Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 14-12-09

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

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS

[01] An EU delegation held contacts in Turkey; Mogherini: "The EU will do its utmost to restart the peace talks in Cyprus"

[02] Yildiz: "All parties will benefit if the island of Cyprus as a whole can make use of its resources"

[03] Turkish daily reveals EU's draft final resolution on Turkey; The EU will allegedly urge for the opening of new chapters with Turkey

[04] Russia's Gazprom to set up a new company for building a new gas pipeline to Turkey

[05] Akansoy and several environmentalists oppose to the construction of Akkuyu nuclear power plant; They support that it will damage the ecosystem and the water to be transferred from Turkey

[06] Ak?nc?: "There is an opportunity for a solution"

[07] Mungan says that the breakaway regime's debts mortgage their future; "Budget" debate starts at the "assembly"

[08] New distribution of "seats" at the "assembly" of the regime

[09] Eroglu had separately meetings with the newly founded society of settlers from Sanliurfa and the EMITT delegation

[10] Erdogan and Davutoglu back the compulsory teaching of Ottoman Turkish in schools; Erdogan: "Ottoman era Turkish will be taught in schools so youth can learn their history, like it or not"

[11] Reactions in the occupied area of Cyprus to the changes in Turkey's education system

[12] United Media visited the abandoned international airport in UN buffer zone

[13] Smuggled alcoholic drinks confiscated in the occupied port of Famagusta

[14] The "Road of Independence" is established in the occupied area of Cyprus

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS

[01] An EU delegation held contacts in Turkey; Mogherini: "The EU will do its utmost to restart the peace talks in Cyprus"

In a meeting with Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu at his official residence, the EU officials discussed the state of affairs of Turkey's EU accession process, the visa liberalisation issue and the dynamics of common strategy for the crises in Ukraine and Middle Eastern countries, as well as the Syrian crisis, the Cyprus issue, and other international developments.

After meeting with Davutoglu, the EU delegation met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mevlut Cavusoglu, and the EU Affairs Minister and Chief Negotiator Volkan Bozk?r. They discussed the thorny issue of Cyprus at a luncheon with both Ministers and addressed the press afterward.

Before his visit to Warsaw, Poland, Davutoglu spoke highly of the meeting with the EU delegation in a press meeting: "We are determined to bring new momentum to this process. This visit of the delegation is a significant and positive step for its future."

In the press conference, the EU Commissioner for enlargement and European neighborhood policy, Johannes Hahn, indicated that they expect to open one or more negotiation chapters during the next term of the Presidency and the "new EU Commission is ready to do its best in speeding up the process". Hahn said: "We know that Turkey's aim is to work with European standards in the proper sense and it is among Turkey's most important objectives. However, we need to have vitally close economic relations and those need to be maintained more intensively as well. In this sense, some requirements in reforms, especially on law and fundamental rights, still continue. Nevertheless, speaking on the process, I want to express that the new EU Commission is ready to do its best in speeding up the process."

Foreign Minister Cavusoglu, after the meeting, underlined that vital issues for EU-Turkey relations were discussed and bilateral relations are about to gain a different dimension. He said: "We reviewed the accession process, the Cyprus issue, the visa dialogue, EU summits and international development in our meeting with their participation. Turkey's EU membership will lead to new opportunities with a 'win-win' perspective. Progress in negotiations is the best option for everyone".

Regarding the Cyprus problem, Cavusoglu said: "We told the EU officials that the Turkish Cypriots have put their will on the table and the Greek Cypriot side should also do the same and restart the negotiation process".

Meanwhile, speaking to reporters after talks with Davutoglu, Mogherini referred, inter alia, to the Cyprus problem and said that the EU will do its utmost to restart the peace talks in Cyprus.

Following the meeting and press conference, the delegates met with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the new Presidential Palace.

The EU delegation will also visit the Kilis and Oncup?nar refugee camps on Tuesday where almost 40,000 Syrian refugees live.

The EU Commission is set to provide a major financial aid package to Turkey for sheltering thousands of refugees who have fled from conflicts in Syria and Iraq. "We are finalizing a further package of 70 million euro to Turkey," Mogherini said at a press conference with Cavusoglu and Bozk?r.

(?)"The EU intends to be one of the biggest humanitarian donors on the Syrian crisis," Mogherini said, thanking Turkey for its efforts sheltering the refugees.

(?)

[02] Yildiz: "All parties will benefit if the island of Cyprus as a whole can make use of its resources"

Noting the importance of considering the human factor of new projects, Y?ld?z said: "Unfortunately, comfort is growing faster than money in the world". He added that crude oil and natural gas are currently used as excuses for wars when they are underground and a reason for peace when they are above ground. "Turkey has always used energy as means to establish peace, and the energy policy created and strategy applied will not only aim to establish the security of the natural gas supply of the European Union, but all of Turkey's neighbors", Y?ld?z said.

"Once the required political feasibility is achieved in the Mediterranean basin, Turkey will also demonstrate the necessary efforts to establish economic feasibility. And provided that the current status of Cyprus is considered, Turkey is open to any pipelines that will cross through the country and be distributed fairly", Yildiz stated and added: "Turkey has never exploited the advantages it has due to its geographic location in any project, and has always believed that the global energy sector should be used for building peace".

(?)In response to the question whether Turkey will straddle the gap between Russia and the EU regarding sanctions, Y?ld?z said: "Turkey is developing its projects by observing its national interests, as well as those of Russia and the EU. Turkey is striving to increase its exports in agriculture and Russia is not a trivial country for us in this regard. Therefore, I do not believe that Turkey will be pushed to choose between Russia and the EU. Turkey has the capability to develop projects with both entities. I do not believe that the nuclear power plant [being constructed by Russia in Turkey] will suffer setbacks either".

[03] Turkish daily reveals EU's draft final resolution on Turkey; The EU will allegedly urge for the opening of new chapters with Turkey

According to the draft revealed by the paper, "the Council looks forward in due course to the definition of the opening benchmarks for the key Chapters 23 and 24 and their possible future opening".

Opening benchmarks for Chapter 23, on the judiciary and fundamental rights, and Chapter 24, on justice, freedom and security, have been on the EU's agenda as part of Turkey's membership bid, but the "Greek Cypriot government's veto" has been impeding the process.

Encouraging Turkey "to work on reforms that should provide for adequate checks and balances fully guaranteeing freedom," the draft also keeps an account of the EU's concerns over political interference in the judiciary in Turkey.

"The Council remains concerned at the undue interference by the executive in the judiciary, frequent changes to key legislation without due consultation of stakeholders and restrictions on access to information," the draft says.

Within this respect, the statement also emphasizes the 28-nation bloc's worries over the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government's way of dealing the corruption allegations.

"The Council regrets that the response by the government to the alleged cases of corruption in December 2013 cast serious doubts over the independence and impartiality of the judiciary, and demonstrated an increasing intolerance of political opposition, public protest and critical media," it states.

"In this regard, the Council emphasizes the important role of the Constitutional Court and takes positive note of the growing and active civil society in Turkey, which should be further supported and encouraged as a legitimate stakeholder," the statement added.

Meanwhile, the draft also indicates the bloc's will for progress in economic cooperation by issuing a call for opening Chapter 17 that concerns economy and monetary policies. "Given the strong economic links between Turkey and the EU, the Council calls for the development of a high-level economic dialogue. Progress under Chapter 17 [economic and monetary policy] would in due course further support such dialogue and encourages alignment with the acquis," the draft reads.

The shift in the EU's stance regarding the discussion of economic integration came after France signaled it will ease its block on opening the chapter in Turkey's EU accession negotiations.

The draft also marks one of the most tangible remarks from the EU side regarding Turkey's insistence on updating the Customs Union between Turkey and the EU to reflect Ankara's concerns about the EU's free trade agreements with third parties.

The draft says the council "looks forward to discussions with the Commission on the Customs Union", asserting solutions will be sought "also in light of the publication of the World Bank study completed in 2014."

Turkey has been voicing its concern over a number of FTAs signed by the EU, especially the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) between the EU and the U.S. But the EU was reluctant to address the problem directly, insisting the issue should be settled through a separate Turkish-U.S. deal.

The World Bank report referred to in the draft says the Customs Union is beneficial to both Turkey and the EU, yet the smooth implementation of the scheme is at risk if the problems that have risen due to economic changes are not tackled.

[04] Russia's Gazprom to set up a new company for building a new gas pipeline to Turkey

Speaking on the issue, Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kuprianov said in a statement: "The company will be registered in St. Petersburg ... (it) is called "Gazprom Russkaya".

Putin said last week that Russia was dropping the South Stream project and was instead planning to build a pipeline to Turkey and could set up a gas hub on the Turkish-Greek border to supply Europe with gas.

The western powers, mainly the EU, are in conflict with Russia over the crisis which erupted following Moscow's "aggression" over Ukraine. The EU accused Russia of rekindling the rebellion in eastern parts of the country through military support.

The newly redirected pipeline will have the same capacity of 63 billion cubic meters a year.

[05] Akansoy and several environmentalists oppose to the construction of Akkuyu nuclear power plant; They support that it will damage the ecosystem and the water to be transferred from Turkey

"This will cause a lot of damage to the people in Turkey and in the area. We are going to live side by side with a bomb ready to explode", said Akansoy and noted that even a slight leakage can cause destruction to Cyprus, stating that; "It is in such a place that any leakage formed in the area can finish us off. I am against this! I am against the construction of a nuclear power plant in any part of the world, but Akkuyu directly affects us. It takes my country and environment directly into its effect. There is no difference between constructing it in Akkuyu or Kyrenia", he added.

Meanwhile, Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris Postasi (08.12.14) reported that speaking to the paper, several environmentalists said that the Akkuyu plant will damage the ecosystem and its surroundings.

According to the experts, the plant's potential danger is greater for Cyprus. In addition to that experts warn that even if the plant functions without problems, the routine operations of the Akkuyu plant may be damaging to the environment and human health.

Speaking to the paper, the chairman of the "Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Environmental Engineers" Nilden Bektas noted that it is still a mystery how the nuclear waste will be removed. "The companies whose main intention is to make profits do not show the necessary attention to nuclear waste management. These are radioactive wastes and their management is costly. Removing 1,000 tons of nuclear waste costs around 500-600 thousand dollars and a company who is focusing on making profit will try to handle the waste management in a cheaper way and that poses a risk for all of us," said Bektas.

Also speaking, the leader of "Green Action Movement" Dogan Sahir warned that the very existence of the plant close by will have negative effects on Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean. "Even a slight increase of the plant's temperature will affect us the most. Whether or not an accident happens, the particles that will come out from the plant will reach us through airstreams. When it rains the particles that are in the airstream will come down to the land and may contaminate our soil and our water. In the long run these radioactive particles will accumulate and become a serious threat to the ecosystem and human health", he warned.

Sahir added also that the water that will be transferred from Turkey may also be contaminated with nuclear particles. "The plant will be very close to the Anamur dam where the water that will be transferred to Cyprus is planned to be reserved. The radioactive particles could easily reach to the damn and contaminate the water. The water that will be brought from Turkey is promoted as the "water of peace, water of life" but this water will become the water of death", said Sahir.

(?)

[06] Ak?nc?: "There is an opportunity for a solution"

Within the framework of his continuous visits in several villages in the occupied area of Cyprus, Ak?nc? visited on Sunday the occupied villages of Knodara, Vitsada and Marathovouno.

Ak?nc? explained to the "people" the reasons for his candidacy and paid special attention to the questions directed to him about his opinions on the solution of the Cyprus problem.

He stated that the opportunity which was lost ten years ago for a solution can be captured once more by utilizing the natural gas. "I have set off on this journey so that the Turkish Cypriots do not lose this opportunity", he said.

Ak?nc? also emphasized that as long as the agreement is provided to protect the benefits of both sides, it will be difficult to destroy this agreement. "If the people see me as deserving this duty, then I will work for the solution with all my efforts", he added.

[07] Mungan says that the breakaway regime's debts mortgage their future; "Budget" debate starts at the "assembly"

Addressing the "assembly" of the regime, where the debates on its "budget" started yesterday, Mungan noted that reaching an agreement [to the Cyprus problem] accepted by both sides is very important, but one of the main targets of the regime is to decrease the deficits in "public" spending and reverse the debt level.

Mungan said that every person living in the occupied area of Cyprus owes one and a half time more than the GDP. He noted that this "public" debt consists of an internal debt of 4.5 billion Turkish liras (TL) and a debt of 7.5 billion TL to Turkey.

According to Mungan, the GDP for 2015 is expected to reach 8.8 billion TL and the real growth to be 4.1%. Imports are expected to reach 1.8 billion US dollars and exports 147.3 million US dollars. The local income which was two billion and 403.7 million TL increased by 7.55% reaching two billion 585.2 million TL. The local expenditure which was three billion 101.2 million TL increased by 1.82% reaching three billion 44.7 million TL. It is estimated that the local "budget" deficit which is predicted to be 697.5 million TL, will decrease by 34.12% in the end of the year and become 495.5 million TL.

The consumer price index for 2015 was predicted to be 5.4% and because the "budget" is on a three-year basis, an increase of this index by 4.6% is foreseen for 2016 and 2017, noted Mungan.

The debates on the "budget" are expected to end on 18 December. The total amount of the "budget", as accepted by the so-called parliamentary committee on economy, finance, budget and planning, is four billion 96 million and 720 TL.

(I/Ts.)

[08] New distribution of "seats" at the "assembly" of the regime

Republican Turkish Party ? United Forces (CTP-BG) 21, UBP 18, DP-UG 8 and Social Democracy Party (TDP) 3.

(I/Ts.)

[09] Eroglu had separately meetings with the newly founded society of settlers from Sanliurfa and the EMITT delegation

Speaking during the visit on behalf of the delegation, lawyer Kerim Altanha said that the society, which aims to develop and foster stronger relations between the "TRNC", Sanliurfa and the South-eastern part of Anatolia, was established two weeks ago. He said that the aim of their visit is to brief Eroglu on the society's activities and goals.

Eroglu, for his part, underlined the importance of developing relations between cities and "countries", adding: "The important thing is to present beneficial services to the people in the region without forgetting our origin". He also said that he always supports such civil society organisations.

Meanwhile, Turkish Cypriot daily Bakis (09.12.14) reports that Eroglu met yesterday with a delegation from EMITT (East Mediterranean International Tourism and Travel) led by Hacer Aydin, Event Director of EMITT.

Aydin informed Eroglu regarding the EMITT exhibition that will take place on 22-25 of January, 2015, in Turkey. She also invited him to the exhibition.

Aydin explained that they have decided to held their yearly meeting in "TRNC", adding that they hold some meetings during the year to discuss how they will operate the exhibition.

Eroglu, for his part, said that tourism is a driving force of economy now and pointed at the importance of organizing such fairs and taking place in the "TRNC". He also said that Turkey has made a progress in tourism sector and has a saying on the infrastructure of world tourism. Turkey has struggled too much to reach this point on tourism, Eroglu added.

Claiming that "TRNC" has made a progress on the tourism sector but the problems still exist, Eroglu said that he heard complaints recently on the issue of incentives. Eroglu, finally, said that he would be pleased to attend the fair unless something goes wrong.

[10] Erdogan and Davutoglu back the compulsory teaching of Ottoman Turkish in schools; Erdogan: "Ottoman era Turkish will be taught in schools so youth can learn their history, like it or not"

"I believe I am obliged to encourage all segments of the society to openly and freely discuss all issues and problems related to religion", Erdogan said and noted that some issues have not been addressed by the government in the past due to peer pressure.

He stated that ignorance and devotion to religion have previously been considered to be the same. "This was the reason behind the prohibition of learning how to read the Holy Qur'an and the recitation of call to prayer in Turkish rather than Arabic" said the President and noted that this mindset has imposed restrictions on freedom of religion and expression and has discriminated against women who wear a headscarf. "While politicians defending the natural rights of religious people were labeled as backwards or even executed, the efforts of pseudo scholars to poison Turkish society were supported for decades and even encouraged", Erdogan said.

Religion and devotion to religion have unfairly been insulted under the name of freedom of expressions according to Erdogan, who stated that politicians and figures that defended the protection of religious rights have been persecuted and even hanged.

Erdogan stated that he was harshly attacked when he criticized those who oppose compulsory religion classes in elementary schools and when he said Turkey should openly talk about World War I.

"There is no cooperation and common understanding among the Islamic world" said Erdogan, and stated that this is one of the reasons why Muslim states remain silent while Palestinians, Syrians and other Muslims are being killed.

"We are going beyond the banalities taught to us for 200 years and are finally asking the right questions. While the West wants us to keep quiet, we continue to defend Palestine, democracy in Egypt, justice in Syria and to criticize the structure of the UN," Erdogan said, reiterating criticism of the UN Security Council for allowing only five major powers to effectively make all decisions.

"We continue to say that the world is bigger than five, but abandoning such a reign does not suit them", he said.

"If we appropriate our heritage well and break away from all those roles the West cast on us in the global system, we can lead a role in sustaining solidarity and justice in the Muslim world and in stopping bloodshed in the Middle East and Africa," he added.

The President argued that those who nurture enmity towards Islam and religion and its existence in the public sphere are actually creating their own religion under the name of "citizenship" and nationalism.

"This is why we emphasize confidence, normalization, and courage", said Erdogan, stating that he is in favor of a democratic and free environment for all citizens in Turkey.

Erdogan also slammed critics of teaching Ottoman Turkish in schools, an issue discussed at a meeting organized by Turkey's National Education Ministry last week.

"Objections to learning our ancestors' language are very dangerous," he said. "Ottoman era Turkish will be taught in schools so youth can learn their history, like it or not".

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in statements during a press conference organized at Esenboga Airport in Ankara, before leaving for a visit to Poland, touched upon the recent controversy surrounding the teaching of Ottoman-Turkish language in schools. Referring to the Republican People's Party's anti-Ottoman language stance, Davutoglu said: "The Ottoman language is Turkish", noting that those who oppose the teaching of Ottoman act as enemies of their own history.

He explained that the Turkish people cannot read anything related to their history in its original language and remarked that everything from the past belongs to the Turkish nation and that the government will take all measures to ensure that everyone has access to reading Ottoman-Turkish texts.

Harshly criticizing the opposition leader Kemal K?l?cdaroglu for calling the compulsory religion classes as a return to the "Dark Ages", Davutoglu stated that K?l?cdaroglu should let the West make such Orientalist remarks. "Every time you call the Middle Ages 'Dark Ages', you insult the legacy of Hac? Bektas Veli and Yunus Emre", said Davutoglu, who noted that it is unsuitable for politicians to base their remarks on Orientalist rhetoric.

(?)

[11] Reactions in the occupied area of Cyprus to the changes in Turkey's education system

One of Ataturk's reforms which caused the biggest reaction among the Islamists was the change of the Arabic alphabet and adoption of the Latin alphabet, notes the paper adding that this decision by Erdogan is now bypassing this reform. Afrika wonders also what will be the influence of this practice on the curriculum in the occupied area of Cyprus.

Meanwhile, two Turkish Cypriot teachers' organizations, KTOS and KTOEOS, issued a joint statement yesterday noting that the Turkish Cypriots must stop following Turkey's education system, "which is becoming reactionary and outdated". For this reason, "article" 22 of the "national education law" must be abolished, they argue.

"There is a wish of leaving the young generation face-to-face with a dogmatic, non-scientific and ideological curriculum and practice", the statement said. It also described the sending of teachers from Turkey to the occupied area, in spite of the thousands of unemployed teachers that exist in occupied Cyprus, and the funding of an Islamic school such as the theological college with millions of Turkish liras as a "conscious and strategic move".

(I/Ts.)

[12] United Media visited the abandoned international airport in UN buffer zone

The paper reports on the bad condition of the abandoned airport.

Meanwhile, they met there with the Chairmen of the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce, Phidias Pilides and Fikri Toros.

Pilides said that it is time to evaluate whether the airport can be opened or not, adding, however, that the place can be a symbol of prosperity.

Toros, for his part, said that this place cannot open again as an airport, as it will be dangerous. But he added that a huge investment could take place there in the new Cyprus.

[13] Smuggled alcoholic drinks confiscated in the occupied port of Famagusta

[14] The "Road of Independence" is established in the occupied area of Cyprus

In its declaration manifesto, the organization announced that it set forth to form an anti-capitalist, egalitarian, eco-socialist, socialist-feminist and revolutionary line against the neoliberal and assimilation policies of "north Cyprus" for the peace of the people. TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION

http://www.moi.gov.cy/pio

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