Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 14-11-19

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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] Nami met with MUSIAD's members in Berlin; He called President Anastasiades to return to the table

[02] Cyprus problem on Biden's agenda during his forthcoming visit to Turkey on Friday

[03] KTAMS trade union calls both leaders to refrain from provocative actions and return to the negotiating table

[04] A reception was held in Budapest for the anniversary of the breakaway regime establishment

[05] The construction of the water treatment plant under the Bellapais monument was stopped

[06] US Chamber of Commerce opens office in Turkey

[07] Turkey fears influx of 2-3 million more Syrian refugees

[08] Erdogan insists that the Muslims discovered America; He instructed Turkish educational institution to re-write the history

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS

[01] Nami met with MUSIAD's members in Berlin; He called President Anastasiades to return to the table

According to the paper, Nami met yesterday with the president and the members of the administration board of the Independent Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (MUSIAD).

During the meeting, Nami was briefed about MUSIAD's work in Berlin.

Nami briefed MUSIAD' members about the latest developments on the Cyprus problem and the Cyprus negotiation process.

Replying to questions regarding the Cyprus problem, Nami stated that the recent situation relating to hydrocarbons has demonstrated once again how essential and important the solution of the Cyprus problem is.

Pointing out that the only way to reach a settlement is at the negotiating table, Nami said that the "Greek Cypriot administration's leader", as he called the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Anastasiades' withdrawal from the negotiations, is unacceptable and underlined the need for the Greek Cypriot leader to return to the negotiating table without further delay.

AK

[02] Cyprus problem on Biden's agenda during his forthcoming visit to Turkey on Friday

According to the paper, a US official stated that the main stance of the US government is the re-launching of the peace procedure in Cyprus and to exert efforts so the two sides avoid provocative actions.

During his two-day visit to Istanbul, Biden will meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople and a number of nongovernmental representatives. Biden will also deliver the closing

[03] KTAMS trade union calls both leaders to refrain from provocative actions and return to the negotiating table

In a written statement issued today, the chairman of "KTAMS" Ahmet Kaptan said that both peoples on the island needed a secure, safe and stable future which was only possible through a political settlement. "The only way out of the uncertainty and economic dependence that plagues Turkish Cypriots is a solution to the Cyprus problem" Kaptan said, highlighting the urgency for the resumption of the Cyprus negotiations process.

Stating that the latest developments were not promising from the Turkish Cypriots' point of view, Kaptan said that the negotiations had collapsed.

Kaptan said that the issue of hydrocarbons in the Eastern Mediterranean had caused the current deadlock, and continued: "this natural wealth which could be used for the prosperity and development of the two communities is unfortunately being used to block a settlement".

Criticizing both the Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu and the Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades for their adopted stances, Kaptan said that great responsibility fell on the trade unions and civil society organizations in bringing the two sides back to the negotiating table.

He said both sides needed to refrain from all actions or provocations which could raise tensions in the area and that both leaders needed to return to the negotiating table to reach a lasting partnership on the basis of "political equality".

[04] A reception was held in Budapest for the anniversary of the breakaway regime establishment

The self-styled "TRNC representative" in Budapest, Arif Altay hosted the event in which the Turkish ambassador to Budapest Sakir Fakil and other Turkish officials participated in the reception. Speaking during the event, Altay stated that the "TRNC representative" in Budapest is very new and added that that they hope that commercial relations between the breakaway regime and Hungary will be improved soon.

[05] The construction of the water treatment plant under the Bellapais monument was stopped

The paper writes that the construction was stopped with a "court order" after reactions were voiced for the construction of a water treatment plant so near an important historic monument.

[06] US Chamber of Commerce opens office in Turkey

The vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Myron Brilliant, said that the Istanbul regional office was only the Chamber's second in the world. The other office, in Brussels, has opened several years ago.

Brilliant added that Turkey was picked for its location - as a hub between Europe, the Middle East and Africa which provides many opportunities for businessmen. "Think about the places that we do business in: China, India, Brazil, and Russia. And, we have chosen Turkey for a significant reason", said Brilliant in his speech at the opening ceremony, stressing that a new era begins in bilateral relations between the U.S and Turkey.

The new office was established through the joint efforts of the U.S. organization and the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey, or TOBB.

The head of the Turkish union, Rifat Hisarciklioglu, said that the efforts for making Turkey the centre for global corporations in the region would be strengthened thanks to the office.

"The U.S. will not be 10,000 km away, it will be at the heart of the city," said Hisarciklioglu, estimating this will boost investment of Turkish businessmen in the U.S. market, as currently it stands at only 0.3%.

The Turkish Development Minister, Cevdet Yilmaz, urged for a greater trade volume between the two countries, as the U.S. is the seventh recipient of Turkish exports and the fifth exporter of goods in Turkey.

Yilmaz also declared that further U.S. direct investment in Turkey is expected as it has only reached $9 billion out of a total of $137 billion invested since 2002.

The Minister took the opportunity to reiterate Turkey's concerns over negotiations underway between the U.S. and the EU over a free trade agreement.

Turkey is concerned with the EU-US Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership agreement, also known as the TTIP Agreement, as it has no say in the ongoing negotiations. But Ankara would still have to abide by its terms and conditions because of its Customs Union deal with the EU.

[07] Turkey fears influx of 2-3 million more Syrian refugees

"Right now who is filling the void left by ISIL as a result of the coalition's air attacks? It is the regime" Cavusoglu said, adding: "But there is not that much difference between the ISIL and the regime. Both kill cruelly, especially civilians. And neither hesitates to use whatever weapons are available to them".

"A weakening of the moderate opposition, the FSA backed by the coalition, will make the adverse situation in Syria worse and more unstable", Cavusoglu said. "Fearful civilians are fleeing from areas where ISIL, terrorist groups and the regime are gaining ground. A possible advance in Aleppo would mean the influx of two to three million people to the Turkish border to seek asylum", he added.

[08] Erdogan insists that the Muslims discovered America; He instructed Turkish educational institution to re-write the history

"I have to be clear that there is an important responsibility falling on the shoulders of our Education Ministry and YOK [the Higher Education Board]. An objective writing of history will show the contribution of the East, the Middle East and Islam to the science and arts. As the President of my country, I cannot accept that our civilization is inferior to other civilizations", Erdogan said in his address to students at the opening of a religious school in Ankara on November 18.

He also slammed criticisms from columnists and cartoonists mocking his claims that Muslim sailors discovered the Americas and constructed a mosque in Cuba centuries before Columbus.

"Why [do they not believe it]? Because they have never believed that a Muslim can do such a thing. They have never believed that their ancestors could manage to launch ships in the Golden Horn after transporting them across land," Erdogan said, referring to Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II's conquest of Istanbul in 1453.

"They have never believed that their ancestors ended the Dark Age and opened the New Age. That's a lack of self-confidence," he added.

Erdogan defended his claims about the discovery of the Americas and underlined that the suggested had not originally been made by him. "This idea is not new. It is mentioned in Professor's Fuat Sezgin's books. A number of academics in Turkey and in the world have made this claim," he said, without referring to his suggestion that the Muslims who discovered Cuba built a mosque on a hill there.

Fuat Sezgin is a Turkish professor emeritus on Arabic-Islamic science, who has been living in Germany since the aftermath of the 1960 coup in Turkey.

A day after Erdogan voiced his claim about the discovery of the Americas for the first time, Sezgin participated in a press conference to introduce the Turkish edition of his book on the history of Arab-Islamic literature.

"I wrote years ago that the American continent was discovered by Muslim sailors. Everything written in the book is correct, but nobody in my country speaks about it," daily Milliyet quoted Sezgin as saying on November 16. TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION

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