Cyprus PIO: Turkish Press and Other Media, 07-06-12

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

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Delegation from the so-called foreign ministry flies to Qatar to attend an international donors conference

[02] The so-called assembly discusses today amendment of the Constitution in order to call for early elections

[03] Illegal YDU and IBM established an Innovation Centre in the occupied territories of the Republic of Cyprus

[04] The Martyr Lieutenant Caner Gonyeli military exercise starts today in the occupied territorial waters of the Republic of Cyprus

[05] The Council of Europe views the so-called Immovable Property Compensation Committee as a legal domestic remedy

[06] Lagendijk calls on EU to pressure the Cyprus Government on the direct trade regulation

[07] Italian Foreign Minister views Turkeys EU Prospect and the Cyprus problem

[B] Commentaries, Editorials and Analysis

[08] Columnist in Todays Zaman analyses the possible scenarios on the effects to Turkey from the establishment of the Kurdish state

[09] Columnist in Todays Zaman views the TurkishRussian bilateral relations

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Delegation from the so-called foreign ministry flies to Qatar to attend an international donors conference

A delegation from the TRNC Foreign Ministry has left the Republic for Doha to attend the international donors conference on 'Strategic Food Reserve in Niger'.

The two day conference which is organized by the Organization of Islamic Conference, will focus on finding ways and means to secure a strategic food reserve for the people of Niger.

The Organization of Islamic Conference will hold an international donors conference on 'Strategic Food Reserve in Niger' in Doha, capital of Qatar.

The TRNC delegation left the Republic for Doha this morning for the conference which will start tomorrow.

The delegation headed by the Foreign Affairs Department Director Ahmet Erdengiz is made up of the Head of the Religious Affairs Department Ahmet Yönlüer and the Foreign Affairs Departments First Secretary Kemal Koprulu.

A statement from the Prime Ministry and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that technical and financial aid will be provided for Niger which it said, has been in support of the Turkish Cypriot peoples just cause at all platforms.

The conference will help extend humanitarian assistance to the people in Niger besides fostering solidarity among the Muslim countries.

During its stay in Doha, the TRNC delegation will also have bilateral contacts with representatives of OIC member countries.

The delegation will also hold contacts with Qatar Foreign Ministry officials during its stay in the country.

[02] The so-called assembly discusses today amendment of the Constitution in order to call for early elections

The leader of the CTP and self-styled Prime Minister Ferdi Sabit Soyer expressed his satisfaction that the UBP and DP will attend todays meeting. He said that if majority is secured regarding amendment of the Constitution then they are ready to discuss holding of early general elections.

The UBP General Chairman Tahsin Ertugruloglou said that they will put forward their view on the negotiation table. However he added, their priority is to discuss the date of early elections. The General Secretary of the DP Ertugrul Hasipoglou said that the proposal for holding such a meeting came from the DP and they will attend the meeting.

On the same issue, illegal Bayrak television (11.06.07) broadcast the following:

Leaders and representatives of the Republican Turkish Party, National Unity Party and Democrat Party will meet at the Republics Assembly tomorrow morning with a call by the Speaker of the Parliament Fatma Ekenoglu.

The Presidential Council will convene 10 oclock in the morning to establish two separate Ad-Hoc committees which will work on changes to be made to the Constitution, Political Parties, Election and Referendum Laws.

Leaders and representatives of the Republican Turkish Party, National Unity Party and Democrat Party will meet at the Republics Assembly tomorrow morning with a call by the Speaker of the Parliament Fatma Ekenoglu.

The Presidential Council will convene 10 oclock in the morning to establish two separate Ad-Hoc committees which will work on changes to be made to the Constitution, Political Parties, Election and Referendum Laws.

The decisions to be taken by Ad-Hoc committees will be submitted to the Assembly, and if an agreement is reached on all the issues, a date for early elections will also be set.

(MHY)

[03] Illegal YDU and IBM established an Innovation Centre in the occupied territories of the Republic of Cyprus

(MHY)

[04] The Martyr Lieutenant Caner Gonyeli military exercise starts today in the occupied territorial waters of the Republic of Cyprus

(MHY)

[05] The Council of Europe views the so-called Immovable Property Compensation Committee as a legal domestic remedy

HALKIN SESI adds on the issue:

Law experts, who evaluated the decision of the Ministerial Committee in statements to HALKIN SESI, said that both the decisions of the ECHR and the Ministerial Committee of the Council of Europe regarding the issue stressed that the Property Compensation Commission could not be accepted as illegal only because it has been established by the TRNC Republican Assembly and that the Commission could be accepted as an effective local remedy, in case if is in harmony with the European Conversion on Human Rights.

Finally, the papers do not write when the decision was taken.

(MHY-I/Ts.)

[06] Lagendijk calls on EU to pressure the Cyprus Government on the direct trade regulation

Co-chairman of EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Commission Joost Lagendijk has stressed that the European Union should ask the Greek Cypriot Administration to end its blockade of the Direct Trade Regulation, which was prepared to support the Turkish Cypriot economy.

He said that the Greek Cypriot Administration was acting against the interests of the European Union.

Underlining the importance of the implementation of the Regulation, Mr Lagendijk said that the Greek Cypriot Side has been acting against the interests of the European Union with the support of some EU member countries.

According to AB Haber news agency, Mr Lagendijk said that the Greek Cypriot Side which rejected the Annan Plan had been awarded with EU membership and added that he understood the Turkish Cypriot peoples disappointment with the EU.

He said the implementation of the Direct Regulation was in interest of the European Union.

`The European Union should now tell the Greek Cypriot Side to lift its blockade` he noted.

[07] Italian Foreign Minister views Turkey´s EU Prospect and the Cyprus problem

"I believe that Turkey will be a full member of the European Union (EU) at the end of a long process," Italian Foreign Minister & Deputy Prime Minister Massimo D'Alema said on Monday.

In an exclusive interview with the A.A correspondent prior to his scheduled 2-day visit to Turkey, D'Alema said, "Italy supports Turkey's EU bid. Turkey's EU membership overlaps fundamental interests of Europe."

Expressing his willingness for the resolution of the Cyprus problem, D'Alema said, "in our opinion, Turkey should fulfill its commitments for EU member countries also including Cyprus matter. However, of course Europe should encourage the United Nations to launch an initiative. Europe should meet its own commitments, including direct trade with northern part of Cyprus." "Following the decision to partially suspend the negotiations, I think it is very important that negotiations should be progressed in other chapter headings," he noted.

When reminded of the statements of French President Nicolas Sarkozy against Turkey's membership, D'Alema pointed to the difference between the statements of the French leader during the election campaign process and after his election as the president.

Indicating that the EU would be further strengthened with Turkey's membership, Massimo D'Alema pointed to the democratic structure of Turkey which has an overwhelmingly Muslim population.

D'Alema said EU's manoeuvring ability in the Mediterranean and Middle East would increase following Ankara's full membership. "With Turkey's EU membership, a serious response will be given to those who perceive the world as clash of religions and civilizations," he remarked.

Underscoring that Italy was willing to boost relations with Turkey, D'Alema qualified actual political, economic and cultural relations as "perfect". "Current trade volume exceeds 15 billion euro. This constitutes a strategic relation between our two countries. I will travel to Turkey to further improve bilateral relations," D'Alema indicated.

Commenting on developments in Turkey, D'Alema said, "those occurring in Turkey in the recent months have revealed the power of democracy and democratic rules."

D'Alema said Iraq and Afghanistan and international problems like Iran's nuclear program would be discussed during his talks in Turkey. Asked to comment on a probable operation against terrorist elements in north of Iraq following the rise in number of terrorist acts in Turkey, D'Alema said, "Iraq is currently in a fragile and complicated position. I wish no intervention would occur against Iraq." D'Alema said the problems could be resolved with the close cooperation of Turkish executives and local executives in the north of Iraq.

"If acts of terrorism and border violations are in question, a close cooperation is necessary. A military intervention of the Turkish army against north of Iraq does not seem to be an element of stability," D'Alema said.

[B] Commentaries, Editorials and Analysis

[08] Columnist in Todays Zaman analyses the possible scenarios on the effects to Turkey from the establishment of the Kurdish state

From the first days of the occupation, there was a view that Iraq would be divided into three, with a Kurdish state being established in the North. What a Kurdish state will bring to Kurds and how it will influence future problems are important issues to consider.

In a world where even the smallest tribes want to become nation states, the Kurds too are exerting this desire for statehood. However, at least within the current conjuncture, it is obvious that such a state is not wanted by Turkey, Iran or the surrounding Arab countries --so much so that Turkey considers the establishment of a Kurdish state a reason for war.

The important point making those against a Kurdish state ill at ease is the thought that an independent state to be established in the North will, in time, affect the Kurdish population in Turkey, especially in the Southeast where most of them live, and it could even pose a threat to Turkeys territorial integrity in the future.

Now that it is being mentioned openly, such a state will sooner or later be established. Its political, physical and administrative infrastructures have already been formed. It is not a secret that the US and Israel have been secretly playing a major role in the establishment of such a state. I wrote four years ago that Turkey should take it for its good points instead of opposing it, and trust the loyalty of its Kurdish citizens to the country (Zaman, Jan. 11, 2003). The number of people to lend their ears to this is gradually declining, and the Sevres Syndrome is imprisoning Turkey in attitudes stemming from fears, thereby obliging it to fall behind the developments.

In a country that lost a major part of its soil in the 19th and 20th century and which was able to have a foothold only within the National Pact (Misâk-1 Millî) boundaries, the Sevres is, rather than being simply a syndrome, an effect of a trauma felt on the edge and deep down inside. The territorial losses in the international security system have not ended. It is also very difficult to say that no one is coveting Turkey and that it is safe from all sorts of danger. Therefore the Sevres syndrome, although it is perhaps an exaggerated level, should be taken seriously as the effect of an ongoing trauma.

The issue of how a possible Kurdish state would affect Turkey is a double-character process in its nature. The economic welfare level, the political, administrative and legal fundamental standards, in addition to the military factor, will have the final say. Everybody knows that northern Iraq is a rapidly growing building site today. Highways, roads, stadiums, big shopping malls and advanced buildings are being built. The infrastructure of not only cities but of a state is being laid down. According to a recent calculation, the nearly 4 million people living in this area (excepting those in the army, the elderly, women and children) have an unemployment problem that affects 25 percent of them. In the event that the employment problem is eradicated with a three-fold investment in the area, northern Iraq will in the middle term attract 3 million people. When you multiply that by the minimum number of four (a wife and two children), what you get is 12 million people at least.

These are not fantasies. The recent research clearly indicates that 80 percent of those thinking of migrating to metropolitan cities due to the employment problem and the problems encountered in agriculture want to stay where they are in the event they have a regular income of YTL 50 to 1,000. Hundreds of thousands would go to northern Iraq, which will be made an attractive center both economically and socially, for the promise of a monthly wage of YTL 500. Then you may suddenly realize that the Kurdish states income per capita has rocketed to $10,000 with its oil revenues like southern Cyprus, and Turkey and the Southeast are marking time; furthermore the standards in terms of human rights, politics and administration are deteriorating countrywide. Wouldnt a poverty-stricken and discontent Kurd want to migrate to a Muslim and prosperous Kurdish state (at least where the headscarf would not be a problem)?

You can consider this a pessimistic scenario. You might be right. However no scenario is impossible in a world where global structures annex regions economically.

[09] Columnist in Todays Zaman views the TurkishRussian bilateral relations

I attended an important meeting in Moscow at the Prezident Hotel last week. The 2006 Awards of Merit were handed out at the ceremony sponsored by the Association for Business and Friendship between the Russian Federation and Turkey (RUTID).

The jury picked important figures and institutions that made significant contributions to the reinforcement of Turkish-Russian friendship in the fields of economy, art, sports and media. Both Zaman and Russias prominent daily Izvestia were given awards in the media category. Turkish and Russian intellectuals and businessmen gave short speeches on furthering bilateral relations and friendship.

I had the opportunity to gather together with a number of Russian colleagues. My overall impression of my contacts there is that two historically hostile countries that fought numerous wars in the past are now maintaining friendly relations for the first time in their histories. This is a unique development. Of course there are many factors that contributed to the improvement of bilateral relations. For instance the collapsed blocs after the end of Cold War created an appropriate environment for rapprochement. Peoples who opted to remain distant until the collapse because of ideological differences today develop sympathy. In summer times, Antalya, a city in the southwest of Turkey, becomes a Russian town where the Russian tourists find inexpensive and high-quality resorts as well as warmth and attention. Russians shift their interest from Antalya to Erzurum in the winter. More importantly, today there is no longer any reason for the enmity between the two countries, expected to last forever, to continue.

The visible improvement in commercial activities is another solid indication as regards the betterment of bilateral relations between the two countries. A significant portion of the huge buildings in Moscow were constructed by Turkish contractors. Turkish giants such as ENKA, Ronesans, Nurol, Alarko and Gama maintain a line of quality beyond their European competitors. Strong ties were also established with Russia in sectors like tourism, textile and retail.

Both parties are pleased with the rapprochement. They have every reason to be pleased given that bilateral relations have caused nothing but constant enmity up until recently. It was peoples of both countries who had to suffer from the deteriorated relations; they remained concerned about a probable state of warfare all the time. Today the situation is very different. Of course Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin have done much to improve bilateral relations. The leaders created a miracle. Ten years ago it was impossible to imagine that Turkish and Russian leaders would come together for cooperation. However, today both leaders exert their utmost effort to improve commercial and cultural relations. Furthermore the strengthened ties do not bother other major world political players, including the US and the EU. There is no doubt that this is a huge diplomatic success. The Turkish publics good feelings for Putin and the Russian publics sympathy toward Tayyip Erdogan is just like a dream.

The positive bilateral relations notwithstanding, Turkish and Russian intellectuals or businessmen ask this question in large gatherings: is there any chance that something would break this historically important and solid friendship? In other words, will this friendship be replaced by the old concerns? The commonly held view is no. There is no going back in Turkish-Russian relations. Above all remarkable bridges were built between the two countries; authorities from both countries who overcame huge obstacles in the fields of education, economics and culture made enormous progress by which their peoples were pleased. For this reason state figures would by no means take any steps that could be regarded as retreat from the current situation since such a move would be disruptive to historical friendship.

This is the general view. However everybody sees the weakest link of Turkish-Russian friendship. This link is more visible in Turkey. Groups and individuals who were hostile to the opposite camp during the Cold War era are uneasy with the current situation. They do not openly acknowledge their dissatisfaction; however they try to sabotage the friendship between the two countries. Those who can understand Turkey best are able to see the saddest part: A small and marginal group tries to present itself as friend of Russia but actually has a hidden agenda to sabotage the Turkish-Russian friendship. They engage in disruptive activities relying on state apparatus and hiding their former identities as intelligence agents.

The presence of this seemingly friendly group is the weakest link of Turkish-Russian relations. Hopefully this risk does not exist in Russia. But even if it does, the best thing to do at this stage is to keep the bridges between the two countries alive and intact. This is the wish commonly expressed by the peoples of both countries; besides, the interests of Russia and Turkey require the continuation of good relations. The progress made so far is a success story for both countries; a story that should not be sacrificed to the concerns of the Cold War era.

EG/

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