Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 16-06-16

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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] Burcu on the cost of a solution

[02] Spehar: "It is an honour to take on a task which will provide support to the two leaders"

[03] A tender for the water lodged in Ankara; No reference to the regime causes discomfort; Cavusoglu: It is lodged according to the "protocol"

[04] Demirtas: The Cyprus problem can be solved via economy

[05] While there are 12 thousands unemployed workers in the occupied area of Cyprus, they employ 42 thousands foreign workers

[06] Ozgurgun on the development of football in the breakaway regime

[07] "Normalization with Russia: Not that easy"

[08] Ultranationalist group threatens LGBT Pride March in Istanbul

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS

[01] Burcu on the cost of a solution

He added therefore that the natural resources in and around Cyprus could be used for this aim.

Burcu evaluated Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides' statement that some of the revenues to be obtained from the natural gas could be used for funding the solution of the Cyprus problem.

Burcu, while answering BRT correspondent's questions regarding the issue, said that all natural resources in and around Cyprus belong to all Cypriots.

"As the partners of the future, both sides have a common responsibility towards utilizing the natural resources for the benefit of all people living on the island" Burcu said, stressing that the exploration, drilling and marketing of these should not be done in a way that could harm the solution process but in a way that it could contribute to the solution of the Cyprus problem.

"The cost of the solution of the Cyprus problem will be high. It is not possible to cover all of this from the outside. There can be nothing more natural than using our own wealth and resources for this aim" Burcu added.

Responding to another question, Burcu reminded that it was Ak?nc?'s primary goal to reach a solution by the end of 2016 and added that the UN Secretary General shares the same goal.

"Within this framework, Ak?nc? will be happy to meet with and work together with the UN Secretary General Ban under any condition and anywhere" Burcu added.

[02] Spehar: "It is an honour to take on a task which will provide support to the two leaders"

Spehar noted that Akinci briefed her at the meeting on the course of the negotiation process for finding a solution to the Cyprus problem, adding that this is her second time that she will be serving in Cyprus. She noted that it is an honour for her to be in Cyprus again, and added: "It is an honour to take a task which will provide support to the two leaders".

The paper reports that Spehar was in Cyprus in 2008 for two months as an interim Head of UNFICYP Mission.

(DPs)

[03] A tender for the water lodged in Ankara; No reference to the regime causes discomfort; Cavusoglu: It is lodged according to the "protocol"

Turkish Cypriot daily Yeni Duzen newspaper (16.06.16) publishes statements by the chairman of the "water committee of the chambers of architects and engineers", Bektas Goze, who said that they have no "official information" as regards the tender and added that lodging such a tender was not a surprise for them, as this was provided in a "protocol" signed in May between Turkey and the regime. Pointing out that they do not know the conditions of the tender, Goze added that the fact that the tender was lodged in Turkey indicates that the participation of local businesses will be difficult.

Under the title "Tender for the water in Turkey", Turkish Cypriot daily Halkin Sesi newspaper (16.06.16) reports that the tender invited by the DSI, which undertook the management of the water, provides for carrying the water to the depots of the "municipalities", the administration, maintenance and restoration [of the infrastructure]. The "subscription agreement" for participating in the system was signed by 16 out of the 28 "municipalities" in the occupied area of Cyprus. These are the "municipalities" of occupied Famagusta, Morfou, Trikomo, Vadili, Komi Kepir, Agios Sergios, Agios Epiktitos, Ashia, Sinda, Agios Amvrosios, Pergamos, Akanthou, Chatoz, Lefkoniko, Galateia and Yialousa. Moreover, the "municipal councils" of occupied Yerolakkos, Lapithos and Lysi have produced a decision on this issue but did not sign the agreement yet.

Meanwhile, according to Turkish Cypriot daily Vatan newspaper (16.06.16), Nazim Cavusoglu, self-styled minister of agriculture and natural resources of the breakaway regime in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus, said that DSI lodged the tender as a requirement of the "protocol" signed between the "TRNC government" and Turkey. Cavusoglu noted that the DSI purchases services in Turkey when this is necessary and is doing the same for the occupied area of Cyprus. "This issue is not ours, but the DSI is TRNC's interlocutor", he argued adding that in parallel to the control of the administration and the administrator of the water, the DSI's engineers will supervise the measurement of the water quantities provided to the "municipalities". He also noted that the DSI will purchase the necessary labor services for the maintenance of the pumping stations and the water treatment plants until the water reaches the depots of the "municipalities".

(I/Ts.)

[04] Demirtas: The Cyprus problem can be solved via economy

He made these statements during a meeting he held with members of the bi-communal "Famagusta Initiative organization".

Demirtas went on and expressed the hope the on-going negotiations for the solution of the Cyprus problem to have a good result. However, he stated that even if a solution is not reached, an economic opening is needed.

"Therefore, the opening of the Famagusta port and Tympou airport for international flights under the UN control, the opening of the Turkish ports for the Greek Cypriots as well as the opening of the Turkish aviation space will create an economic co-operation which will open the way for the solution of other issues as well", he argued.

(CS)

[05] While there are 12 thousands unemployed workers in the occupied area of Cyprus, they employ 42 thousands foreign workers

Addressing a workshop on "Creating an employment strategy in North Cyprus", which was organized by the EU coordination office and the World Bank and was held in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus yesterday, Saner stressed that one of their biggest problems is how they will plan the employment strategies, adding that they, as a "ministry", give importance to the determination of the employment strategies which will meet the needs of the labour market.

Specialists of the World Bank as Michele Davide Zini, representatives of the EU Coordination Centre, "officials" from the self-styled ministry of labour and social security and self-styled ministry of national education and culture, as well as representatives of different civil social organizations participated in the workshop.

(DPs)

[06] Ozgurgun on the development of football in the breakaway regime

He made these statements during a dinner with the footballers and the coaches of the "national team" of the breakaway regime which came third during the "World Cup Conifa 2016", held in "Abkhazia".

He went on and added that they will exert efforts so that the football teams of the breakaway regime to have contacts abroad.

(CS)

[07] "Normalization with Russia: Not that easy"

"It was actually a routine congratulatory message for Russia Day, which has been sent by the Turkish President and Prime Pinister every year, similar to the messages sent to other countries on their national days.

But this year it had a different meaning. Sending the message was not guaranteed option because of the crisis in Turkish-Russian relations after Turkey's downing of the Russian Su-24 fighter jet with two pilots aboard on Nov. 24, 2015, over violations of the Syria-Turkey border.

[?]

Ironically enough, the sudden deterioration in relations with Russia hit the Turkish city of Antalya the most.

Antalya had been receiving some 3 million Russian tourists every summer in recent years. But in 2016, Antalya lost more than 90% of its tourists from Russia. Not only has the tourism sector been hit, as one of Turkey's major fresh fruit and vegetable exporters, Antalya farmers have also been suffering a lot from the embargo of Russia, their major client.

[?]

Both Ankara and Moscow have been saying they would like to see relations return to normal. Putin made it clear that there was one condition for this: An apology from the Turkish side and compensation for the pilots.

Erdogan also made it clear that Turkey would not apologize for defending its borders, especially after giving insistent warnings. But he has also said he could not believe that his good friend Putin reacted so strongly to a "mistake" by a pilot. After news agencies interpreted this vague sentence as meaning the mistake of a Turkish pilot hitting the Russian plane, "sources from the presidency" leaked to the Turkish media that Erdogan meant the Russian pilot. But it did not turn into an official statement.

There is now a stalemate situation where both countries were losing. The Turkish Foreign Ministry has advised both the President and the Prime Minister that Turkey should send its official Russia Day messages as usual, as a gesture of their will to get relations back on track. So Erdogan wrote to Putin and Prime Minister Binali Y?ld?r?m wrote to his counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, the messages which were announced on June 14.

On June 15, the Kremlin said it also wanted relations to return to normal, but first Turkey had to take some steps; (obviously Moscow was implying the apology and compensation). [?]

These are perhaps mutual gestures to break the ice between them, but there is still no sign of a softening political stance by either Turkey or Russia. An apology by Erdogan would not be easy.

Since the downing of the plane, the Turkish Air Force has not been able to carry out operations in Syrian air space against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), or other forces that it regards as terrorists, because of the possibility of Russian retaliation. Would Russia now like to see Turkey back in the Syrian theater, against its ally al-Assad? This is especially worth asking at a time when U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry warned Russia that his country's patience over the tolerance shown to al-Assad was wearing thin. What's more, NATO (which Turkey is a part of) is also calling on Russia to withdraw from Ukraine, amid a growing military pileup in both the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.

Amid this uncertainty, normalization in Turkish-Russian relations should not be expected any time soon, unless there are radical policy changes in Ankara, Moscow, or both."

[08] Ultranationalist group threatens LGBT Pride March in Istanbul

A similar threat was also recently made by a group called the Anatolia Muslim Youth Association (MAG), which vowed to intervene to stop the "perversion."

"Dear state officials, don't make us struggle with these [people]. Either you do what's necessary or we will. We will take all the risks and we will stop the march," the organization's Istanbul provincial head, Kursat Mican, told journalists late on June 14 at their building in Uskudar.

"They can do whatever they want by gathering somewhere, but we definitely don't want them to walk naked on the sacred soil of our country in the blessed month of Ramadan. The state should stop them by taking national values into account. This is not normal freedom. We are issuing a warning and we are not responsible for what will happen after this point," Mican added. TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION

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(CS/ AM)

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