Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 15-11-03

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 / TURKISH PRESS

[01] Akinci congratulated Davutoglu over poll results and invited him to the occupied area of Cyprus

[02] Diplomatic sources have reportedly said that the Cypriot natural gas will be used for paying the compensations on the property issue

[03] The regime will be granting "residence permit" to foreigners more easily

[04] Hotels in the occupied area of Cyprus had a 58% occupancy rate on October

[05] How the new AKP will act towards the Cyprus problem

[06] Turkish polls hindered by security environment, violence, and media restrictions

[07] Erdogan calls for world to respect Turkish election vote for stability

[08] Election failure may push MHP to question discourse

[09] Information about the new AKP cabinet

[10] Nokta magazine latest edition to be withdrawn from shelves

[11] Survey reveals that 80% of minorities in Turkey cannot express themselves openly

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS

[01] Akinci congratulated Davutoglu over poll results and invited him to the occupied area of Cyprus

According to a written statement released by Akinci's office, the Turkish Cypriot leader expressed the hope that the seeds of compassion will be planted and grow in the new term as Davutoglu expressed in his balcony speech on the 1st of November. Akinci also said that he will be pleased to see Davutoglu at the first opportunity in the "TRNC" (translator's note: the occupied area in the Republic of Cyprus). Davutoglu, for his part, thanked Akinci for his wishes and said that he will be glad to visit the "TRNC" as soon as he establishes the new government.

Akinci also sent congratulatory messages to all the party leaders who gained the right of representation at the Turkish Parliament.

(DPs)

[02] Diplomatic sources have reportedly said that the Cypriot natural gas will be used for paying the compensations on the property issue

"Thus it is aimed to leave behind the concerns of the Turkish Cypriots that they will be forced to put their hand in their pocket", writes journalist Ulas Baris in a report today. "Accordingly, the Northern Founding State, which with the solution will have rights on the gas reserves found around the island, will cover the compensations to come up in the property with the income to be acquired from here", he writes adding:

"While the cost of the property that will come up together with the solution in the new plan which is debated is calculated to be approximately 25 billion euro, it is foreseen that this will be covered by international financing organizations on behalf of the Northern Component State and when it is covered the natural gas which will be extracted in the future will be ceded and [the money] will be taken back. Among the acquired information is that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank are activated on the issue of financing the estimated 25 billion euro for covering the compensations for the Greek Cypriot properties located within the boundaries of the Northern Founding State, but both institutions are waiting for the achievement of 'tangible' progress by the sides at the negotiating table [?]"

Noting that Espen Barth Eide, UN Secretary-General's Special Adviser for Cyprus, has made some contacts on the issue, Baris recalls of Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci's statement that the USA is also interested on this issue and is ready to contribute.

(I/Ts.)

[03] The regime will be granting "residence permit" to foreigners more easily

According to the "law", the foreigners, who have worked for six years in the occupied area of Cyprus having acquired a "work permit" and/or "permit" for establishing a business, will be given "permanent residence permit", so that they are not forced to take this "permit" every year. Furthermore, the foreigners who have completed living six years in the occupied area of Cyprus will be given some other rights that will facilitate their lives.

Serdar Denktas, chairman of the Democratic Party (DP), said that they would vote against the "draft-law", because they believe that it would not achieve its goals. He expressed the view that everyone living in the occupied area of Cyprus should be granted a "white card" and should obtain all rights except for "voting and being elected". He said that people, who live in the occupied area for 20-25 years and persons, who have been born there, will not be able to benefit from this "law".

Zeki Celer, "deputy" with the Social Democracy Party (TDP), said that his party would vote in favor of the "law", adding that they have some drawbacks as regards the "fake marriages" and that a more detailed statement should be submitted on this issue.

(I/Ts.)

[04] Hotels in the occupied area of Cyprus had a 58% occupancy rate on October

According to data by the "Turkish Cypriot hoteliers union" ("KITOB"), the hotels had seen a drop of 19% in occupancy rates this October compared to September. The 5 star hotels had recorded occupancy of 68% for October 2014; however there is a drop of 22% for October 2015 and a drop of 12% for September 2015 compared to the same months last year.

Smaller hotels recorded occupancy of 48% for October 2015, which was also a drop of 29% compared to the same month last year. On average, all hotels had a 58% occupancy rate on October this year and compared to 2014 this was on average a drop of 24% for the same period.

(DPs)

[05] How the new AKP will act towards the Cyprus problem

Sinan Ulgen, a former Turkish diplomat who chairs Istanbul-based think tank ?Centre for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies? (EDAM), told Today's Zaman on Monday that it is not clear at this point how the AK Party will interpret its strong position after the elections.

"The AK Party may take a more realistic approach in terms of foreign policy issues, after garnering a very high percentage of support from its voters, or it may see this as a support for its foreign policy vision in the region which previously caused the isolation of the country from the rest of the world. If it reads right the recent signals from the world and reshapes its foreign policy based on a realistic approach, then the government will be able to create more positive results both for itself and for the region," said Ulgen.

Ulgen said there is certainly a more positive political environment in the country as there is no election in the near future and a single party government will be able to take a decisive position on many issues, without any populist concerns.

He pointed out that the Cyprus issue may be one of those issues to which the government might push for a solution without worrying about upsetting the nationalists in Turkey, as the peace talks in the ethnically divided island between Turkish Cypriots in the north and Greek Cypriots in the south appear to be getting close to a final solution.

[06] Turkish polls hindered by security environment, violence, and media restrictions

Restrictions on media freedom remain a serious concern, said observers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), speaking at a press conference in the capital Ankara.

"While Turkish citizens could choose between genuine and strong political alternatives in this highly polarized election, the rapidly diminishing choice of media outlets and restrictions on freedom of expression in general impacted the process and remain serious concerns," said Ignacio Sanchez Amor, the special coordinator and leader of the OSCE's short-term observer mission. "Physical attacks on party members, as well as the significant security concerns, particularly in the southeast, further imposed restrictions on the ability to campaign," Amor added.

The OSCE group was unable to monitor polling stations in regions where clashes between the security forces and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) had taken place because the insurance company refused to cover them.

[07] Erdogan calls for world to respect Turkish election vote for stability

Speaking to reporters after praying at a mosque in Istanbul, Erdogan said that Turks had voted for stability on Nov. 1 after the failure of coalition talks following a June vote.

When a reporter asked about international media reports criticizing his leadership, Erdogan said, "Why don't they respect the national will? They haven't displayed respect since the day when the national will elected Erdogan as President with 52 % up to this date. One should ask, 'Is this your understanding of democracy?'" Expressing "gratitude to the nation," Erdogan also voiced pleasure over witnessing "democratic maturity" in the elections.

"The national will has been manifested as of Nov. 1 in favour of stability and those short-term developments told the national will 'There is no other way than the national will,' and displayed the making of such a decision," Erdogan said, urging the nation to be united in the face of "great plots" that are being set up in the entire country.

"I always said something; I said 'one nation,' 'one flag,' 'one homeland' and 'one state.' These four titles are virtually sine qua non for us. We need to enrich these four titles and respond to those plots via claiming these," he said.

[08] Election failure may push MHP to question discourse

The MHP failed to win any Deputy in 58 of the 81 provinces, as some leading figures from the party have been left out of Parliament due to the sharp fall in votes.

Deputy Chairpersons Sadir Durmaz and Ruhsar Demirel, Koray Ayd?n, a prominent figure in the party who is currently Deputy Parliament Speaker, and Durmus Y?lmaz, a former head of the Central Bank, failed to get elected. While officials of the party mostly remained silent over the election defeat, Deputy Chairman Demirel admitted responsibility for the thrashing.

In remarks to a local television channel in Eskisehir, Demirel was quoted by the Hurriyet daily as saying on Monday, "We have lost votes all over Turkey --. I'm an official of the party. I'm also at fault if I can't win a seat [in Parliament] in my province". Eskisehir, where the party failed to win any Deputy, is the province where Demirel was elected deputy in the June election.

The defeat the MHP has suffered in the repeat election is big, considering that the party failed to get more than 10% of the vote in Istanbul, which has a population of around 15 million people. Its votes in Central Anatolia, a region that is the party's stronghold, have also sharply fallen, while in the Black Sea region the party is not a player to be reckoned with.

As compared to the June election, the MHP lost nearly 2 million votes. Based on unofficial figures, the party got almost 5.7 million votes in the snap election. The only province where the party managed to increase its votes was the eastern province of Ardahan.

[09] Information about the new AKP cabinet

According to the paper, Ali Babacan was reportedly persuaded to continue his political career with the AKP in the Nov. 1 elections thanks to the personal efforts by Davutoglu. However, Babacan is said to be unwilling to take part in the government if he is not given control over the economy. Istanbul Deputy Berat Albayrak, Erdogan's son-in-law, is also being touted for a possible role in economic management, but the chances of his involvement in the event of Babacan taking control are seen as low.

The eventual decision about Babacan will also be decisive for the positions of Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek, Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci and Customs and Trade Minister Nurettin Canikli. The portfolios of these three figures will be defined according to whether Babacan runs the economy or not.

Babacan, however, has also been tipped to become a Foreign Minister after a hiatus of more than six years. Babacan took over as Foreign Minister in August 2007 after his predecessor, Abdullah Gul, was elected President before handing over his seat to Davutoglu in May 2009.

Previous Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu could also return to the post, according to observers.

With seats to be allocated to veteran figures of the party, speculation is growing as to whether Izmir Deputy Binali Yildirim, one of Erdogan's closest aides, will become part of the cabinet. Yildirim may either return to the Transportation Ministry seat or become a Deputy Prime Minister, while he may eventually be tasked with a senior post at party headquarters due to his experience.

Rumor has it that AKP Deputy Chairs Bekir Bozdag and Omer Celik are likely to hold cabinet seats, while Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus is expected to retain his current post.

A former member of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Tugrul Turkes, who joined the AKP after the June 7 vote, is likely to get a cabinet seat as well.

According to claims, Faruk Celik may return to the Labor and Social Security Ministry, Bekir Bozdag may return to the Justice Ministry, Taner Yildiz may return to the Energy Ministry, Recep Akdag may return to the Health Ministry and Cevdet Yilmaz may return to the Development Ministry.

Either Mehdi Eker or Galip Ensarioglu, both Kurdish politicians, might be given a cabinet post as part of an undeclared "Kurdish quota," while Fatma Betul Sakan Kaya, a heads carved politician, is being touted for the Family and Social Affairs Ministry.

[10] Nokta magazine latest edition to be withdrawn from shelves

Police notified the magazine of the decision to pull the publication from shelves after going to its headquarters on Monday, a day after the parliamentary election which gave the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) enough votes to form a single party government.

Nokta, which is known for its critical stance toward the government, announced the decision on its website, saying that the police took all of the magazines at its headquarters and also started to gather the issues already out at distribution centres.

Nokta's cover features a picture of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and shows the date Nov. 2 as "the start of Turkey's civil war."

It was also stated on the magazine's website that Nokta's Editor-in-Chief Cevheri Guven and responsible manager and the representative of the owner Murat Capan were detained after a decision by the Istanbul Public Prosecutor's Office.

[11] Survey reveals that 80% of minorities in Turkey cannot express themselves openly

Four-fifths of minorities with Greek, Armenian, Jewish and Syrian origins said they could not freely express their ideas on social media, according to the survey conducted by the Yenikoy Panayia GreekOrthodox Church, Bilgi University and the Konda pollster company.

The survey was conducted among 746 Turkish citizens who are members of the Greek, Armenian, Jewish and Syrian communities between Jan. 30 and April 17.

Only 20 % of the respondents said they felt free to share their thoughts on social media, while the rest said they did not share their real opinions on social media due to fear and concerns. The respondents said the social media platforms they used most commonly were Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, respectively.

Over one-third of respondents also said they were subject to defamation, humiliation, obscenity or threats due to their minority identity on social media.

The survey revealed that, even though minorities cannot express themselves freely on social media, some 60 % of minorities in Turkey believe that social media has enhanced their relationship with the rest of the society. TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION

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

(CS/ AM)

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