Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 17-11-30

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

CONTENTS

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS

[01] Denktas: "I' am Turkey's lover and I have never hided it"

[02] Ertugruloglu met with the Executive Director of the Islamic Solidarity Fund of the OIC

[03] Links between Cyprus and the Zarrab case

[04] Erdogan: "We transferred and distributed the water in Cyprus"

[05] "Government chooses to hit CHP instead of talking Zarrab"

[06] Erdogan rejected CHP off-shore accusations

[07] CHP files complaint after TRT cuts live broadcast of K?l?cdaroglu's revelation

[08] Erdogan discussed with Germany's Steinmeier the Sochi summit; They agreed to improve bilateral relations

[09] Cavusoglu: "If any threat is posed from Afrin, we will intervene"

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS

[01] Denktas: "I' am Turkey's lover and I have never hided it"

Explaining that the "TRNC's budget" was prepared with the prediction that the "budget deficit" would be 206 million TL, Denktas argued that the "budget deficit" would unfortunately reach 2.5 million TL.

Asked to comment on his ties with Turkey and whether he will hold any "contacts" in Turkey with Turkish officials prior to the "early elections" that will take place in the "TRNC", Serdar stated that it would be good having a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan prior to his visit in Athens, in order, as he said, to convey to him his positions and views on the Cyprus problem. "However, I do not consider this very possible to happen due to intensified pre-election climate. My ties with Turkey are in general very good. I am Turkey's lover and I have never hided it. Of course, if Turkish officials have a wrong demand or do something wrong especially concerning the Cyprus problem, I would definitely express my disagreement", Denktas further alleged.

Referring to the forthcoming "early elections", Denktas expressed the belief that his party would come out stronger than ever.

(AK)

[02] Ertugruloglu met with the Executive Director of the Islamic Solidarity Fund of the OIC

Al-Khuzyem's illegal visit aims for him to know the "TRNC", writes the paper, adding that during the two men's meetings various issues were discussed, among them how the works of the Islamic Solidarity Fund of the OIC can benefit the breakaway regime and the "Turkish Cypriot people".

(CS)

[03] Links between Cyprus and the Zarrab case

According to Afrika the question why the former Turkish Minister Responsible for EU Affairs Egemen Bagis was granted the "TRNC citizenship" was referred during the trial.

Afrika, notes that Zarrab case "will shake up Turkey", since according to information the Turkish Iranian appeared to have given 45-50 million euro to the Turkish Minister of Economy Zafer Caglan. Zarrab also appears to have contacts and relations with many high ranking Turkish officials.

(CS)

[04] Erdogan: "We transferred and distributed the water in Cyprus"

He also referred to the environmental policy followed by Turkey claiming that it is unbeatable.

(CS)

[05] "Government chooses to hit CHP instead of talking Zarrab"

"After it became clear that Reza Zarrab would plead guilty and would testify against former state Halkbank manager Hakan Atilla in the Iran sanctions case in New York, the Turkish government focused on blasting opposition claims about President Tayyip Erdogan's relatives' foreign currency transactions to an off-shore account.

Yesterday, hours before the Iranian-Turkish gold trader Zarrab's statement in court, Prime Minister Binali Y?ld?r?m in Ankara accused main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal K?l?cdaroglu of joining a 'black propaganda' campaign against Turkey and President Tayyip Erdogan through 'baseless claims' about transactions. The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Parti) considers the Zarrab case to be part of a global conspiracy in which the U.S.-based Islamist preacher Fethullah Gulen plays the leading role. This conspiracy supposedly also includes the December 2013 corruption probes and the July 2016 military coup attempt.

Zarrab's name became more widely known to Turkish public opinion after his arrest within the framework of the 2013 graft investigations. Those probes were later quashed and the police officers, prosecutors and judges involved were themselves prosecuted over their alleged membership of the illegal Gulen network within the state apparatus. Zarrab ended up being released and at one point received a kind of VIP treatment, including receiving a major 'successful exporter' award.

After his boss Babak Zanjani in Iran was sentenced to death, and months before Turkey's coup attempt, Zarrab was arrested in the U.S. He had traveled to Florida for a 'family trip to Disneyland' but was arrested by the FBI over Iranian sanctions busting. Now, the fact that Zarrab has pleaded guilty and started accusing Atilla, who is now the only defendant in the case, suspicions in Turkey that his arrest was "arranged" all along are stronger.

An interesting detail is that Atilla's lawyer says it was not his client who received bribes from Zarrab, but rather Atilla's the-boss in Halkbank, Suleyman Aslan. Aslan is the man in whose house $4.5 million in cash was kept in shoe boxes in the December 2013 corruption probes. Aslan was arrested at the time but later released; the money was returned to him as he said it was for charity. He has since been appointed as a board member to another public bank, Ziraat.

As those interested in the subject are wondering who the secret witness in the case is, named 'Individual 1,' in court documents.

But while many are focused on the case, the focus of Erdogan and the AK Parti government – at least publicly – are on the CHP's claims. Both Erdogan and Y?ld?r?m made very strong remarks against K?l?cdaroglu, challenging him to present the necessary documents to the court about alleged multi-billion dollar transactions to the Isle of Man.

Despite this focus from the AK Parti on Nov. 29, it seems that both it and the public will continue to closely follow the ongoing case in New York in the coming days".

[06] Erdogan rejected CHP off-shore accusations

"There isn't a single penny that has gone abroad. What this person [K?l?cdaroglu] says is a lie," Erdogan said on November 29, calling on the CHP leader to give "all documents to prosecutors and the public."

His comments came after K?l?cdaroglu accused relatives of the President, including his son and his brother, of making transactions worth $15 million to an off-shore company account in the tax-haven Isle of Man.

Brandishing banking documents at the CHP's parliamentary group meeting, K?l?cdaroglu listed the names of Erdogan's brother-in-law Ziya Ilgen, his brother Mustafa Erdogan, his son Burak Erdogan, the latter's father-in-law Osman Ketenci, and businessman Mustafa Gundogan, as well as the dates and amounts of transactions made to the company called Bellway Limited in 2011 and 2012.

In response, Erdogan blasted K?l?cdaroglu for "lying," claiming that "these five people have never sent money to this company or place."

"On the contrary, they received money because they had sold their existing companies. Money was not sent there ... For those who understand commerce, trade and entrepreneurship, there is no problem in these actions," he said.

"A person who is engaged in commerce can establish companies at home and abroad, sell companies, buy companies, make money transactions and receive money," he added, also denying that Mustafa Gundogan has ever been his "executive assistant."

"That person has never been my executive assistant. It is such a big lie. If you have a trace of character, prove when Mustafa Gundogan was my executive assistant and if you cannot then move aside," he said.

Erdogan also vowed to file a further criminal complaint about the accusations.

"Right now the aforementioned people - my brother, son-in-law, my son's father-in-law and other friends will file criminal complaints at the highest level," he said, adding that lawyers have already initiated the legal process.

"If you say that you hold every relevant document, stop waving them around from the lectern, and share them with our nation and the related authorities. Hand them to the prosecutor's office," Erdogan said.

"If there is criminal activity, bring them down," he added.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Binali Y?ld?r?m also slammed K?l?cdaroglu for revealing "fake documents," accusing the CHP leader of "attempting to destroy President's reputation". "Holding a wad of papers in a party group meeting, K?l?cdaroglu attempted to commit a murder of reputation through our President's relatives. With erroneous documents, he thought he could damage our President's reputation through his relatives," Y?ld?r?m said on Nov. 29

The CHP has announced that it will issue a motion for forming an investigation commission in Parliament to probe the accusations. It said that it will hand the documents to Parliament if the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) rules in favor of forming the commission.

[07] CHP files complaint after TRT cuts live broadcast of K?l?cdaroglu's revelation

"We have applied to the Radio and Television Supreme Board against TRT for obstructing the public's right to receive information," CHP deputy Bar?s Yarkadas posted on his official Twitter account on Nov. 28.

The CHP said TRT's cutting of the broadcast during the speech was an attempt at "censorship."

"TRT, which is funded by our taxes, openly conducts censorship," Yarkadas said, adding that the CHP had also brought the issue to Parliament's attention.

"We have also brought TRT's censorship of our leader to parliament's agenda through a parliamentary question," he wrote.

[08] Erdogan discussed with Germany's Steinmeier the Sochi summit; They agreed to improve bilateral relations

Both leaders agreed to improve strained bilateral and diplomatic relations, and take mutual steps to that end, presidential sources said.

During the Sochi trilateral meeting, Erdogan, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, and Russian President Vladimir Putin had discussed the progress made in the Astana peace talks as well as changes in de-escalation zones across Syria.

Turkey and Russia, together with Iran, are the guarantor countries that brokered a cease-fire in Syria in December 2016, leading to the Astana talks, which ran parallel to the U.N.-backed discussions in Geneva to find a political solution to the six-year war.

In the phone call, Erdogan also mentioned the need to hold free and fair elections in Syria.

Erdogan reiterated that terror groups such as the PKK's Syrian affiliate PYD and its armed wing the YPG have no place in the upcoming Syrian National Dialogue Committee.

[09] Cavusoglu: "If any threat is posed from Afrin, we will intervene"

"Whenever a threat is posed to Turkey from Afrin or another region, we will enter without hesitation. We will clean out the terrorists, just as we entered the Euphrates Shield Operation region when we were threatened in Kilis and cleaned out Deash," Cavusoglu said, speaking on the sidelines of a trilateral meeting with the Azerbaijani and Pakistani Foreign Ministers.

TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION

https://www.pio.gov.cy/moi/pio/pio2013.nsf/All/EDB254ABD6F3EAE1C225816F00425E83?OpenDocument

(AK / AM)

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