Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 15-12-07

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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] Interview by Bozkir to daily Sabah; He reiterated that a referendum is possible to take place in Cyprus next March

[02] Burcu denies that Akinci asked for the citizenship of federal Cyprus to be granted to another 50.000 Turkish settlers

[03] BKP: Turkish demand for 26,500 new "citizens" is unacceptable

[04] How the Russia-Turkey crisis affected the breakaway regime

[05] The "29th General meeting of the Turkish Cypriot Tourism and Travel Agencies" took place in the breakaway regime

[06] YAGA chairman: "Investors do not see the Cyprus problem as an obstacle"

[07] Denktas: The guarantees will be abolished and the end of the Turkish Cypriots will come after the solution of the Cyprus problem

[08] Eroglu's statements on the water management in the occupied area of Cyprus

[09] Reactions in the breakaway regime regarding the water management

[10] Cavusoglu described as provocation the incident occurred with the Russian warship in Bosporus

[11] Erdogan: "Turkey has shelved the Turkish Stream gas pipeline project"

[12] Iraq summons the Turkish Ambassador over deployment of Turkish troops in Mosul

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS

[01] Interview by Bozkir to daily Sabah; He reiterated that a referendum is possible to take place in Cyprus next March

The Minister said that the EU-Turkey summit gives Turkey new responsibilities and underlined that they need to work harder in order to reach expectations. Refuting the allegations about the EU's refugee action plan, which assert that Turkey will receive the refugees in exchange for 3 billion euro biannually, Bozkir stressed that after this agreement, Turkey will cooperate with the EU to make immigration systematic.

Asked to comment and evaluate the reunification talks in Cyprus, Bozkir stated: "Negotiations are going very well. In case the parties will reach a settlement, a referendum is expected to be held for a permanent solution next March. It seems that, unlike the situation during the Annan Plan in 2004, both sides will vote for the referendum.

We can talk about three basic factors that were effective in the current situation. Firstly, the current situation is very different from the one in 2004. In 2004, there was a leader that opposed the referendum in southern Cyprus. The new administration, on the other hand, seems more willing in regards to a solution. There were Greek Cypriot people who had guaranteed their EU membership in 2004 and, therefore, they kept their distance. Now, southern Cyprus is facing economic hardships, while northern Cyprus has flourished in the past 11 years. In summary, the situation is more suitable for a solution.

Secondly, our clean water pipeline to northern Cyprus is another important factor, which will be open to use for the whole island in the case of unification.

Thirdly, natural gas reserves also play an important role in this process. The feasibility of alternatives for Turkey to transport the gas is almost nonexistent. For example, Crete is about 1,500 kilometers from Cyprus. Israel, on the other hand, is not a secure zone for this reserve and the transportation is challenging. Therefore, these three factors and the good relations between both governments of the island give us hope of unification", Bozkir said.

Meanwhile, Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (07.12.15) reports that the European Union has provided a commitment to Ankara to launch necessary procedures on five accession chapters whose opening is currently under veto by "Greek Cyprus", as the Republic of Cyprus is called, in a bid to deliver on promises recently given to Turkey, the Hurriyet Daily News has learned.

The statement, signed by EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and handed to Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and considered as an appendix to the joint statement issued on November 29, promises action on five negotiation chapters: Chapter 15: Energy; Chapter 23: Judiciary and fundamental rights; Chapter 24: Justice, freedom and security; Chapter 26: Education and culture; and Chapter 31: Foreign security and defense policy.

A joint statement only mentioned Chapter 17, economic and monetary policy, in an announcement regarding an intergovernmental conference on December 14 but noted the possibility of opening other chapters.

"Furthermore, they noted the European Commission's commitment to complete, in the first quarter of 2016, the preparatory work for the opening of a number of chapters without prejudice to the position of member states. Preparatory work could subsequently begin also on further chapters."

These chapters, however, could not be named due to "Greek Cyprus' veto".

(?)But as Turkey insisted in naming the chapters, the two parties agreed on the formula of a letter to be signed by Juncker to Davutoglu. "This is a letter of commitment which should be thought together with the joint statement. The letter has therefore placed these chapters on record," a senior Turkish diplomatic source told the Hurriyet Daily News.

A diplomatic source of an EU country in Ankara told the Daily News that the letter was an important commitment to Turkey to open the aforementioned chapters and to further re-energize accession talks.

"Among these chapters is the one on energy. We could have provided a much better alignment with Turkey on energy policies and on energy security issues if we could have already managed to open this chapter," the source said.

(?)According to EU rules, there is a need for unanimity for the opening and provisional closing of every negotiation chapter, and even one member's veto can suspend the process. There has been no progress on these five chapters so far because of the Greek Cypriot vote. However, diplomatic sources have highlighted two processes that could eventually effect the removal of the Greek Cypriot veto for these chapters and others.

The first is the fact that many EU countries, particularly Germany, which have traditionally been cold on Turkey joining the Union, have had to change their posture because of the growing refugee crisis. German Chancellor Angela Merkel's active stance during this period to stop the flow of refugees could reflect itself in the form of more pressure on Greek Cyprus to remove its block on the chapters in question.

Second, there is progress on reunification talks in Cyprus that could result in a referendum before the two nations, probably in the first half of 2016. The fact that two parties are nearing an agreement could have a positive impact on Greek Cyprus for the acceleration of Turkey's accession talks with the EU.

[02] Burcu denies that Akinci asked for the citizenship of federal Cyprus to be granted to another 50.000 Turkish settlers

Another anonymous source told Afrika that the number of 50.000 concerns the persons having a "white card", who will be given "work and permanent residence permit" in the occupied area of Cyprus. The source said that there is a demand for these persons to be able to move freely in the island. It is reported that President Anastasiades is "very cold" towards this demand and does not want to even discuss it.

This information was given to Afrika by another source close to Akinci and not by Burcu who did not refer to the issue in his statement to the paper.

(I/Ts.)

[03] BKP: Turkish demand for 26,500 new "citizens" is unacceptable

In a written statement, Izcan called on the Republican Turkish Party ? National Unity Party "government" to make a statement on the issue and noted: "It seems that the demands of Turkey's administrators go on incessantly. The economic package, which they have imposed by force, the latest developments on the water issue and their demand for new citizenships is showing this reality with all its nudity. It is not possible for this country to be administered with the superior-civil servant relations, ignoring the reality that this place is a separate country and has its specific internal law".

(I/Ts.)

[04] How the Russia-Turkey crisis affected the breakaway regime

"The existence of a resolution according to which the northern part of the island is considered to be Turkish soil made the Russian tourists and the Russian investments who want to come to the TRNC to feel uncomfortable", writes the paper.

According to Havadis, the approximately 9,500 Russians who live in the breakaway regime are pleased with the situation and do not pay attention to the concerns of their families who called them to return to Russian. The Russian Ambassador to Cyprus also said that he finds the northern part of Cyprus to be a safe place, Havadis claims.

The majority of the Russians who live in the breakaway regime are involved in the tourism or with the real estate sector and said that northern Cyprus is an important center for both investments and tourism. They also called on the Russians to visit the breakaway regime as tourists or to make investments.

(CS)

[05] The "29th General meeting of the Turkish Cypriot Tourism and Travel Agencies" took place in the breakaway regime

In his speech on the meeting, self-styled prime minister Omer Kalyoncu stated that they need to take the necessary steps so that the tourism market in the UK to be revived again and added that advertising is not enough to attract tourists. He also said that the solution of the Cyprus problem will affect tourism positively.

On his part the chairman of the Democratic Party (DP) Serdar Denktas stated that the Russian-Turkey crisis is affecting the Russian tourists who visited the breakaway regime and added that despite the fact that the decision of the Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci not to meet with the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov when the latter visited Cyprus was politically right, financially was not wise. He also said that measures must be taken on the issue of Russian tourists so they will start visiting the breakaway regime soon.

(CS)

[06] YAGA chairman: "Investors do not see the Cyprus problem as an obstacle"

Noting that the aim of "YAGA" is to correctly direct the foreign investors coming to the occupied area of Cyprus and being able to advice the self-styled prime minister, Tokar said that they are working with personnel comprised of five experts. He noted that the foreign investors are coming to the occupied area after contacting with "YAGA" through mediators or over the internet.

According to Tokar, during the past two years they held contacts and meetings with around 100 foreign investors. He said that most of the companies which attempted to invest in the occupied area of Cyprus come from Turkey and added that around 40 European companies were interested for the so-called "solid waste project". The European companies, he noted, visited the occupied area of Cyprus and conducted investigations. Tokar further said that the investors asked questions on the Cyprus problem, but argued that this is not important for them. He added: "However, if a solution is reached, there will be more freedom and easiness for all kinds of issues. We are equipped on matters regarding the risks on the property issue. The current situation in our country does not scare them. We need to reply more quickly to the investors on every issue".

(I/Ts.)

[07] Denktas: The guarantees will be abolished and the end of the Turkish Cypriots will come after the solution of the Cyprus problem

Denktas argued that their duty is to warn about the mistakes allegedly committed during the negotiations process and disclose what they consider to be deficiencies.

Referring to the statement made by Baris Burcu, spokesman of the Turkish Cypriot leader, that "the issue of guarantees is not a taboo and can be discussed", Denktas claimed that this "includes a danger for the future". He recalled Greece's statement that it is ready to abandon its guarantee rights and said that Britain has also stated that it is ready to do the same in case a solution is reached. Denktas described as wrong the statement made by the Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu and the Turkish Presidency saying that the communities should first reach an agreement on the other issues and then the guarantor powers will see the issue of guarantees.

He alleged that this shows that in the solution plan which will come before us, the guarantees system will be abolished and that when the two leaders agree on every issue and only the guarantees remain, Turkey will not have the luxury to say "no I will not abandon the guarantees" for the sake of not preventing the solution.

(I/Ts.)

[08] Eroglu's statements on the water management in the occupied area of Cyprus

In a statement to the Anatolian News Agency, Turkey's Minister for Forestry and Water Works Veysel Eroglu said that DSI wanted to manage the water as it had invested a great deal of time into the project and that they had more experience.

Eroglu said that DSI has made its request official on the 1st of December to the "TRNC officials" during their meeting in Turkey to the country with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.

Noting that the "officials" in the "TRNC" have yet to make a final decision on the issue, Eroglu said that the issue would be taken up during "prime minister" Omer Kalyoncu's visit to Ankara next week.

"It is very difficult to manage the water and expertise is needed. The DSI should manage the water for some time and continue to invest in the area so that everything is running smoothly", Eroglu said.

[09] Reactions in the breakaway regime regarding the water management

Referring to the proposal made by the Turkish State Hydraulic Works DSI to manage the water until all problems are solved with the system, Denktas stated that he could see that the "TRNC" had rejected the offer. "A state-private partnership could overcome this dilemma" said Denktas and added that when preparing such an agreement the "municipality" workers should be included in the agreement.

In addition, Kibris also reports that the occupied Famagusta, Pergamos, Assia and Vadili "municipalities" stated that they want the issue of the management of the water to be solved between "TRNC and Turkey officials". The "municipalities" also stated that if necessary they will sever ties with the so-called "TRNC Municipalities Water and Sewage Enterprises" (BESKI) which was established by 26 "municipalities" with the aim of administrating the water which came from Turkey.

Commenting on the same issue, the general secretary of the Social Democracy Party Cemal Ozyigit stated that the breakaway regime signed a protocol with Turkey regarding the water administration three years ago and stated that the will of the Turkish Cypriots on the issue is not respected at all.

Finally, Kibris (06.12.15) writes that the general secretary of the Republican Turkish Party (CTP) Tufan Erhurman stated that the water must be administrated by the Turkish Cypriots. He stated that he does not find it right a company of a foreign country to go to another country and take the administration of an institution.

(CS)

[10] Cavusoglu described as provocation the incident occurred with the Russian warship in Bosporus

One soldier was seen in footage of the boat passing holding a ground-to-air missile, drawing an angry reaction from Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

The soldier held the missile on his shoulder in the shooting position during the passing of Russia's "Caesar Kunikov" warship.

"This is provocation, this is a harassing passage," Cavusoglu told reporters on December 6 in his hometown Antalya.

"The Russian warplanes' violation of our airspace and the passing of Russian warships through the Bosporus are two very different things," he added, referring to the Montreaux Convention regarding the regime of the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits.

"The passages should be made in accordance with the international agreements, whether it is a Russian ship or of another nationality, the rules have long been determined," Cavusoglu said.

He added that the "necessary answer will be given in situations deemed to be a threat."

"The showing off of a missile by a soldier on a Russian warship, or other things such as anti-aircraft weapons, is pure provocation. I hope that this is an isolated case. It is not the right approach," Cavusoglu also said.

[11] Erdogan: "Turkey has shelved the Turkish Stream gas pipeline project"

Russia's Energy Minister said on December 3 that Moscow has suspended talks on the project in the wake of a crisis between the two countries.

Erdogan, speaking at a meeting in Istanbul, dismissed the remark as a "lie", saying that in fact Turkey had suspended the project - and long before the plane incident - because of Russia's "non-compliance with our demands."

"There is no indication that the problems between us and Russia will be reflected to Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant project," Erdogan alleged.

(?)Turkey's first power plant project was undertaken by Russia's Rosatom in the southern province of Akkuyu.

Erdogan also said that Ankara could find alternatives to Russian oil and gas. "It is possible to find different suppliers," Erdogan said, referring to Qatar and Azerbaijan.

(?)

[12] Iraq summons the Turkish Ambassador over deployment of Turkish troops in Mosul

150 Turkish soldiers equipped with heavy weapons arrived on Friday at the outskirts of Daesh-held Mosul in Northern Iraq.

Turkish officials told Daily Sabah that the Turkish soldiers were accompanied by armored vehicles in Mosul operation with US-led coalition forces. "Turkish soldiers have reached the Mosul Bashiqa region. They are there as part of routine training exercises. One battalion has crossed into the region," the source said. The Turkish soldiers are training Iraqi troops, he added.

Sources told Daily Sabah that Turkey has trained 2,500 troops from the Kurdish Peshmerga forces, 1,250 from the Arab troops and the aim is to increase this number to 14,000 troops.

A US official told Daily Sabah that the operation was conducted within the US-led coalition's knowledge but coalition forces did not take part in the operation. TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION

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(AK/ AA)

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