Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 14-05-23

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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] How the Turkish Cypriot press covered Biden's visit to Cyprus

[02] Eroglu briefed Biden on Turkish Cypriot side's views on the Cyprus problem

[03] Eroglu: The Varosha issue is left to the decision of the two leaders

[04] Davutoglu pleased with Biden's visit

[05] Turkish Nationalists Action Movement criticized Biden's visit

[06] Columnist Kanli writes that the policy of the Turkish Foreign Ministry on the Cyprus problem has failed

[07] Columnist Bekdil criticizes Davutoglu who cites UN resolutions but ignoring the ones on Cyprus

[08] Deniz Birinci called on the Cyprus government to let all the Turkish Cypriot citizens of the Republic of Cyprus to vote for the EP elections

[09] Siber: In a possible federal solution, we will exist in our own state

[10] Cooperation between the CFA and the "KTFF" started to give results

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS

[01] How the Turkish Cypriot press covered Biden's visit to Cyprus

Under the title "Solution is close this time", Kibris writes that Biden met yesterday with the two leaders in Cyprus, with the religious leaders and with members of political parties and civil society organizations and appeared optimistic about the solution of the Cyprus problem.

Afrika covers the issue under the title "Last souvenir", referring to the last picture taken during Biden's meeting between the US Vice President and the two leaders in Cyprus and notes that the most important message send by Biden was for the two communities in Cyprus to work on solving the Varosha and Famagusta port issues.

Under the title "Kiss of life by Biden", Havadis writes that the US Vice president gave great support to the Cyprus negotiations which are not proceeding that well. The paper also notes that Biden is not going back to the USA with empty hands since he made the two leaders promising him that the negotiations will be speeded up.

Kibris Postasi reports on the issue under the title "Varosha was on (Biden's) briefcase", and writes that despite the fact that Biden stated that he came to Cyprus without carrying anything in his bag, it appeared that he was carrying the Varosha issue after all. The paper also writes that during the meeting he had with Biden, Eroglu used the services of the translator of the Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan.

Under the title "This time is going to happen", Yeni Duzen wirites that during his visit Biden gave the message that USA is ready to support the two leaders in Cyprus in case a decision for Varosha is taken and noted that an easier road in Cyprus is possible and this was shown by the joint declaration made by the two leaders in February.

Halkin Sesi reports on the issue under the title "Our hopes were increased" and writes that Biden gave important messages during his contacts in Cyprus.

Star Kibris reports on Biden's contacts and writes that following the joint dinner held last night between Eroglu, Anastasiades and Biden, the Turkish Cypriot leader made statements supporting that both sides in Cyprus wants a solution and that he is ready to sign an agreement.

Gunes also reports about Eroglu's meeting with Biden and writes that it lasted for an hour. It also writes that the latest European Court of Human Rights decision against Turkey was not on the meeting's agenda.

Bakis reports on the meeting between Eroglu and Biden under the title "Historical meeting".

Diyalog writes that despite the fact that Biden used the world "state" for the Greek Cypriots and the "community" for the Turkish Cypriots, the expression he used while speaking to Eroglu was also important since he told him that the Turkish Cypriots are partners as regards the natural gas.

Detay reports on the issue under the title "Varosha is out, natural gas is in".

Volkan reports on the issue, under the title "We have being insulted", and writes that there were no "TRNC flags" during the meeting of the Turkish Cypriot delegation with the US delegation despite the fact that the flag of the Republic of Cyprus was presented in every meeting Biden had with the Greek Cypriot side.

Vatan reports on the meeting under the title "Civil pressure for the solution".

Finally Kibrisli writes on the issue under the title "Gain acceleration to the solution".

[02] Eroglu briefed Biden on Turkish Cypriot side's views on the Cyprus problem

Speaking to the press after his meeting with Biden where Eroglu's undersecretary Hasan Gungor, spokesperson Osman Ertug, Turkish Cypriot negotiator Kudret Ozersay and US Ambassador Koenig were also present, Eroglu said the following: "We had a very useful meeting with the US Vice President Joe Biden. United States is one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and it's a super power and has a very important role regarding the Cyprus issue. It is obvious that this role comes with great responsibilities."

"We value Obama Administration's interest in Cyprus. It is a good improvement that the President keeps Cyprus among the top agenda points. We believe that this interest will be very beneficial as long as equality of both communities is protected and the US stands at an equal distance to all parties", Eroglu added.

Noting that the Cyprus problem is on UN Security Council's agenda for the last fifty years, Eroglu said: "In our opinion, Cyprus problem should be now removed from UN Secretary General's list of unresolved conflicts."

Eroglu also said: "During our meeting with Mr Biden, he conveyed his country's perspective, evaluations and expectations to us. And we explained our vision on Cyprus, our region. We clearly explained that the Turkish Cypriot side has an attitude of peace, stability, prosperity and international cooperation. We said that the time for a solution to the Cyprus problem has arrived and the time has even passed. We gave a substantive summary of our endeavours for solution and our attitude around the negotiation table. We want peace to prevail in Cyprus. The Turkish Cypriots do not want to be outside the international law and be oppressed with inhumane embargoes in return of our positive responses to all peace opportunities."

Eroglu, repeating that it is possible to reach a settlement based on the "realities", said: "All these years almost everything has been negotiated. What's important is the will, to empathize with each other and to get rid of obsessions. A settlement in Cyprus should please both sides. In Cyprus neither side should be maximalist, they should consider the benefits that will come with an agreement. As the Turkish side we want the negotiations to gain impetus and referendums to be held as soon as possible."

He further added: "I personally and my team receive support from our community every day. I am aware of my responsibilities as the elected leader of the Turkish Cypriot community. As I said before I am ready to sign an agreement which would be beneficial to our community.

Mr. Joe Biden is bringing me and Mr Nicos Anastasiades together over dinner tonight (Thursday night). Mr Biden has clearly stated that he did not come with a solution formula. Therefore it's important for us the two sides to meet more often and intensify the negotiations with a genuine approach. We cannot progress by blaming each other or pushing each other to a corner."

Eroglu concluded by saying: "I have just found out that Mr Anastasiades has responded to our request for meeting fortnightly and his response is positive. I am attending to tonight's dinner with a constructive attitude. I hope it will be productive meeting and the negotiation process gains impetus."

[03] Eroglu: The Varosha issue is left to the decision of the two leaders

Eroglu also said that the two leaders agreed to continue the negotiations on the basis of the joint declaration and also agreed to meet fortnightly.

Noting that the dinner meeting was held in a very warm atmosphere, Eroglu stated that Biden also shares the same views with him regarding a result-oriented process with an increased impetus.

Touching upon the road map, Eroglu claimed that the Greek Cypriot side did not accept to follow one that could be prepared by the UN Secretary General and added: "However, Mr Anastasiade's statements regarding the deadline of negotiations, in which he said the solution will come in 2015, is not viable, as communities cannot be persuaded to wait for the process to linger without a timely agreement".

Noting that the Turkish Cypriots have never been this keen on an agreement and have never supported their leader as much as they support his leadership, Eroglu said: "If negotiations continue till 2015, we might not find the conditions we have today. For many years we explained what might happen to our community. Therefore claiming that all the displaced Greek Cypriots can return to their homes does not reflect the reality. I believe Mr Anastasiades will give positive messages to his community after tonight's meeting."

Commenting on the Confidence Building Measures, Eroglu claimed: "We made our proposals regarding CBMs and we will discuss those. But what's important for us is to reach to a comprehensive solution. That is s our main target. We will take our place in the world. So if we only discuss CBMs and leave the comprehensive settlement aside, these discussions might go on for years. The negotiating teams would spend too much time on CBMs and not enough time might be left for the talks on a comprehensive settlement. Our counterpart stated that they also share the same opinion. We will see how this will reflect to the negotiation table."

Eroglu concluded: "We had good productive discussions over dinner and we agreed on a joint statement. Mr. Biden read this statement while we were also present. What Mr Biden read was the statement we agreed upon tonight with Mr Anastasiades. This statement is binding for us and for the Greek Cypriots. I can say that we had very positive discussions tonight which raised our hopes for a settlement."

As for questions about whether or not they discussed the issue of the fenced off town of Varosha, Eroglu said: "I can say that as long as the two sides agree, we can discuss a package. Of course, the issue is left to the decision of the two leaders.

You know our sensitivities. Mr Anastasiades said they are working on the CBMs. We will put all of these together and evaluate. But, of course, CBMs can never replace our proposals for a comprehensive solution."

[04] Davutoglu pleased with Biden's visit

Answering journalists' questions regarding Biden's visit to Cyprus after a meeting with his Kyrgyzstan counterpart, Davutoglu said that Turkey was always striving to find a peaceful solution to the Cyprus problem.

Noting that ten years had passed since the Turkish Cypriots voted in favour of the Annan Plan in Cyprus, the Turkish Foreign Minister claimed that the pro solution stance shown by the "TRNC" (editor's note: the breakaway regime in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus) and Turkey was not reciprocated.

Providing information about the preparation of the joint declaration, Davutoglu said that following the agreement reached on the joint statement between the two leaders on the island, the negotiating will of both sides had strengthened and the international community's interest to the Cyprus issue had increased. Explaining that firm steps have been taken at the negotiations process for a solution, Davutoglu reiterated that Biden's visit had been very timely.

"Biden visiting Eroglu in the "TRNC" is a historical step. It shows that he approached the sides equally and in our respect this is a very positive message", said the Turkish Minister.

He also warned that it is difficult to reach a solution without equal treatment of the two sides.

Expressing the hope that the negotiations process will gain momentum in the coming period, Davutoglu noted that he recently discussed the Cyprus issue with the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon during a conference in Shanghai. "We are hearing of many crises around the world and in such a pessimistic atmosphere, any progress to be achieved in Cyprus will have positive effects on these areas as well," Davutoglu stressed.

[05] Turkish Nationalists Action Movement criticized Biden's visit

He went on and added that the decision taken by the European Court of Human Rights against Turkey for its invasion in 1974 to Cyprus will negatively affect the negotiation process.

[06] Columnist Kanli writes that the policy of the Turkish Foreign Ministry on the Cyprus problem has failed

In any case, it was odd for Ankara to bypass the Turkish Cypriot presidency at the initial stages of this 'new initiative' and brokering deals through the Americans and even worse, proxy talks with the Greek Cypriots. Such an attitude, of course, was tantamount to compromising Turkish Cypriot statehood for some conjectural hopes. When this awkward situation made the headlines of media, corrections were made and the process was returned to its normal course and parallel diplomacy was halted. That coincided with the Feb. 11 joint statement ? brokered by the American diplomacy with Turkey's carte blanche ? that kicked off this new round of inter-communal talks.

The return to 'traditional diplomacy channels' produced some domestic tensions in northern Cyprus as a new chief negotiator to some degree replaced the prominent role the socialist foreign minister was occupying in the Ankara-led earlier phase.(?)

Joe Biden, the American vice president and thus in a way the 'vice master' of the new process, was on the island to see the state of desperate affairs of the process his diplomats have cooked up. (?)

The high issue at the talks was expected to be the 'creation of a Varosha committee affiliated with the U.N.' proposal that started to emerge because it became obvious for everyone that, irrespective how generous Ankara might be, Eroglu will not budge on the issue. Now, there are signs that Eroglu as well might agree to the creation of such a committee, provided a similar committee is established on hydrocarbon riches on and off the island. Would the Greek Cypriots accept such a deal? (?)

The Cyprus gamble of the political team from the Turkish Foreign Ministry has so far badly failed. Can Biden change the prospects? Very unlikely."

[07] Columnist Bekdil criticizes Davutoglu who cites UN Resolutions but ignores the ones on Cyprus

"(?) Mr Davutoglu thinks Jerusalem and the al-Aqsa Mosque (where he has said he wants to pray after Jerusalem has become the capital of the Palestinian state) have been under occupation since 1948 ? when the state of Israel was founded, which is wrong. Last week, he said that 'under the term[s] of international law, Jerusalem is under [Israeli] occupation'. Then he asked: 'If U.N. decisions [Resolutions] are not being implemented then why are these taken in the first place?'

If Mr Davutoglu was attending chess classes at the age of 11 he would probably be kindly requested to quit immediately. How can a Foreign Minister cite U.N. Resolutions about 'Jerusalem's occupation' when several other U.N. Resolutions have described his own country as the occupier of Cyprus over the last four decades?

Ironically, Mr Davutoglu's speech on the occupation of Jerusalem came around the same day as the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ordered Turkey to pay 90 million euro to Republic of Cyprus for the 1974 occupation and the island's subsequent division. Really, could you explain, honourable Minister, 'if the U.N. [and the Council of Europe's] rulings are not being implemented, then why are these taken in the first place?'

But in response to the ECHR's verdict, Mr Davutoglu said that he viewed the ruling as 'neither binding nor of any value'. That would be a breach of the Constitution, since Article 90 of the Turkish Constitution states that 'international agreements duly put into effect have the force of law. No appeal to the Constitutional Court shall be made with regard to these agreements, on the ground that they are unconstitutional.'

Of course, we could always ask Mr Davutoglu if he would be willing to explain why Israel should be obliged to implement all U.N. Resolutions, but in Turkey's case both U.N. Resolutions and ECHR rulings should be 'neither binding nor of any value'. I am sure he won't explain. But I think I know the answer. (?)

[08] Deniz Birinci called on the Cyprus government to let all Turkish Cypriot citizens of the Republic of Cyprus to vote for the EP elections

Turkish Cypriot candidate Deniz Birinci with the group Eylem/ DRASY said that the Republic of Cyprus and its officials, as the member state, is responsible of the EP elections, and called the Cyprus authorities to give the right to all Turkish Cypriots, who are citizens of the Republic of Cyprus, to cast a vote at the elections, despite the fact that their names are included or not on the electoral list.

According to the paper, Birinci with the other Turkish Cypriot candidate Alev Tugberk have filed a written complaint for the situation at the Nicosia District Office.

[09] Siber: In a possible federal solution, we will exist in our own state

Stating that the aim should be a fair and permanent solution Siber said: "It's important that the community is also ready for a solution, not just the leaders".

"In a possible federal solution, we will exist in our own state and within our own institutional structures. Therefore as long as these institutional structures are strong, this will increase our community's confidence and will motivate us", added Siber.

[10] Cooperation between the CFA and the "KTFF" started to give results

According to the paper, according to an article that will be presented on the June 21 election and ordinary meeting of the KTFF, the footballers who are holders of the Republic of Cyprus identity card will be able to participate in the "Super league, the 1st division league and the 2snd division league and will be given a "license" by the "KTFF" to play football in Turkish Cypriot teams.

In addition, the paper writes that CFA chairman Costakis Koutsokoumnis invited the "KTFF" administration and its chairman to attend the friendly match that will take place in Tokyo between the Republic of Cyprus and the Japan national teams. TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION

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