Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 10-09-22

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

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT PRESS

[01] Turkish Cypriot politicians react to information that President Gul addressed Demetris Christofias as President of the Republic of Cyprus

[02] Tatar alleges that TRNC has already become a Taiwan

[03] Kormazhan: deputies shift a political immorality

[04] Two so-called MPs attend PACE Legal Affairs and Human Rights meeting

[B] TURKISH PRESS

[05] Gul and UN Secretary General discuss the Cyprus problem

[06] 1.5 Million Turkish citizens employed abroad

[07] Oil explorations to begin in the Mediterranean in 2015

[08] Highlights

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT PRESS

[01] Turkish Cypriot politicians react to information that President Gul addressed Demetris Christofias as President of the Republic of Cyprus

The paper writes that Turkish Cypriot politicians commented on the issue in different ways. The chairman of the Democratic Party (DP) Serdar Denktas pointed out that President Gul is an experienced politician and argued that he could not have committed such a mistake.

The chairman of the Republican Turkish Party United Forces (CTP-BG), Ferdi Sabit Soyer expressed the view that Gul addressed President Christofias in this way because this was required by the procedure and protocol. Soyer recalled that Turkey is a member of the UN Security Council and pointed out to the importance of Turkey presiding over this meeting. He said that this is the way in which Gul should have referred to President Christofias and added that this shows the necessity for a solution to the Cyprus problem the soonest, on the basis of political equality.

Commenting on the same issue, CTP-BG MP, Arif Albayrak described it as interesting development and noted that this address means that Demetris Christofias is accepted as President of the Republic of Cyprus. He noted that in spite of the fact that we accept some things we hesitate to say them loudly.

The MP of the Social Democracy Party (TDP), Huseyin Angolemli said that this was either a slip of the tongue by Gul or his advisers warned him that because Turkey is a member of the UN Security Council he could not ignore a country recognized by the Security Council.

Murat Kanatli, member of the executive committee of the New Cyprus Party (YKP), said that this is a step to normalization [between Turkey and Cyprus]. He noted that negotiations between Turkey and the Republic of Cyprus are being held and the aim was to prepare the public. He said this was a positive act and noted that most probably Turkey will not be able to prevent the opening of its ports to Cyprus. He expressed the view that such addresses help in the solution of the Cyprus problem.

Finally, Ramazan Ozcelik, vice president of the Freedom and Reform Party (ORP), said that he does not think that a person who devoted ten years of his life to the Cyprus problem could address Christofias as President of the Republic of Cyprus. He alleged that this was an example of yellow journalism by the Greek Cypriot press.

( I/Ts.)

[02] Tatar alleges that TRNC has already become a Taiwan

Let no one underestimate the TRNC! This small state has relations with hundreds of countries, even though it is not recognized. It carries out imports from them and pays through the banks without any problem. Is this not Taiwanization already?

Tatar went on to add that in spite of the crisis their state revenues increased by 10% in comparison with last years figures. He said that this is a very important and undeniable success. He noted that the state expenditures which were increased during the Republican Turkish Party (CTP) period by 15% every year, started to decrease in 2010 for the first time. He said that this tendency will continue.

Tatar said that their actual duty was to evaluate the potential of the country and emphasized that the protocols signed with Turkey will definitely be implemented within the forthcoming period.

( I/Ts.)

[03] Kormazhan: deputies shift a political immorality

In his written statement, Abdullah Kormazhan evaluated developments in the domestic politics and particularly the resignation of Ertugrul Hasipoglu and Mehmet Tancer from DP and their move to UBP and said that these developments constitute a political immorality. He also expressed the belief that UBP is responsible for these developments and accused it for using politics for self-interest and politicians for gaining more power.

Abdullah Kormazhan also stated that the leadership of TDP demonstrated a huge lack of political foresight and that TDP is a victim of UBPs tricks.

Finally, Kormazhan stated that it will not be a surprise for him if there are new shifts to UBP in the next few days and stressed the need for the progressive powers which support peace to cooperate.

(AK)

[04] Two so-called MPs attend PACE Legal Affairs and Human Rights meeting

[B] TURKISH PRESS

[05] Gul and UN Secretary General discuss the Cyprus problem

(AK)

[06] 1.5 Million Turkish citizens employed abroad

The number of Turks working in western European countries, mostly in Germany, is 1.041. The U.S. and Canada employ 143,000 Turks and the figure in the Middle Eastern and African countries is nearly 144,000.

There are 3,000 Turkish workers in Australia and 48,000 and 33,000 in Turkic republics, Russia and other countries.

According to the data 30,231 Turkish citizens live in TRNC of which 28,073 are working, while 2,158 are jobless.

[07] Oil explorations to begin in the Mediterranean in 2015

TPAO's Director General Mehmet Uysal said yesterday that TPAO would conduct an exploration in the Mediterranean in 2015 which would be similar to the one in the Black Sea.

Moreover, according to AA, Turkey's Energy & Natural Resources Minister, Taner Yildiz, said his ministry is making preparations to sell TPA by public tenders in 2011 and that his ministry is working on the relevant regulations and petroleum law. "We will bring it before the Turkish parliament when preparations are completed," Yildiz said after his meeting with Russ Bellis, the exploration director of Exxon Mobil, in Ankara.

[08] Highlights

In an article in Hurriyet, Yalcin Dugan relates the views of Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu on the Cyprus issue. Dogan, who was recently in northern Cyprus as one of Eroglus guests, reports Eroglu as having said that the multi-dimensional policies of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) have not helped north Cyprus, adding that none of the decisions concerning north Cyprus adopted in the summits held by Islamic countries have been implemented. Eroglu, referring to his recent visit to Brussels to hold talks with EU officials, is reported to have said that these officials concede that it was a mistake to accept the Greek Cypriot sector as a member prior to the solution of the Cyprus issue, adding, however, that this admission does not change the fact that in practice the Greek Cypriot sector is a member of the EU and none of the EU member countries recognize the Turkish Cypriot sector. Dogan views the real problem in the fact that the Greeks are still afraid of Turkey and perceive it as the enemy, adding that it is difficult to reach a solution to the Cyprus problem before this prejudice is overcome. Referring to Eroglu's initiative to meet with the Israeli Lobby during his visit to New York, Dogan suspects that Eroglu is not alone in this initiative and that Ankara has given the green light.

In an article in Cumhuriyet, Hikmet Centikaya argues that those who criticized Rauf Denktas in the past are now saying that "Denktas was right, Talat has deceived us". Commenting on the Cyprus negotiations, Cetinkaya quotes Eroglu's team of consultants on the issue: "The Cyprus issue was never only about Cyprus. The island of Cyprus, which has a very big geostrategic significance in Eastern Mediterranean, is within the sphere of interest of global actors such as the United States, Great Britain, and Russia. Cyprus, as a problem, is highly affected by the global balance of powers. The 'New World Order' introduced by Father Bush in the aftermath of the Gulf War was reflected in Cyprus in the form of the 'Ghali set of ideas' and the 'confidence-building measures.'" The writer goes on to detail the changing balances in Turkey and in Cyprus in the aftermath of the election of the AKP as well as the changing balances in the world. The prediction was that if Eroglu won the elections in north Cyprus the negotiation process would end, recalls Cetinkaya, concluding that following his election Eroglu, with the help of a competent team, initiated a negotiation process that surprised everyone.

b) Kurdish Issue Extension of Cease-Fire

In his article in Milliyet, Taha Akyol welcomes the PKKs extension of the cease-fire adding that this is not a favour granted by the PKK but rather the result of a process. Akyol adds that it has become evident that methods of terror do not end the sovereignty of a state in any part of a country and that it is possible to regress terror but not to annihilate it. To do this, it is necessary to seek a "middle way," writes Akyol, explaining that the middle way is the laying down of arms and the expansion of democracy. Pointing out that Turkey is in the first stages of such a process, Akyol urges the Kurdish political movement to abandon its democratic autonomy project and to reduce its demands to a more realistic level.

Fikret Bila in Milliyet views the PKK extension of the cease-fire by another week and dismisses the possibility that the demands of Imrali, the PKK, and the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) will be met within this short period, arguing that the Kurdish expectation from the cease-fire should be a meeting between the government and the BDP. Viewing the violence in Hakkari, the threats that autonomy might be declared in that province and the call to boycott schools, Bila writes: "The state cannot be expected to accept this stand and to act accordingly. One should see that it is a method that will backfire." Bila underlines the importance of the terror summit held in Ankara and of the visit of M IT Undersecretary Hakan Fidan made to the United States prior to the 20 September deadline, writing that one should not expect this summit to come up with decisions in line with the BDP stand and the PKK threats.

Writing in Hurriyet, Mehmet Yilmaz refers to the government move to cancel the meeting that scheduled with the BDP and wonders how a government that avoids to be seen in contact with a party that is represented in parliament can resolve such a difficult problem. Those who do not favour the peaceful solution of the problem are taking advantage of the government's hesitant stand.

Cengiz Candar writes in Referans that one of the goals of the Hakkari explosion was to disrupt the positive atmosphere created by the referendum results. Cengiz calls on the government to open the doors to a dialogue and to hold the meeting with the BDP, which was torpedoed by the Hakkari incident. He also urges the inclusion of Ahmet Turk and Aysel Tugluk in the negotiation process and the continuation of the talks between Ocalan and the state units.

In an article in Star, Gurkan Zengin praises the democratic steps taken in Turkey and the progress toward a democratic state of law. Acknowledging that the Kurds are entitled to equal rights, he points out that the Kurdish question and the PKK terror are two different things and argues: So long as the mentality of 'keep terror alive so that the organization can exist' continues within the PKK, no democratization initiative can end the terror. The human rights of the Kurdish people are not a goal but a tool for the PKK chiefs who pocket the funds obtained from drugs. Therefore, if the joint aim is to solve the Kurdish issue and to end the terror, then this means that the democratization process and an armed struggle should continue hand in hand."

Melih Altinok in Taraf expresses support for the Kurdish school boycott launched in a bid to draw attention to the demand for education in one's mother tongue and argues that this boycott should have been expanded to include the right of headscarved students to education, the victims of the coefficient system, and the sectors that are disturbed by compulsory classes on religion.

In an article in Vatan, Rusen Cakir speculates about the forces behind the Hakkari attack, and writes: "The Kurdish political movement's reference to the 'deep state' in the aftermath of the recent attack directed against the civilians is not satisfactory because the PKK continues its armed existence and because it resorts to acts of terror outside the 'non-action' period. If it is sincerely disturbed by the fact that the 'deep state' is staging provocations by implicating the PKK, then the solution is very simple. Let them lay down their arms."

c) Referendum

In an article in Yeni Safak entitled "The US After the Referendum" the papers Washington correspondent Ali Akel argues that the majority 'yes' vote in the referendum on the constitutional reforms has caused a change in the US perception of Turkey. According to Akel, one of the clearest manifestations of this change is seen in the way Deputy Assistant US Secretary of State Philip Gordon has come from levelling sharp criticism against Ankara to announcing that that Washington will continue to try to achieve the goal defined by President Obama's references to the United States' "model partnership" with Turkey.

In an article in Zaman entitled "Let there be no elections so we can avoid polarization" , columnist Ihsan Dagi criticizes the "bizarre phobia" of politics revealed by "Kemalist" and "neo-nationalist" arguments that the recent referendum has served to polarize and "divide" the country. He asserts that such arguments reflect how the fundamental values associated with Kemalism and neo-nationalism conflict with the basic tenets of democracy. He also claims that as far as Kemalists are concerned, the only way of avoiding polarization is to suspend politics, political rivalry, and democracy altogether. "They have got used to ruling the people of this country by scaring them. First, they scared them with Islam, communism, the EU, Kurds, non-Muslim minorities, and missionary activities. Now they are scaring them with democracy."

In an article in Milli Gazete entitled "We cannot draw up a new constitution with this mentality" columnist Abdullah Ozkan argues that the sort of social consensus and spirit of cooperation needed for Turkey to be able to prepare a new constitution is missing and that a confrontational, polemical, and unscrupulous political climate is increasingly dominating the country. He warns that a new constitution prepared under these conditions would reflect the worldview of only one segment of society and be no more democratic than the 1982 constitution drawn up by the architects of the military takeover on 12 September, 1980.

d) Shift in Turkeys Axis

Mehmet Ali Birand in Hurriyet Daily views the western world's perception of a shift in Turkey's axis and writes: "This means either we are unable to explain ourselves or some things have really started to change." Referring to the meeting held recently in Washington with the participation of officials from the US intelligence community on the developments in Turkey, Birand underlines the concern and suspicion felt in Washington regarding Turkey's policies on Iran and Israel, adding that "we either need to explain ourselves better or prepare for possible road accidents."

e) Summit of Turkish-speaking countries

In an article in Milliyet, Sami Kohen assesses the summit of Turkish-speaking countries held in Istanbul and points out that the languages spoken in these countries are very different from one another. Kohen draws attention to the fact that Uzbekistan, despite all efforts, refused to take part in the summit and adds that this refusal is not the only discord within the organization. Kohen explains that one of the serious problems within the organization is the dispute between Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan regarding sovereignty rights over the Caspian Basin and consequently the use of natural gas sources in the region. Questioning the function and future of the organization given the current situation, Kohen views attempts to establish a cooperation council, business council, a development bank, and the various cultural projects as a sign of hope for the organization.

f) Reverse migration of Turks in Germany

In an article in Hurriyet Daily News, Semih Idiz views the anti- Islam and anti-immigration trend in Europe and the increasing discomfort this trend has over ethnic Turks living in Europe. Drawing attention to the potential of "reverse migration" in Germany where more Turks want to leave the country than try to enter it, Idiz argues that "if the government plays its cards right and formulates the right economic and social policies, Europe's loss could turn out to be Turkey's gain in the long run." TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION http://www.moi.gov.cy/pio

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