Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 16-05-09

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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 wished 2016 to be the year of solution

[02] Akinci met the Norwegian Foreign Minister

[03] Ozgurgun: "Foreign ministers of both sides should be present at the negotiation table"

[04] Siber: "The granting of citizenships should be fair"

[05] More on the "citizenship" issue

[06] Erk evaluated as positive development Turkey's decision to remove visa from the EU countries

[07] Columnist: The government crisis in Turkey has started to deeply influence the occupied area of Cyprus

[08] Cavusoglu: The Turkish Cypriots are ready to sign the "supplementary protocol" regarding the water

[09] Erdogan rules out revising Turkey's terror laws for EU visa exemption

[10] An Istanbul court jailed Turkish journalists Dundar and Gul

[11] Corendon airlines re-launched flights to the illegal Tymbou airport

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS

[01] Akinci wished 2016 to be the year of solution

Making a statement upon his return to the "presidential palace", Akinci said that their first meeting for this month passed off cordially and that their next leaders meeting will be held towards the end of the month on the 27th.

"We are holding beneficial meetings with Anastasiades and there is reciprocal understanding between the two sides", said Akinci.

Noting that they are trying to come to an agreement that would take in the sensitivities of the two sides and that they are trying to create a bi-zonal bi-communal federal structure, Akinci said that although differences still remained between the two sides, much progress had been made.

Explaining that both sides of the island wanted the year 2016 to be the year of solution, Akinci said that there is efficient time, will and determination in order for this to be realized.

"If efforts continue towards this end, then there is hope for a solution and a positive outcome", he added.

[02] Akinci met the Norwegian Foreign Minister

No statement was made to the press regarding the meeting.

During the meetings, the Norwegian Ambassador to Nicosia and stationed in Athens Jorn Gjelstad, the so-called presidential spokesman Baris Burcu, the so-called undersecretary of the "foreign ministry" Erhan Elcin, the "presidential private secretary" Cenk Gurcag and the "foreign relations coordinator" Deniz Birinci were present at the meeting.

Akinci also gave an interview to Norwegian State Television journalists regarding the latest phase reached on the Cyprus issue.

(AK)

[03] Ozgurgun: "Foreign ministers of both sides should be present at the negotiation table"

He said that the "presence of the Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot foreign ministers at the negotiation table would be more useful and healthier for the negotiation process", adding that if the Greek Cypriot side truly wants a solution then the presence of the "foreign ministers" at the talks will be an indication for this.

Ozgurgun evaluated the recent developments on the Cyprus problem and stated that the "government'" and Turkey support the negotiation conducted by the Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci. "It is our biggest wish to see the president concluding the talks on the Cyprus problem reaching an agreement before the end of 2016, if there is such a will in south Cyprus", he stated, arguing that this cannot happen by wishes only. "There is a certain reality on the negotiation table", he said accusing the Greek Cypriot side of not wanting a solution.

He also said that his "government" aims to undertake numerous projects over the next two years. He stated that their aim is to increase the prosperity of the "people" and to open the way for new investments.

Referring to the recent political developments in Turkey, and the resignation of the Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, Ozgurgun stated that these cannot affect the economic and financial protocol between Turkey and the breakaway regime as well as the water project and added that the protocol will be signed shortly.

Referring to the water issue, Ozgurgun stated that work is underway to supply the "public" with water before summer. He also added that the "government" is planning to move towards the privatization of the ports and the electricity and telecommunications "authorities".

(CS)

[04] Siber: "The granting of citizenships should be fair"

(DPs)

[05] More on the "citizenship" issue

The paper writes that these persons are expecting the new "government" to take a decision on the issue. It also cites information that in addition to the thousands of "citizens' applications" made, there are thousands of persons who are waiting for the "government's" decisions on the issue in order to make their own applications for "citizenship".

Commenting on the issue, the deputy prime minister Serdar Denktas claimed that life goes on and the persons of Turkish origin who have the right to be granted the "citizenship", they will become "TRNC citizens". "There are people who have never visited Turkey in their lifetime and they consider themselves to be Cypriots. The citizenship for these people cannot wait for the solution", Denktas alleged.

(CS)

[06] Erk evaluated as positive development Turkey's decision to remove visa from the EU countries

Noting that the visa issue will affect positively Cyprus, Erk argued that in case the Turkish citizens enter the Republic of Cyprus without a visa, then he believes that this may be an opening and not a difficulty in the context of the Cyprus problem.

Stressing that the visa removal will be an important step on Turkey's accession process into the EU, Erk said that Turkey has been negotiating for years now with the EU this visa issue and alleged that in the end, Turkey defeated the EU and took as a result the removal of the visa.

(DPs)

[07] Columnist: The government crisis in Turkey has started to deeply influence the occupied area of Cyprus

"While talking about the Water Project of the Century and the financial and economic protocols which have been pending for signature since October, crises that should have been created were created between the TRNC and Turkey. [?] The government crisis in the Recep Tayyip Erdogan ? Ahmet Davutoglu ? AKP triangle in Turkey has started to deeply influence the "TRNC". The foreign exchange has soared. The visits of our prime minister and ministers to Ankara have been postponed. The signing of the protocol and the water issues have been postponed for an indefinite period of time. Every political crisis penetrates and passes. If we read the situation correctly, it is obvious that this crisis in Turkey will penetrate us as well. In our country, where drought has started to make itself felt, the water in the Panagra dam may delay even more to reach the people. The hot money flow, which the protocol will provide to our economy, may not be secured. Both the market and the salaries may be shaken by the shortness of money. This shortness has anyway been dominating for months. If you say why, Turkey's internal policy and bureaucracy have been focused now on their own serious problems.

Weeks of perhaps months are needed for the overcoming of this very serious crisis, which started by the settling of accounts within the ruling party in Turkey. According to the decision taken, AKP's extraordinary congress will be held on 22 May and the new president will be determined. The new prime minister will be appointed. The new prime minister will establish his government. The president of the republic will approve the new government. The government program will be prepared and read in the TGNA. The government will secure vote of confidence. A new deputy prime minister responsible for Cypriot affairs will be appointed. It is not known whether Tugrul Turkes will stay at his post. It is possible that the growing of the dimension of the political crisis to lead to AKP's split up and early election coming onto the agenda.

The essence of these my friends is that a long time and burdensome efforts are needed for the situation to calm down and the Turkey-TRNC relations to be put on the right track. [?]"

(I/Ts.)

[08] Cavusoglu: The Turkish Cypriots are ready to sign the "supplementary protocol" regarding the water

Cavusoglu visited on Saturday the pumping station and the water desalination installation in occupied Myrtou area and the pumping station and the dam in occupied Panagra area. During the visit Cavusoslu was briefed by engineers of Turkey's State Water Affairs who are responsible for the occupied area's water provision project.

Cavusoglu said that there are currently 12 million cubic meters of water in occupied Panagra dam and that the annual water needs of the occupied area of Cyprus are estimated to be around 27 and 30 million cubic meters. He noted that the water is currently coming from Turkey in full capacity but the dam is not full and the extra water is flowing into the sea because some technical tests are being carried out.

The daily capacity of the occupied Myrtou desalination facility is 200 thousand cubic meters and its annual capacity reaches 75 million cubic meters.

(I/Ts.)

[09] Erdogan rules out revising Turkey's terror laws for EU visa exemption

Among five remaining benchmarks for Turkey to address, the EU demanded a change in Ankara's legislation on terrorism in exchange for visa liberalization for Turkish citizens.

"We will go our way; you go yours," Erdogan said, addressing a local rally in Istanbul on Friday. "The EU is telling us to change our law on combatting terrorism. [They] are allowing terrorists to raise tents and then [they] come with requirements".

Erdogan was referring to a controversial tent raised in March by PKK supporters near the European Council building in Brussels. PKK is declared a terrorist organization by the EU, the U.S. and Turkey.

His comments come two days after the European Commission proposed visa-free travel for Turks.

In addition, Turkish Cypriot daily Yeni Duzen newspaper (07.05.16) reported that the Turkish President's criticism of the European Union requirements regarding visa exemption for Turkish citizens is an indication that the issue will not have a positive outcome.

[10] An Istanbul court jailed Turkish journalists Dundar and Gul

Dundar, the editor-in-chief of the Cumhuriyet newspaper and Erdem Gul, the paper's Ankara bureau chief, were put on trial following the publication of images purporting to show arms being transported to Syria in trucks belonging to Turkey's National Intelligence Organization, also known as MIT.

The 14th High Criminal Court acquitted the duo on charges of attempting to overthrow the government, while ordering that the charges of "knowingly and wilfully" helping the terrorist FETO/PDY organization or the so-called "parallel state" to be separated from the trial.

A few hours before the court announced the guilty verdict, Dundar had escaped a gun attack outside Istanbul's Caglayan courthouse, police said.

He was assaulted by a gunman outside the courthouse. Dundar was not wounded in the attack, but a Turkish news channel, NTV, Correspondent Yagiz Senkal was slightly injured. Police later arrested the attacker.

The journalists have been convicted in a case linked to searches carried out on MIT trucks on two occasions in January 2014. In May last year, Cumhuriyet ran a story and images claiming to show the discovery of arms in the Syria-bound trucks.

[11] Corendon airlines re-launched flights to the illegal Tymbou airport

After an eleven month break, Corendon airlines, which is the biggest tourist operator in the Netherlands, has carried out a flight from Amsterdam to illegal Tymbou airport, transferring around 186 tourists.

Corendon Airlines, which belongs to the Corendon Group, was the first airline which carried out the first charter flight to the "TRNC" in 2010. Corendon was bringing approximately 10,000 tourists to the occupation regime per year, with charter flights to and from the occupied area of Cyprus via Turkey, from the Netherlands and Belgium.

The airline will from now on carry out schedule flights twice a week, every Monday and Friday from Amsterdam to the illegal Tymbou airport via Antalya, writes the paper.

(AK) TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION

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(DPs / AM)

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