year" regardless of how he "sent hundreds of people to the gallows" as leader of the 1980 military coup, and held interviews with PKK leaders Abdullah Ocalan and Murat Karayilan in Lebanon, and Syria, and on Mount Kandil.

e) NATO missile shield

A report entitled "Missile Shield Would Desecrate Our Soil" in Hurriyet says that several Islamist organizations, including the IHH, a human rights and aid organization, yesterday staged a demonstration in Istanbul to protest against NATO's missile shield project. Ahmet Faruk Unsal, Chairman of Mazlumder, said that Turkey will make a crucial decision during the upcoming NATO summit which, he noted, will show whether Turkey will act as a guard of the global system or pursue policies inspiring hopes in her region.

In an article entitled "Zero Problems, Zero Shield" Yeni Akit columnist Ahmet Varol warns the ruling AKP against allowing NATO to install missile defence systems on Turkish soil, asserting that doing so would be contrary to Turkey's "strategy of zero problems with neighbours" no matter what conditions Ankara might set for agreeing to the NATO demand.

f) Iraq

In an article entitled "Have Efforts To Form a Government Reached a Dead End?" Star columnist Nasuhi Gungor says that Turkey insists on the inclusion of Sunnite groups which it has actively supported in the recent elections and the appointment of Sunnite leaders to some critical positions within the Iraqi government. He says: "Turkey's second priority is to ensure that Kurds are included in the government equation while Turkomans are also represented one way or the other. While Ankara does not find the representation of Turkoman's under the umbrella of the regional government in Arbil sufficient, it is still ascribed importance because it will allow Kurds and Turkomans to develop a political culture jointly." TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION http://www.moi.gov.cy/pio

/EG

Cyprus Press and Information Office: Turkish Cypriot Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article