Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 16-07-26

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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] Cavusoglu said that the occupied area of Cyprus should not become a "terrorist's base"

[02] Turkish Cypriot daily describes how Gulen's organization leaked into the "police" of the breakaway regime

[03] Columnist says that Turkey will harden its stance in the Cyprus negotiations after the coup attempt

[04] More than half of the persons who contribute to the "social securities" in the occupied area of Cyprus are foreigners

[05] Talat argued that Islamic community's activities in the occupation regime are increased

[06] Turkish Cypriot daily reports that no proposals were submitted for the works at Apliki crossing point; Only one proposal for Deryneia

[07] A fire broke out in occupied Panagra village

[08] The water transferred from Turkey has started flowing to the occupied part of Lefkosia as of yesterday

[09] Erdogan welcomes party leaders in rare meeting

[10] No invitation to Turkish leaders' summit angers HDP

[11] Demirtas: Some AKP members may be behind the coup attempt

[12] Cavusoglu to Juncker: "The EU must not make threatening statements on Turkey's accession"

[13] Turkish columnists criticize the way the West sees the failed coup in Turkey

[14] Detention warrants issued for 42 journalists over failed coup attempt

[15] Hundreds fired by Turkish companies after attempted coup

[16] Operations at Incirlik air base in Turkey back to normal after coup attempt, says the US

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS

[01] Cavusoglu said that the occupied area of Cyprus should not become a "terrorist's base"

He made these statements speaking at the HaberTurk television station.

Cavusoglu stated that there is information that members of the Fethullah Gulen Organization (FETO) escaped to the occupied area of Cyprus and added that the "TRNC" has included FETO into the list of terrorist organizations and that measures will be taken by the breakaway regime as well: "We have information that some of them went there. [?] Of course we do not want our daughter land to become a "terrorist's base", he stated.

He went on and added that Ambassadors could be suspended from their duties as part of the nationwide probe into July 15 coup attempt.

"Some personnel in the Ministry had been given answered questions. [...] And some personnel who had been employed by fraud exams were placed in key positions in the Ministry," he said. According to Cavusoglu , the Ambassadors who will be suspended are no longer on duty abroad but based at the Foreign Ministry in Ankara.

[02] Turkish Cypriot daily describes how Gulen's organization leaked into the "police" of the breakaway regime

According to the paper, every year almost the same "police officers" were sent to Turkey for education with the aim of continuing the relations and the bond among the members of Feto.

(I/Ts.)

[03] Columnist says that Turkey will harden its stance in the Cyprus negotiations after the coup attempt

"[?] As a matter of fact it has started influencing the TRNC with its developments which contain many negative aspects! It is definite that soon in parallel to the 'foreign currency', the economy, which is already with the one leg in the grave, will take its share from the incidents. However, the fact which is causing the real 'big doubt' is the increase of Greek Cypriot side's mischievousness at the negotiating process by showing as pretext this coup and the chaotic environment in Turkey! As a matter of fact, we have started hearing their voices aiming at this, due to the 'commemorative ceremonies' held in the south! [?] We understood that they have neither forgotten their properties in the north nor they have the intention to renounce them. [?]

If we return to Turkey, we do not know how importantly and decisively it will focus on the negotiations in Cyprus. However, Ankara, which stopped hopping of its friendship with the USA and its membership to the EU, will surely oppose in a harder way than before to the subjects which it does not approve in the 'negotiations'. Because its space for political maneuvers will be broadened further. On the other hand, independently of from where do you look at the negotiations, it is obvious that things are not going well. The damages are continuously increasing. Besides, Mr Akinci is also saying: 'It is very troublesome to carry out solution negotiations in this environment!'"

(I/Ts.)

[04] More than half of the persons who contribute to the "social securities" in the occupied area of Cyprus are foreigners

In statements to Diyalog, Saner noted that their accumulated debt is totally 242 million Turkish liras (TL) and added that the debt to the banks is 142 million TL and to the "providence fund" 100 million TL. He further noted that they are exerting efforts to ensure that the "institution" will survive, arguing that "we are the only state in the world which collects premiums for 12 months and pays 13 salaries".

Asked what will the situation be in case of a solution to the Cyprus problem and whether they have carried out any study on this issue, Saner replied that their numbers are satisfactory according to the ones of the EU and added that if an agreement is reached they will continue depositing premiums in their "social insurance fund". Expressing the view that they will not face any problem on this issue, he said that the salaries will increase because of the increase of the standard of living, but the premiums will have to increase also and balance will be achieved.

(I/Ts.)

[05] Talat argued that Islamic community's activities in the occupation regime are increased

Speaking during the meeting, Talat argued that there is a remarkable increase on the creation activities of the Islamic community in the "TRNC".

Pointing out that the CTP was among the parties which was against the ban of headscarves at the "TRNC's universities" when the Supreme Education Board of Turkey (YOK) prohibited the wearing of headscarf, Talat argued that the situation is different today since the religious pressure which is exerted in the formal education is unacceptable and contrary to the "laws and regulations" of the "national education".

Stating that the education should follow a secular line, Talat described as anomaly the opening of the "theological School" in occupied Mia Milia. He added that CTP will continue to protect the freedom of religious belief in the "TRNC".

(AK)

[06] Turkish Cypriot daily reports that no proposals were submitted for the works at Apliki crossing point; Only one proposal for Deryneia

Citing information obtained by diplomatic sources, the paper writes that the tenders ended on 15 July and when the box was opened no proposal was found for the crossing point in Apliki area. There was only one proposal for Deryneia area, but its cost is considered to be very high and "lacking of seriousness". After the lack of interest, the UNDP-PFF decided to give a fifteen day extension for submitting proposals. However, this decision has not been announced officially.

(I/Ts.)

[07] A fire broke out in occupied Panagra village

According to the paper, the fire was spread to a green area near the occupied village of Myrtou and Kambili and as it is estimated, it has burnt a plot of land of around 250-200 thousand square meters covered with pine-trees.

In statements to the paper, the "director" of the so-called forestry department said that the fire was set under control last night and added that fire-fighting helicopters are expected to arrive this morning in the "TRNC" in order to attend the cooling works.

(AK)

[08] The water transferred from Turkey has started flowing to the occupied part of Lefkosia as of yesterday

Harmanci, however, called all citizens to avoid using the water for potable purposes urging them to wait until they have the laboratory analysis results.

(AK)

[09] Erdogan welcomes party leaders in rare meeting

Presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kal?n made a statement after the meeting, stating that measures to be taken to prevent a similar attempt were discussed.

"During the meeting, steps to be taken for the freedom, security and welfare of our nation - which is united around democracy and the rule of law - the state of emergency, security measures, works around the new Constitution and economic policies were evaluated," Kal?n told reporters.

Erdogan's invitation excluded the Kurdish problem-focused Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) co-chair Selahattin Demirtas, as the government continues to be estranged from the HDP amid ongoing clashes between the security forces and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Erdogan's meeting with K?l?cdaroglu was seen by many as a possible sign of political bridge-building, as the two have engaged in harsh exchanges in Turkey's polarized political landscape in recent years.

The CHP head had previously refused to go to the controversial presidential palace in Ankara since Erdogan moved into it in 2014. K?l?cdaroglu had sworn repeatedly to only visit the "unlicensed" palace in the event of a national security crisis.

Sources from the office of the president said before the meeting that Erdogan would invite the three party leaders for their united stance against the coup attempt and also listen to their views on ongoing measures taken against supporters of U.S.-based Islamic scholar Fethullah Gulen within the state.

[10] No invitation to Turkish leaders' summit angers HDP

"This shows that problems in Turkey will not be resolved easily and they have not understood yet what the coup plotters are trying to do," Demirtas told a group of journalists before the meeting.

"What triggered the coup is an approach that left [the resolution of] the Kurdish issue to soldiers and the army," he said.

Meanwhile, HDP's parliamentary group leader also criticized President Erdogan's decision to exclude the party from the meeting.

"Approaches that exclude or target the HDP should be evaluated as the biggest disservice to Turkey's peoples and exposed as a most dangerous policy," the Kurdish problem-focused party's parliamentary group leader, Idris Baluken, said on July 25.

"The HDP was the first party to propose a leaders' summit. Our co-chairs announced this to the public. But today we face an attitude that excludes the first party to propose a leaders' summit," Baluken added.

He stressed that all leaders should have been present at the meeting, saying it would not be possible to resolve many of Turkey's fundamental issues without the contribution of the HDP.

[11] Demirtas: Some AKP members may be behind the coup attempt

"This is not a prediction, it is based half on confirmed information and half on estimation. Some from the AKP, either former or current members may have supported the attempt," HDP co-chair Selahattin Demirtas told daily Hurriyet in an interview on July 24.

"It's interesting that political groups behind these plotters have not yet been identified. But there's a very high possibility that the plotters received support from a powerful group within the AKP," Demirtas said, adding that a parliamentary probe into the coup attempt could reveal unknown details about the move's political wing.

"No coup could ever be realized without political support," he stressed.

Meanwhile, the HDP co-chair said the authorities given to the government after the declaration of the state of emergency could well be used as another opportunity to crack down on the opposition, vowing to continue "fighting against both the coup plotters and the AKP."

"There is a third option: Neither coup nor dictatorship. Our option is democracy. We will focus on that," Demirtas said, adding that his party would hold a series of public rallies under the theme of "neither coup nor dictatorship."

[12] Cavusoglu to Juncker: "The EU must not make threatening statements on Turkey's accession"

Speaking to private broadcaster Haberturk on July 25, Cavusoglu said: "EU officials must not make threatening statements on Turkey not joining the bloc. We won't be discouraged by their threats".

He added that the EU is free to express its opinion on the capital punishment debate that emerged after the July 15 failed coup attempt in Turkey, but this "will backfire if they make threatening statements". "No offence, but Juncker cannot talk by looking down to Turkey. We won't accept that," Cavusoglu also said.

Juncker on July 15 said that Turkey is in no position to become an EU member any time soon and all accession negotiations would stop immediately if Ankara reintroduces the death penalty. He added that any country that included capital punishment in its legislation had no place in the European Union.

[13] Turkish columnists criticize the way the West sees the failed coup in Turkey

Under the title: "What the West must see about the failed coup in Turkey".

Yetkin writes the following:

"[?] A colleague sent to Turkey a few days ago to cover the failed coup asked one of his Turkish colleagues if he could help him find any crowds supporting the coup to overthrow Erdogan. Obviously, the foreign news crew couldn't find any. The Turkish colleague told them that first of all there were no such crowds, secondly they get be in real trouble if they asked people on the streets whether they supported the coup, and thirdly it is illegal to support a coup according to the law in Turkey, which has suffered three military coups before.

Another colleague asked me: "Wouldn't it be better if the coup had succeeded in getting rid of Erdogan's authoritarian rule?" The question had obviously been sent to him by his headquarters.

"I am not happy with the quality of democracy in Turkey and I criticize it in my columns," I said. "But a military coup is not the way to make it better. You cannot destroy democracy to make it work better. You cannot make anything better by imposing something much worse."

[?]

The West must see that the failed coup has no public support. The overwhelming majority of people, including sworn opponents of Erdogan, do not see a military coup as a path to reach a better democracy. That was demonstrated by the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) rally against the coup attempt in Istanbul on July 24.

Yes, Erdogan's popularity has risen - including among those opposing him - as a leader saved from an imminent toppling and probable death. No, Gulen is not seen as a peace-loving saint by the great majority of the Turkish people. But pushing away Turkey in the current circumstances will not make things better for the Turkish people, or for Western interests in Turkey. In fact it would only have the opposite effect.

In addition, Barcin Yinanc also writes the following in Turkish Hurriyet Daily news (26.07.16) under the title: "Dear Western friends, yes to solidarity, no to orientalist pity":

" [?] Since July 15, the Western media seems to have underestimated the fact that the Turkish nation passed a democracy test by stopping an attempted military coup. The fact that crowds chanted "Allahu Akbar" understandably gives shivers to the European public, which has unfortunately become familiar with this call through the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant's (ISIL) executions. Indeed, it also gives shivers to Turkey's secularists. But that should not let journalists and commentators ignore the fact that those crowds averted a military coup, the consequences of which would have been terrible.

[?]

I will not deny that from the first day after the failed coup I have been among those arguing that we face the risk of Erdogan using this opportunity to consolidate his authoritarian rule. There is enough in Erdogan's track record to make us suspect that while chasing the coup plotters he might use this occasion to intimidate all types of legitimate dissent.

For certain European journalists and commentators, there is no such suspicion; it is already a reality. "Good luck to you in that dictatorship," one foreign colleague wrote to me.

The direction Turkey will take moving forward might not be clear, but all shots are not yet called and Turkey is not yet a dictatorship.

[?]

So I don't know whether to laugh or cry when I hear an oxymoronic question from a Western journalist observing: "They say the military coup has been averted but democracy in Turkey is dead."

With each passing day we come to realize how deeply and widely a religious brotherhood has penetrated state institutions. It is imperative that it is "cleansed" from the state's bodies. Yet this cleansing needs to be done by remaining loyal to the rule of law. Links to the brotherhood need to be proven by evidence. That should be valid for everyone, including academics and journalists suspected of having links to the coup plotters. Action needs to be taken against Gulenists, but distinction should be made between a criminal act and legitimate dissent.

The risk that the President and the government will use this purge to target legitimate opposition is real. If it does happen it will weaken Turkish democracy and push the country into the category of Middle Eastern dictatorships. To claim that Turkey is already one does not reflect the truth

[14] Detention warrants issued for 42 journalists over failed coup attempt

"The only organization that I'm a member of is [the] Turkish Journalists Association [TGC]. My only profession is journalism," Bulent Mumay, who was among the journalists whom a warrant was issued for, wrote on his Twitter account, as he added that he would go to the prosecutor's office to testify.

Another name in the list, Ercan Gun, who is the news director of broadcaster Fox TV, said that he will also testify.

"I trust the law even during the state of emergency," Gun wrote on his Twitter account.

A total of 14 journalists have been detained so far while 11 were abroad, according to Dogan News Agency. Eight among the journalists abroad left Turkey after July 15 and three of them left before the failed bid, the agency also said.

The gendarmerie, police and coast guard have conducted searches to apprehend Nazl? Il?cak, a former parliamentarian and journalist who was also on the list.

Meanwhile, a statement was released from the International Press Institute regarding the issue, which "expressed alarm" at the development.

"Given recent developments, we fear that this is only the first wave of arrests targeting journalists in a crackdown that increasingly resembles a witch hunt," IPI Director of Advocacy and Communications Steven M. Ellis said.

"We urge Turkey's international partners not to turn a blind eye to the human rights abuses being carried out in the name of upholding democracy. To do so invites a degree of authoritarianism and impunity that will only destabilize the region even further," the statement also read.

[15] Hundreds fired by Turkish companies after attempted coup

Turkey's national flag carrier Turkish Airlines has fired 211 employees, including a vice general manager and a number of cabin crew members, Dogan News Agency reported on July 25.

The dismissals at the company occurred late on July 24, upon suspicions that some employees had links to the movement of U.S.-based Islamic scholar Fethullah Gulen, which the ruling Justice and Government Party (AKP) says was behind the coup plot. Others were fired due to "inefficiency problems," sources told the news agency.

Meanwhile, the head of AnadoluJet, Ibrahim Dogan, has also been fired along with three presidents, two vice presidents, 15 pilots, and cabin crew personnel, Dogan News Agency reported.

Aviation news site Airporthaber.com first reported the firings early on July 25.

Separately, landline operator Turk Telekom sacked 198 people on July 22 in "cooperation with the security forces," saying that a number of managers had been summoned by prosecutors to testify in connection with the ongoing investigation, according to emailed statements, Reuters reported on July 25.

Meanwhile, the two owners of a leading cooling systems company, Ugur Cooling Systems, were detained in the Aegean district of Nazilli early on July 25 within the scope of the post-coup attempt probe.

More than 240 people were killed and 2,000 were injured during the failed coup bid on July 15.

[16] Operations at Incirlik air base in Turkey back to normal after coup attempt, says the US

"Operations have in almost all manners returned to normal in terms of the operations we're conducting from Turkey," Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford said at the Pentagon where he briefed reporters alongside Secretary of Defense Ash Carter.

Dunford said his Turkish counterpart, Gen. Hulusi Akar, reached out to him twice last week and noted Turkey's commitment to the U.S.-led coalition fighting Daesh. TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION

http://www.pio.gov.cy

(CS AM)

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