Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 17-02-02

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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] Akinci argues that as few people as possible will be relocated during the territorial adjustments

[02] Ozgurgun called on Akinci to choose a date for "early elections"

[03] Akinci and Erhurman ask the "competent authorities" to carry out their "duty" as regards the threats against Akinci's life on the Tweeter

[04] Cavusoglu called Kammenos to "come to his sense" over the Imia islets

[05] Turkish Defense Minister: Turkey doesn't want 'tension with Greece,' but 'won't bow to fait accompli'

[06] Turkey's ruling AKP Deputy to Greece: Don't mess with us or we'll shoot you

[07] Turkish Deputy PM: Trump travel ban denies US history

[08] Foreign Ministry chiefs of Turkey and Israel hold bilateral talks

[09] Arikli argued that Ankara has a plan B in case of Cyprus talks' failure

[10] Kaynak: "Granting the Turkish citizenship to 20,000 Syrians, cannot change the outcome of the referendum"

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS

[01] Akinci argues that as few people as possible will be relocated during the territorial adjustments

In statements in the occupied area of the island after the meeting, Akinci noted that the negotiators of the two communities will continue their regular meetings and that the leaders decided to ask the UN to hold meetings with the guarantor powers for determining a date for continuing at a political level in the beginning of March the Cyprus Conference which had begun in Geneva on 12 January.

"This issue cannot continue forever, it will be concluded in a manner", he argued claiming that after a couple of months the government-controlled area of the Republic of Cyprus will enter into the campaign for the presidential elections and explorations for natural gas will come again onto the agenda. Akinci said that yesterday with President Anastasiades they reiterated that the momentum should continue.

Claiming that he does not want to give dates and limit things, Akinci recalled that he was referring to drawing the framework of the political solution before the end of 2016 and argued that if a result is not reached within 2-3 months, the process will be left for the period after the presidential elections in the Republic of Cyprus in February 2018. Arguing that we have to take into consideration the negative developments in the area, Akinci said: "I wish for no one to ask for interruptions anymore, for us to sit at the table and reach an agreement".

Noting that the "five-party conference's" name is "Cyprus Conference" and not "Security Conference", Akinci said that the issue of security and guarantees will be discussed at five-party meetings, while the other issues will be discussed during bilateral meetings. He claimed that only a little time is left for us to be able to say whether there will be a result in the Cyprus talks.

Referring to the map submitted by the Turkish Cypriot side regarding the territorial adjustments, Akinci said that some people distort the percentage of 29+% accepted in the 1980's by the then Turkish Cypriot leader and approved by the "assembly". He noted that these people allege that 29+% might mean 35% [as the self-styled foreign minister had alleged].

Replying to a question, Akinci said that the Cuellar Document had been approved by the "assembly" and that this Document referred to a percentage between 29 and 30%. Arguing that everyone knows why the late Turkish Cypriot leader Denktas referred to 29+%, Akinci said that Denktas talked about 29+% in order to go below 30%. He added:

"If there will be a solution, the truth is that it will approximately be this percentage. I am here to prepare the people for the truths. And this is a part of the overall solution. We or they have not accepted the submitted map. In any case the map is one of the issues of disagreement. […] You cannot ask for 35% at the table, but no one can persuade the Turkish Cypriots for 25% […]"

Akinci said that they wish that as few as possible people to be relocated with the solution to be reached and added that some people will be relocated, but not without having their house and job guaranteed. He argued that it is important to create a better future with the solution and not a worse situation. He also claimed that they try to achieve a solution within the framework of the human rights which will be saving the young generation from a future with uncertainties and people will be able to consider that the title deeds for their properties really belong to them.

Moreover, Turkish Cypriot daily Havadis newspaper (02.02.17) reports that Akinci replied to the criticism of the "government" regarding his policy on the Cyprus problem and described it as "minority government" expressing the view that "the people's will is not the same with the will of the minority government in the assembly". He argued:

"It is very clear and evident. The actual will of the people is outside the assembly. The current minority government is not a government voicing the will of the majority of the people. […] We are continuing our way by feeling the power of the people by our side and we are determined to continue. In this path, of course, the prime minister will be coming against us from time to time, the foreign minister will be saying some things from time to time. The place where these will be weighed is the people's weighing machine".

(I/Ts.)

[02] Ozgurgun called on Akinci to choose a date for "early elections"

(DPs)

[03] Akinci and Erhurman ask the "competent authorities" to carry out their "duty" as regards the threats against Akinci's life on the Tweeter

Yeni Duzen publishes some of the threats against Akinci, saying: "If you think of giving even a single stone from Cyprus to the Greek Cypriots, you will pay the price. Land taken with blood is given only with blood".

Meanwhile, replying to a question after his meeting with President Anastasiades yesterday, Akinci said that the social media should be a place of free expression of ideas and not of insults, swearwords and threats for death. Akinci called on the "competent authorities" to carry out their "duty" for these threats and insults.

(I/Ts.)

[04] Cavusoglu called Kammenos to "come to his sense" over the Imia islets

In exclusive statements to the paper, Cavusoglu has called the Greek Minister of Defense "to come to his sense". Underlining the dispute over the Aegean between the two countries, Cavusoglu recalled that they hold exploratory talks and added the following: "We have always continued these exploratory talks. In the period of the Tsipras Government, the Minister of the radical right wing party which is partner of the government is at the same time Greece' Minister of Defence. That Minister is constantly provoking. Greece is continuously provoking. We say that we do not want tension with our neighbors and thus we adopt a more sensible stance", Cavusoglu alleged.

Accusing Greece of escalating the tension over the Aegean dispute, Cavusoglu called the Greek Defence Minister to come to his sense otherwise as he said, Turkey knows how to give the appropriate answer. "This Minister's stance is not something new. We have spoken with Tsipras over this stance and we will do so again. The two countries should discuss these controversial issues and solve them. We should be logical. If we escalate the situation, then a possible accident over the islands would cause irreparable damage. We behave with great maturity and we call the Greek Defence Minister to behave in the same way", said also Cavusoglu.

(AK)

[05] Turkish Defense Minister: Turkey doesn't want 'tension with Greece,' but 'won't bow to fait accompli'

Is?k spoke to HDN after news emerged that Panos Kammenos, the Greek Defense Minister, visited the air space over the "Kardak islets", located about one nautical mile from Turkey's tourism resort of Bodrum, on Feb. 1 to leave a wreath in the Aegean Sea in memory of three Greek soldiers who died in a helicopter accident during the 1996 crisis between the two countries over the sovereignty of the islets. Kammenos' visit came two days after Turkish Chief of Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar and his top brass visited the area near "Kardak" with a navy war ship on Jan. 30.

Is?k said the following:

"Greece has recently increased the frequency of its border violations. From time to time, this is due to Greek domestic politics. But that is not something good."

"The tension between the two countries should not escalate. Greece is our neighbor and our NATO ally. There are cooperation agreements between us."

"As Turkey, we don't want to be the party to escalate the tension, but we also will not bow to any fait accompli. We have to sort out the problems through dialogue. The tension should not escalate."

Relations between Turkey and Greece have improved in the last few years. A readmission agreement between Turkey and the European Union regarding illegal immigration, mostly involving Syrians escaping from the country's civil war, was made possible through a protocol and cooperation between Turkey and Greece, as the Aegean Sea was one of the main transit routes for refugees. A NATO naval force has been patrolling the Aegean to halt unregistered immigration with the participation of warships from both countries.

Turkey and Greece have also been cooperating on U.N.-monitored talks for the reunification of Cyprus. Thanks to that cooperation, a five-party meeting was recently convened between the "Turkish and Greek governments of Cyprus", as well as the island's three guarantors, Turkey, Greece and the United Kingdom.

But two developments have begun to strain relations in recent weeks. The first was the refusal of Greece's top court to extradite eight Turkish soldiers who escaped right after the foiled coup of July 15, 2016, to face trial for the attempted overthrow. The other bone of contention has been the Greek Cypriot side's insistence on not permitting the Turkish military to have any, even symbolic, presence on Cyprus after any reunification deal.

Military sources say the increase in violations was the straw that broke the camel's back and that Turkey wanted to "remind Greece of its presence in the Aegean" in response.

Tension between Turkey and Greece over the Kardak (Imia in Greek) islets in January 1996 escalated into a crisis that was only solved with U.S. intervention.

In his interview, Is?k emphasized that Turkey favored the de-escalation of the tension through dialogue.

[06] Turkey's ruling AKP Deputy to Greece: Don't mess with us or we'll shoot you

"I am warning Greece: You were saved owing to a cowardly [Turkish] admiral in 1996. Do not play the Kardak game with us. We will shoot you!" Huseyin Kocab?y?k, the party's Izmir Deputy, tweeted on Feb. 1.

Kocab?y?k was referring to a previous escalation between the two countries 21 years ago over the small Aegean islets.

The AKP Deputy also claimed that the naval commander of the time disobeyed the instruction of then-Prime Minister Tansu Ciller to sink Greek ships.

"The Greek impertinence in the Aegean is continuing because the political order was not followed on that day. However, the Greeks should know that Turkey is not the country as it was in 1996," Kocab?y?k added.

[07] Turkish Deputy PM: Trump travel ban denies US history

"The United States is a country formed by immigrants and formed by that history. [Trump's decision] amounts to a denial of that history," Kaynak told state-run Anadolu Agency on Feb. 1.

The executive order Trump signed on Jan. 27, suspends the arrival of all refugees for a minimum of 120 days, suspends the arrival of Syrian refugees indefinitely, and bars all citizens from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for 90 days.

Kaynak said the ban on particular countries is "out of sync" with the values of the modern world. "The modern world is built on the values of democracy, human rights, freedom and the rule of law," he added. "The world suffers badly from radicalism, extremism and terrorism. The causes that lead to radicalism and extremism are people not being able to stand each other, not treating each other with tolerance, and seeing each other's race as either superior or inferior," Kaynak said.

[08] Foreign Ministry chiefs of Turkey and Israel hold bilateral talks

Turkish Foreign Undersecretary Umit Yalc?n and his Israeli counterpart Yuval Rotem met in Ankara for their two countries' first political consultations session since 2010 Mavi Marmara crisis, which led to killing nine Turkish citizens in an Israeli military raid on a flotilla aiming to break the blockade on Gaza. Rotem was also scheduled to meet with members of Turkey's Jewish community and with the Governor of Istanbul during his stay.

Turkey and Israel, formerly close allies, reconciled last year and restored ambassadorial-level diplomatic ties, mending a deep rift caused by the deaths of 10 Turkish activists during the Israeli commando raid on a vessel that tried to breach the blockade on Gaza in 2010.

The aim of the three-day visit is to "continue developing bilateral ties and strengthen cooperation on the political, economic and cultural spheres," an Israeli Foreign Ministry statement said on Jan. 31.

"The political dialogue sends a positive message on the commitment of both sides to deepen the relationship between the two countries," read the statement, adding that the talks will also "allow for comprehensive discussion, after six years of … challenges, on the drastic changes in the region."

Issues on the agenda between the two countries were evaluated during the talks, especially opportunities for cooperation in the fields of energy, the economy, culture and tourism, a Foreign Ministry official said.

In political consultations, opinions were exchanged on developments in the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean, and the parties agreed on the importance of Turkey-Israel relations in terms of the stability and security of the region, the diplomat added.

[09] Arikli argued that Ankara has a plan B in case of Cyprus talks' failure

Speaking at a televised programmed of the Turkish Cypriot private channel ADA TV, Arikli alleged that in case of Cyprus talks' failure, the "TRNC" will have an alternative and outlined the following four models:

a) The Kosovo model

b) The Nahcivan model, where they will be related to Ankara on the foreign policy and will have Turkish soldiers for security.

c) The Taiwan model, where they will have commercial activities with the other countries but not diplomatic ties

d) The "TRNC model". They will create their own model.

Arikli concluded by claiming that the Turkish Cypriots will take of course the last decision, reminding that even the Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci, in every opportunity he says "If there is not a Cyprus settlement, then we will continue our way with the TRNC".

(DPs)

[10] Kaynak: "Granting the Turkish citizenship to 20,000 Syrians, cannot change the outcome of the referendum"

On the above issue, Kaynak said: "In a country with over 50 million voters, the least I could say is that is credulous to consider that 10 or 20 thousand of voters could change the outcome of the referendum".

(AK) TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION

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(CS / AM)

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