Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 15-04-23

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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] Eroglu: "Elections are a referendum for the solution"

[02] Akinci: "People will materialize change"

[03] Erk: I will comply with the decision to support Akinci, but I do not know whether all members of the CTP will comply

[04] "We Are Gathering!" (Toparlaniyoruz Movement): "There is no decision of the movement towards the one or the other candidate"

[05] Various organizations expressed their support to Akinci and Eroglu

[06] Izcan to open a file against a Turkish Cypriot newspaper which claims that he will gain benefits for his support towards Akinci

[07] A Turkish columnist assesses that Akinci will win in the second round; He expresses the belief that a "single" Cyprus state is on the way

[08] Cavusoglu: There is a chance for resumption of the peace talks in Cyprus

[09] Turkey recalls Ambassador to Austria over parliament's Armenia declaration

[10] Turkish expats will vote for Turkey's general elections between 8-31 May

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS

[01] Eroglu: "Elections are a referendum for the solution"

"People must decide whether they want to jump into an adventure or go into the future securely", he claimed and admitted that he may have committed mistakes as a politician. "But in the end of the day, it is all about the state, it is about the future of the Turkish Cypriots", he said. He went on and added that the Cyprus negotiations have been left half-finished and that the reason he chose to be a candidate was to finalize the negotiations he had started.

Eroglu said that the low participation in the elections was a reaction against politics in the breakaway regime and called on the voters to cast their vote and to think hard about who they will favour.

He also accused some circles of the National Unity Party (UBP) of not only have not supported his candidacy but even showed support to other candidates.

He also alleged that Ankara trusts him completely and said that Turkey knows very well what he does at the negotiations table and never accused him for his actions. In the contrary he was accused by some left parties in the "country".

"I am not in favor of war, I am in favor of peace", he claimed and added that an agreement cannot be reached only in the way the Greek Cypriot side wants to be formed because this will be the end of the Turkish Cypriots. He also claimed that an agreement that he will negotiate will be accepted by the "TRNC".

(CS)

[02] Akinci: "People will materialize change"

Responding to a question, Aknci noted that this is not a race between parties and that they will elect the "president" of the Turkish Cypriot community. "Even though the world does not recognize the TRNC, it accepts the president as the elected leader of the Turkish Cypriots", he argued noting that his vision has common points with the one of the Republican Turkish Party's (CTP) candidate in the first round Sibel Siber and that he had common struggles with the late CTP leaders, Naci Talat and Ozker Ozgur.

Akinci said that during his recent visit to the CTP after the first round of the "elections", the party did not submitted any demand as to which persons will participate in the negotiating team for the Cyprus problem, but said that "we should also be informed" about the content of the negotiations. Akinci noted that the "president" should cooperate with the "government", which should be a part of the process, because the cooperation with persons who have been brought up in the negotiations and the Cyprus problem will especially benefit the "president". Furthermore, he described as false the information which some people are trying to spread around alleging that he will take in his negotiating team persons such as [the chairman of the United Cyprus Party] Izzet Izcan and [the member of the Social Democracy Party] Deniz Birinci.

Asked to comment on the arguments set forward by his opponents saying that "Akinci will confront Turkey, he will put our brothers of Turkish Republic origin on boats and send them away", Akinci expressed the view that this rhetoric will not work adding that "they are using this for 40 years and they think that they will advance". He wondered whether a person who wants "reconciliation with President Anastasiades and exerts efforts for internal peace, will confront Turkey and added: "In our relations with Turkey we will be in favor of compromising not conflict seeking and submissive. There are people who will elect me. The source of my will is there. I must behave according to the will of the people both in the negotiations and the relations with Turkey [?] I want good relations based on mutual respect, but I never asked for support from anywhere else except for my people [?]".

Pointing out that their relations with Turkey are important, Akinci recalled that the Turkish Prime Minister and the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Europe have made statements supporting the solution in Cyprus. He noted: "If Turkey will ? as it should- continue in the forthcoming period this stance expressed by this rhetoric in favor of the solution, they will find before them a leader who exerts efforts to advance this process and will cooperate. What is important are the visions".

(I/Ts.)

[03] Erk: I will comply with the decision to support Akinci, but I do not know whether all members of the CTP will comply

"However, I do not know whether all members of the CTP will comply with it", he pointed out arguing that the CTP basis is still offended with Akinci and the group that supported him. Erk argued that both himself and the CTP candidate and their basis had been exposed to behaviours which could be described as an insult by Akinci and his supporters.

Erk said that they will support Akinci "because of his mission for solution and peace", but added that he is not sure whether the members of the CTP forgot the insults. "I have still not forgotten them", he noted.

Erk argued that the possibility of Akinci winning the "elections" exists, but the difference with Eroglu will not be as big as it is thought it will be, because "Dervis Eroglu is a good politician and is working very well for making up with all the displeased [voters]".

Replying to a question regarding the possible return of former Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat to the presidency of the CTP, Erk said that Talat has not yet submitted such demand and expressed the view that Talat "is an extremely important name for CTP going towards better days".

(I/Ts.)

[04] "We Are Gathering!" (Toparlaniyoruz Movement): "There is no decision of the movement towards the one or the other candidate"

The movement underlines in its statement that it has announced since its establishment that it will be an NGO that will follow politics, make criticism and have an effective and objective role in the society.

The movement points out in the statement that no decision has been taken towards supporting any of the "candidates" and underlines that no relevant official statement was issued in the movement' official website.

(AK)

[05] Various organizations expressed their support to Akinci and Eroglu

Kibris (23.04.15) reports that both Shopkeepers Union and TMT expressed their support to Eroglu's candidacy for the second round of the "presidential elections".

Star Kibris (23.04.15) reports that DEV Is, Tip-Is, KTOEOS, the Feminist Workshop and KOOP Sen, expressed their support to Akinci.

In addition, Havadis (23.04.15) reports that Irsen Kucuk, the former leader of the National Unity Party (UBP) will not support Eroglu's candidacy. In addition the "mayor" of occupied Lapithos and former general secretary of the UBP, Fuat Namsoy and "mayor" of occupied Agios Epiktitos Mehmet Hulusioglu who supported Kudret Ozersay on the first round, stated that everyone is free on this round to vote in favor of anyone he or she wants.

(CS)

[06] Izcan to open a file against a Turkish Cypriot newspaper which claims that he will gain benefits for his support towards Akinci

Izcan said that these claims are totally wrong and added that they never had such a conversation with Akinci and nor such a demand was issued by him to Akinci on this regard.

In addition Izcan stated that another information issued by the same newspaper according to which he promised to the Greek Cypriots to lift the "TRNC flag" from Pentadaktylos Mountains is not true. "This information is totally wrong. I have never made such a statement neither in the past nor during the election procedure", Izcan stated.

(CS)

[07] A Turkish columnist assesses that Akinci will win in the second round; He expresses the belief that a "single" Cyprus state is on the way

Expressing his personal belief that Akinci will be the winner in the second round, Uluc supports that if Akinci is finally the winner and the person who will sit at the negotiation talks with the Greek Cypriots, then the possibility to reach to a solution is very strong. He supports also that it is very possible for a "single" Cyprus state to be formed soon, from the two communities.

Assessing the "presidential elections", Uluc underlines in his commentary the fact that it is the first time in history that there has been no intervention from Turkey in the "elections" and wonders whether the reason for this, is that Turkey do not want to intervene in democracy, or that they are leaving the Turkish Cypriots to their own devices?

Reminding that none of the "presidential candidates" was able to get 50% of the votes and thus the "election result" will be determined in the second round on Sunday, with Eroglu and Akinci to run for the "presidency", Uluc underlines how important is the victory of the independent candidate Kudret Ozersay, who run forth and received 21% of the votes and supports that Ozersay's voters will be those to identify the final result.

Uluc explained that he had carried out a mini-survey for the second round of the "presidential elections". He makes a categorization of the Turkish Cypriot citizens living in the "TRNC" and supports that there are two categories: 1) The Turkish Cypriots who are citizens of the Republic of Cyprus since its establishment; 2) and the Turks who are owners of the Turkish passport and who settled down in Cyprus from Turkey after the "peace operation" in Cyprus, as the columnist called the Turkish invasion in Cyprus.

Referring to the above categorization, the columnist writes that he found out that the Turkish Cypriots of the first category, are in favor of a solution on the island and support Akinci, since, they consider him to be the one who is more supporting the solution. Uluc adds that Eroglu would not get as much support from this group of people.

Conclusively, the Turkish columnist expresses the belief that Akinci will be the winner of the second round of the "elections" and writes that his personal view is that a bi-communal Cyprus state is on the way to be formed soon, since as he supports, both Turkey and Greece are in favor of a solution in Cyprus.

(AK)

[08] Cavusoglu: There is a chance for resumption of the peace talks in Cyprus

Cavusoglu, who is currently visiting the U.S., said Turkey wants to commemorate those who lost their lives in violence during the waning years of the Ottoman Empire together with Armenia.

(?)

His meeting with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry lasted two hours, an hour longer than planned. The meeting was encouraging, Cavusoglu said, explaining that they had an opportunity to discuss developments in Syria in detail, including who controlled which region and what can be done to help the Free Syrian Army (FSA).

(?)

Cavusoglu explained the tactical differences between Turkey and the U.S. in ways to tackle ISIS were narrowing, and his meetings with U.S. officials were very encouraging. "Turkey and the U.S. will sign an agreement on sharing information on foreign fighters. Our Embassy in the U.S. is currently negotiating the deal," he said.

On the issue of the Cyprus peace talks, Cavusoglu said that he believes there is a chance the peace talks can resume between the two sides once the "presidential elections" in "Turkish Cyprus" (editor's note: the breakaway regime in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus) come to an end. He added that the circumstances are suitable for discussions to restart.

(DPs)

[09] Turkey recalls Ambassador to Austria over parliament's Armenia declaration

Turkish Foreign Ministry also released a statement regarding the issue and blamed the Austrian Parliament for disrupting the historical and judicial facts and said that Turkey will not forget the baseless claims of the Austrian Parliament.

"While the joint declaration issued by the Austrian Parliament emphasizes the sufferings of the Christians and does not even mention the Muslim people who had lost their lives in World War I, it has become just another example of discrimination based on religions." the statement claimed.

The statement reiterated Turkey's rejection against the genocide statements and alleged that Austrian Parliament's selective and one-sided approach over the 1915 events has potential to harm the relations between the two countries.

(DPs)

[10] Turkish expats will vote for Turkey's general elections between 8-31 May

According to the decision of the Supreme Election Board (YSK), the overseas electorate can vote between May 8 and May 31. This time, the Turks living abroad can vote without obtaining an appointment.

There will not be any ballot boxes in towns with less than 500 Turks. For this reason, only 2 million 848 thousands and 652 Turk expats will be able to cast a vote from the 2 million 866 thousands 940 eligible registered voters. The most Turkish electorate living abroad are in Germany and the least in Thailand.

There are 1 million 404 thousands 987 Turkish expats in Germany, 90 thousands 747 in the USA, 311 thousands 796 in France, 84 thousands 559 in the United Kingdom, 1,852 in China, 28,202 in Saudi Arabia, 10,487 in Greece, 13,591 in Italy, 1,044 in Iran, and 620 in Thailand.

(DPs) TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION

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(DPs/ AM)

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