Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 15-05-13

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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] Akinci expresses the belief that the efforts of both leaders will be in the direction of having a "good result" in the Cyprus talks

[02] Cavusoglu and Kotzias express decisiveness to encourage the leaders in Cyprus to find a solution

[03] Greek Foreign Minister interviewed by Sabah on his Turkey visit and the Cyprus problem

[04] Bozkir: The Cyprus problem will be solved this year

[05] Mikis Theodorakis wants to meet with Akinci

[06] Ozyigit: The issues of Varosha and hydrocarbons could be discussed at a technical level in parallel to the negotiations

[07] Ulucay to act as "foreign minister"

[08] Kerry to meet with Cavusoglu on the side-lines of a NATO meeting

[09] Deputy PM Arinc says AK Party failed to establish justice

[10] Turkish scholar evaluates how Turkish Parties' vow to alter Turkey's foreign policy

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS

[01] Akinci expresses the belief that the efforts of both leaders will be in the direction of having a "good result" in the Cyprus talks

He noted that at the lunch they discussed the future and how they will proceed. He said: "I think that it really started in a positive climate, it was a good start. Good starts are important, but having a good end is more important. My effort, and I believe the effort of Mr Anastasiades also, will be in this direction. I am sure that he also has the mentality of 'we have made a good start, let's finish it well'. Therefore, I am hopeful for Friday. On Friday we will take the second step of the beginning we made last night. [?] And let us find a solution to the Cyprus problem that remains unsolved for years, a solution during which both sides could be happy and protect the rights of both sides [?]"

Asked from which point the negotiations will resume, Akinci said: "Leave it in the manner we have stated until today. In the following stage, when we proceed step by step, we will be definitely briefing you. You know how they (the negotiations) have been interrupted. Last night you saw how they started now. How they will proceed from now on is important. Therefore, let us go step by step and at every step we will inform you and the public opinion".

Akinci argued that the media both in the occupied and the government-controlled area of Cyprus have an important duty on the issue of informing the public and added that if they positively contribute in the procedure, they will be very useful for the Turkish Cypriots, the Greek Cypriots, Greece and Turkey.

Akinci met yesterday with Sibel Siber, self-styled speaker of the assembly, who wished him success in his duties.

Akinci said that the time for solving the Cyprus problem has come and that political will from both sides is needed for ending in 2015 the negotiating process which has started in 1968.

He described the period of his election as a "difficult one" as the "people" have high expectations, something which makes his responsibility heavier.

(I/Ts.)

[02] Cavusoglu and Kotzias express decisiveness to encourage the leaders in Cyprus to find a solution

In statements at a joint press conference with Kotzias in Ankara, Cavusoglu said that Turkey and Greece should help the two community leaders in the island and added:

"We are more determined than ever on the issue of the two sides, the two leaders in the island continuing the negotiations and finding a solution within a federal system formed by two founding states on the basis of the joint declaration of 11 February 2014. I want to say that if the Greek Cypriot sector and Greece have the same determination, we could reach a lasting peace and solution in the island within this year. [?]"

Referring to the Cyprus problem, Kotzias said that an opportunity for a solution exists now and added that the rights of the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots should be secured. Noting that they wish for Cyprus having relations of friendship and cooperation with all countries, he underlined that an island which does not need guarantor powers and has good relations with Turkey and Greece should come up from the Cyprus talks.

(I/Ts.)

[03] Greek Foreign Minister interviewed by Sabah on his Turkey visit and the Cyprus problem

The paper writes that Kotzias also spoke on the resolution of the Cyprus problem, saying that he reacted positively to the election of Turkish Cypriot new leader Mustafa Akinci and added the following:

"I once came across him in the past. He gave an impression to me that he felt himself to be a Cypriot. He also has the responsibility and obligation to serve the interests of the Turkish Cypriots. He is probably familiar with the structure and cultural codes of the Greek Cypriots since he knows Greek very well. Hope should always be kept alive. Our philosophy should be the historic philosophy of optimism. This requires efforts from all of us to find a real resolution to the Cyprus issue. We are obliged to work to enable the integrity, sovereignty and independence of the island and to preserve all the rights of both Greek and Turkish Cypriots. Also, we should not forget the rights of three other minority groups on Cyprus, the Maronites, the Latins and the Armenians."

[04] Bozkir: The Cyprus problem will be solved this year

Addressing the general assembly of Turkey's Ship Building Industrialists' Union, Bozkir said: "The Cyprus problem is more easily solvable than the problem in Syria, the problem in Ukraine, because its parameters are known. The intention has for the first time come side by side. I think that within this year this problem will be solved".

(I/Ts.)

[05] Mikis Theodorakis wants to meet with Akinci

(CS)

[06] Ozyigit: The issues of Varosha and hydrocarbons could be discussed at a technical level in parallel to the negotiations

In statements after a meeting of his party's council the night before yesterday, Ozyigit noted that "the parameters of the solution, as it is stated in the 11 February declaration, is a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation including a single sovereignty, a single identity and a single citizenship".

Noting that the issue of the confidence building measures is also important for them, Ozyigit said that, in parallel to the negotiations, issues such as the occupied fenced off city of Varosha and the hydrocarbons could be discussed at a technical level and this will contribute to the comprehensive solution.

Ozyigit reiterated the support of his party to the opening of more crossing points between the occupied area and the government-controlled area of the island.

At the meeting, the TDP decided to hold a congress for amending its statute on 28 June.

(I/Ts.)

[07] Ulucay to act as "foreign minister"

(CS)

[08] Kerry to meet with Cavusoglu on the side-lines of a NATO meeting

The event, hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will commence on Wednesday and continue until Thursday under the chairmanship of NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.

Diplomatic sources said Kerry and Cavusoglu will hold a separate meeting to discuss bilateral relations with a focus on joint efforts to train moderate Syrian rebels.

[09] Deputy PM Arinc says AKP failed to establish justice

"I like the name of my party. We are very good at development but are we good at justice? I once said we constructed courthouses, now it is time to establish justice [?], he said during a live television interview on Monday night.

Ar?nc is among the founders of the AK Party together with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and former President Abdullah Gul. The politician, who earlier announced that he will quit politics after the June 7 parliamentary elections, has recently struck a critical tone against Erdogan and some actions of the government.

[10] Turkish scholar evaluates how Turkish parties' vow to alter Turkey's foreign policy

Considering the election manifestos of the major parties, Ozkan distinguished between the "imperial" foreign policies of the ruling AKP and the Nationalist Movement Party's (MHP) and the more modest visions of the main opposition Republican People's Party's (CHP) and the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP).

Ozkan stated that the AKP is still not facing reality. "Turkey has no ambassadors in Yemen, Libya, Syria, Egypt and Israel. But there is no recognition of this fact in the manifesto. There is no mention of Egypt, Libya, Iran, or Greece. The party has gone from "zero problems with neighbours" to a point where it doesn't even talk about those neighbours. There is mention of countries that Turkey has less problematic relations with, but there is no mention of the Arab uprisings, no vision about this issue. Turkish foreign policy seriously failed in the Arab uprisings, but the AKP doesn't admit this", he stated and added that there is no mention of EU on AKP election manifesto: "There are just general views. The EU's importance in the AKP's manifesto is no bigger than any other country".

On CTP, Ozkan says that the party believes that Turkey has reached a point of dangerous loneliness and therefore Turkish foreign policy should be more cautious. It sees Turkey's current foreign policy as a national security problem. The EU is at the centre of the CHP's foreign policy. Just as the AKP positions Turkey as the leader of the Islamic world, the CHP positions Turkey as part of Europe. "The CHP is still in search of a vision, just like all the other left-wing parties in Europe. We see this in the case of its position on Armenia and Cyprus. There is no new opening. The classic line of the Foreign Ministry's diplomatic school is endorsed. There is also only a slight mention of Kurds. But there is a Kurdish reality in the Middle East. Will the Kurds beyond our borders be our allies or not? There are no answers to this question from the CHP", he stated.

On MHP's rhetoric he stated that the party's is based on the "Turkish world." The MHP is a Turkish nationalist party, so it has the rhetoric of leadership of the Turkish world. "What is striking is that MHP seems to have endorsed some of Davutoglu's rhetoric: Being a regional leader, a global power. Just as the constituencies of the two parties are similar, there are also similarities in their foreign policy visions. They both have an imperial vision: Putting Turkey at the centre, placing the neighbours around it and establishing hegemonic relations with them. The Kurdish issue is a serious source of concern for the MHP. It talks about maintaining the territorial integrity of Iraq and Syria. There is not one mention of the word "Kurdish" in the MHP's manifesto. This is another version of the same problem in the AKP: Turning a blind eye to reality. The Kurds are today the biggest power beyond Turkey's borders, but the MHP has no answer to the question of how it will conduct relations with them. Rather, there is an emphasis on the Turkmen presence in the region. The party also pledges normalization with Egypt.

Interestingly, the MHP sees Cyprus as a national issue, but also accepts a solution based on a union of federal states. You would perhaps expect more radical rhetoric in terms of supporting the independence of Turkish Cyprus.

On HDP, he says that one can see the reflection of internal politics on a foreign policy vision. While the MHP ignores the Kurds outside Turkey's borders, the HDP in contrast uses the rhetoric that all people in the Middle East should decide freely on their political future. This is a veiled message: If the Kurds want to establish independent states, they should be left to do it.

The HDP is a party that positions itself to the far left of the others. It often uses the word "peoples." It defines foreign policy through the word "peoples." The classic socialist or communist idiom of "long live the brotherhood of peoples" seems to have affected the HDP's vision. TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION

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(CS/ AM)

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