Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 15-08-19

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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] Casinos contribute annually 600 million dollars to the economy of the breakaway regime

[02] Durust met with Arinc in Ankara

[03] "Denktas: 'Erbakan was saying that Turkey should have occupied the whole of Cyprus'"

[04] There was a 58% increase in students studying at the illegal universities

[05] The new Hala Sultan mosque in the occupied area of Cyprus will be completed by the end of 2016

[06] Turkish Cypriot organizations condemn the arson against Kamil Hur's house after he celebrated the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus

[07] The new minimum wage is1,730 TL

[08] Erdogan signals he will not give mandate to CHP leader for new government

[09] Erdogan vows payback for 'every bullet, every bomb'

[10] Columnist: "As ISIL puts Turkey on enemy list and targets Istanbul"

[11] Latest poll reveals falling support for ruling AK Party

[12] Founder of Metropol opinion poll argues that pro-Kurdish Freedom and Democracy Party could become third power party in Turkey

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS

[01] Casinos contribute annually 600 million dollars to the economy of the breakaway regime

Saricicek who was speaking during a press conference, replied to recent hard statements made against casinos and said that more interest and legal support is needed so that casinos to continue their development and operations. He also said that there is no vision for an industry that offers so much to the "state".

He also stated that there are 6 thousand persons working at the casino industry, which starter in 1977 in the breakaway regime, adding that these people also pay taxes and contribute to social security services noting that the "state" receives directly from the casino industry 68 million dollars. He also said that the breakaway regime benefited by thousand persons who arrive in the "country" to play at the casinos paying for plane tickets, stay at the hotels and spend money for personal expenses.

Referring to the talks for opening a casino in the free areas of the Republic of Cyprus, he stated that this will affect the casino industry in the occupied areas in a negative way.

(CS)

[02] Durust met with Arinc in Ankara

Speaking during the meeting, Arinc congratulated Durust for his new post and wished him success.

Referring to the establishment of a "coalition government" in the "TRNC" after the "elections", Arinc informed Durust as regards the works taking place in Turkey for the formation of a government and expressed the wish that the instability and uncertainty in Turkey towards the issue of the formation of a government to be overpassed the soonest possible.

Reiterating that Turkey will always stand by the side of the "TRNC" and will continue to exert efforts for the occupation regime's strengthening and development, Arinc added that they will do all necessary for the development of the "TRNC's economy" and prosperity.

Concerning the water to be transferred from Turkey to the occupied area of Cyprus, Arinc described the project which is about to be completed as a great success and said that it is their duty and obligation towards their "brothers in the TRNC".

Arinc stated further that together with Durust they exchanged views and discussed the support that Turkey will provide to the "TRNC's universities" as well as the issue of the opening in the "TRNC", branches of some Turkish universities.

Arinc referred also to the importance of the education and tourism sectors in the occupied area of Cyprus and stated that in an island with a population of 300 thousand people, the existence of 11-12 "universities" and 75 thousand students is very important.

On his turn, Durust thanked Arinc for his interest towards the "TRNC" and stated that a strong Turkey will be for the interest of the "TRNC". He underlined that the "motherland Turkey", as he described Turkey is their assurance and added that Turkey's support especially in the sector of education is very important for the implementation of a more modern and high quality education.

(AK)

[03] Denktas: 'Erbakan was saying that Turkey should have occupied the whole of Cyprus'

Speaking to Tolga Sacikarali, journalist of the Milli Gazette newspaper, Denktas alleged that in all his meetings with Erbakan, the latter was insisting that Turkey should have occupied the whole of Cyprus. Denktas also supported that in all his meetings with Erbakan, the latter was insisting that if Turkey was to continue its incursion for a further 24 hours in Cyprus in 1974, it would have occupied the whole of the island.

Referring to the Cyprus negotiation talks, Denktas expressed their worries towards the path of the talks since as he argued the Greek Cypriot's policy is dangerous. "The Greek Cypriots did not give up from their former plans. They still follow and act in accordance with the policy of osmosis which is the policy of the Greek Cypriots to eradicate the Turkish Cypriots inside the Greek Cypriot community", Denktas argued.

Denktas alleged further that the Greek Cypriots' attempt is to sell the properties of the Turkish Cypriots and sent them abroad and assimilate the rest, adding that their plan is the Hellenization of the whole of the island by lifting all the agreements achieved. "This was the policy that Makarios was following during the 1960s. (?)", Denktas added.

Referring to the property issue, Denktas said that this is the most important issue of the Cyprus negotiation talks and added that there are three alternatives towards the resolution of this problem, either compensation, or exchange or return.

Criticizing the Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci for his statement that the "The owner of a property is the first legal owner", Denktas called Akinci to make further and more convincing statements towards this issue in order to enlighten the public about his positions.

(AK)

[04] There was a 58% increase in students studying at the illegal universities

foreign minister Emine Colak, held a meeting with a delegation from the illegal Near East University (NEU) headed by Irfan Suat Gunsel who is the Chairman of Board of Trustees of NEU.

Gunsel stated during the visit that student enrollment at the illegal universities increased by 58% because of students coming from Turkey. Claiming that now more qualified students are choosing to study in the breakaway regime, Gunsel said that the quality of Health Sciences department and related subjects had a significant influence on the increase.

On her part, Colak said that the increase in student enrollment is good news and that it affects everything in a positive way. She stated that those who come to study and spend some time in the "country" then "become a representative of the TRNC in a way when they return to their country" and added that this is important that some of these people come back to the island later as tourists.

(CS)

[05] The new Hala Sultan mosque in the occupied area of Cyprus will be completed by the end of 2016

The Deputy Head of the TDV, Yasin Ugras, speaking to the AA news agency, said that the construction of the mosque, which started on 27th of September in 2013, will be completed by the end of 2016 or the beginning of 2017. The mosque is 3,500 m2, the dome has 24 metres diameter and the height is 35 metres. It will have a capacity for 7,500 people. The cost of the construction is around to 30 million dollars with the support of voluntary benefactors. Ugras also said that the TDV continues to construct mosques in 18 countries.

[06] Turkish Cypriot organizations condemn the arson against Kamil Hur's house after he celebrated the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus

In his statement, KTOS' education secretary, Burak Mavis argued that efforts had been exerted since 1955 for the Cypriots to be administrated by being put under pressure through fear, blood and chauvinism. He noted that after 1974 innocent people were murdered in both communities and crimes against humanity were committed. He said that the arson against Hur showed the "reality" that there is a wish to maintain the same "dark mentality" and force people abandon their ideas through pressure and fear. Mavis pointed out that the actions of the "fascist and reactionary circles", which do not digest such celebrations, are similar to the actions carried out by paramilitary organizations from 1955 since today.

Furthermore, Izzet Izcan, chairman of the BKP, said that they support Hur. He noted that the flag of the Republic of Cyprus is not only a Greek Cypriot flag, but it belongs to the Republic of Cyprus, which is the "common state" of the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots. He recalled that this flag is raised in many sporting events in Turkey. Izcan asked for the perpetrators of the attack and the arson against Hur to be found and punished and the necessary measures to be taken against all provocations that aim at destroying the comprehensive solution process.

Baraka described the attack as "unacceptable" and recalled that Hur has been holding this celebration for the past ten years. According to Baraka, first "efforts had been exerted by the official fascists to put pressure" on Hur, who has been harassed by the army and the "police". When it was seen that the "courts" also do not approve of the "police's" behavior, after the examination of the "flag case" at occupied Famagusta "court", the "civilian fascists" got into action, argues the statement.

Finally, the Independence Road organization said that they stand by Hur's side and fascism will not be able to prevent their struggle for peace.

(I/Ts.)

[07] The new minimum wage is1,730 TL

The "commission" convened under the self-styled minister for interior and labour, to identify a new minimum wage limit.

According to illegal Bayrak television (online, 19.08.15), Lisaniler, in a statement to the "BRT", said that the minimum wage has been set at 1730 TL a month, 400 TL a week, 80 TL a day and 10 TL an hour. He said that the cost of living was taken into consideration while determining the new wage.

The 55 TL rise in the minimum wage will be reflected in wages as of the 1st of September.

[08] Erdogan signals he will not give mandate to CHP leader for new government

Erdogan revealed his view of the new state of affairs during a luncheon he hosted for a group of academics and opinion leaders on Aug. 18, a few hours before Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu returned the mandate to form the next government after possible coalition talks with the CHP and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) collapsed.

Erdogan raised the issue of coalition talks and said that he favoured forming a two-month interim "election cabinet".

Some of the guests, speaking to reporters following the luncheon, said they perceived his remark as a signal that he was not planning to give the mandate to CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu to form the next government.

"Mr President has listed the options in front of him and said one of those options was not giving the mandate to Kilicdaroglu. He mentioned this as one of the options that he has been considering," a source from the President's office told daily Hurriyet.

Erdogan could theoretically now hand the mandate to form the next government to the CHP, Turkey's second biggest party, although it is also highly unlikely that it will be able to agree to a coalition before an August 23 deadline.

On the same issue, Ankara Anatolia news agency (18.08.15) reported that Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has returned the mandate to form a government to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a statement from the Turkish presidency said on Tuesday.

According to the Turkish Constitution, a caretaker government can be formed only if a government was not formed and if the President decides to hold a new general election.

The Constitution says that only the President or the Parliament may decide to hold a new election. If the President issues a decision, a Cabinet of Ministers will be formed and the President will appoint a temporary Prime Minister.

In a possible caretaker government, the AKP will have 12 Ministers; the CHP will have seven Ministers while each of MHP and HDP will have three Ministers. The number of Ministers is based on the number of MPs a party boasts.

The polling is supposed to be held in the first Sunday following a 90-day period starting from the end of the first deadline.

Any new poll is likely to take place in late November, although Turkey's election board has the power to cut the 90-day period by half and told Anadolu Agency on Tuesday that it could hold elections in 45 days if the call is made.

[09] Erdogan vows payback for 'every bullet, every bomb'

Erdogan said that the country together with all its institutions would continue to remain on alert amid increased attacks on security forces. He also said: "We will never allow parallel state elements within the state. Those who believe in democracy will never draw their strength from terrorist organizations, but from the people's will. So, we as people have to continue our fight together with our soldiers, policemen, intelligence [units] and village guards through cooperation".

The new Chief of General Staff Hulusi Akar also said that the military would continue to respond to attacks targeting the country in the most effective way.

[10] Columnist: "As ISIL puts Turkey on enemy list and targets Istanbul"

"A video message by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) hit social media in Turkey on the morning of Aug. 18. In the video, a man in his mid-forties, an apparent ISIL commander in a typical Jihadist outfit and calling himself 'Emir', was speaking in fluent, urban Turkish without any apparent accent and calling people in Turkey to rise against the non-Muslim state in Turkey, denouncing Turkey's founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, and current President Tayyip Erdogan as 'evil' and asking Muslims to capture Istanbul from 'atheists' and the 'pawns of the crusaders'.

The fact that Ataturk and Erdogan represent two different political understandings of modern Turkey, Ataturk being staunchly secular, patriotic and Western-oriented, Erdogan highlighting Muslim characteristics rather than national one and Islamic world-oriented, did not matter for the - probably Turkish citizen - ISIL commander. The Turkish state was un-Islamic, so it had to be put down like all other un-Islamic ones.

It is not a surprise that the message came after the reveal of a deal between Ankara and Washington about Turkey's opening up of its strategic Incirlik air base and also fully joining the U.S.-led coalition to fight ISIL in Syria and Iraq. Turkey had already put ISIL on its black list in 2013 but was criticized a lot in the West for turning a blind eye on ISIL's recruitment of Western foreign fighters via its borders, because of Ankara's main focus being the removal of Bashar al-Assad from power in Syria. Now, as Turkey takes a firmer position against ISIL, especially after an ISIL suicide bomber killed 33 people in the Turkish town of Suruc on the Syrian border on July 20, ISIL has sharpened its language against Turkey, and in Turkish, in order to not be misunderstood or misinterpreted.

The message coincided with a key speech by Mehmet Gormez, the head of Diyanet, Turkey's top religious body to regulate relations between the state and religion, on Aug. 17. Addressing the muftis of all 81 provinces of Turkey in Ankara, Dr Gormez, a professor of theology himself, said what movements like al-Qaeda and ISIL have been doing was 'terrorism' and all good Muslims should unite against their deception. Because ISIL brutally uses weapons and religion as tools for their purpose, 'Islam as a religion, culture and civilization is forced into an existentialist struggle', Gormez said.

(?)

Diyanet had actually issued a concise report a week ago, on Aug. 10, under the title "Aims, activities and Islamic understanding of the terrorist organization Daesh," using its Arabic initials, like in most Western governments. The report now will be a reference for both Diyanet and Turkish government activities to struggle with ISIL, along with military and police efforts in coordination with the U.S.-led coalition and NATO partners.

Perhaps it could be asked what took Turkey so long to make that decision. On the other hand this is an unprecedented threat for the entire world, not only for the Islamic one, and security experts agree it would take a long time before it starts to descend.

But it can be easily said that following the Incirlik agreement, the Diyanet report and the ISIL threats against Turkey, the Turkish struggle against ISIL, inside and outside Turkey, is just beginning."

[11] Latest poll reveals falling support for ruling AK Party

The Gezici poll, which was released on Tuesday in the Turkish daily newspaper Birgun, measured public perception on a probable snap election to be held in the upcoming months. The poll asked how people would vote if there were national elections over the weekend. According to the results, 39.2% of respondents said they would vote for the AKP, a fall of 1.6% points from the official results of the parliamentary election on June 7.

The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) received 26.4%, an increase from 24.95% in the general election. The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) received 16.2%, a percentage relatively unchanged from the 16.29 it garnered in the election. The pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) gained more support, increasing its possible votes from 13.12% in the general election to 14.1% in this survey.

According to Murat Gezici, head of the Gezici Research Company, pro-government media outlets are releasing polls showing the AKP having a high percentage of votes as a deliberate strategy to create the perception the party is doing well.

Underlining the importance of a high electoral turnout, Gezici claimed that "17% of the total electorate didn't go to the ballot box, and 60-65% of those voters were CHP voters". He further claimed that the CHP may gain 28-29% of the total vote if all its supporters go to the ballot box.

Gezici added that the AKP has two strategies to increase its vote share in a snap election. One is to bring the MHP under the 10% electoral threshold by grabbing at least 25% of its voters and, second, is to give the perception to CHP voters that the AKP is strongly ahead in the polls, thus ensuring a poor turnout among CHP voters.

According to Gezici, increasing violence and tension in the majority Kurdish-populated eastern Turkey will not negatively affect HDP voters. "Most of the Kurdish people -- which are 19% of the electorate in Turkey -- believe today that their political leader is HDP Co-chairman Selahattin Demirtas, not the terrorist leadership of the Kurdistan Workers' Party [PKK]," he added.

The HDP announced in January that it would run in the June 7 general election as a party for the first time and managed to secure 13.12% of the vote and 80 seats in Parliament, thus ending 13 years of single-party rule by the AKP.

Fifty-six percent of those who participated in the survey believe that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is responsible for the war-like situation in the country that began shortly after the failure of the AK Party to win a majority in the general election. While 18% of survey respondents put the blame on Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, 26% believe it is because of the opposition parties that violence has increased in Turkey.

[12] Founder of Metropol opinion poll argues that pro-Kurdish Freedom and Democracy Party could become third power party in Turkey

Sencar stated that those who consider HDP to be just a Kurdish Party were wrong and added that even the Turkish President made this mistake and underestimated the party. He also said that according to the work done in their firm they see that the support towards HDP has increased.

(CS) TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION

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(DPs/ AM)

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