Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 14-10-02

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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] Nami's contacts in NY and Washington

[02] British High Commissioner: The solution to the Cyprus problem could not be imposed from outside

[03] Siber: The Cyprus problem negatively influences the Turkish Cypriot community's quality of life

[04] Ozersay: We are entering an intense phase

[05] Denktas and Sertoglu on the transferring of the Greek Cypriot football player to a Turkish Cypriot team

[06] Asikoglu: "We exceeded our expectations on tourism"

[07] Sarpten: "Bakirci and the council of ministers should resign"

[08] A meeting at the Turkish "embassy" for the water

[09] Inhabitants of occupied Pergamos village want electricity supply from the Republic of Cyprus

[10] The "faculty of fine arts and design" of illegal YDU university became a member of ICOGRADA

[11] Erdogan: Turkey will fight terror but not for temporary solutions

[12] MHP supports mandate, other opposition parties say 'no'

[13] Turkey and Russia discussed broader energy cooperation

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS

[01] Nami's contacts in NY and Washington

Before completing his contacts in New York, Nami met with the UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman and the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Herve Ladsous.

During his meeting with Feltman, Nami conveyed his expectation that the ongoing negotiations process will gain momentum with the appointment of the new UN Special Adviser Espen Barth Eide. He said that maintaining past convergences reached between the two sides is crucial for moving the process forward.

Reiterating the Turkish Cypriot side's commitment to the negotiations process, Nami reminded that the UN, as an impartial institution, played an important role on the island, particularly in assisting the negotiations process to move forward effectively and productively.

Feltman for his part said that the UN Secretary General had a special interest towards the Cyprus issue and that he will be following the developments and the work carried out by his Special Advisor closely.

Nami during his meeting with the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Herve Ladsous stressed that the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus carries out an important duty on the island. He said that it is important that UNFICYP resumed its duties in an impartial and balanced manner. The two also discussed issues related to UNFICYP's operations on the island.

Following his contacts in New York, Nami moved on to Washington D.C.

According to illegal Bayrak television (01.10.14), Nami has said that the current state of affairs in Cyprus cannot continue as Turkish Cypriots can and should not be forced to live under "international isolations". Nami was speaking at a conference at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.

According to a press release by the "department of information", Nami became the first Turkish Cypriot "minister" to deliver a speech at Yale.

In his speech, Nami said that the Cyprus problem is one of the oldest issues on the UN's agenda and that numerous attempts and negotiations have been conducted to reach a mutually acceptable settlement on the island.

Pointing out that an important opportunity to solve the Cyprus problem had been missed in 2004 when the Greek Cypriot Side had rejected a UN sponsored plan which had been put to simultaneous referenda, Nami said that a new process was currently underway following the signing of a Joint Declaration by the two sides on the 11th of February this year.

Explaining that the recent appointment of a new Special Advisor by the UN Secretary General demonstrated that the UN regarded the Cyprus issue a top priority, Nami said that it had been agreed to move onto the next phase of the negotiations at the leaders' first meeting held with the participation of the Special Advisor.

Stating that the Cyprus Turkish side always adopted a positive and constructive stance at the talks, Nami claimed that the Turkish Cypriots were still being subjected to international isolation despite their overwhelming support to the Annan Plan in 2004.

Pointing out that the Greek Cypriot side was reportedly preventing all efforts and attempts by the international community to ease the "international isolation" of Turkish Cypriots, Nami said that the current state of affairs in Cyprus could not continue, as Turkish Cypriots could and should not be forced to live under "international isolation".

He also said that the Turkish Cypriots were expecting important international actors such as the UN and the US to encourage the Greek Cypriot side to take the necessary steps towards achieving a settlement.

[02] British High Commissioner: The solution to the Cyprus problem could not be imposed from outside

Responding to the paper's questions regarding some statements made by the Turkish Cypriot negotiator Kudret Ozersay in New York, who had argued that the main actors will undertake an initiative on the Cyprus problem and push the process forward, Todd underlined the UK's determination to contribute in the solution of the Cyprus problem, but at the same time added that the solution could not and should not be imposed from outside.

Referring to the appointment of Espen Barth Eide as UN Secretary-General's Special Adviser on Cyprus, Todd noted that Eide added "new energy" to the process and expressed the view that the current process gives hope for a "just and lasting agreement".

(I/Ts.)

[03] Siber: The Cyprus problem negatively influences the Turkish Cypriot community's quality of life

Addressing yesterday the opening ceremony of the breakaway regime's "legislative year", Siber argued that they support a "just and lasting bi-communal, bi-zonal federal solution based on political equality". Reiterating their support to the joint Declaration of 11 February 2014 and the negotiating process which started right after that, Siber said that they wish for progress to be achieved in the negotiations.

In his speech, Ozkan Yorgancioglu, leader of the Republican Turkish Party ? United Forces (CTP-BG) and self-styled prime minister of the regime, said that the "assembly" should be involved in the Cyprus problem and underlined the importance of carrying out their efforts together, by cooperating and exchanging views.

Huseyin Ozgurgun, chairman of the "main opposition" National Unity party (UBP), said that the Cyprus problem will be one of the issues on the "assembly's" agenda within the forthcoming period and added that the political parties should cooperate and be united on this issue.

Finally, Serdar Denktas, chairman of the Democratic Party ? National Forces (DP-UG) and self-styled deputy prime minister of the regime, expressed his discomfort for the fact that they had all voted in favor of the "constitutional amendments" at the "assembly", but when these amendments were taken to "referendum" last year some parties worked for their rejection.

(I/Ts.)

[04] Ozersay: We are entering an intense phase

Speaking to TAK regarding the meeting, Ozersay said: "We are entering an intense phase. Our aim is to get results". He added: "There are issues that need to be clarified in terms of methodology and the essence of the several issues prior to the phase we are entering right after the Eid holiday. We discussed these issues with the UN officials.

During the last leaders meeting which took place on the 17th of September the two sides agreed to enter an intensified phase with an approach based on the 'win-win' principle. With Eide's visit on the 7th of October it is expected that the program and the strategy of the process will be decided on".

[05] Denktas and Sertoglu on the transferring of the Greek Cypriot football player to a Turkish Cypriot team

In statements to Ankara Anatolia news agency's correspondent in the occupied area of Cyprus, Denktas described the incident as "unfortunate", especially in a period as he said, where the Cyprus negotiation talks are taking place. "Greek Cypriot fanatics' reaction is improper and it damages both sides", he added.

"With this reaction, the Greek Cypriot side shows that it does not recognize the rights of the Turkish Cypriot side even in the field of sports", said Denktas.

Meanwhile, Turkish Cypriot daily Yeni Duzen (01.10.14) reported that the chairman of the Turkish Cypriot Football Federation Hasan Sertoglu in statements on the issue during a meeting he held with "presidential candidate" Mustafa Akkinci, said that they do not want to excaggerate more the problem experienced, adding that they will, however, follow the developments very closely.

Commenting on this issue, Akkinci said that a solution to this incident should be not found in politics but in the football field.

(AK)

[06] Asikoglu: "We exceeded our expectations on tourism"

In exclusive statements to the paper, Asikoglu announced that in 2015 they will sign a cooperation agreement with Turkish airlines aiming to connect them with several countries worldwide with charter flights.

Evaluating the tourism season, Asikoglu gave information about their new goals, the problems on the issue of communication and said: "The only way out are Turkish Airlines. We have been working on a project with Turkish Airlines for five years now. Turkish Airlines will connect us with the whole world. Because it flies everywhere. (?) It is for this reason that the Turkish airline is the only key for us".

Asikoglu reminded that the so-called minister of tourism Serdar Denktas held contacts some days ago with the director of Turkish Airlines and said that they expect for the implementation of a package in 2015, especially related to several Scandinavian and European countries.

Stating that their tourism revenues were also increased, Asikoglu said that their tourism income in 2009 was 330 million US dollars; while in 2013 it was 680 million dollars.

Asikoglu also said that "north Cyprus' products" have become capable to compete with products from France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

(AK)

[07] Sarpten: "Bakirci and the council of ministers should resign"

According to the press release: "Education minister Mustafa Arabacioglu's statement before his resignation that 'the system is corrupt, we are not the ones ruling' and after the environment minister Hamit Bakirci's acknowledged a weakness in management with his statement 'we are not at the position to manage the water' reflects the fact that the politics in the 'country' are collapsing.

Bakirci whose real job is to 'solve the environmental issues', has not produced any solutions for the issues since the day he took up the minister's duties. As a matter of fact his actions reflected that he was not actually the 'environment and natural resources minister' of this 'country' but more like 'Turkey's responsible for water minister' in Cyprus. Until today 'environment minister' Bakirci was unable to put into a plan any goals of the 'government program'. 'Ministers' duties are to materialize the commitments of the 'government program'. Since commitments have not been made actions there is no point for the 'ministers' to sit in their seats."

[08] A meeting at the Turkish "embassy" for the water

It is reported that the issue under discussion will be water and the Turkish "embassy" will announce to them the projects and their expected contribution.

[09] Inhabitants of occupied Pergamos village want electricity supply from the Republic of Cyprus

The self-styled mayor of Pergamos, Ilker Edip and the people living there told Kibrisli that they were not informed that such a change would happen and complained of being ignored by the self-styled government. They said that many domestic devices and electrical tools used by craftsmen were burned because of the low voltage.

Noting that they experience interruption of electricity every day since KIB-TEK started providing them with electricity, the inhabitants of Pergamos noted that they have been receiving electricity from the government-controlled area of Cyprus for 40 years and their electricity supply has never been interrupted. They added that in the cases that electricity supply would be interrupted, they were informed 72 hours earlier about the length of the interruption.

"We do not want electricity from KIB-TEK. We want electricity from the south. At least there is seriousness in the administration", they said.

(I/Ts.)

[10] The "faculty of fine arts and design" of illegal YDU university became a member of ICOGRADA

According to a statement issued by the so-called university, the "vice-rector" of the "faculty", Dr Erdal Aygen said that the "faculty" submitted an application for membership to ICOGRADA last month and added that their membership has been accepted unanimously by the council.

(AK)

[11] Erdogan: Turkey will fight terror but not for temporary solutions

"We will never tolerate any terrorist organizations in our lands, in our region or indeed in the world. We are open and ready for any cooperation in the fight against terrorism. However, it should be understood by everybody that Turkey is not a country in pursuit of temporary solutions, nor will Turkey allow others to take advantage of it," Erdogan said in his lengthy address to Parliament on the occasion of the opening of the new legislative year.

His message was directed at the U.S.-led international coalition that was recently formed to destroy the ISIL militants in Iraq and Syria. The coalition is pressing Turkey for an efficient contribution to the fight, including opening its military bases, its airspace and pledging training and logistical support to moderate Syrian rebels. Turkey, however, stresses that the campaign should not be limited to the ISIL and should also target regime change in Syria.

"A decisive struggle against all terrorist organizations in the region should be achieved and Turkey's proposals and warnings should be taken into consideration. Otherwise, tons of air bombs will only delay the threat and danger. This has been the case in Iraq so far," Erdogan said. "It is inevitable that temporary solutions will cause Iraq to face such interventions every 10 years. Similarly, ignoring Syria will also delay a proper solution."

"We will fight effectively against both ISIL and all other terrorist organizations in the region; this will always be our priority. At the same time, it will also be our priority that the refugees whose number has already exceeded 1.5 million in Turkey return to their country or are able to live safely in their country. Again, we will continue to prioritize our aim to remove the Syrian regime, to help protect the territorial integrity of Syria, and to encourage a constitutional, parliamentary system that embraces all citizens in the country," he added.

Having cited these points as priorities, Erdogan stressed that Turkey has no "intention of intervening in the internal affairs of our neighbours or in any country in the region and nor does it have any plans or intentions for their lands."

Recalling that Parliament is set to vote on a motion authorizing the Turkish army to conduct cross-border operations abroad and to allow the deployment of foreign troops in Turkish territories, Erdogan indirectly called on all political parties to vote in favour of it, saying Turkey does not have the "luxury to adopt an indecisive attitude on regional issues".

Meanwhile, the motion on Iraq and Syria, submitted late Tuesday by the Turkish government to parliament late Tuesday, seeks to ward off possible attacks against Turkey by all terrorist groups in the two conflict-ridden countries of Iraq and Syria, said the Turkish Prime Ministry.

"There has been a serious increase of risks and threats along Turkey's southern land borders, threatening our national security, due to recent developments in the region," reads the justification for the motion, signed by Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.

The Turkish government has submitted earlier on Tuesday an inclusive motion to parliament to expand authorization for the government and the armed forces to act against recent security threats from Iraq and Syria, as Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc announced following a Council of Ministers' meeting on Tuesday.

The motive for the motion specifically cites the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime and increasing security risks against Suleyman Sah Guard, a Turkish enclave, near Aleppo in Syria, guaranteed by a 1921 treaty inked with France. Therein lies the tomb of late 12th century Turkish leader Suleyman Sah.

"The terrorist element of the armed [Kurdistan Worker's Party] PKK still exists in northern Iraq. On the other hand, the significant increase in the number of other terrorist elements in Syria and the threat posed by them in Iraq is also alarming," says the motion, referring to ISIL.

The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL, which seized vast territories, both in Syria and Iraq, since early June, has become a growing threat for the whole region, and recently along the Turkish border.

If ratified by the parliament, the motion will authorize the Turkish government to take immediate action against any group threatening the country.

The motion also includes a mandate for the government to send Turkish Armed Forces to foreign countries, for instance Iraq or Syria, if necessary. The motion is to last for a period of one year.

The Turkish parliament will discuss the motion, giving authority to the government and the armed forces to act accordingly to threats from Syria and Iraq, during a special session on Thursday.

[12] MHP supports mandate, other opposition parties say 'no'

People's Democratic Party (HDP) Group Deputy Chair Pervin Buldan said that the HDP will vote "no" to the mandate over Turkish deployment in Iraq and Syria. The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) announced that it is opposed to having foreign soldiers deployed in Turkey. The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) that formerly announced their support for Turkey's involvement in the anti-ISIS coalition but oppose Turkish boots on the ground, also decided not to support the mandate.

After the mandate was submitted to Parliament, the MHP, having certain reservations on the mandate, announced that they will vote "yes". MHP leader Devlet Bahceli said: "Our choice is Turkey's security".

The mandate allowing a cross-border operation caused concern by MHP deputies due to what they see as drawbacks in it. However, following talks between Bahceli and his staff, the MHP leader said that his party will give the authorization to the Turkish Army.

HDP Mersin Deputy Ertugrul Kurkcu announced that his party is critical of the mandate and said, "We are against this mandate. We will say 'no,' we will show a red card".

Kurkcu said that none of the regional issues can be solved with weapons and pointed out that the HDP has voted "no" on all mandates since 2007 for the same reasons. Kurkcu also questioned the merging of two different mandates into one comprehensive package.

CHP Deputy Chairman Gursel Tekin said that the mandate is incoherent and problematic. Engin Altay, another CHP deputy chairman, stated that they will not support the mandate in the Parliament.

[13] Turkey and Russia discussed broader energy cooperation

Russian energy giant Gazprom and Turkey have agreed to increase the capacity of the Blue Stream natural gas pipeline, which carries Russian gas to Turkey via the Black Sea. Turkish government sources confirmed with Anatolia Agency on Wednesday that the agreement to increase capacity from 16 billion cubic meters (bcm) to 19 bcm had been reached during Turkish Energy Minister Taner Y?ld?z's visit to Moscow.

Turkey consumes 45 billion cubic meters of gas annually, with nearly 60% of it being imported from Russia. The agreement came as Y?ld?z held discussions with Russian counterpart Alexander Novak, Gazprom's CEO Alexey Miller, Sergey Kiriyenko, CEO of the state-owned Russian nuclear company Rosatom and Elena Burmistrova, the head of Gazpromexport, during his visit to the Russian capital. Gazprom also reiterated that it had agreed with Turkey to increase the capacity of the Blue Stream underwater gas pipeline to 19 billion cubic metres (bcm) from 16 bcm. TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION

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