Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 13-05-23

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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] Yildiz: "It is a must for Turkey to enable ["TRNC"] to have its share from these energy sources"

[02] Eroglu: elements which have not been discussed exist in Downer's document; Davutoglu postponed his illegal visit to Cyprus

[03] Kucuk replied to Eroglu's harsh comments against him

[04] Talat evaluated the latest developments in the breakaway regime

[05] Reactions about the illegal distribution of "citizenship" by the so-called government, continues

[06] Elcil: "They are trying to change the agenda with the 'early elections'"

[07] NATO's Air Command in Izmir has been closed down

[08] Deputies eligibility criteria in the Turkish Parliament have been revised

[09] Turkey wins final appeal in Libananco case against Uzan family

[10] Pegasus aims to increase customers with KLM deal

[11] Turkish-Armenian writer sentenced to 13 months for blasphemy in blog post

[12] Chechen honorary consul in Turkey assassinated in Ankara

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS

[01] Yildiz: "It is a must for Turkey to enable ["TRNC"] to have its share from these energy sources"

The Turkish side said energy opportunities in the eastern Mediterranean could be a motive for reunification of Cyprus. "As Greek Cypriots continue drilling activities in the region, the energy issue should not turn into a crisis, while it may lead to an opportunity," the Turkish delegation told U.S. officials in a bid to urge Washington to apply diplomatic support to this.

The U.S. administration agreed to resume Cyprus talks, seeing an opportunity for a solution to the dispute, the diplomat also said.

Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said yesterday the distribution of Israeli and Greek Cypriot gas to Europe via Turkey was sustainable. "It is a must for Turkey to enable ["TRNC"] to have its share from these energy sources. We believe that [Republic of Cyprus] will adopt a positive position here. We see energy as a peace dividend, not a cause for conflict," Anatolia news agency quoted him as saying.

[02] Eroglu: Elements which have not been discussed exist in Downer's document; Davutoglu postponed his illegal visit to Cyprus

Asked yesterday at a press conference whether there were elements that annoyed him in the document submitted by Downer, Eroglu replied: "The great majority was ok. He has put himself some things in the document. We have established these. There were some issues which have not been discussed. These also entered into this document. He will come to the island on 27-28 May. We will meet".

Replying to another question, Eroglu argued that the accession of Cyprus into NATO will be difficult.

Asked whether he will participate in the dinner with Downer and President Anastasiades, Eroglu said that he will participate because "the proposal for a dinner was mine". Arguing that the date for the dinner has been determined by taking into consideration the sensitivities of the sides, Eroglu claimed: "We will not sit and eat only at the dinner. There is a problem which exists in the area of responsibility of both of us. We have a duty such as finding a solution to the Cyprus problem. We will, of course, enter into this issue as well. We are not going to find the solution there, but we will discuss a road map".

Meanwhile, Turkish Cypriot daily Haberdar newspaper (23.05.13) reports that replying to another question, Eroglu argued that the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ahmet Davutoglu has postponed the illegal visit he would pay to the occupied area of Cyprus, because he expects no development at the dinner of the leaders with Downer. Eroglu added that visits had been postponed in the same manner in the past.

When he was called to comment on the allegations that self-styled prime minister Kucuk had been invited to the USA in order to participate in the Turkish parade and exchange views and that the aim was the discussion of Kucuk's appointment to the post of the negotiator of the Turkish Cypriot side at the Cyprus talks after his return, Eroglu said he did not know who invited Kucuk and added that most probably an association there had been forced to invite him. "It is not my job to discuss who invited him", said Eroglu.

Furthermore, Turkish Cypriot daily Star Kibris newspaper (23.05.13) reports that responding to accusations by Kucuk against him as regards the Cyprus problem, Eroglu said that he had held countless meetings with the UN Secretary-General and his Special Adviser, and participated in five summits on the Cyprus problem in New York, Geneva and the Greentree. He noted that in visits to New York at a period during which the UN General Assembly was held, he met with officials from many countries such as Turkey, Qatar, Azerbaijan, the UN Secretary-General and the General Secretary of the Islamic Cooperation Organization.

Eroglu said also that in Europe, he met with the EU Commissioner for the Enlargement, Stefan Fule, the President of the Commission Jose Manuel Barosso, the Foreign Ministers of Belgium, Spain, Germany, Sweden and Finland and other officials.

Eroglu noted that Alexander Downer had submitted to the Turkish and Greek Cypriot sides a document on 30 April. He argued that Downer wanted this document to be leaked and added that he told Downer that the Turkish side would definitely not leak the document, but "it could be leaked from the south". "Downer put some different things in the document in order to understand who leaked it in case there was a leakage", he argued adding that "when it leaked they understood that the Greek Cypriots did it".

(I/Ts.)

[03] Kucuk replied to Eroglu's harsh comments against him

Kucuk stated that he is not in fight with anyone; he referred to Eroglu's question about the existence of persons who harm the National Unity Party (UBP), and said that Eroglu must address this question to himself.

Commenting on Eroglu's criticism who said that he supported Kucuk only to see him turned against him, Kucuk stated that he rose to UBP's hierarchy by himself and added that he has been a member of the party since 1976. He also said that Eroglu held conflicts with previous UBP leaders and mentioned the names of Ertugrul Hasipoglu, Enver Emin and Tahsin Ertugruloglu with whom Eroglu also had conflicts in the past and managed to isolate them from UBP.

Kucuk also said that his party is ready for the forthcoming "early elections".

Regarding his contacts in the USA, Kucuk stated that he went to Washington seeking to have a meeting neither to President Barack Obama nor UN Secretary General Ban-ki Moon. However, he said that he held a meeting with Eric Rubin, Deputy Assistant Secretary at the US Department of State's Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, who according to Kucuk influences USA foreign policy and who is visiting Cyprus on May 27.

[04] Talat evaluated the latest developments in the breakaway regime

Talat supported that Eroglu is lying when says that he did not know about the meeting that the eight UBP eight opposition-members of UBP held with the leader of a political party and added that the recent developments inside UBP are taking place under the impact of Eroglu. Talat said that Eroglu with his actions and statements is one of the main responsible for the political crisis that the breakaway is currently facing.

In addition, Talat also criticized the current visit of the self-styled prime minister Irsen Kucuk to the ESA and the contacts he held. Talat said that the "prime minister" cannot be accepted as the community's leader and stated: "Like it or not [?] Eroglu is the Turkish Cypriots' leader and the person that represents the Turkish Cypriots at the international arena".

Talat said that in order for the solution of the Cyprus problem to come into the agenda, the international factors must come forward and claimed that the Greek Cypriot side must abandon the efforts for postponing the negotiations.

[05] Reactions about the illegal distribution of "citizenship" by the so-called government, continues

The paper points out to the fact that a lot of "citizens" waited yesterday from the morning hours in queues at the "immigration department", in order to make the necessary procedures to take the "citizenship". The paper adds that the issue of the distribution of "citizenships" is something very common especially in a "pro-election" period.

Meanwhile, according to Turkish Cypriot daily Vatan (23.05.13), reacting about the issue of the "citizenships", Ozkan Yorgancioglu, chairman of the main opposition Republican Turkish Party (CTP) issued a written statement yesterday accused those who are in "power" of using their state "authority" and of accelerating the procedures so that to distribute "citizenships". "Besides the issue of citizenships, the distribution of plots of land is also into the agenda", Yorgancioglu said, adding, that those who take instructions and those who implement those instructions are responsible and will be called to account when they will come into power. Yorgancioglu went on and called the so-called UBP government to stop this kind of actions.

On the same issue, in a written statement yesterday, the secretary general of the United Cyprus Party (BKP) Izzet Izcan, accused the Republican Turkish Party (CTP) of preventing the so-called UBP government from resigning and of giving to the "government" the opportunity to use all the potentials. "We will consider the CTP administration to be the responsible for the new citizenships to be distributed by the UBP government. And that because it is the CTP administration which gave the opportunity to the UBP government to stay in power", Izcan, inter alia, said.

Also, commenting on the "citizenships" issue, the so-called prime minister Irsen Kucuk, speaking during the press conference he organized yesterday before the meeting of the so-called council of ministers, said that the allegations that " they gave instructions for 4000 new citizenships to be given", are groundless. As regards the distribution of plots of land, Kucuk pointed out that this is a part of the program for the "countryside" which belongs to the policy of the party, adding, that this program has been postponed when the issue of the "early elections" came into the agenda.

Reactions about the illegal distribution of the occupation regime's citizenship were also expressed yesterday by several trade unions in the occupied area of Cyprus.

According to Turkish Cypriot daily Havadis (23.05.13), the chairman of Turk-Sen trade union, Arslan Bicakli called the opposition parties to undertake initiatives in order to prevent the "government", which has lost its "authorities" from distributing illegally "citizenships".

Also, the chairman of Kamu-Sen trade union Mehmet Ozkardas reacted to efforts exerted by the so-called government to intensify the distribution of the "citizenship", and said: "In every election process, we watch the same film". Ozkardas went on adding that all the political parties have the same responsibilities with the "government" on the "citizenship issue".

Similar statements were also made by Mehmet Seyis, chairman of Dev-Is trade union who said, inter alia, that the issue of the "citizenship" is a part of the classical and unmoral behaviour followed by the UBP.

(AK)

[06] Elcil: "They are trying to change the agenda with the 'early elections'"

Elcil went on and alleged that some are implementing the assimilation and integration policies in Cyprus by hiding behind the word "solution".

Referring to the Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Turkey and the National Unity Party (UBP) in the occupied area of Cyprus, Elcil accused them of leading the UBP to the congress and of bringing the issue of the "early elections" into the agenda. He went on and said that they are misleading the international community and the Turkish Cypriots by saying that they are in favour of the solution and added: "Why the Turkish Republic is putting obstacles for the solution on the issue of the returning of Maras (fenced off town of Varosha) to its legal owners and on the issue of the opening of Famagusta port?, And why do you continue hiding the officials results of the population census. It is you that you are in favour of the solution that you made the island your colony since 1974 and by refusing to withdraw not even one soldier? (...)", Elcil further said.

(AK)

[07] NATO's Air Command in Izmir has been closed down

Serving since August 11, 2004 in "Orgeneral Vecihi Akin" headquarters in Buca town of Izmir, NATO Air Command would close as a result of NATO's new organizational settlement and Izmir would give service as single centre in its land forces.

Commander of NATO Allied Joint Force Command Naples Admiral Bruce Clingan delivered a speech at the closing ceremony where he stated that Izmir hosted NATO commanders in an excellent way since 1952.

The soldiers would begin serving in their new places of duty as of June 1 and allied land forces command, serving since December 1, 2012 in Izmir, was expected to reach the beginning capacity via increasing its personnel.

With the new received decision in NATO, land forces command was built in Izmir in place of the air command. Izmir was to serve as one of three main headquarters, directly allied air commands of Mons province of Brussels as well as to be the single land forces command of NATO. Thereunder, the land forces both in Germany and Spain delegated their duties to Izmir.

New structure of the alliance provides for overcoming the "clumsy and costly" construction, for closing four main bases and decreasing 30% of its personnel. Besides, NATO's air commands are to be hosted by Germany and naval forces by Britain in new NATO.

[08] Deputies eligibility criteria in the Turkish Parliament have been revised

All four parties in the commission, that is to say the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), agreed on the following clause during their meeting on May 21: "Those who lack literacy, who are restricted by law, who were sentenced to more than two years except for involuntary crimes, who committed any one of the crimes of embezzlement, extortion, bribery, theft, fraud, forgery, exploitation of belief, fraudulent bankruptcy, smuggling, rigging a bid, rigging execution of an act, crimes against sexual assault, violence against women and children, torture or crimes against humanity" shall not be elected as deputies.

The most remarkable restriction was the newly defined section "crimes against sexual immunity, violence against women and children, torture or crimes against humanity," while some other changes included increasing the maximum number of years sentenced from one to two years, replacing the primary education requirement with literacy and omitting the part "offences related to the disclosure of state secrets, of involvement in acts of terrorism, or incitement and encouragement of such activities."

Another change to be implemented following yet another unanimous decision was that resignation from public service will no longer be a prerequisite for deputy candidacy. Thus, public servants running for elections will be designated as on leave without payment. Yet, judges and prosecutors, members of the Armed Forces and law enforcement officers, those who work for intelligence services, civil authorities, ambassadors and rectors will have to resign in advance of putting forward their candidacy.

[09] Turkey wins final appeal in Libananco case against Uzan family

"Some useless leeches had tried to suck the blood of this country but we ended the struggle for our people without a stain," Yildiz told reporters adding that the case was definitely over after the ruling of an Arbitration board. "Now the Uzan family has lost any right of appeal. The process going on [since 2006] is finalized. The trust for truth in Turkey has been highlighted."

In 2003, Turkey's Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources seized the Uzan Group's CEAS and Kepez companies after their patent rights had been outlawed in light of an application by Turkey's Energy Market Regulatory Authority. Following this development, Libananco Holdings Co. Ltd., which introduced itself as a company operating in the southern part of Cyprus [Edit. Note: government controlled area of the Republic of Cyprus], claimed that it was a partner of the said companies and had thus suffered losses due to the seizure. The company carried the issue to the U.S.-based International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) and filed a $10 billion lawsuit against Turkey.

Turkey, meanwhile, maintains that Libananco is a front company of the Uzan group, once among the country's most powerful conglomerates. The ICSID had ruled in favour of Turkey in 2011.

The owner of the Uzan group, Turkish businessman Cem Uzan, who currently lives in the French capital of Paris, was sentenced to 18 years and five months in prison for embezzlement last march. The businessman, turned politician before the 2001 parliamentary elections, was accused of channelling money deposits kept in Imar Bank to construction companies owned by the Uzan family.

Uzan was the former owner of Star TV, the first private broadcaster of the country, as well as the Telsim cellular phone operator and Imar Bank.

[10] Pegasus aims to increase customers with KLM deal

"We expect 35 to 40 new customers daily for our two flights from Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen Airport to Amsterdam. We expect around 10% additional customers with this cooperation," Guliz Ozturk, senior vice president at Pegasus, told the Hurriyet Daily News.

Pegasus is seeking to increase the number of its customers and flight destinations with its new codeshare agreement with KLM. The Dutch airline will start selling tickets on May 27 for flights from Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen Airport and Izmir's Adnan Menderes Airport to Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport before transferring the customers to the United States and Canada on one ticket, Ozturk told the press conference in Istanbul, which was hosted by the Dutch Consulate.

KLM is also aiming for more customers from Turkey. "We hope to find a lot of KLM customers on Pegasus flights in the domestic market, Turkey. We see a figure of 40,000 to 50,000 [additional] passengers on a yearly basis," Pieter Bootsma, executive vice president of marketing and revenue management and network for Air France and KLM, told the Daily News.

The firms said their price policies would not change with the collaboration. Customers will travel under one ticket from international destinations to Turkey and vice versa,

[11] Turkish-Armenian writer sentenced to 13 months for blasphemy in blog post

The prosecutor had been seeking one and a half years of jail time for Nisanyan on charges of "insulting the religious beliefs held by a section of the society."

The sentence cannot be converted to a financial penalty, but Nisanyan has the right to appeal.

He was charged with blasphemy after writing a blog post titled, "[We] need to fight hate speech."

"Making fun of an Arab leader who claimed he contacted Allah hundreds of years ago and received political, financial and sexual benefits is not hate speech," Nisanyan said in his post last year. "It is an almost kindergarten-level test of what is called freedom of expression."

On May 22, the day of the sentencing, Nisanyan re-tweeted his blog post, writing, "Let's share the article that was sentenced to 13-and-a-half months at the Istanbul 10th Criminal Court for insulting religious bla-bla."

[12] Chechen honorary consul in Turkey assassinated in Ankara

Unlu was shot multiple times at the consulate building in Ankara's Balgat neighbourhood and died at the scene. His body was taken to the Forensic Medicine Council (ATK) for an autopsy and police conducted an inspection at the scene of the incident.

Unlu's relatives have claimed that Chechen leader Ramazan Kadirov, the son of former Chechen President Ahmed Kadirov, is behind the murder. TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION

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