Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 17-09-08

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From: The Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office Server at <http://www.pio.gov.cy/>

CONTENTS

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS

[01] Ozgurgun on the "FETO investigations" and the tension with Akinci

[02] Volkan: "FETO procedure before the gates"

[03] Ertugruloglu: "The time has come to talk about other issues"

[04] So-called foreign ministry issued a statement for the way a settler was treated by the Cyprus police

[05] Cavusoglu thanked Turkey for the "transferring of the water project"

[06] The "mayor" of occupied Keryneia held contacts in Germany

[07] Celik to hold talks in Estonia with EU Ministers; France's FM due to Turkey

[08] Turkey's Economy Minister: "Germany has no right to block update of Turkey's EU Customs Union"

[09] "Will Erdogan shut the door on Europe?"

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS

[01] Ozgurgun on the "FETO investigations" and the tension with Akinci

Stating that he will be able to speak with references as soon as he evaluate the information he has, Ozgurgun added that he will share the information he has with the "president" the appropriate time.

Asked to comment on the tension between the so-called government and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci, Ozgurgun said: "The president exercises the right of his discretionary power. However, the responsibility belongs to the prime ministry".

Commenting on the letter sent by Akinci asking him to justify his demand for stripping Atalay of his "duties", Ozgurgun alleged that Akinci exercises his "discretionary power".

Referring also to the recent statements made by "deputy prime minister" and "minister of finance" Serdar Denktas that a "new implementation on the citizenship issue" is coming, referring to the "island card", Ozgurgun claimed that he is unaware of this.

Denktas stated in a televised program that instead of "citizenship" they will be "granting the island card" to those "coming in the TRNC either to work or to settle".

"I have no information about this issue. Serdar Denktas should of course prepare a work towards this issue", Ozgurgun said.

(AK)

[02] Volkan: "FETO procedure before the gates"

The chairman of BISDER Beytullah Baykal and the general secretary of the Union Yasin Atik were arrested accused of being members of a terrorist organization and for attempting to overthrow the Turkish Government. Volkan citing information argues that many Turkish Cypriot businessmen visited Edirne in the previous years and held contacts with the two men.

(CS)

[03] Ertugruloglu: "The time has come to talk about other issues"

The joint statement made by the two parties was that they evaluated the Crans-Montana summit that ended without success and the negotiations that have come to an end and claimed that the bi-zonal, bi-communal federal solution based on political equality within the framework of UN parameters was the only real solution model for the island.

"We must first emphasize the fact that the Crans-Montana summit was inconclusive and not only did the conference come to an end but the 50 year solution process that was based on UN parameters searching for a federal solution. This reality was also voiced by Akinci. It is also our government's official view and the view voiced by motherland Turkey which displayed a very constructive stance at the negotiations process" he alleged and claimed that everyone knows the history of the island", Ertugruloglu.

He also alleged that "it was the Greek Cypriot side which usurped the rights of the 1960 joint Republic and unilaterally through force of arms removed the process of the two peoples on the island living under the same roof".

"When the situation is like this, to call for 'hopes to be kept alive' for a new joint federal solution to emerge, is equal to repeating the past 50 years, which has been tried and unsuccessful. This is unacceptable by the government" he alleged, claiming that the Turkish Cypriot "people" with good will had done all it can for the past 50 years for a federal solution to be found.

"From now on it will determine its fate together with Turkey. The time has come to discuss new things" he alleged.

"The Greek Cypriot side demanding that the Cyprus negotiations process continue within the framework of UN parameters is nothing more than playing for time, condemning the Turkish Cypriot people to a process that has proven to fail while it carries on with its so called Republic of Cyprus government" he claimed.

Ertugruloglu also alleged that it wasn't the Greek Cypriot side that had been harmed by the continuation of the status quo but the Turkish Cypriot side who was being "forced" to live under inhumane embargoes.

"After this time it would be cruel and unacceptable to expect the Turkish Cypriot people to continue to harvest hopes for a federal solution. Discussions on federation and parameters have been exhausted", he alleged, adding that what needed to be discussed under the current conditions is "ways to improve neighborly relations and a new solution model where the two peoples live side by side".

He also expressed the hope that "all political parties will put forward constructive contributions towards this end".

[04] So-called foreign ministry issued a statement for the way a settler was treated by the Cyprus police

The 60-year person crossed the Ledra Palace barricade on his bicycle, without stopping to the checkpoint and following instructions he returned to the checkpoint whereupon a policeman allegedly began to beat him. The self-styled foreign ministry argued in its statement that this is a behavior against human rights and cannot be accepted.

[05] Cavusoglu thanked Turkey for the "transferring of the water project"

Speaking during an opening ceremony, Cavusoglu claimed that in order to improve the living standards in the "TRNC" and to be able to achieve "its rightful place in the world", the "TRNC" is working together with Turkey.

Referring to the drought conditions that have affected the "country", Cavusoglu argued that high performance can been achieved with xerotolerant certified seeds but added that once the water from Turkey reaches agricultural areas the region will become a food storage area. "The citizens of the TRNC are very grateful for Turkey", Cavusoglu alleged, referring to the water transfer project from Turkey.

[06] The "mayor" of occupied Keryneia held contacts in Germany

During his visit to Germany, Gungordu met with the Mayor of Bingen, Thomas Feser, while at the same time he held contacts with French and Check delegations.

The paper adds that Gungordu has invited the Mayor of Binger Municipality to "visit" the "TRNC" in order to attend the Olive Festival which is to be organized by the "municipality" of occupied Keryneia in 2018.

(AK)

[07] Celik to hold talks in Estonia with EU Ministers; France's FM due to Turkey

Meanwhile, speaking to reporters in Paris, Turkey's Ambassador to France echoed President Erdogan's comments that the EU had to make its mind up about membership and dismissed any notion of an alternative "special partnership."

"Integrating Turkey into the EU is not a Turkish question, but a European question now. Of course we have the impression of being duped," Ambassador Ismail Hakki Musa said.

"They no longer want a marriage, they want cohabitation. But it's too late for a 'privileged partnership' and Europe must now be honest and sincere," Musa added.

Turkey's relationship with France is not quite as bad as it is with Germany, but ties have been strained following the arrest of French journalists in the country.

Musa said further that Macron and Erdogan had asked their respective Interior and Justice Ministers to find a way to solve the problem. "We have to find a solution without tainting the fundamentals of the Turkish system," he said.

France's Foreign Minister is due in Ankara on Sept. 14.

[08] Turkey's Economy Minister: "Germany has no right to block update of Turkey's EU Customs Union"

"Germany has no right to block the update of Turkey's Customs Union deal. Our addressee here is the European Union", Zeybekci said, adding that there were no problems in Turkey's negotiations with the EU and the process went on.

Zeybekci's comments came after similar comments by Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek.

[09] "Will Erdogan shut the door on Europe?"

After the recent statements made by Chancellor Angela Merkel and her Social Democratic contender Martin Schulz, the columnist supports that both politicians tried to establish who was less powerful against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

"The two politicians ultimately agreed on blocking the Customs Union update with Ankara, cut financial aid and credits, issue stronger warnings against German citizens traveling to Turkey and reconsider the future of Turkey's EU membership bid. If elected, Mr. Schulz pledged to cancel the refugee deal and stop membership talks with Turkey. By contrast, Mrs. Merkel defended the refugee deal – albeit noting that she would bring up the termination of membership talks with the rest of the EU members.

One thing is clear: Chancellor Merkel has been acting more strategically than Mr. Schulz. Although she always opposed Turkey's membership bid and instead promoted some type of privileged partnership, "Mutti" stands up for the refugee deal in an effort to safeguard Germany's national interests. At the same time, she leaves it to EU leaders to decide the fate of Turkey's membership bid. In turn, Mr. Schulz – one of whose predecessors, Gerhard Schroder, played an important role in launching the membership talks back in 2005 — has taken a tough stance on that issue.

What the two politicians have in common, though, is their willingness to use the Turkish President as an excuse to transform Berlin's relationship with Turkey. At the same time, they have been making a faux distinction between the Turkish people and President Erdogan, who has been crossing a lot of red lines, in order to signal that they haven't shut the door on Turkey just yet.

[…]

Mrs. Merkel made a particularly interesting statement on Sunday: 'We will see whether it will be us or Turkey that shuts the door'. The German Chancellor's remarks suggest that bilateral relations will remain strained after the election.

Over the past two years, Germany has been the architect of the European Union's tense relationship with Turkey. And it is clearly no longer necessary to use the Greek Cypriots or any other EU member as an excuse to indicate that Turkey won't be able to join the organization. Once a safe haven for radical-left groups, Germany now hosts PKK and Gulenist Terror Group (FETO) militants. As such, Berlin's problems with Ankara are starting to become a structural issue – despite certain shared economic interests. There is no doubt that the existing tensions could turn into a war of words if German politicians continue to target the Turkish President ahead of the 2019 elections in Turkey.

To be clear, European politicians will build their anti-Turkey discourse around German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel's suggestion that "Turkey will never join the EU with Erdogan in power." Inevitably, they will have to explain who shut the door on Turkey's membership bid. What they desperatel8y want is for Turkey to voluntarily withdraw its application. In other words, they hope that Mr. Erdogan will grow tired of the anti-Turkey smear campaign in Europe and walk out of the membership negotiations.

[…]What they desperately want is for Mr. Erdogan to publicly declare that Turkey has given up on EU membership – which Turkish officials continue to consider a strategic goal. If the Turkish President does not play ball, they will push the message that Mr. Erdogan had turned his back on European values in order to be able to explain to the European public why they shut the door on Turkey". TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION

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(AK /AM)

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