Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 15-03-18

Cyprus Press and Information Office: Turkish Cypriot Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS

[01] Eroglu: Eide will announce resumption of Cyprus talks in April's first weeks; Eide: The negotiations might resume within a few weeks

[02] Davutoglu: We will not allow for the Turkish Cypriots living in ghettos again

[03] Brok hopes that talks in Cyprus resume under better conditions after the hydrocarbon explorations in the Mediterranean stop for a while

[04] The Turkish Cypriot press continues covering GAE's public opinion poll

[05] A town twinning protocol signed between the occupied village of Lapithos and Karpos town in FYROM

[06] 172 thousands registered cars in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus

[07] The gas will flow through TANAP in 2018; Erdogan and Putin discussed the "Turkish Stream gas project"

[08] A timeline on how many times Erdogan changes mind on the Kurdish issue

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS

[01] Eroglu: Eide will announce resumption of Cyprus talks in April's first weeks; Eide: The negotiations might resume within a few weeks

In statements yesterday after meeting with UN Secretary-General's Special Adviser on Cyprus, Espen Barth Eide, Eroglu noted that Eide told him that President Anastasiades intends to return to the negotiating table, adding that he is still waiting at the table and that the talks might resume even before the "presidential elections" which will be held on 19 April in the occupied area of Cyprus.

Eroglu said also that Eide approaches the issues and the sides with a good will and he carries out his visits between the sides in a good manner.

In his statements, Eide said that what he called as "hydrocarbon crisis" is about to be overcome and it seems that the negotiations might resume within a few weeks. He noted that the conditions might be formed soon and then they will announce the resumption of the talks. "I am not doing it now, because there are some things which should be materialized, but spring will be more hopeful than autumn", he said arguing that not only the negotiations could resume, but they could be held in a speedier way than it is planned.

Asked how the "hydrocarbon crisis" will be overcome, Eide recalled that the Turkish NAVTEX ends on 6 April and added that the "general picture" is that it will be possible for the negotiations to resume within a few weeks on the basis of the positions which the sides had in the beginning. Eide said that a few months after the beginning of the negotiations they will evaluate the situation saying "this is the point we have come and these are the possible things to do".

Pointing out that "there is a serious international support" to the negotiations, Eide noted that some difficulties exist and will continue to be there, but when both sides have the necessary will, there is nothing that cannot be solved. He expressed the belief that both sides want a solution and said that he is hopeful.

(I/Ts.)

[02] Davutoglu: We will not allow for the Turkish Cypriots living in ghettos again

During the meeting Davutoglu has reportedly said: "We will never allow for the Turkish Cypriots living in ghettos again. The Cyprus problem is not a difficult problem. On the contrary, it is an easy problem. Provided that there is political will".

Furthermore, Kibris reports that Davutoglu referred again to the Cyprus problem during the meeting of the Justice and Development Party's (AKP) parliamentary group yesterday and said: "The 1974 peace operation [translator's note: This is how he described the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus] is the most comprehensive military operation in which the Republic of Turkey participated during its history. At the most critical moment, at the very moment which our military forces needed electronic communication, the communication was cut off. Some people did not want us to go to Cyprus and protect our brothers of same race and religion, the oppressed people. Then we needed the dastards. Whoever cut off the communication wanted to send us a message: 'Your fate is in our hands'. Now, forty years later, with the electronic war technology we have acquired through ASELAN, we declare the following: Our fate is first in our Allah's hand and then in our nation's hand..."

Davutoglu referred also to the situation in Turkey in relation to the negotiations held in Cyprus in 2004 and said: "While we were holding the Cyprus negotiations in 2004, we have seen some people who were publishing news in the papers saying that 'young army officers are annoyed' and were calling for a coup over Cyprus".

(I/Ts.)

[03] Brok hopes that talks in Cyprus resume under better conditions after the hydrocarbon explorations in the Mediterranean stop for a while

In statements during the meeting, Brok said that the hydrocarbon explorations in the Mediterranean will stop for a while and expressed the hope that the negotiations between the sides in Cyprus will resume under better conditions. He added that, irrespectively of Turkey's accession to the EU, the important thing for the Union is to reach a joint agreement on the energy policy, something which is important for Turkey as well.

Referring to their visit to Ankara, Brok noted that they discussed the development of Turkey's Customs Union at the Ministry of Economy, noting that both sides know that some deficiencies exist on this issue and that some problems have been created over time. He noted that they realize that when the EU signs free trade agreements with third countries, these agreements should not negatively affect Turkey and pointed out that the EU-Turkey relations are more important now than they were during the Cold War period. "However, we know the following: out peoples have realized that they should support more each other", he added.

Referring to Turkey's accession negotiations, Brok said that they are aware of the existence of "some old obstacles such as Cyprus, [and] the Ankara Protocol", but problems such as the opening of chapters are on the table and they hope to achieve progress. He noted that "new problems" emerged for the negotiations such as Turkey's "security package" and the European financial crisis, due to which EU enlargement seems very difficult for now. "We hope that we will overcome these problems with the help of our Greek friends", he said referring to the financial crisis.

(I/Ts.)

[04] The Turkish Cypriot press continues covering GAE's public opinion poll

Yeni Duzen newspaper reports that the poll shows that a second round will be needed in the "elections" and this second round will be between the "independent candidate" Dervis Eroglu and Sibel Siber, who is supported by the Republican Turkish Party ? United Forces (CTP-BG).

The paper notes that the poll was conducted on 8 March with a sample of 1,532 persons who replied to seven questions. 46.1% of the participants on the poll think that the "elections" will have two rounds, 28% said that the race will end in the first round and 25.5% expressed no view to this question.

In case Eroglu and Siber pass in the second round, 42.8% said that they will vote for Eroglu and 30.9% for Siber. Moreover, 26.3% replied that they will not vote. In case Eroglu stays in the second round with Akinci, the Turkish Cypriot leader will receive 44.2% and the former occupied Nicosia mayor 26.5%. In this scenario the percentage of those who will not vote increases to 29.3%. This percentage further increases (41.7%) in case Siber and Akinci are the opponents in the second round, during which 34.2% will vote for Siber and 24.1% for Akinci.

Asked who they think that the winner of the "elections" will be, 41.7% of the participants in the poll said Eroglu, 21.7% Siber, 17.8% Akinci, 2.3% Kudret Ozersay, 5% Mustafa Onurer and 5% Arif Salih Kirdag. 15.5% of the participants expressed no opinion on this issue.

The paper writes that in a poll held on 20 December, 30.9% of the participants replied that they will vote for Eroglu, who increased his percentage to 32.9% on 8 March. Siber received 19.7% on 20 December and 22.9% on 8 March, Akinci 11.2% on 20 December and 15.8% on 8 March and Ozersay 4.9% on 20 December and 5.1% on 8 March.

(I/Ts.)

[05] A town twinning protocol signed between the occupied village of Lapithos and Karpos town in FYROM

The paper writes that the Karpos municipality is one of the ten municipalities that make up the city of Skopje, the capital of FYROM.

On the same issue, according to illegal Bayrak television (online, 17.03.15), speaking at the signing ceremony, the so-called mayor of the occupied village Lapithos Fuat Namsoy said that the protocol has been signed as a result of an initiative launched by the "municipality's folklore team" which took part in a festival in FYROM last year. He added: "This is a first. We have signed numerous protocols with other municipalities in Turkey but this is the first time we have done so with a municipality outside of Turkey".

The Mayor of Skopje's Karpos Muncipality Stevco Jakimuvski for his part said that he was happy to be in the "TRNC" and to sign the protocol.

(DPs)

[06] 172 thousands registered cars in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus

Addressing the workshop, the self-styled minister for public works and transportation Hasan Tacoy said that this kind of a workshop is the first of its kind in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus and is the first step to prevent traffic accidents and to overcome problems caused by traffic. He also said that in the "country" (translator's note: the occupied area in the Republic of Cyprus) there are 172 thousands registered cars, in a population of 300 thousands. He added that every year, 5-7 thousands new cars are added.

(DPs)

[07] The gas will flow through TANAP in 2018; Erdogan and Putin discussed the "Turkish Stream gas project"

Speaking at the ceremony, Erdogan said that this project will be known for the peace and security it provides, as opposed to conflict for which oil and natural gas projects are often remembered. Referring to the Turkish Stream Project, whose negotiations have begun after the cancellation of the South Stream Project, Erdogan emphasized that Turkey will continue to work with other countries on energy. However, he said the TANAP project is not an alternative project, and likewise, there is no alternative projects to TANAP.

TANAP will be operated by the Azeri energy company SOCAR, which currently holds a 58% stake in the project. Turkey's state-owned energy operator BOTAS owns 30%, while British Petroleum (BP) undertook 12% of the project with an agreement signed last week. The TANAP project's operating company will be headquartered in the Netherlands, and the cost of the project is estimated at between $10 billion and $11 billion.

The Turkish, Azeri and Georgian Presidents each pushed a button that automatically placed the first pipe of the project in the ground.

The TANAP project will deliver natural gas originating from the Shah Deniz 2 gas field of Azerbaijan to Europe after passing through 20 cities in Turkey and 1,850 km of pipeline, with 19 km under the Sea of Marmara. The project will use approximately 1.3 million tons of steel pipes, and around 1.1 million tons of the required steel will be produced by Turkish steel producers ? 80% in total. Moreover, the project is expected to provide employment for more than 15,000 people. Following the agreement signed in June 2012, the project called the "Silk Road of Energy" has reached the ground-breaking phase and the start of construction. TANAP will begin from the village of Turkgozu of the Posof district of Ardahan right next to the Georgian border and terminate in the Ipsala district of Edirne near the Greek border. From here, it will link up to the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) that will deliver gas to European countries. In the framework of the project, there will be two outlets for connecting to the national natural gas network within Turkey ? one in Eskisehir and the other in Thrace.

The gas will flow through TANAP beginning in 2018. The transport capacity, which will initially be 16 billion cubic meters per year, will be increased gradually, first to 24 billion cubic meters and then to 31 billion cubic meters. TANAP will be the natural gas pipeline project with the greatest length and radius to be constructed on Turkish territory so far.

Meanwhile, Turkish daily Today's Zaman (online, 18.03.15) reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Erdogan discussed the "Turkish Stream" gas project during a phone call, the Kremlin said in a statement on Tuesday, as Moscow continues to push for its new undersea pipeline to Europe.

Facing objections from the European Union, Russia in December abandoned its $40 billion South Stream project which would have passed under the Black Sea to Bulgaria and carried up to 63 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas annually to Europe.

It has now pinned its hopes on Turkey, hoping to construct a "Turkish Stream" pipeline. Turkish officials have said the plans are unlikely to progress as quickly as Russia would like, given Ankara's concerns about overdependence on Russian energy.

However, the Kremlin statement said on Tuesday that Putin and Erdogan discussed the project during a phone call, without giving further details. Turkish Presidential sources also told Reuters that the two discussed developments in Ukraine, with Erdogan saying he plans to visit Ukraine this week.

[08] A timeline on how many times Erdogan changes mind on the Kurdish issue

December 2002:

When a Kurdish-origin Turkish citizen asked him to "solve the Kurdish problem", Erdogan replied by saying: "You shouldn't think there is a problem. You should think there is no problem. If you think that way, the problem will go away. We believe there is no such problem".

August 2005

While speaking at a ceremony in the Kurdish-majority southeastern province of Diyarbak?r, Erdogan said: "Great states should not ignore mistakes made in the past. All problems need a name, because they are all our problems. But if you insist that we should name it, the Kurdish problem is not only the problem of one part of my nation, it is a problem of every one of us, including myself."

Months later, however, he said the following: "I made a mistake by calling it the Kurdish problem. I should have found another wording. Something like 'the social and economic problems of my Kurdish-origin citizens.' These words were quoted in a book by journalist Cengiz Candar, who did not note their exact date.

July 2009

Erdogan touched on the issue during an official visit to Syria, before Ankara and Damascus became archenemies. "Call it the Kurdish problem, the southeast problem, or anything you want. We have started a study on the subject," he said.

December 2010

Addressing parliament, Erdogan said: "73 million of our people are united under the citizenship of the Republic of Turkey. Citizenship is an ultra-identity. Under this identity, there are several ethnic elements. As Turkey's Prime Minister, I defend the Kurdish problem and I will continue to do it."

April 2011

During an election rally in the eastern province of Mus, he said: "There is no Kurdish problem in this country anymore. I do not accept it. My Kurdish brother can experience a problem in this country, but there is no Kurdish problem."

July 2011

While answering journalists' questions after a Friday prayer, Erdogan said: "There is no Kurdish problem in this country. There is a problem of the PKK [the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party]."

March 2015

As Turkey approached another general election, Erdogan stated on March 15 that "we have never had a Kurdish problem in this country". In the heated public debate that followed, he reiterated this two days later.

Meanwhile, the Turkish government is continuing to pursue its peace process, in a bid to solve the decades-long problem. TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION

http://www.moi.gov.cy/pio

(DPs/ AM)

Cyprus Press and Information Office: Turkish Cypriot Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article