Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 12-12-21

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

[01] Turkish Cypriot organizations are preparing to apply to international courts due to a draft-law submitted to the House of Parliament

[02] YKP: the results of the population census could not be taken seriously into consideration

[03] Cerkez: Turkey's annual exports to the government-controlled area of Cyprus vary between 250-300 million Euros

[04] Baraka protested against Turkey's policies in Cyprus

[05] Eroglu met with the trade union of the Turkish Cypriot workers at the British bases; he promised to convey their problems to British High Commission

[06] Lawyers protested against new "amnesty law" for loan crimes

[07] The so-called Supreme court rejected Kucuk's appeal

[08] Bagis announced Erdogan's visit to Brussels and Merkel's forthcoming visit to Turkey

[09] Turkey to sent troops to bases after deadly road convoy attacks in Bingol

[10] Turkish Navy set to build its own frigate in the next decade

[11] Turkey's Budget for 2013 has been approved

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS

[01] Turkish Cypriot organizations are preparing to apply to international courts due to a draft-law submitted to the House of Parliament

The eleven organizations issued a joint statement alleging that this draft-law was a product of "racist mentality" and asked for its withdrawal. The organizations argued that the Turkish Cypriots are equal political partners of the Republic of Cyprus and have all the rights, which the Greek Cypriots have. They said that in case of alleged usurpation of the Turkish Cypriots' rights, which derive from the Republic of Cyprus, they will apply to international courts.

The eleven organizations are the following: Social Democracy Party (TDP), United Cyprus Party (BKP), Turkish Cypriot Teachers' Trade Union (KTOS), Turkish Cypriot Secondary School Teachers' Trade Union (KTOEOS), Turkish Cypriot "Public" Servants Trade Union (KTAMS), "Municipal Workers Trade Union (BES), Press Workers' Trade Union (BASIN-SEN), Turkish Cypriot Physicians' Trade Union (Tip-Is), Cooperative Workers' Trade Union (KOOP-SEN), Unity and Solidarity Trade Union of Eastern Mediterranean "University" (DAU-BIR-SEN) and Trade Union of the Workers in the Turkish Cypriot Telecommunication Department (TEL-SEN).

(I/Ts.)

[02] YKP: the results of the population census could not be taken seriously into consideration

The statement of the YKP pointed out to the fact that while the de-facto population had been announced at the day on which the census was conducted, the de-jure population was announced one year later.

YKP reiterated its demand for holding a population census before international observers.

(I/Ts.)

[03] Cerkez: Turkey's annual exports to the government-controlled area of Cyprus vary between 250-300 million Euros

During the meeting, the chairman of the Turkish Cypriot chamber, Gunay Cerkez said he believed that permanent partnerships with Turkish companies could be more successful in the trade on the island. He noted that Turkish companies carry out trade with the government-controlled area of the Republic of Cyprus and added that according to researches they had recently conducted, Turkey's annual exports to the government-controlled area of the island varied between 250-300 million Euros.

Cerkez went on and said: "The Turkish companies, which carry out this trade, have representatives in the TRNC [Translator's note: The breakaway regime in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus]. We believe that carrying out trade through this channel would be more appropriate to the win-win principle both for the local companies and for the Turkish companies. We discuss this issue with TOBB [Translator's note: Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey]".

(I/Ts.)

[04] Baraka protested against Turkey's policies in Cyprus

The paper writes that the protesters blew in the air small balloons (aerostats) with the faces of the self-styled prime minister Irsen Kucuk, Turkey's "ambassador" Halil Ibrahim Aksa. They also shouted slogans like "Ankara remove your hands off us", "This country is ours and it will be ruled by us" "Ayse Go Home".

[Translator's note: 'Ayse' was the code name used for the Turkish occupation army in 1974 by the then Turkish Foreign Minister Turan Gunes, who, in order to give the signal for the beginning of the second phase of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, said that "Ayse can go for vacation now"].

[05] Eroglu met with the trade union of the Turkish Cypriot workers at the British bases; he promised to convey their problems to British High Commission

Speaking during the meeting, the chairman of the trade union of Turkish Cypriot workers at the British bases, Raif Kocak, said that the Turkish Cypriots working at the British bases were experiencing some difficulties in their working lives due to austerity measures imposed in "south Cyprus" by the Troika. He also informed Eroglu about their problems.

Eroglu for his part pointed to the fall in the number of Turkish Cypriots working at the British bases and said that several problems have been occurring at the British bases from time to time.

He said that the Turkish Cypriot side will convey these problems to the British High Commission in Cyprus.

Eroglu underlined the importance of unity and solidarity in the protection of workers' rights.

[06] Lawyers protested against new "amnesty law" for loan crimes

The paper writes that the lawyers, who are against this "law" marched wearing their black gown in front of the self-styled assembly, and came across the self-styled police which tried to put obstacles in their protest. The lawyers booed and shouted slogans against the "police" like "we do not want a police-state". The chairman of the "Body of Lawyers Union", Unver Bedevi stated that it is a shame that the "police" tried to prevent the lawyers' protest.

[07] The so-called Supreme court rejected Kucuk's appeal

The Supreme Court rejected the appeal writes the paper, adding that the "supreme court" rejected the allegations by Kucuk who argued that "Party's internal law has not been depleted and that the district court is unauthorized".

The "judge" Narin Sefik has approved the decision of the "lower court" regarding the suspending of the "authorities" of Kucuk as the "chairman" of UBP.

AK

[08] Bagis announced Erdogan's visit to Brussels and Merkel's forthcoming visit to Turkey

"We insisted Prime Minister Erdogan be invited to the EU summit, where leaders of member countries also participate. We have signals that the Prime Minister will be invited for the summit next March," Bagis said.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel would also visit Turkey in late February, the Minister added.

(?)

[09] Turkey to sent troops to bases after deadly road convoy attacks in Bingol

The agreement, with state carrier Turkish Airlines, follows a dramatic increase in attacks on Turkish security forces in the past 18 months by Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) members, who have launched a series of fatal raids on troop convoys in the mainly Kurdish southeast.

Turkey's government and military began discussing alternative transport arrangements with the airline after a bomb attack on a security convoy in south-eastern Bingol province, which killed 10 people in September.

At the signing ceremony on Thursday, Turkey's Defence Minister said he envisaged some 250,000 soldiers and non-commissioned officers would be transported under the scheme. It will begin on December 28.

Flights will be free of charge for troops with all costs met by the Defence Ministry. Other private airlines have also agreed to transport the soldiers, when needed, at a reduced cost and at no charge to the troops.

Soldiers will be flown to existing airports and transferred from there to outlying bases.

Military service is compulsory in Turkey, which has the second-largest army in NATO, with around half a million men.

Violence between the state and the PKK has reached levels not seen since the 1990s with at least 870 people killed between June 2011 and the end of last month, according to a tally by the think-tank International Crisis Group (ICG).

More than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict between Turkey and the PKK since it took up arms against the state in 1984 with the aim of carving out an ethnic homeland in the southeast.

(?)

[10] Turkish Navy set to build its own frigate in the next decade

"Our new main frigate will remain the TF2000. The TF100, if built, would be a follow-up to the German Meko-type frigates and would be something smaller and simpler for transition to the TF2000 air defense frigates," said the official.

The roughly 3,500-ton Meko 200-type frigates entered service in the 1990s. Turkey has about 10 of the frigates made by Blohm + Voss shipyards in Germany at $500 million each, including research and development expenses.

Murad Bayar, chief of the Undersecretariat of Defense Industries (SSM) procurement agency, has repeatedly said that Turkish shipyards have the capacity to build frigates, even now. "We have several military and private shipyards to build equivalents of the Meko-class frigates," he said, adding: "There is a need to replace these frigates around 2020 and we can do that."

[11] Turkey's Budget for 2013 has been approved

According to the law, central management budget expenses (except shares of Treasury and income) are envisaged as 403.9 billion Turkish Lira, while income is envisaged as 370 billion TL.

The law, targets the ratio of total budget expenses to gross domestic product as 25.7%.

Budget deficit is envisaged as 33.8 billion TL, and non-interest surplus as 19.1 billion TL. The ratios of budget deficit and non-interest surplus to gross domestic product are planned as 2.2% and 1.2 % respectively.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that they would all together continue to raise Turkey with stability, confidence, brotherhood and solidarity in 2013. EI/ http://www.moi.gov.cy/pio

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