Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 12-04-24

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

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS

[01] Ozersay to hold contacts in London

[02] Columnist sees the UN decision for not inviting international conference on Cyprus as "yellow card" to the Turkish side

[03] The chairman of the Islamic Felicity Party stated that the breakaway regime must not lose its acquisition because of the negotiations

[04] Turkish Cypriot teachers could not go to London because they are forced to use the illegal passport of the regime

[05] Many Turkish Cypriots crossed to the free area of the Republic yesterday due to the "23rd of April National Sovereignty and Children's Day" holiday

[06] Six illegal universities participated in the Gulf Education and Training Exhibition in Dubai

[07] The occupied part of Lefkosia has been turned into a dump site due to continuing strike at the "municipality"

[08] Turkey's TPAO participated to "Libya oil and gas fair"

[09] Iraq summons Turkish envoy as a protest at Erdogan's critical remarks

[10] Turkey and Egypt signed MoU to cooperate in transportation

[11] Bulgaria willing to cooperate with Turkey in military industry area; Erdogan to visit Bulgaria soon

[12] Ankara pinning hopes on Hollande's victory in France; Turkish diplomats say Hollande's victory to revitalize Turkey's stalled membership negotiations

[13] Turkey expects to host at least 21 million tourists in 2012

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS

[01] Ozersay to hold contacts in London

Ozersay will also hold some contacts in London. Within the framework of his contacts he will brief the Turkish Cypriots living in London on the negotiating process for finding a solution in Cyprus and the future of the negotiations. His meeting with Turkish Cypriots living in London will take place tomorrow Wednesday at 19.00 hours in Wood Green area.

Furthermore, Ozersay will give interviews to many British media. During his visit he will be accompanied by Gunes Onar, member of Eroglu's negotiating delegation. He will return to the occupied area of Cyprus on Thursday in order to participate in the meeting between Eroglu and UN Secretary-General's special adviser on Cyprus, Alexander Downer on Friday.

(I/Ts.)

[02] Columnist sees the UN decision for not inviting international conference on Cyprus as "yellow card" to the Turkish side

"?Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot side were expecting that Ban Ki-moon would invite a multilateral conference and were expressing this expectation every day at every platform. As for the Greek Cypriot side, it, on the contrary, was rejecting the international conference saying that the conditions had not been created.

The decision of the UN Secretary ? General was exactly in the direction of the Greek Cypriot side's view. And with this decision, the view and the expectation of the Turkish side for a multilateral conference was rejected. Neutral political observers evaluate this as more or less implicit warning to the Turkish side. That is, Ban Ki-moon has not openly accused the Turkish side, but by saying 'no' to its expectation for a multilateral conference, he showed ?yellow card? to it.

It is obvious that a more difficult process awaits the Turkish side after its expectation for multilateral conference was ruled out. The difficulty of the process is becoming evident when the 1st of July syndrome, the date on which the Republic of Cyprus will overtake the EU term presidency, is added to the economic problems.

There is something, which the influential men of the AKP chew as a gum. They say that they do not recognize a state such as South Cyprus! Erdogan also said this the other day. Actually there is no mistake in this. Why there is not? Because there is no state such as South Cyprus in the world. However, there is the Republic of Cyprus, the name of which they anxiously avoid to use but they salute its flag with respect even in the international competitions in Turkey. This is a state of which they are guarantors according to international agreements, but by misusing this capacity of guarantor, they occupied by the force of arms 37% of the land of this state. Behold, this is the state they say 'we do not recognize it'!

After the dream for a multilateral conference was ruled out, Eroglu said that 'we will intensify our efforts to lift the embargoes in the forthcoming period. However, in order for lifting the embargoes, the UN Security Council's resolutions No 541 and 550 should be lifted first, because the embargoes are implemented according to these UN resolutions, which stress that the TRNC is illegal and prohibit any kind of political, economic and other relations with it. Lifting or changing these resolutions depends on the approval of the five permanent members of the Security Council and such a possibility does not seem to exist..."

(I/Ts.)

[03] The chairman of the Islamic Felicity Party stated that the breakaway regime must not lose its acquisition because of the negotiations

Kamalak stated that the breakaway regime must not lose the acquisitions gained because of the Cyprus negotiations and added: "We must never and ever return to the pro 1974 situation, no matter what", he stated. He went on and added that in case an agreement which will safeguard a state with two equal "people" is not reached, efforts should be exerted for the recognition of the breakaway regime by Turkey at the UN and mainly by Islamic countries.

Regarding the European Union, Kamalak stated that no concessions should be made on Cyprus for the EU and added that his party is against the European Union.

[04] Turkish Cypriot teachers could not go to London because they are forced to use the illegal passport of the regime

The application for visa by Cemal Sarica, Elmaziye Murat, Huseyin Bozalanlar and Ozlem Dagli, who should have overtaken their duties in Britain in February, was rejected by the British High Commission. According to the paper, the efforts exerted until now by the breakaway regime's "foreign and education ministries" have been unsuccessful.

Meanwhile, the paper recalls that on 9 March 2012, the "council of ministers" of the breakaway regime had decided to prohibit to the "public officers" to travel abroad by using their passport of the Republic of Cyprus. The paper wonders how the teachers will go to overtake their duties in this situation. The duties, which the four teachers were expected to overtake, are carried out by six other teachers who work currently in the Turkish schools in London, but these six teachers' term of duty will end in August. The directors of the Turkish schools have expressed their worry on the issue, writes Havadis adding that ten Turkish Cypriot teachers work in the Turkish schools in London.

Meanwhile, Turkish Cypriot daily Kibrisli newspaper (24.04.12) reports that due to the prohibition implemented by the regime on the issue of the use of the passport of the Republic of Cyprus, great unrest was created among the people. Many Turkish Cypriots, who are worried because they consider this as the first step by the regime to prohibit the passports of the Republic of Cyprus, visited yesterday the department of the Republic of Cyprus which issues identity cards in order to apply for taking an identity card.

The correspondent of the paper, who also visited the above-mentioned department reported that great congestion was created there, and at the Turkish Cypriot barricade of Agios Dometios, in spite of the recent decision of the regime which forces everybody who crosses over to the government-controlled area of the Republic to come down from their car and present themselves to the "police".

(I/Ts.)

[05] Many Turkish Cypriots crossed to the free area of the Republic yesterday due to the "23rd of April National Sovereignty and Children's Day" holiday

According to the paper, a lot of persons gathered from the early morning hours at the Ayios Dometios Barricade but they felt irritated because they had to wait for a lot of time to cross due to the new "regulations" adopted by the occupation regime. The paper adds that the situation became even worse because of the weather conditions.

A lot of persons were asked why they decided to cross to the free areas and they replied that they do not cross just for shopping but because "it feels like visiting a foreign country".

[06] Six illegal universities participated in the Gulf Education and Training Exhibition in Dubai

According to a statement issued by the self-styled representation office of the occupation regime in Abu Dhabi, the following illegal universities participated in the Exhibition: The Eastern Mediterranean University (DAU), the Near East University (YDU), the Keryneia American University (GAU), the Lefka European University (LEU), the Middle East Technical University and the International Cyprus University.

In the same statements is also alleged that the "TRNC University consortium" organized a reception for the graduate students at the Radisson Blue Hotel, which was opened by the United Arab Emirates Education Minister.

[07] The occupied part of Lefkosia has been turned into a dump site due to continuing strike at the "municipality"

According to the paper, the so-called mayor Cemal Bulutoglulari visited yesterday "prime minister", Irsen Kucuk with whom he discussed the developments and asked his help for the end of the strike.

Referring to the issue, Ozkan Yorgancioglu, chairman of the Republican Turkish Party (CTP), said yesterday that the rubbish turned occupied Lefkosia into a dump site and drew attention to the danger of diseases.

Meanwhile, Turkish Cypriot daily Yeni Duzen (24.04.12) refers to statements by the chairman of BES, Savas Bozat, who pointed out that April comes to its end but the employees were not paid their salaries for March.

(I/Ts.)

[08] Turkey's TPAO participated to "Libya oil and gas fair"

As the paper writes, firms from several other countries participated to the fair.

(AK)

[09] Iraq summons Turkish envoy as a protest at Erdogan's critical remarks

The envoy, Yunus Demirer, heard the Iraqi complaint on Sunday after several days of charge and counter-charge.

Erdogan accused his Iraqi counterpart Nuri al-Maliki on Thursday of stoking conflict between Shiite Muslims, Sunni Muslims and Kurds through "self-centered" behaviour.

Maliki fired back that Turkey was becoming a "hostile state" with a sectarian agenda, saying it was meddling in Iraqi affairs and trying to establish regional "hegemony".

Erdogan returned to the fray on Saturday, saying: "If we respond to Mr. Maliki, we give him the opportunity to show off."

Analysts say mainly Sunni Turkey is worried that growing tensions in Iraq and violence in their mutual neighbour Syria may lead to a wider Sunni-Shiite conflict in the region.

Erdogan's Government has also recently forged close ties with Masoud Barzani, President of Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region, which is embroiled in a row with the Baghdad Government over claims to the city of Kirkuk and the region's oil.

"(Foreign ministry undersecretary) Mr. Labeed Abbawi acquainted the Turkish Ambassador with the Iraqi Government's intense protest against the recent statements," the Iraqi foreign ministry said on its website.

Undersecretary Abbawi expressed hope that the Turkish Government will stop giving statements that affect Iraq's sovereignty and internal affairs.

Erdogan has criticised Maliki several times since sectarian tensions flared in Iraq in December when the Shi'ite-led Government tried to remove Sunni Deputy Prime Minister Saleh al-Mutlaq and sought an arrest warrant for Sunni Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi on charges he ran death squads.

Hashemi fled Baghdad and has since met Erdogan in 0
stanbul.

The rift between Baghdad and the Kurds worsened this month when the Kurdistan Regional Government said it was halting oil exports because the central government was not paying oil firms operating in the north.

Iraq is Turkey's second largest trading partner after Germany, with trade reaching $12 billion last year, more than half of which was with the Kurdish region.

[10] Turkey and Egypt signed MoU to cooperate in transportation

Caglayan said that Turkey and Egypt were the two important countries in the Mediterranean basin, adding that the trade volume between the two countries increased eight times in the last ten years and exceeded four billion USD in 2011.

"Turkey's export to Egypt rose 66.4 % to 940 million USD between January 1 and April 9, 2012", said Caglayan, adding that Egypt's export to Turkey also rose 15 times.

He noted that more than 200 Turkish companies had investments in Egypt worth 1.5 billion USD. "The number of projects Turkish companies undertook in construction sector in Egypt was 26, worth over one billion USD", Caglayan added.

Pointing out that fast, safe and low-cost transportation is a must in trade, Caglayan, added that the memorandum of understanding which was signed would help Turkey reaching Egypt and third countries via Egypt easier.

"First Ro-Ro ship will depart from Turkey's Mersin port on April 26", said Caglayan.

Egyptian Minister Saeed said that his country was passing through a great revolution and the normalization process was continuing, and he expressed pleasure to cooperate with an important country like Turkey in the region. "Our cooperation will continue to further increase the trade volume", said Saeed, adding that projects such as Ro-Ro transportation would boost the influence of both countries in the Middle East.

[11] Bulgaria willing to cooperate with Turkey in military industry area; Erdogan to visit Bulgaria soon

Speaking at a conference on Monday, Mladenov said that Turkish-Bulgarian relations have reached the highest level in recent period, adding that the two countries could cooperate in energy, transportation, tourism as well as military areas.

"Cooperation between the two countries in energy area could make important contributions in diversifying the energy resources of Europe", he added.

Also speaking at the conference, Turkish Ambassador in Sofia Ismail Aramaz said that improving the infrastructure projects would bring momentum in the relations.

Aramaz added that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was planning to visit Bulgaria in May or June.

[12] Ankara pinning hopes on Hollande's victory in France; Turkish diplomats say Hollande's victory to revitalize Turkey's stalled membership negotiations

According to sources, the prospect has prompted Ankara to begin preparations on several chapters, dealing mostly with financial issues such as monetary policy.

Socialist candidate Hollande has been much less sceptical about Turkey's eventual accession to the EU than has current President Nicholas Sarkozy. If he becomes the President of France, this could create a window of opportunity for revitalizing Turkey's stalled membership negotiations, according to diplomats. Only 13 of the 35 chapters necessary to Turkey's EU accession have been opened, and only one has been closed. There has been almost no progress in Turkey's negotiations with the EU and no new chapters have been opened since 2010.

When asked about Turkey's accession to the EU during his campaign, Hollande has said there would be no Turkish accession during the next five-year presidential term. Turkish diplomats assess these comments as election campaign rhetoric, pointing out that indeed Turkey could not enter the EU during the next five years given the accession process itself.

[13] Turkey expects to host at least 21 million tourists in 2012

Speaking to AA on Monday, Gunay said that Turkish tourism would be influenced from the economic crisis in Europe and the problems in the Middle East, but, it was still expecting to host 21-33 million tourists this year.

"We also expect to earn over 25 billion USD in tourism", he added.

Noting that Turkey hosted 31.4 million tourists in 2011, Gunay said that according to figures of Turkstat, Turkey's statistical authority, Turkey earned 23 billion USD in tourism last year. TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION http://www.moi.gov.cy/pio

/EI

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