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

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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] Hundreds of Turkish Cypriot pilgrims visited Hala Sultan Tekke yesterday

[02] Turkey's Parliament Speaker slams Europe over refugee crisis

[03] European Parliament Rapporteur Piri: We made mistakes after Turkey's coup attempt

[04] A public opinion poll reveals that Turks' confidence on the EU has been reduced

[05] 174 jails to be built in Turkey

[06] Turkey and Russia agreed on joint understanding in resolving regional issues in key military meeting

[07] Twenty thousand students from 106 countries graduated from illegal DAU in the last 37 years

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS

[01] Hundreds of Turkish Cypriot pilgrims visited Hala Sultan Tekke yesterday

The "religious affairs department" stated that the number of the pilgrims was much smaller compared to previous years because, as it claimed, the Republic of Cyprus did not grant permission to Turkish origin persons "settlers" or persons of other origin who have residence in the breakaway regime.

(CS)

[02] Turkey's Parliament Speaker slams Europe over refugee crisis

"But it is clear that this method does not correspond to Europe's values. This attitude will remain like a black spot in Europe's history," said Kahraman.

In his remarks, the Turkish Parliament Speaker said that migration and the refugee crisis had caused increasing racism and Islamophobia in Europe, where he said some countries attempted to associate the refugees with terrorism.

Kahraman urged parliamentary assemblies and national parliaments to say no to racism and Islamophobia, which he said "do not have a place in the 21st century".

[03] European Parliament Rapporteur Piri: We made mistakes after Turkey's coup attempt

Piri said that both herself and Brussels had been quick to criticize Ankara's post-coup crackdown but were wrong to not mention the more than 200 people killed by coup-plotting soldiers on the night of July 15 and not to talk about the bombing of the Turkish Parliament by jets used by plotters.

In an interview with Turkish daily Haberturk on Sept. 15, Piri said that Brussels had been slow to recognize the trauma that the coup attempt had created in people, particularly noting that the assassination attempt on President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had deeply affected people.

"Those who support Erdogan and those who don't support him were united that night. That was a reality that we didn't understand well enough. We made a mistake by not empathizing with the Turkish people," Piri reportedly said.

Stressing that she had never met anyone in Brussels who was in favour of the coup attempt, Piri argued that she personally has "no doubt" that people linked to the U.S.-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen were behind the failed takeover.

She also said that during her visits to Turkey in the last three years there were talks about Gulenists, with the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) referring to the Gulen movement as a "parallel state structure". The coup attempt showed that there really was a parallel state, Piri stated.

The European Parliament Rapporteur also said she had questions regarding the attempted takeover.

"How large was this organization? Was this coup attempt managed from Pennsylvania? Were hundreds or even thousands of Gulenists involved in this? Otherwise, was it something that the Gulenists in the army, who knew that they would be dismissed, did as a last resort?" she said, noting that answers to these questions can only be given by judges.

Addressing the government's sweeping post-coup attempt measures and imposition of a state of emergency, Piri stressed that they did not know whether the thousands of people who have been suspended, detained or arrested were directly involved in the July 15 coup bid.

She also said a distinction should be made between Gulenists "directly involved" in the failed takeover and those who only "sympathize" with the movement.

Piri also touched on her visit to the Turkish capital Ankara in August, saying she expressed her solidarity with Turkey in her meetings with Turkish officials.

[04] A public opinion poll reveals that Turks' confidence on the EU has been reduced

The public opinion poll was held last week with a sample of 1,198 persons in 10 districts in Turkey in 3 cities, Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir.

According to the results of the poll, 64% of the participants said that they do not believe that Turkey will become an EU member, while 44% replied positively. In the same question last year, 48% said that they do not believe that Turkey will become an EU member while 43% said that Turkey will become an EU member.

Also, 56% of the respondents said that Turkey needs the EU for its economic prosperity while 44% said no.

In the question, "Which country puts the most obstacles on Turkey's EU accession?", 51% indicated Germany, 25% other countries, 20% France and 4% "south Cyprus", as the Republic of Cyprus is called by the paper.

Also, asked to reply which is the biggest problem in front of Turkey's EU bid, 59% of the participants said Islamophobia and the hostility against Islam.

In the question "Which is the most important alternative for Turkey besides the EU", 23% said the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, 22% said "Independent policy" and 18% said the BRICS. (BRICS is the acronym for an association of five major emerging national economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa).

(AK)

[05] 174 jails to be built in Turkey

A group of convicts gave a complaint petition to the management of a prison in the north-western province of Tekirdag, where as many as six convicts have been placed in cells designed for three. The management directed the complaint petition to the Justice Ministry's related department, daily Hurriyet reported on Sept. 14.

A total of 174 prisons will be built in the next five years, increasing capacity by 100,182 convicts in order to "meet the unanticipated increase in the number of convicts", the reply sent to the prison by the Ministry read.

"The number is above the capacity of the overall penal institutions in Turkey", the reply sent on Aug. 25 also read.

Thousands of convicts were released from prisons after the failed seizure of government in order to open space to those arrested over links to the movement of U.S.-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen. The release decision was announced with a state of emergency decree published in the Official Gazette.

Meanwhile, the lawyer of the convicts who gave the complaint petition to the prison's management commented on the situation in Turkey's prisons.

"There are six people staying in cells built for three people," lawyer Gul Altay told daily Hurriyet. "They are sleeping in bunk beds in turns. The prison is already overcrowded. Instead of taking steps to solve the situation, the state plans to jail more people via opening more prisons," she added.

[06] Turkey and Russia agreed on joint understanding in resolving regional issues in key military meeting

One of the most important outcomes of the talks is that both top soldiers agree that regional problems can only be resolved through joint initiatives of regional countries as Turkish military sources described the meeting as "fruitful".

Russian Chief of General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov arrived in Ankara on Sept. 15 for a visit that was announced by Russian Defence Ministry Spokesman Igor Konashenkov just hours before Gerasimov landed in Ankara. He was welcomed by Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar through an official welcoming ceremony at the Turkish military headquarters.

According to Turkish military sources, this visit of Russian chief of staff that comes after an 11-year gap was very fruitful as the common understanding in the military has been enhanced with expectation that it will bring about more positive results in the future.

"This positive development is believed to be important in regards that this will lead to a common perspective between the two countries for the solution of other problematic regions in the Middle East", sources stressed.

Turkish military sources evaluated the visit as an indication of the importance the Russian Federation attaches to Turkey's capabilities in the region as a big power. "Another important point with regards to this visit is the view that regional problems can only be resolved through joint initiatives of the regional countries among themselves has prevailed," sources said.

The meeting in Ankara is very significant from different perspectives. From the bilateral relations angle, Gerasimov's visit could be considered as the "military leg" of the normalization process between Ankara and Moscow that was launched in late June after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin expressing his sorrow over the downing of the Russian jet on Nov. 24, 2015.

A hotline has already been established between the two militaries in the last month to prevent the repetition of similar incidents along the Turkish-Syrian border.

Along with the ongoing normalization of bilateral relations, Gerasimov's visit broadly covers the ongoing military activities of both armies inside Syria, coming as the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) entered the third week of its Shield of Euphrates Operation to clear its border of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

As Turkey and Russia are neighbours in the Black Sea and Eurasia, Gen. Akar and Gen. Gerasimov were also scheduled to discuss military developments in these regions. A statement on the Black Sea made by the Russian chief of staff just a day before his visit to Ankara was seen as important as it reflects how Moscow views its competition with Ankara in that area.

Before NATO's recent Warsaw Summit, Turkish President Erdogan urged the alliance that the Black Sea would turn into a "Russian lake" if counter-measures were not taken.

One of Russia's main concerns is Turkey's softening of the implementation of the Montreux Convention that limits the passage of military vessels on non-literal countries into the Black Sea through its straits.

[07] Twenty thousand students from 106 countries graduated from illegal DAU in the last 37 years

Speaking during the meeting, Osam stated that during its 37 years of operation, 20,000 students from 106 countries graduated from DAU.

(CS) TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION

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