Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 10-12-29

Cyprus Press and Information Office: Turkish Cypriot Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT PRESS

[01] Kucuk discussed the economy of the breakaway regime in Ankara; Afrika: "Ankara checks whether Kucuk did his homework"

[02] Cakici says the economic measures should not be a package imposed by Turkey

[03] Erdogan alleges that the incidents after the APOEL ? Karsiyaka basketball game show who supports peace in Cyprus

[04] 42 fake diplomas in the occupied areas of Cyprus; Architects file a lawsuit

[05] New head of "Religious Affairs Department" assumes his duties

[06] Azeri delegation visits the occupied areas of Cyprus

[B] TURKISH PRESS

[07] Bagis meets Kucuk in Ankara; Bagis: "UN and EU fed up with spoilt attitudes of Greek Cypriots"

[08] Davutoglu and Ashton hold a telephone conversation

[09] Turkish FM and GCC secretary general meet

[10] Libya could allocate 60,000 hectares to Turkish investors for production of wheat and corn

[11] "Turkey to open three defence export offices abroad"

[12] "Foreign policy in 2010: 'Rise of the rest' and Turkey"

[13] Highlights

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT PRESS

[01] Kucuk discussed the economy of the breakaway regime in Ankara; Afrika: "Ankara checks whether Kucuk did his homework"

In statements after his return, Kucuk said during his contacts he discussed mainly economic issues and "the policies to be implemented for the future of the country".

Kucuk noted that he met with the Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan with whom they discussed the issue of the water to be carried from Turkey to the occupied areas using undersea pipelines. He said work for construction of the dam in Turkey has started. "There will be no delay in the transfer of the 75-million cubic meter water", he added.

Kucuk said he also met with Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, the Deputy Prime Minister, Bulent Arinc and the Turkish Chief Negotiator with the EU, Egemen Bagis. The attacks by "Greek Cypriot fanatics", the negotiations to reach a solution to the Cyprus problem and the work which the "government" should do in its harmonization process with the EU, were discussed during the meetings. Kucuk added that during a meeting with the Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism, Ertugrul Gunay, the issue of tourism was discussed and an "important protocol" declaring 2011 "Year of Northern Cyprus" in Turkey was signed.

Under the title "Kucuk in an exam", Turkish Cypriot daily Afrika refers to Kucuk's contacts in Ankara and publishes a picture of his meeting with Prime Minister Erdogan. Besides Kucuk and Erdogan, State Minister Cemil Cicek and the self-styled minister of foreign affairs, Huseyin Ozgurgun, are also in the picture. The paper recalls that during Kucuk's previous visit to Ankara Erdogan asked him about his salary.

The paper writes, inter alia, the following: "Now he is being asked whether he carried out the duties assigned to him. Whether he sheared the salaries, whether he taxed the pensioners, whether he abolished the 13th salary, whether he privatized the electricity and the telephone [authorities] and whether he gave citizenship to those who are waiting in line. The date is 28 December 2010. This is the latest picture of the Turkish Cypriots...Have a good look at this picture Cemil Cicek, the flower of the flowers [Tr. Note: 'Cicek' in Turkish means 'flower'], is checking from the file he is holding which homework has been done and which has not been done. We dedicate this picture to those who still close their eyes to the realities while our community is being annihilated and we are losing our country".

(I/Ts.)

[02] Cakici says the economic measures should not be a package imposed by Turkey

Referring to the situation in the occupied areas of Cyprus, Cakici said his party is not satisfied with the course of things. He noted that there is absolutely no development in the Cyprus problem and that the people are unemployed and live in uncertainty not knowing whether they will receive their salaries. On the other hand, he added, businessmen are struggling to survive. He expressed the view that there are some "important points" in "Turkey's package" such as the reform in the "public sector", the discipline in the "budget" etc. "However, there are also some undesirable points", he added.

Cakici said his party is not against privatizations, but noted that this should be made properly. He noted that no privatization "law" has been prepared and no privatization "authority" or "fund" has been established. He said the actions taken in the name of privatization will be nothing else than "giving away" the privatized "institutions".

(I/Ts.)

[03] Erdogan alleges that the incidents after the APOEL ? Karsiyaka basketball game show who supports peace in Cyprus

Erdogan alleged, inter alia, the following: "This racist mentality spread in sports showed once more to the whole world the state of mind of the Greek Cypriot sector. While we are struggling for the solution of the problems with reconciliation and dialogue, the growth of racism, of violent actions against the Turks and actions of hatred in the Greek Cypriot side, is of course worrisome".

Erdogan claimed that this incident in itself shows clearly who supports peace in Cyprus and who does not want to give peace a chance.

Erdogan expressed the view that the punishment imposed on APOEL was not enough and it will not cover the issue. He added: "We expect satisfactory statements especially from the EU both regarding this incident and the escalating hatred and racism on the island. I could never accept their approach. Such approach is not fair. FIBA should first exercise self-criticism. If this is their justice, sports will carry on its back a different threat from now on. Let them not talk about Fair Play."

(I/Ts.)

[04] 42 fake diplomas in the occupied areas of Cyprus; Architects file a lawsuit

In statements to Anatolia news agency, Necip Mutlu, TMMOB general secretary, said it has been established that 42 persons, working as architects, have fake diplomas and added that these "diplomas" were prepared in the name of "private universities in the TRNC".

(I/Ts.)

[05] New head of "Religious Affairs Department" assumes his duties

Atalay is a settler from Turkey. He was born in 1968 in the city of Erdemli, in the area of Mersin, and came to the occupied part of Cyprus in 1975 with his family, which settled in occupied Famagusta. In 1990, he graduated from Selcuk University's Faculty of Theology.

In statements yesterday, he said he would try to embrace everybody and keep him say above politics.

(I/Ts.)

[06] Azeri delegation visits the occupied areas of Cyprus

(I/Ts.)

[B] TURKISH PRESS

[07] Bagis meets Kucuk in Ankara; Bagis: "UN and EU fed up with spoilt attitudes of Greek Cypriots"

Speaking to reporters before meeting with the so-called prime minister of the occupation regime, Irsen Kucuk, and an accompanying delegation, Egemen Bagis said that Cyprus is a national issue for all segments of the Turkish society. Pointing out Cyprus' importance in Turkey's EU process, Bagis said that Turkey experienced certain difficulties in the EU process due to the difficulties stemming from the "Greek Cypriot administration".

"Seventeen of the 20 chapters not yet opened to negotiations, have remained closed due to political reasons. Beyond these political reasons lies the spoilt attitude of Greek Cyprus. They claim to be a state. Certain EU countries also argued that the Greek Cyprus administration was a state and that it should be admitted to the Union. Only last week, when Pinar Karsiyaka Basketball team went to southern Cyprus, they showed that they are neither a state nor a tribe. They have shown to the whole world that an administration that cannot facilitate security for a guest basketball team could not be called a state," Bagis underlined. "The Greek Cypriot administration still has the same pre-conceived notions as they did prior to 1974. I believe that we can lead them in certain issues with our understanding of tolerance," Bagis said.

Asked where the issue of Cyprus would go if the UN withdraws from Cyprus, Bagis said that there is a limit to the patience of the UN. "There is a side in Cyprus that has consistently said 'no' to all UN efforts, Turkey's and TRNC's proposals for peace and compromise. We cannot have compromise by forcing it on them. It is natural for the UN to expect results after their efforts. It is a natural right of the UN Secretary-General to review UN's efforts if the Greek Cypriots display the same attitude after the talks at the end of January. I hope that the Greek Cypriots would take this as a warning. The UN and the EU are fed up with and are tired of the spoilt attitudes of Greek Cypriots," Bagis stressed.

"How can we entrust our brothers and sisters in northern Cyprus to a mentality that cannot even tolerate a basketball game?" Bagis said. "For many years, we insisted on a solution based on political equality," he added.

"The whole process and experiences have cast a shadow on the universal respectability of international organizations. People all across the globe have begun questioning the credibility of the UN. The UN now has to think about its own credibility. In a similar fashion, the EU has to think about its own credibility. The EU Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, Androulla Vassiliou, is a Greek Cypriot. What will her reaction be to the recent incidents in southern Cyprus following the basketball game? I have not yet heard any remarks on the incidents from Ms. Vassiliou. I am calling on her. If she is an EU Commissioner, she has to protect the interests of the whole of Europe and not only her country. We will see how European she is," Bagis also said.

For his part, so-called prime minister Irsen Kucuk said that the reason of his visit is the declaration of 2011 as "The Year of TRNC in Turkey". Kucuk thanked Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Turkish government for their support to the "TRNC". "This project will boost tourism in the TRNC. The project will carry Turks from all corners of Turkey to the TRNC. We expect our cooperation to reach the highest level thanks to this project," Kucuk said.

"Negotiations in Cyprus are continuing. The TRNC government and President Dervis Eroglu are sitting at the negotiations table with all sincerity. The side that offers hope for the future is either Turkey or the TRNC," Kucuk said. "It is impossible to witness such a good will in the south or in Christofias. It is impossible to have faith in the sincerity of the Greek Cypriots. We are sorry to see that we are not close to an agreement or peace in Cyprus. We will, nonetheless, continue with our good will," Kucuk said. "We expect the UN to be more influential in 2011," he added.

[08] Davutoglu and Ashton hold a telephone conversation

Davutoglu and Ashton discussed the progress in the preparations for the second round of nuclear talks to be held in Istanbul in late January, diplomatic sources said. Iran's nuclear file and Turkey-EU relations were also on the agenda, sources added.

Officials said that Minister Davutoglu also called Kyrgyz Prime Minister Almazbek Atambayev to congratulate him for his new duty.

[09] Turkish FM and GCC secretary general meet

Speaking at a press conference following a meeting in Ankara with the secretary general of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Abdurrahman Hamad Al-Attiyah, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that working groups in nine different areas including trade, agriculture, transportation, environment, tourism and culture, will discuss concrete projects. One of the projects is a railway connecting the Gulf countries to Europe via Turkey, he added.

He also said there had been attempts to finalize a free trade agreement between Turkey and the Gulf Cooperation Council, adding that he has invited the council to open an office in Turkey.

For his part, Abdurrahman Hamad al-Attiyah praised the "positive" role played by Turkey in the region and also thanked the Turkish government for its support to the Palestinian issue. "Relations between Turkey and the council have made progress since 2008 and are turning into true strategic cooperation," al-Attiyah said. The secretary general also called for Turkish investments in the Gulf region.

In response to a question on a dispute over Iran's controversial nuclear programme, al-Attiyah said his council supported a solution through diplomacy and negotiations. "We are Iran's neighbours. Stability in the region is very important for us," he said.

Moreover, Davutoglu said the meeting of the friends of Yemen group will be held in March, while the secretary general said big hopes are vested in the upcoming meeting, noting that Yemen's unity is very important.

[10] Libya could allocate 60,000 hectares to Turkish investors for production of wheat and corn

The ministry stated that Eker and al-Mansuri had a common will to increase bilateral relations to the highest level in agricultural cooperation and investment issues. The two officials also agreed to cooperate intensively in commerce and agriculture.

During the meetings between Turkish and Libyan delegations, Eker said that it was necessary to examine in detail Libya's agriculture and investment opportunities, adding that it was important for Turkish investors to know what kind of incentives and opportunities Libya offers.

Libyan officials said that they could allocate 60,000 hectares to Turkish investors for production of wheat and corn. "Libya has a potential to be Turkey's door opening to Africa", the Turkish ministry stated.

Eker will also hold meetings with Libya's Secretary of the General People's Committee for Public Works Matuq Muhammad Matuq, and Secretary of the General People's Committee for Economy, Trade and Investment Muhammad Ali al-Huwayz.

[11] "Turkey to open three defence export offices abroad"

Citing Defence Ministry sources, TZ says Turkey has intensified efforts to that end in the past couple of months. It has already received an offer from Qatar to establish an office at the country's General Staff headquarters, while two offices will be opened in Belgium and either Azerbaijan or Turkmenistan. The first such office was opened in Washington, DC, last month and retired Air Marshal Maurice Lee McFann was appointed head.

The paper reports the following:

"Turkey's exports of defence industry products rose as high as $900 million this year. The target for next year is to reach $1 billion for the first time in the modern republic's history.

With the opening of the offices, the country expects to strengthen its influence in the field of foreign policy as well as boosting its exports to these three regions. Turkey seeks to reach a total export volume of $500 billion --over four times the present figure-- and become one of the 10 largest economies in the world by 2023, the centennial of the modern republic.

The domestic defence industry in Turkey is expected to make a gross profit of $2.7 billion by the end of this year with a 20% increase over 2009. 'We will exceed the $1 billion export volume next year, and Turkey will enter the world league of giants in the defence industry in the following years. The Middle Eastern countries in particular trust each other, and they want to buy key technology from us. When they are about make such a purchase, they first check whether Turkey manufactures that particular product. We have a huge advantage and potential. It is time to make use of it', the same sources told Today's Zaman."

[12] "Foreign policy in 2010: 'Rise of the rest' and Turkey"

The new orientation of Turkish foreign policy has been noticeable, and also caused bewilderment, confusion and frustration, "but Davutoglu seems determined to argue that the country has now become a central player in a radically changing world", it is argued and "the 'restoration' or 'reorientation' (?) has overlapped to a great deal with global changes. "

The article continues: "The 'zero problems' policy has not been fully implemented, since it contains a great deal of idealism and demands an equal amount of a change of mentality in the neighbourhood. So, while Davutoglu and his team achieved much for democracy-building in Iraq, and brought Syria closer to the West, reconciliation with Armenia and Cyprus proved to be tough nuts, showing also the weaknesses of the policy."

Regarding the debate on the axis shift, the article maintains that across the Atlantic "it was mainly moral; the more Israel was pressured due to its incompetent and fragmentary government on the Palestine issue, the more delusions in Congress became visible and obstinate. The 'axis shift' in the EU was based on indifference at best towards the struggle for democracy in Turkey and rising anti-Islam and anti-Turkey propaganda at worst. In both cases, the temporary result is a strong perception across segments here that the West is shifting away from the basic values of democracy, plunging into hypocrisy and looking inward."

If that is the case, the article continues, it is a minor miracle that a secular, Muslim democracy has been successful in building some bridges between the Middle East and Europe, adding : " The goal, (?) remains intact: Turkey's journey to the EU will go on, as much as its commitment to more than 30 Western institutions, topped by NATO. Let us repeat: Turkey is, and will have to remain, 'institutionally anchored' to the West. It is where it works best, makes the best impact and a global difference for peace, democracy and dialogue. It is where it is an asset, a key player. "

The article further argues that problems remain and that to disperse confusion, willful disregard, ill-intent and ignorance, Davutoglu "will have to put Armenia on top of the agenda after the elections his party is tipped to win; he will have to engage all possible actors in Israel -- other than Lieberman -- for a 'new deal' (?) According to his critics, his main enemy is his 'impatience to listen to the other.' His habit of carrying the university lecturer in him to every diplomatic room has backfired in many intelligent circles. He will have to pay more attention to the fact that diplomacy is about a blend of concessions and assertiveness. He has to think more about the style, and it will reflect on a better understanding of Turkey."

[13] Highlights

a) Kurdish issue

Ismet Berkan in Hurriyet asserts that Democratic Society Congress (DTK) is a reality and suggests a dialogue with regard to the Kurdish autonomy debate: A total rejection of DTK's proposals will only help to incite the PKK to use its weapons again, he argues.

Cuneyt Ulsever in Hurriyet Daily News.com argues that education in separate schools and in separate languages "will raise generations whose members will not know and learn each other's language, culture, values, customs, beliefs, aspirations and concerns. And nobody can keep them under a common denominator. Split will naturally and gradually emerge."

Taha Akyol of Milliyet considers the emerging "multiple voices" among Kurds as a good sign for the future. He opines: "Kurds with common sense should stand against the project for totalitarianism for Kurds as proposed by the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) and DTK. Turkey's majority should also realize that the problem of ethnic nationalism can only be resolved via democracy and a decentralized administrative system with a granted language freedom. Solution requires mutual common sense."

Sedat Laciner in Star reviews the current Kurdish autonomy debate as part of "Ocalan's election plan". "Abdullah Ocalan wants to get out of prison and he knows he can do it only via PKK. ... Ocalan believes that the more the PKK continues with terror, the stronger he has a hand for a bargaining." In this context, the writer concludes that "terrorist incidents by PKK will likely start again after March 2011."

b) Turkish foreign policy analysis

In an article in Hurriyet Daily News, Mehmet Ali Birand sums up the Turkish foreign policy goals based on Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu's year-end analysis. He notes that concrete results remain to be seen: "Among Turkey's basic foreign policy targets is [to pursue] politics that attract attention, have effective perception, provide for a new order that stands by the weak and the just, and one that resists global inequality. ... The other is to be the country to establish order in the region. Not to ignore our environment but to solve issues together with other countries in the region. ... Yes, Turkey is becoming distinct. Turkey is much talked about. The axis stays put but its approach changes."

Sami Kohen of Milliyet, reviewing Foreign Minister Davutoglu's analysis that one of the successful outcomes of Turkish foreign policy was to make Turkey an emerging power in international platforms, points out that "some burdens came along with this policy as well. There are difficulties with the United States and the West. There are also serious setbacks in policy formulations for the Middle East and the Caucasus." TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION http://www.moi.gov.cy/pio

/EG

Cyprus Press and Information Office: Turkish Cypriot Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article