"The minister of tourism and environment Fikri Ataoglu issued a written statement regarding plans to construct a new marina in Gazimagusa (occupied Famagusta).

Ataoglu said the new marina will have positive outcomes for the 'TRNC' (breakaway regime in the occupied area of Cyprus) in the international platform.

Stating that there was a significant rise in the number of yachts in the Mediterranean reaching a million, he said new investment areas in France, Spain and Italy which currently hold 75% of the marina capacity in the region was limited.

He said that rise in pollution, overcrowding and prices in the Western Mediterranean made 'North Cyprus' and other regional countries attractive.

Stating that it was very important and a must to create new well-built marinas to meet rising demand and to operate them on a build-operate-transfer model, Ataoglu said Famagusta will open a door to the world with the new marina.

Noting that many exclusive yachts could be coming to dock at the new Famagusta marina, he said thanks to the new marina these exclusive yachts could be also visiting during the winter or off season months.

Stating that the project was designed as a social cultural complex by giving particular importance to the needs of the people of Famagusta and the country, he said instead of the yacht accommodation areas, a customs office as well as social spaces such as cafes, restaurants and a car park will be included in the project."

[06] Erdogan met with Pope Francis at the Vatican

During the meeting, the two leaders discussed Jerusalem, the ongoing refugee crisis, and developments in the Mideast, primarily Syria, as well as terrorism and interfaith relations.

Speaking during the meeting, Erdogan pointed to the harm that would result from the recent U.S. decision on Jerusalem, stressing that it should never be put into practice.

Erdogan and the Pope asserted the protection of the status of Jerusalem -- sacred to Muslims, Christians and Jews -- as laid out by UN Resolutions and international law.

Pope Francis was one of the most prominent international leaders to criticize the U.S. decision last December to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, and Erdogan thanked the Pope for his messages on the issue.

Similarly, the Pope expressed admiration for Erdogan's efforts on Jerusalem as well as his welcoming stance and help for refugees.

Erdogan also spoke to the Pontiff about Turkey's counter-terrorism efforts and operations in Syria.

Joint efforts against xenophobia and Islamophobia were discussed during the meeting, with the leaders stressing that equating Islam with terror is wrong. They instead stressed that all actors must avoid any provocative remarks promoting this false equivalency.

Erdogan also told the Pope that Turkey values people from all religions -- including Catholics -- living in harmony and peace and for that reason the Turkish government has restored 14 churches and a synagogue.

Erdogan and Pope Francis agreed that joint steps are needed to mobilize the international community to forge regional peace and stability, and not be silent towards ongoing humanitarian crises. The two leaders also agreed to maintain relations in the future.

[07] The Netherlands withdrew its Ambassador from Turkey after negotiations with Ankara fail

The Dutch government also announced that it will not allow the Turkish Ambassador to return to his office at the Hague.

The move came after the failure of talks between the two sides, with the Netherlands reportedly refusing Turkey's demand that it issue an apology to Family and Social Policy Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya for not allowing her to enter the Turkish Consulate and extraditing her after a police intervention last year.

That incident occurred as relations between Turkey and the Netherlands soured ahead of the April 2017 referendum on shifting to an executive presidential system in Turkey, with the Dutch authorities also canceling the flight permit of a plane carrying Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on March 11, 2017.

"We wanted the Dutch authorities to take a step to compensate for their attitude against our Minister, which failed to comply with diplomatic conventions," a Turkish official told the Hurriyet Daily News on condition of anonymity, referring to talks between the two sides.

The Dutch government argues that Kaya did not have a diplomatic immunity and is not subject to diplomatic conventions.

A Dutch Foreign Ministry statement announced the decision to withdraw its Ambassador to Turkey on Feb. 5.

On the same issue, Turk?sh daily Hurriyet Daily News (06.02.18-http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-netherlands-ties-not-suspended-deputy-pm-126848) reports that Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister and government Spokesman, Bekir Bozdag stated on February 5 that diplomatic relations between Ankara and Amsterdam have not been suspended.

"The Netherlands did not had an Ambassador in Ankara for the past year. They have announced they will officially withdraw a non-existent Ambassador," Bekir Bozdag told reporters after a cabinet meeting in Ankara.

"This is not a new event for us. It is a declaration that is known. However, diplomatic relations between the Netherlands and Turkey have not been suspended," he said, adding that relations remain at the charge d'affaires level.

Moreover, Ankara Anatolia news agency (05.02.18- http://aa.com.tr/en/europe/turkey-ready-to-discuss-ties-with) reported that Turkey's Foreign Ministry said on Monday that Ankara will hold talks with Amsterdam if it takes concrete steps towards normalization of relations.

"At this stage, if the Netherlands shows willingness towards taking concrete steps towards normalization, Turkey is ready to discuss the relations between the two countries," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said in a statement.

(...)"Our expectations, towards ensuring normalization of relations between Turkey-Netherlands after the crisis in March 2017 are known," Aksoy added.

He said that the Dutch authorities had been informed about Turkey's reservations over the return of Dutch Envoy Cornelis Van Rij, who left Turkey nearly a year ago.

"As a matter of fact, the Ambassador of the Netherlands to Ankara has not come to our country since that date," he added.

[08] US: "No support to YPG units that goes to Afrin"

"Our relationship with the SDF is the counter-ISIS [ISIL] fight," he said, using an acronym for the Syrian Democratic Forces, a U.S. ally on the ground dominated by the YPG.

"We cooperate with those units that are working to defeat ISIS. The units that have moved out or moved to Afrin are not U.S.-supported units," he said.

Pahon also expressed U.S. hopes that only a "small amount of fighters" from the YPG have been moving from other parts of Syria to the Afrin region to counter Turkey's "Operation Olive Branch," which began on Jan. 20.

Turkey considers the YPG a terrorist group for its links to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

"Some of those people are from Afrin. Your home is attacked and you go back and defend it… And again, we have asked Turkey to limit the scope and time of this operation so we can maintain the pressure on ISIS," Pahon said.

(...)Responding to a question on Turkey's declared intention to expand the cross-border offensive to Manbij, a town controlled by SDF and U.S. forces, Pahon said: "We sure hope that the Turks won't pass Afrin to Manbij. We are really concerned about this. It has a potential to derail this ISIS fight. It is a huge distraction from all of the work we have put in so far. We really want people to remain focused on the defeat of ISIS. We understand Turkey has these very serious concerns about the terrorism and terrorist groups near and on their borders. We are fully aware of that. We are working with Turkey as much as we possibly can but this operation has a big potential to distract from or to cause us to lose some of the gains we had against ISIS."

When asked about the possibility of a clash between Turkish and U.S. troops, the spokesperson said: "Turkey is a key NATO ally. We are in discussions with Turkey. We have a [military] relationship since the mid-1950s. We have not had a clash with the Turkish forces and we hope to keep it that way. We intend that it will stay that way. We are talking to our Turkish counterparts at all levels of the government and we are walking through this."

"The communication is ongoing. We are working on it. Diplomacy is always key in any kind of complex battlefield especially if the battlefield is as complex as Syria," he also said.

Pahon also echoed U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander General Joseph Votel by saying they have no plans to leave Manbij.

"The Turks have been very very helpful in helping to de-escalate the situations. If there is any kind of clash or gunfire, it has been helpful to be able to communicate with the Turkish military," he said about recent tensions between the SDF and other opposition forces backed by Turkey.

On a question about the relationship between the YPG and PKK, Pahon said: "The United States sees the PKK as a foreign terrorist organization. We understand, acknowledge Turkey's concerns about the threat the PKK poses to Turkey. We are assisting Turkey in their operations against the PKK, their efforts to dismantle the PKK as an organization. The elements that we work with have been vetted. There has been a review before there was any kind of coalition training and support. There are a lot of aspects to this. We are working our best to reassure Turkey that we are there to help. On the SDF side of it we are thoroughly vetting our partners and keep the focus on ISIS."

[09] Turkey's Constitutional Court rejects release demand by journalists of Cumhuriyet

Following the ruling on Jan. 11, the two journalists, who have both been in prison for more than a year, demanded via their lawyers to be released. However, overruling its earlier decision that necessitated the release of Altay and Alpan, the Constitutional Court has rejected the demand, stating that such a request can only be approved when there is a serious threat to the right to life or to material and moral integrity.

Altan's lawyer, Ergin Cinmen, described the court's refusal to release the journalists as "unlawful."

The two journalists, who have both been in prison for more than a year, were jailed in the aftermath of Turkey's July 2016 coup attempt.

Both Altan and Alpay have been accused of "links to terrorist groups" and "attempting to overthrow the government," charges that both have denied.

Around 145 journalists are currently in jail in Turkey, according to the Turkish Journalists' Association.

TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION

(AK/ AM)

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