Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 12-06-19

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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] Eroglu argues that the Turkish views are adopted in the House of Lords

[02] Talat told Turkish journalists that the relations between occupation regime and Turkey are the worse ever

[03] Sonya sees a unique opportunity for a solution in Cyprus

[04] The chairman of the EP Socialist Group met with Ozkan Yorgancioglu; Swoboda said that they support the unification of the island under the umbrella of a single state

[05] Tension at the so-called assembly; Kucuk announced that the so-called government will not make autonomous the so-called electricity authority

[06] Turkish Cypriot Tourism and Travel Agencies Union became member of the Global Alliance of Travel Agent Associations

[07] Persons from six countries to participate in the "Traditional Trikomo festival"

[08] "Natural gas changes the game in Cyprus"

[09] German Defense Minister due to Turkey

[10] TSK ends discriminatory accreditation practices over Turkish media; Turkish media to cover the "Anatolian Eagle" aerial military exercises which will kick off today

[11] WFE appoints former head of Turkish stock exchange as secretary-general

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS

[01] Eroglu argues that the Turkish views are adopted in the House of Lords

Eroglu claimed the following: "It seems that the position we support has been adopted in the House of Lords and in the various parties of Britain. In the meeting we held, Jack Straw, especially, clearly told us that he will struggle in the manner he believes. We have also found out that he had received many threats because of his articles".

Eroglu said that during the dinner they had at the parliament, the climate was different than before and added: "Especially the view that no result will be taken during the continuation of the negotiations has increased. In fact, in parallel to the fact that some say that accepting a divided island in the EU was wrong, I saw some who say that beginning negotiations after the 'no' vote of the Greek Cypriots was wrong. This means that those in Britain who adopt the stance of the Turkish Cypriots increase every day".

Referring to his contacts with the Turkish Cypriots living in London, Eroglu said: "I saw their devotion to the TRNC, the continuation of the TRNC. This satisfied me".

Referring to President Christofias' statements to some Turkish newspapers, Eroglu alleged that President Christofias was trying to deceive the world and that he does not want to understand and see some realities. Eroglu argued that he is the interlocutor of President Christofias at the negotiating table, that the President should not look for another interlocutor and that statements in this direction had also been made by the Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan and the Minister responsible for EU Affairs Egemen Bagis.

(I/Ts.)

[02] Talat told Turkish journalists that the relations between occupation regime and Turkey are the worse ever

Talat spoke to Radikal's journalist Oral Calislar, about the relations between the occupation regime and Turkey and said that they constitute "custody relations". Talat said that every thought coming to the occupied areas from Turkey, is considered an order by the "administration" and added that in his time things were very different. "At that times no intervention came from Turkey. It was the army which was strong and we had problems with them". While the "government" pretends that there is no problem with Turkey, he said, the reaction against Ankara inside the society is very strong and is growing bigger. As he said the Turkish Cypriot businessmen are against the intervention which aims the capital to change hands in occupied Cyprus and they complain about unfair competitions between companies that come from Turkey and Turkish Cypriot companies. Talat also said that the trade unions especially, are reacting strongly against Turkey and they are sending the message that the Turkish Cypriots want to administrate themselves.

Commenting on the issue, Oral Calislar notes that he is a journalist who follows issues regarding Cyprus for years and that it is the first time that he observed such a reaction against Turkey.

In addition, Milliyet's journalist Kadri Gursel, wrote that the journalists who visit occupied Cyprus come across the issue of the pressure exerted by conservatism circles in Ankara towards the secular Turkish Cypriot identity. He added that he spoke with Talat about this and related issues like the opening of religious schools in the occupied area and the construction of mosques.

Talat stated that Cyprus has not a fundamentalist structure and added that water, air, and being an island of Cyprus, creates a more flexible structure. He also said that even those who are coming to the island from Turkey are assimilated.

He went on and added that if there is no solution, the Turkish Cypriots will be eliminated. He said further that Ankara is not interested for the Cyprus problem. "Because there is no Cyprus problem, because there are no negotiations. They collapsed after 2010", he said. He went on and added that the Greek Cypriots demonized the Annan Plan and they were not ready for a solution. "That is why Christofias was not able to continue (with the negotiations)", he stated.

[03] Sonya sees a unique opportunity for a solution in Cyprus

In a written statement issued yesterday, Sonya argued that a leader who has no anxiety as to whether he will be re-elected could be more realistic, far from populism and will not be influenced from political pressures, because he has absolutely no expectation.

"It is a reality that such an advantageous situation was never before created in the negotiating processes on the Cyprus problem", he claimed and argued that they expected President Christofias to take "more serious and realistic steps" for the solution of the Cyprus problem, if he is sincere on what he says.

(I/Ts.)

[04] The chairman of the EP Socialist Group met with Ozkan Yorgancioglu; Swoboda said that they support the unification of the island under the umbrella of a single state

In statements during the meeting, Swoboda said that speaking on behalf of the Europeans and not of the Greek Cypriots, they are in favour of the unification of the island under the umbrella of a single state adding that this state should take the place it deserves in Europe.

Swoboda stated further, that the EP Socialist Group continue to be determined towards the development of more closed relations with the Turkish Cypriots and pointed out that this determination includes also the acceptance of the Direct Trade Regulation.

Saying that both Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots are citizens of the EU, Swoboda said that their place is at the EU.

Referring to the accusations by some media organizations that he speaks of behalf of Greek Cypriots, Swoboda underlined that he does not speak on behalf of the Greek Cypriots but on behalf of the EU.

In statements also prior to his meeting with Swoboda, Yorgancioglu expressed his pleasure over Swoboda's visit to Cyprus and his satisfaction over the fact that every time Swoboda visit Cyprus, he carries out contacts in both sides of the island.

(AK)

[05] Tension at the so-called assembly; Kucuk announced that the so-called government will not make autonomous the so-called electricity authority

Pointing out the fact that the electricity of the "TRNC" is provided by Turkey, Kucuk supported that this is contrary with the autonomy of KIB-TEK.

According to the paper, Kucuk's statements had as a result the reaction of "MP's" of the opposition parties in occupied Cyprus, who walked out of the session, while the trade unionist who were also present at the meeting of the so-called assembly, sent the message: "In that case, you will see what we are going to do" and the message that they will go on with strikes.

(AK)

[06] Turkish Cypriot Tourism and Travel Agencies Union became member of the Global Alliance of Travel Agent Associations

The paper, which notes that KITSAB was accepted as a founding member in GATAA, writes that Ahmet Necati Ozkan, the honorary chairman of the Turkish Cypriot Union was elected as general secretary of GATAA.

Speaking during a press conference, Ozkan stated that this the second organization after the United Federation of Travel Agents' Associations (UFTAA) in which KITSAB is accepted.

Ozkan also stated that in the website of GATAA (http://www.gataa.org/) the name of the occupation regime as TRNC and its illegal flag are posted. The other founding members of GATAA are Canada, USA, Egypt, Australia, Malaysia, Malawi, India and Yemen.

[07] Persons from six countries to participate in the "Traditional Trikomo festival"

According to the paper, persons and groups from Turkey, Mexico, Russia, the Martini Islands, Bosnia Herzegovina and Poland will participate in the "Traditional Trikomo festival".

[08] "Natural gas changes the game in Cyprus"

For 38 years, whenever the Turkish side met with a Greek Cypriot proposal to open Varosha, which was not related to a final and permanent solution, the answer was always negative with the same thought of keeping Varosha to use at the very end of comprehensive negotiations.

With just a few days left until his country becomes term president of the European Union, Greek Cypriot leader Demetris Christofias proposed via the media the opening of Varosha in exchange for the opening of the Famagusta port under United Nations supervision so that the north can engage in foreign trade. In terms of the EU though, he proposed that Turkey open its air and naval ports to the Greek Cypriots and, as a natural outcome of this, more than one accession chapter, that was blocked, would become unblocked during their term presidency.

There is no doubt that this proposal about Varosha will not be accepted in principle because it is not related to the comprehensive and permanent solution to the issue.

Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot side, except for a short period, have adopted an unsuccessful strategy of maintaining the partition instead of reunification of the island in these past 38 years.

When mentioning ;a short period,' I meant the window of opportunity that opened in 2003 with the coincidence of extraordinary local and international circumstances and that was closed the year after when the Greek Cypriots voted an unfortunate 'no' to the Annan Plan referendum.

The Turkish Cypriot side, led by Dervis Eroglu, who is a follower of the Rauf Denktas line, together with a Turkey ruled by the Justice and Development Party (AKP), has returned to the pre-2003 era. Ankara's determination in applying a policy of Turkification on the island is an indication of this. The short period when the Turkish side adopted the slogan of 'always being one step ahead' has become history. Developments are weakening the Varosha 'card' and as it get weaker; it loses its exchange value in the Cyprus equation.

And as the course of events show, the equivalent on the Greek Cypriot side of the huge exchange value that the Turkish side attributes to Varosha today, will lose its meaning even more when a new factor emerges, totally altering the equation of the game in Cyprus in the near future.

This factor is the natural gas reserves found in block 12, neighboring Israel, in the exclusive economic zone the Greek Cyprus Administration has declared in the south of the island. According to the estimates of the American Noble Energy Company that has been conducting the exploratory drilling, there is a massive natural gas reserve of 3 trillion cubic meters in this region. According to reports, drilling will start in the second half of this year. It does not seem to be possible that the natural gas will begin to generate economic benefits before 2018, given that storage and condensing facilities still need to be established in southern Cyprus.

The Greek Cyprus Administration is known to the world as a sovereign state under the name of 'Republic of Cyprus' and Turkey's objections are not recognized.

These natural gas resources, in today's world where the chances of a Nabucco pipeline have been wiped away, are of indispensable value for meeting the EU's energy demand.

This natural gas will increase the Greek Cypriot's welfare and boost their self-esteem. As a result of this, their need for the value of Varosha will drop dramatically.

For this natural gas to reach the European markets, the most economic and shortest route is through Turkey? Also, Turkey is the natural customer for this gas. But for all this to happen, the Cyprus issue must be solved?

For the north of Cyprus to receive its just share from the natural gas richness, a solution and union are a must. To try to maintain the partition, in this context, is irrationalism equivalent to isolationism.

It is also a different matter whether or not the Greek Cypriots would want to share one fifth of this gas with the north of the island, a figure that corresponds to the Turkish population's ratio".

[Kadri Gursel is a columnist for daily Milliyet in which this piece was published on June 18. It was translated into English by the Daily News staff].

[09] German Defense Minister due to Turkey

De Maiziere will meet with his Turkish counterpart, Ismet Y?lmaz, for talks. The Ministers will hold a press conference after their meeting.

Following the briefing, the German Minister will also visit and place a wreath at An?tkabir, the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey.

De Maiziere is also scheduled to give a speech at the Middle East Technical University (ODTU) on Wednesday.

[10] TSK ends discriminatory accreditation practices over Turkish media; Turkish media to cover the "Anatolian Eagle" aerial military exercises which will kick off today

The General Staff has long imposed a media accreditation ban on a number of TV stations and newspapers, including Today's Zaman and Zaman, the highest circulation newspapers in both English and Turkish in the country. The ban dates from the February 28, 1997 military intervention, known as the postmodern coup.

While the controversial ban imposed on some media groups has been softened over recent years, the General Staff has continued to exclude select outlets and declined to invite them to press meetings held by military officials.

This practice had been the subject of harsh criticism from intellectuals and democrats, who claim the ban is a remnant from an age of non-democratic practices, surviving despite the process of democratization that has curbed military clout in recent years.

On April 2, Today's Zaman reporters were invited to the General Staff headquarters in Ankara to take photos of military security operations conducted by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK).

The controversial ban, part of the legacy of the February 28, 1997 coup period and a discriminatory practice that has remained in place for many years, will be removed for the "Anatolian Eagle" aerial military exercises, kicking off today. Today's Zaman, Zaman, STV, Bugun, Kanalturk and the Cihan news agency have all been invited to cover the exercises.

With this act, the practice is expected to be relegated to the past and will foster normalization of relations between the military and the media.

[11] WFE appoints former head of Turkish stock exchange as secretary-general

A WFE statement said that Erkan would succeed Thomas Krantz, and quoted Erkan as saying, "I am honored that the WFE Board of Directors has appointed me to the position of Secretary General, recognizing my commitment to the principles put forward by the Federation. My goal is to expand and enhance WFE's service and advocacy for well-regulated exchanges, particularly during this period of rapid global economic transformation."

The WFE statement said it believed that Erkan's leadership at ISE uniquely suited him for his new role at the WFE in articulating the unified global exchange viewpoint about industry regulatory issues.

"His appointment should continue to facilitate coordination between WFE members, to maintain a high level of visibility for WFE initiatives among policymakers, regulators and academics," the statement said.

Until recently, Erkan served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Istanbul Stock Exchange, a post he was appointed to by the Turkish Government. Erkan has approximately 23 years of experience in the financial sector of which 16 years have been with the Istanbul Stock Exchange. Erkan was a member of the WFE Board of Directors between 2008 - 2011.

Prior to his role at Istanbul Stock Exchange, Erkan held several high-level positions in the private sector, such as Managing Partner and Board Member of Tezal Securities, Consultant for Bankers Trust, International Capital Markets Specialist at Deger Securities, and various positions in manufacturing, transportation, and services sectors. While earning his MBA in International Business and Finance at New York University's Stern Business School, Erkan conducted his thesis project on currency risk management at the United Nations Development Program. TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION http://www.moi.gov.cy/pio

/EI

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