Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 17-04-26

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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] "Four more NAVTEX by Turkey"

[02] Atun: "We will give license for new land drillings"

[03] Erdogan's adviser describes Cyprus as "Turkey's overseas province"

[04] Candar: PACE's decision not positive for the Cyprus problem

[05] Erdogan: "Turkey won't wait at Europe's door forever"

[06] PACE decision on Turkey receives criticism for being 'politically motivated'

[07] Yildirim signals shift in cabinet

[08] Turkey's Council of State rejects main opposition's appeal over referendum results

[09] Turkey's Economy Minister: "Turkey-EU Customs Union update is a plus for both sides"

[10] Hrant Dink's murder was FETO's 'first attack in Turkey'

[11] Macron says he 'regrets' path Turkey is taking

[12] News about the opening of Apliki and Deryneia barricades

[13] Louroutzina ? Tympou road will be opened on May 5th

[14] One thousand nine FETO suspects detained in ongoing nationwide operations

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS

[01] "Four more NAVTEX by Turkey"

The area covered by Turkey's two NAVTEX for the southwest of Cyprus coincides with blocks 6, 10 and 11 of the Republic of Cyprus' exclusive economic zone (EEZ). One of these NAVTEX concerns carrying out target practice. According to information published on www.kiyiemniyeti.gov.tr website, NAVTEX for target practice were issued for the open sea of occupied Keryneia.

With the announcement No 416/17 issued on 21 April, Turkey notifies that it would carry out target practice on Friday 28 April in the open sea of Pafos from 08.00 until 20.00 hours. With the announcement No 417/17 issued the day before yesterday, Turkey notifies that a Turkish warship will be towing undersea equipment in the open sea of Pafos on 28 April from 04.00 until 07.00 hours.

Meanwhile, with the announcement No 408/17 issued on 21 April, Turkey notifies that it will carry out target practice in the open sea of Keryneia during the period 24-28 April. Moreover, with the announcement No 412/17 issued on the same day, Turkey notifies that it will carry out target practice on the open sea of Keryneia on 27 and 28 April from 05.00 until 14.00 hours.

(I/Ts.)

[02] Atun: "We will give license for new land drillings"

Explaining that the Barbaros vessel has launched oil exploration activities on April 20, Atun stated that during a meeting he held with Turkey's Energy and Natural Resources Minister, Berat Albayrak, they have "decided" for the launching of seismic researches (2D-3D), while at the same time they had prepared a location map and a coordination list concerning the fields where the seismic vessel will carry out works.

Atun further said that they will soon give also "license" for onshore drillings. Recalling the exploratory drilling launched by a Turkish firm (TPAO) in the region of Sygkrasi (Sinirustu in Turkish) in occupied Famagusta in 2011, Atun announced that they will provide "license" for a second drilling in the area.

Also, the paper recalls the "license" provided to Turkish TPAO firm after a "decision" of the so-called council of ministers dated 28 February 2011 to carry out oil and natural gas oil exploration activities, adding also that within the framework of the "agreement" dated 2 November 2011 signed by Atun and TPAO, the company was given 7 "licenses" to carry out researches in the sea and 1 to hold drillings on land.

Atun further said that together with the drilling, they had also "licensed" Turkey's TPAO to establish a platform in order to be able to have access and evaluate the natural resources. "The drilling works and the establishment of the platform will broaden the horizons for new cooperation in the energy field", claimed Atun.

Expressing their determination to cooperate with Turkey, Atun described as "insincere" the recent statements made by the "Greek Cypriot administration" towards this issue.

(AK)

[03] Erdogan's adviser describes Cyprus as "Turkey's overseas province"

In statements to Turkish state television (TRT), Bulut argued that they should get rid of the "EU lie" and put an end to Turkey's accession course to the EU by holding a referendum. Bulut wondered then what the situation of the Republic of Cyprus when Turkey ends its EU accession course and alleged that "the spirit of out martyrs will not forgive us raising the EU flag in Cyprus and entering the island with a Schengen visa".

He further alleged: "Under normal conditions, the territory of the TRNC should be Turkey's province. The TRNC is an overseas Turkey's province. [?] There is a president there, there is a prime minister, there is an assembly and in the end the expenses for this are paid by Turkey. The EU does not give to the TRNC even a euro. We are the ones who carry there even the water. We give water to the Greek Cypriots as well. We give electricity. [?] Turkey should take its own way, implement its own projects and after a while Greece and the Greek Cypriots will come to us for cooperating with Turkey".

(I/Ts.)

[04] Candar: PACE's decision not positive for the Cyprus problem

Candar stated that this decision was expected but is not positive arguing that it will push Turkey away from Europe. He also said that the decision is not binding within the EU and added that it will be a point of reference for discussions both in Brussels and in the EU progress report for Turkey which is expected in May.

Candar also said that this decision will have a negative impact on the Cyprus problem; however he added that it is not possible to say that the Cyprus negotiations will directly be effected by this.

(CS)

[05] Erdogan: "Turkey won't wait at Europe's door forever"

Speaking at his presidential palace less than two weeks after scoring a controversial victory in an April 16 referendum on constitutional amendments, Erdogan said a decision by a leading European human rights body to put Turkey back on a watch list was "entirely political" and that Ankara did not recognize the move.

The Strasbourg-based Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) said it put Turkey back on review over its wave of arrests since the July 2016 coup attempt, rights violations and concerns about Erdogan's increased grip on power.

Turkey's relations with the European Union soured further ahead of the referendum, when he accused Germany and the Netherlands of "acting like Nazis" by banning rallies by his supporters.

"In Europe, things have become very serious in terms of the extent of Islamophobia. The EU is closing its doors on Turkey and Turkey isn't closing its doors on anybody," Erdogan said, showing photos of vandalized mosques and supporters of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) rallying against him in Europe.

"If they're not acting sincerely we have to find a way out. Why should we wait any longer? We're talking about 54 years," he said, referring to the 1963 Ankara Agreement which acknowledged the long-term goal of Turkish membership of a united Europe.

If necessary, he said, Turkey could hold a vote similar to Britain's on EU membership. He said Brexit had given Britain "peace of mind" and that it was "walking toward a new future".

It is a critical week for Turkish-EU relations. EU lawmakers will debate ties on April 26, while the bloc's Foreign Ministers will discuss the issue on April 28. Erdogan said that he would be closely watching. "I'm very curious as to how the EU is going to act," he said, criticizing EU states that have called for an end to accession talks.

Turkey, he said, was still committed to negotiations. "There is not a single thing that we are not ready to do, the minute they ask for it. Whatever they wish, we do. But still they are keeping us at the door," he said.

Erdogan pointed to the French presidential election, in which far-right leader Marine Le Pen has threatened to take France out of the EU, and said the bloc was "on the verge of dissolution, of breaking up."

"One or two countries cannot keep the EU alive. You need a country like Turkey, a different country symbolizing a different faith ... But EU member states don't seem to realize this fact. They are finding it very difficult to absorb a Muslim country like Turkey," he said.

Europe, Erdogan said, had failed to appreciate Turkey's role in stemming the flow of migrants from neighbouring Syria and Iraq across it borders, and said the burden had fallen on Turkey and other countries in the region, including Lebanon and Jordan.

He insisted there could be no solution to Syria's conflict while President Bashar al-Assad remains in power, and said Russian President Vladimir Putin had told him he was not personally committed to the Syrian leader.

"Al-Assad is not the address for a prospective solution in Syria," Erdogan said, voicing frustration at international failure to compel the Syrian leader to leave. "He has attacked his people with tanks, with cannons, with barrel bombs, with chemical weapons, with fighter jets. Do you think he could be the vehicle for a solution?"

The President hinted at a softening of Russia's support for the Syrian President. Putin, he said, had told him: 'Erdogan, don't get me wrong. I'm not an advocate for al-Assad, I'm not his lawyer.'"

[06] PACE decision on Turkey receives criticism for being 'politically motivated'

In a statement posted on his official Twitter account, Presidential Spokesperson Ibrahim Kal?n condemned the decision. "The decision by PACE is a political operation by anti-Turkey circles. We condemn this deliberate decision which is far from being just or fair", Kal?n said.

On the same issue, the paper reports that Prime Minister Binali Y?ld?r?m said on Tuesday that Turkey will take necessary steps regarding the PACE's decision to reopen a political monitoring process against the country,.

"PACE decision on Turkey is a political decision and is not compatible with reality" Y?ld?r?m told reporters, while noting that international institutions are "unfortunately" influenced by rising wave of racism in Europe. "Such decisions are not beneficial for regional or global peace", he added.

Y?ld?r?m argued that the decision is a reflection of anti-Turkey sentiment in the assembly and is politically motivated and said: "They did not fully understand July 15 [failed coup attempt]". He added that in the future they will realize that their decision is a mistake.

Moreover, Sabah (26.04.17) reports that EU Minister Omer Celik said on Wednesday that he will hold extensive meetings in Strasbourg and Brussels in May regarding the recent decision by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) to monitor Turkey.

Speaking during a live interview with A Haber news channel, Celik said that relations between Turkey and PACE will follow a different path following the decision.

"There will be some discussion over Turkey-EU relations at the European Parliament and EU Foreign Ministers' meeting, but I do not think that they will take a more deteriorating step", Celik said.

Meanwhile, Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (online, 26.04.17), under the title "Turkey back under Euro monitoring after 13 years, government furious", reports that the PACE voted on April 25 to reintroduce a monitoring process for Turkey with the move triggering fury in Ankara.

"We strongly condemn this unjust decision of PACE taken with political motives, in contravention of established procedures," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said April 25, arguing that the move would "only serve terror organizations," including the Fethullahist Terror Organization (FETO).

Turkey's Foreign Ministry called the move a "disgrace." "Deciding to reopen the monitoring procedure on Turkey, a staunch defender of contemporary European ideals and values and a founding member of the Council of Europe, under the guidance of malicious circles at PACE is a disgrace to this institution, which claims to be the cradle of democracy," it said.

Recalling that Turkey contributed to the security and stability of the whole of Europe "while hosting 3.2 million Syrians and countering treacherous terrorist organizations," the statement accused PACE lawmakers of having "an imprudent mind-set lacking strategic vision and ignoring the common and democratic values on which Europe is founded."

"The influence of these ill-intentioned circles was also witnessed when certain PACE members who came to observe the referendum were selected from sympathizers of a terrorist organization. The decision to reopen the monitoring procedure is yet another plot of these malicious groups," read the statement.

Opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Chairman Devlet Bahceli also criticized the decision and said it is null and void for Turkey. "The decision taken by political motivations is baseless and is null and void" Bahceli alleged, adding that he strongly condemns the "unacceptable" decision.

"The Nationalist Movement Party will fully support the government's decisions and precautions that will be taken regarding the evaluation of Turkey's relations with Europe," Bahceli added.

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) lawmaker Ozturk Y?lmaz said they greatly regretted the decision, while calling on the government to urgently halt the state of emergency.

[07] Yildirim signals shift in cabinet

"It wouldn't be right for me to speak about names, about who'll come and who'll go," Y?ld?r?m said in an interview with Bloomberg on April 24.

"But you'll also appreciate that from time to time, injecting fresh blood in the cabinet is a necessity of democracy," he said.

"When appropriate, we could make a change. We'll do this in a process of consultation with our President," Yildirim added.

"I think that in the coming months, we'll definitely take up this subject," he said.

After the official announcement of the referendum results by the Supreme Board of Elections (YSK) and the publishing of the result in the Official Gazette, the President will have the right to re-establish his party ties since the amendment lifts the article banning the Presidents from being impartial.

Yildirim earlier said the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) would send an invitation to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to reinstate his membership with the party, adding that Erdogan's chairmanship would be reinstated at a congress in 2018.

However, the hint at a cabinet revision raised questions about the possibility of an extraordinary congress before 2018.

"The first step is to make our President a member of our party again. He can be a member right away, and we'll happily invite our President to our party. There's also no barrier to him becoming chairman. This is naturally his wish. We won't show any hesitation in making this happen," he said.

"We could at any time decide to have the general congress without holding the provincial congresses, of course. We've done it before; it's also possible now. I never said before that we wouldn't have an extraordinary congress," he added.

He also debunked rumours of early elections.

"On principle, we don't like early elections because early elections bring uncertainty, whether on the economy or on other issues. Outside of this [elections scheduled for 2019], there appears to be no other election. And there's nothing right now that would move us to early elections," he said.

Underlining economic stability, Yildirim also said the difference in economic policy and Erdogan's adviser's comments should not be taken as a reference.

"The advisers can say whatever they want, but the responsibility is with us," he said.

[08] Turkey's Council of State rejects main opposition's appeal over referendum results

The CHP challenged the results of the April 16 referendum, in particular the YSK's decision to count ballot papers unverified by local electoral boards.

The party had first submitted a petition to cancel the referendum result; however, the election board rejected all such appeals against the referendum by the CHP, the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) and the Patriotic Party (Vatan Party).

The CHP then approached the Council of State, urging the court to suspend the official referendum results until the legal process ends.

However, the court also rejected the appeal and backed the law that no appeals could be made against YSK decisions at any court.

The CHP had said it would employ all legal channels to challenge the result, including at Turkey's Constitutional Court and the European Court of Human Rights.

Unofficial results show the Yes campaign won with 51.41%, while the No vote stood at 48.59%. Voter turnout was 85.46%.

The official results are due to be released by the election board at the beginning of May.

[09] Turkey's Economy Minister: "Turkey-EU Customs Union update is a plus for both sides"

"The Customs Union right now contains only industrial products. When the Customs Union is extended to include food, agriculture, electronics, and public procurements, it will put Turkey in a position to provide net contributions to the total growth of the European Union", Zeybekci told a Turkish Day event in Dublin, Ireland, held by Turkey's Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK) and Enterprise Ireland.

Zeybekci also stressed that both sides agree on extending the deal's scope, including Turkey in the EU's Customs Union decision-making mechanisms, and making Turkey automatically a party in free trade agreements the EU signs with third countries.

Zeybekci said the Council of Europe is expected to make a decision on these points by June and the update could be completed by early 2018.

Also pointing to the need to boost economic and trade ties between Turkey and Ireland, Zeybekci signalled that an Irish Day could be held in Turkey this fall.

Also addressing the event, Ireland's Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Charles Flanagan said they can understand the effect of last year's coup attempt against Turkey's democracy, mentioning Ireland's swift stance against the coup. He also said he admired the way Turkey created a modern, lively economy.

[10] Hrant Dink's murder was FETO's 'first attack in Turkey'

Dink, editor-in-chief of the dual language Agos newspaper, was killed outside his Istanbul office on Jan. 19, 2007, in a case that has since stirred outrage and intrigue.

Prosecutors on Monday indicted FETO leader Fetullah Gulen over the journalist's murder in the latest charges to be levelled against the alleged organizer of last July's coup attempt.

The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office asked for a life sentence for Gulen, a judicial official said on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media.

"Dink's murder was the beginning of violent acts of FETO/PDY in order to take over the legislative, executive and judicial organs and all the other state institutions, including the armed forces and police," the indictment said.

The 120-page indictment added that soldiers and police involved in the Dink murder later played an active role in the July 15 attempted coup, in which 249 people were killed.

"Although some public servants knew the potential suspects and those who carried out the murder, they did not hinder the killing," the document said. "On the contrary, they participated in the crime."

It added: "It is impossible to accept that the Dink murder was carried out beyond the knowledge and order of Fethullah Gulen, if one considers the positions of civil servants in FETO."

The document cited two other cases in the mid-2000s -- the Ergenekon and Sledgehammer operations -- as other conspiracies to overthrow the government.

It is the third indictment prepared in relation to the shooting of Dink.

Ogun Samast, who was aged 17 at the time of the killing, was convicted of carrying out the murder but speculation at the involvement of others has persisted.

Monday's indictment is the first time the Fetullah Terrorist Organization has been officially tied to the case.

Gulen, former prosecutor Zekeriya Oz, the former editor-in-chief of the Gulenist Zaman newspaper Ekrem Dumanli as well as journalists Adem Yavuz Arslan, Faruk Mercan and Ercan Gun are charged with "intentional killing" and "attempting to remove the constitutional order".

The latest indictment was sent to Istanbul's 14th High Criminal Court on Monday, which is expected to approve or reject it within 15 days.

[11] Macron says he 'regrets' path Turkey is taking

Macron, the centrist candidate who faces far-right leader Marine Le Pen in France's May 7 second round, said that if he is elected he would ensure France protected "democrats in all countries".

"I regret very deeply the route Turkey is taking, and I disapprove of it," the former Economy Minister told reporters at an event in Paris commemorating the killing of Armenians in Anatolia during World War I.

France officially recognized the event as a "genocide" in 2001, a move that has soured relations with Ankara ever since.

The day after the April 16 Turkey's referendum on expanding the President's powers, Macron said there would be "no progress" in Turkey's EU accession talks if he became French President. He said the referendum marked "an authoritarian drift" by the Turkish authorities.

[12] News about the opening of Apliki and Deryneia barricades

According to a statement released by the coordinator organ, the letter claimed that no positive steps had been taken by the Greek Cypriot side or the United Nations to open the Apliki - Kalopanagiotis crossing point despite the fact this was the first crossing point promised to be opened after 2010.

"Our concern is that the Apliki - Kalopanagioti crossing point will not open at the same time with the Deryneia crossing point because of the delays in other preparations. As a result of this the opening crossing point will be delayed because of the reluctance of the Greek Cypriot side" the letter claimed.

In addition, Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (26.04.17) writes that Serdar Atai, deputy chairman of the Turkish Cypriot association MASDER which is activated in occupied Famagusta, asked from Akinci to say a final date for the opening of the Deryneia crossing point, noting that it must be opened until July.

Atai further stated that the two "collation government parties" believe that that the two barricades in Deryneia and Apliki must be opened at the same time.

(CS)

[13] Louroutzina ? Tympou road will be opened on May 5th

The paper writes that in a written statement the "minister of public works and transportation" Kemal Durust stated that the 7-kim road in the occupied area will be given to the public on May 5 and argued that the project is a solid example that the "TRNC" is developing fast.

(CS)

[14] One thousand nine FETO suspects detained in ongoing nationwide operations

The operations were conducted across Turkey with the participation of 8,500 policemen.

FETO terrorists are led by U.S. based Fetullah Gulen, who orchestrated Turkey's July 15 coup attempt and is the mastermind behind a long running campaign to overthrow the state through infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.

Since the failed coup, operations have been ongoing in the military, police and judiciary as well as in state institutions across the country to arrest suspects with alleged links to FETO.

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