Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 16-04-12

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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 Akinci to Deutsche Welle: "This opportunity for a solution should not be missed"

[02] Akinci: "The aim of this visit is to reflect Turkish Cypriots' desire to build a new future as one of the two equal people in the island"

[03] Talat says that the convergences are increasing in the Cyprus negotiations

[04] Ozersay estimates that "early elections" will take place in the occupied area of Cyprus before the end of the year

[05] "Varosha is on the European Investments' Bank's agenda"

[06] The Egyptian FM to visit Turkey for the OIC summit

[07] Turkey reveals official figures on the number of Syrian refugees in Turkey

[08] Turkish columnist condemned the EP and the Greek Cypriots for the context the EP's 2016 progress report on Turkey

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS

[01] Interview by Akinci to Deutsche Welle: "This opportunity for a solution should not be missed"

Asked on a question regarding Turkey's EU negotiations process and the effect the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has on politics in "north Cyprus", Akinci said that he was working to reunite the island with the Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Anastasiades and added that although Turkey always supported the Turkish Cypriot side, the two leaders in the island are responsible for a solution.

"The Turkish Cypriot people have always received the support of Turkey and have not faced any hardships and don't expect to face any hardships in the future either", said Akinci.

During the interview, Ak?nc? referred to the 2004 Annan Plan referendum that was held on the island and noted that although the majority of the Turkish Cypriots voted in favor of the plan, they were not accepted into the European Union. He added that the Greek Cypriot side, which had overwhelmingly rejected the plan was unilaterally accepted in the Union.

Touching upon the Cyprus negotiations process, Ak?nc? said that serious progress was achieved on 6 chapters and even though some problems remained the issues of territory and guarantees would be taken up last.

Noting that alongside a physical division, a mental division between the two "peoples" on the island exists as well, Akinci said that the mental division was not something that could be overcome in a short time as the Greek Cypriot side has to change its belief that it is the sole ruler of the island.

"They also have to accept that they must share administrative responsibilities and this will take time", added Akinci, pointing out that it is more difficult to make mental changes than it is to make physical changes.

Explaining that there is good chemistry between the two leaders and due to this it is easier to make progress at the talks, Ak?nc? said that they are from the same generation with Mr. Anastasiades and expressed the belief that it is the last chance for the current generation on the island to find a solution based on a federation and therefore, this opportunity for a solution shouldn't be missed.

[02] Akinci: "The aim of this visit is to reflect Turkish Cypriots' desire to build a new future as one of the two equal people in the island"

In statements yesterday before his departure to Germany upon an invitation from the German Foreign Minister Frank Walter Steinmeier, Akinci said that he will hold important contacts first in Germany and then in Istanbul, where he will also attend the OIC's conference. Akinci added: "These visits will be the reflection of the Turkish Cypriot people's desire to build a new future within tranquillity and peace as one of the two equal people on the island and with a mutual respect to the rights of each side".

Stressing that the determination of the Turkish Cypriot people's political will continues and everyone should do its part so this (determination) should not be unreciprocated, Akinci argued: "Within this framework there are things that the EU must do as the Cyprus problem has reached an international quality; the Islamic world should also show the necessary solidarity. The continuation to act with 'solidarity to the Turkish Cypriot people' as it was mentioned in previous decisions is important especially in the recent period".

(DPs)

[03] Talat says that the convergences are increasing in the Cyprus negotiations

In statements in the Turkish city of Aydin where he had a meeting with its Mayor Ozlem Cercioglu, Talat alleged that the economic difficulties in the government-controlled area of the Republic of Cyprus have created an environment which supports the solution. Referring to the forthcoming parliamentary elections in the Republic, he claimed:

"We are experiencing a slowing down because of the elections in south Cyprus, but progress is continuing in spite of everything, convergences are increasing. The most important thing is that differently to the past years the economic and political conditions in south Cyprus are creating a community more prone to the solution to the Cyprus problem. The Greek Cypriot economy experienced a big shock. Previous approaches such as 'the Turkish Cypriots are poor, we are rich, and we do not want to share our wealth' have ceased to exist. The mentality that with the solution the island will attract foreign investors and thus it will become rich started to prevail and therefore the conditions seem to be more appropriate. [?]"

Talat said that his party supported the Turkish Cypriot leader in the negotiations and will continue doing so as the biggest party in the occupied area of Cyprus.

Talat further alleged that Turkey is offering support on the issue of finding a solution to the Cyprus problem and expressed his gratitude.

Meanwhile, addressing a conference on the Cyprus problem at a university in the same Turkish city, Talat argued that the energy resources and the approach between Greece and Turkey will help in the solution process in Cyprus. Replying to a student's question on the energy resources, Talat argued that after the discovery of natural gas resources, the Greek Cypriots saw that these could be connected to Europe over Turkey and these developments changed the climate in the Greek Cypriot side.

Talat also argued that the Greek Cypriot side knows that its economy will relax with the solution of the Cyprus problem and "thus they will be able to stir their collapsed economy up and attract foreign investors". He concluded:

"Therefore, conditions have changed. The energy resources, the approach between Turkey and Greece will help in the solution process. The presidency is carrying out the negotiations today, but the government crisis is of course also influencing. I think that the government crisis will not last for long. It seems that today or tomorrow a government will be established or an early election will be held [?]"

(I/Ts.)

[04] Ozersay estimates that "early elections" will take place in the occupied area of Cyprus before the end of the year

Stating that a possible "coalition government" will not represent the people's will and interests concerning the "economic protocol", Ozersay said that his party supports that the only remedy will be to hold "early elections". "In the near future, an earthquake will be experienced in the country at the ballot boxes. We observed this very clearly during the visits we paid recently in several regions and villages", argued Ozersay and said that they have information that a bargaining is taking place already in the "TRNC" on the possible names of "candidates" that will run in the "early elections".

(AK)

[05] "Varosha is on the European Investments' Bank's agenda"

Noting that the bank officials said that they are seeing that "something is coming" regarding Famagusta, Atai added: "Eventually what is coming is after a certain period, but there are a lot of things we should do during the period until then. We are aware of this. The leaderships of the two sides have announced that Varosha will be returned on the next day after the solution. Very well, what are we waiting for? The jobs to be done in a city to be returned should be planned and ready. The bank officials want to see such a thing to happen from the point of view of the credit purposes and we want this for not wasting time".

Pointing out that Confidence Building Measures (CBM) should be implemented in the area, Atai underlined that as a first step for this a multinational technical delegation of experts should be granted to possibility of having access to the occupied fenced off city of Varosha. "Moreover, these experts should stop by the port and the within the walls area and even the university area not only by Varosha and prepare an analysis on the needs for the future and a financial chart. We have conveyed these to them in the same way".

Stressing the importance of technical experts entering into Varosha and start working the soonest, Atai said: "We especially support and the American experts. The American experts have serious experience in post war areas such as Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya. We support having German experts as well. Germany has serious experience regarding divided cities like Berlin. We argue that Famagusta also is a divided city and such experts are needed here".

Atai said that the EIB delegation told them that the financings for 2016 have ended, but if financial resources are to be granted for 2017, a financial analysis is needed.

(I/Ts.)

[06] The Egyptian FM to visit Turkey for the OIC summit

The Minister will participate in the OIC meeting that will take place in Istanbul during the 14th-15th April with representatives from Iraq, Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Azerbaijan, as well as leaders from 56 different Islamic countries.

Shoukry will also meet with the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. The meeting will be the first step towards the normalization of relations with Egypt.

Diplomatic ties between Turkey and Egypt broke off after the ouster of former President Mohamed Morsi in 2013 amid popular protests. Turkey says it does not recognize the administration of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi as legitimate.

[07] Turkey reveals official figures on the number of Syrian refugees in Turkey

Some 2.7 million Syrian migrants are under Turkey's temporary protection regime, the statistics revealed, and a total of 2.48 million migrants live across the country instead of residing in one of the "accommodation centers" in 10 different provinces.

The city hosting the largest number of Syrians is the southeastern province of Sanl?urfa, which is currently home to a total of 401,068 Syrians. While two other southeastern provinces, Hatay and Gaziantep, host some 300,000 migrants, the surprising runner-up is Istanbul.

(?)Turkey's two other major metropolitan centers, the capital Ankara and the Aegean province of Izmir, attract a comparatively lower number of migrants with some 60,000 and 90,000, respectively.

The figures also show that nearly half of Turkey's Syrian population is under the age of 19, including nearly 709,000 boys and over 645,000 girls.

The Ministry's data also demonstrates how the number of Syrian migrants increased over the past four years, since the start of the war in 2012. Accordingly, there were only some 14,000 Syrian migrants in Turkey in 2012, when Turkey mentioned 100,000 refugees as the limit of its capacity.

This figure, however, increased fifteen fold in just a year to some 224,000 in 2013 and to over 1.5 million in 2014.

While the figure stood at 2.5 million by the end of 2015, it rose to over 2.7 million after only the first quarter of 2016.

(?)

[08] Turkish columnist condemned the EP and the Greek Cypriots for the context the EP's 2016 progress report on Turkey

Commenting on the context of the reports, the columnist supports that the EP could not have approved a more absurd report than the one that is full of unsubstantiated claims, based on nonsensical biases and contradicts the current realities in Turkey. The columnist writes also the following:

"If Europe's radical right-wing ? which is unlikely to receive more than 100 seats in the EP in the coming elections, drafted and proposed such a report, it would not be surprising. I wonder if they could possibly present another report harsher or more unrealistic than the one that is about to be voted on. This indicates that some of the Parliament members not only misrepresent the EU and the values it stands for but also Islam and Muslims and, consequently, Turks and the Republic of Turkey.

Likewise, it is not hard to comprehend why the Greek Cypriot members of the EP appreciate this report. Although two parliamentary seats belong to Turkish Cypriot members, the Greek Cypriot members of parliament regard their mission at the EP as the creation of captions related to Greek Cypriot domestic policies, devoid of any interest in the EU or the values it stands for. Their only priority is to contribute further to the decisions that are made against the best interests of Turkey, Turkish Cyprus and the Turkish Cypriots.

Therefore, those members of the EP endeavor to include baseless content and unsubstantial materials directed against Turkey in this year's annual report. And, they succeeded to a certain extent -- thanks to the coalition they formed with other dissidents of Turkey in the EP. However, this year's report could have been utilized as a contribution to the ongoing reunification negotiations in Cyprus. Unfortunately, though, the exact opposite has happened. Greek Cypriot EP members tried their best to include all sorts of articles in the report that hamper the process in Cyprus. After the Annan Plan, the EP has proven once again that the Turkish Cypriots have been the only ones sincerely exerting efforts to come up with a resolution in Cyprus.

Since it already became obvious in the drafting process of this year's report that a terrible report was to be issued, the Turkey-EU Joint Parliamentary Committee co-chairman Berat Conkar and Turkish Parliament's EU Harmonization Committee chairman, Mehmet Kas?m Gulp?nar, co-authored a letter to express their disapproval on the report draft and sent the letter to the EP rapporteur for Turkey, Kati Piri, as well as the co-president of the Turkey-EU Joint Parliamentary Committee, Manolis Kefalogiannis.

But their efforts were in vain.

It is evident that Greek and Greek-Cypriot EP members replace EU values with national interests, which we can understand, to a certain extent. Piri, however, a Socialist Parliamentarian for the Netherlands, sided with them rather than serving as an arbitrator regarding this year's report, which has been a great disappointment.

(?)

The annual EP progress report on Turkey will serve only one purpose: to undermine the EU. Harming Turkey-EU relations, which have developed positively over the recent months, and jeopardizing cooperation, particularly on the refugee issue, equates to the undermining of both the EU and Turkey.

We wonder if the EP members who will approve the report ? albeit likely to undermine Turkish-EU relations -- will achieve their goals and be ready to welcome the refugee flow into the EU.

They had better get ready for that.

As a matter of fact, it seems that the EP, which the European public does not take seriously, is eager to maintain its view of people, according to the latest report on Turkey.

Turkey will not accept this report. Just like last year, it will be possible to see the report festering in the trashcan. They will be confronted by the rightful questioning of EU citizens who will raise their eyebrows if EP parliamentarians ? the designated issuer of these 'trashcan reports' -- really deserve to receive taxpayer money from the EU citizens". TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION

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

(AK/AM)

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