Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 17-11-09

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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] Another 57 "citizenships" were "granted" by the occupation regime

[02] Rural plots of land to another 109 persons were "granted" – UBP and DP "granted" 1101 plots in 31 villages

[03] Survey shows support to the policy of "granting citizenships" by the occupation regime

[04] People's Party promises to end "citizenships' granting"

[05] Self-styled labor minister on the number of persons who have "work permit" in the breakaway regime

[06] "The fanatic islamist government in Turkey should not be given the opportunity to poison our children"

[07] Foundations of new prison laid

[08] The number of beds does not meet the tourist demand in the occupied area of Cyprus

[09] Church in occupied Melounta village is turned into a farm

[10] Yildirim: Turkey, US must focus on future in ties

[11] MHP complains on 10% electoral threshold

[12] Erdogan, Space X CEO discuss new Turkish satellites

[13] CHP head warns of dangers of populism in Strasbourg

[14] Turkish commentary views opposition parties' coalition scenarios for 2019 Presidential Election

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS

[01] Another 57 "citizenships" were "granted" by the occupation regime

Yeni Duzen notes that the National Unity Party (UBP) – Democratic Party (DP) self-styled government continues "investing" on granting "citizenships" for serving its "election aims". Since the day it was decided that "early elections" will be held, the "government" granted "citizenship" to 171 persons. The self-styled interior ministry is full of persons who wait for taking "citizenship", notes the paper adding that some of these persons said that they have been coming and going for years and alleged that they have the "right to be granted citizenship".

(I/Ts.)

[02] Rural plots of land to another 109 persons were "granted" – UBP and DP "granted" 1101 plots in 31 villages

Meanwhile, Turkish Cypriot daily Yeni Duzen newspaper (09.11.17) reports that the UBP-DP self-styled coalition government has granted 1101 rural plots of land in 31 villages within one year. According to the paper, the names of the villages and the number of the persons who had been granted rural plots of land by UBP-DP "government" are the following:

Vitsada 13, Knodara 15, Psyllatos 19, Louroudjina 16, Leonarisso, Vasili and Lythrangomi 165, Angastina 12, Mousoulita 18, Genagra 5, Piyi, Maratha and Aloa 32, Komi Kepir, Eptakomi, Tavros, Mandres and Gerani 260, Ashia 43, Kouklia 16, Makrasyka 12, Gaidouras, Agios Georgios Spatharikou and Stylli 200, Gypsou, Milia, Marathovouno and Petra Digeni 89, Chatoz and Kornokipos 77 and Kapouti 109.

Finally, Turkish Cypriot daily Havadis newspaper (09.11.17) reports that the distribution of rural plots of land is considered to be a "traditional investment" during "pre-election periods" and it has been revived again. According to the paper, "citizens" complain that the plots are not distributed in a just manner and disputes are taking place at the self-styled commission which determines who the "right holders" will be. As a result of a fight, the door of the "housing director's" office was broken yesterday, notes the paper.

(I/Ts.)

[03] Survey shows support to the policy of "granting citizenships" by the occupation regime

Furthermore, 51% of the participants in the survey said that they are in favor of the policy implemented by the "government" on the issue of "granting citizenship", while only 44% stated that they are against this policy.

The three fourth of the participants in the survey expressed the view that the controls should be increased both at the "entrances and the exits" of the occupied area of the island. Moreover, 67% of those who said that they are in favor of "granting citizenships" and 85% of those who said that they are against this practice expressed the view that the above-mentioned controls should be increased.

(I/Ts.)

[04] People's Party promises to end "citizenships' granting"

He went on and added that these unjust practices must be stopped. "We should stop these procedures. After including in the system the persons who were not treated with justice on the issue, no other citizenship will be granted until 2020. After that we will grant citizenship to 1,000 persons", he alleged.

He also stated that Turkey should not interfere in the "TRNC policy on population" and added that in their "council of ministers" there will be a "minister" responsible on the procedures for the assistance offered from Turkey.

He also stated that his party does not see positive its participation in a "coalition government", because this way it will not be able to materialize any of its principles.

(CS)

[05] Self-styled labor minister on the number of persons who have "work permit" in the breakaway regime

He made these statements speaking at a press conference where he spoke about reforms in the "work department of the ministry".

He went on adding that there are 100,000 persons who have "work permit" in the breakaway regime but only 57 employees to deal with their issues.

(CS)

[06] "The fanatic islamist government in Turkey should not be given the opportunity to poison our children"

"No further words are needed! What kind of generations we are raising, is it not so? We call on our teachers to exercise a stricter control as regards the school curriculum. Isn't there any other knowledge more useful than turban, veil, fez, sultan and vizier to teach our children? The fanatic islamist government in Turkey should not be given the opportunity to poison our children!"

(I/Ts.)

[07] Foundations of new prison laid

The new prison complex which will cost 75 million Turkish Liras to build is aimed to be completed in 500 days.

The 765 person capacity T-type central prison is being jointly constructed by Metro Engineering from Turkey and Korman Construction Ltd from the "TRNC".

The "minister of interior" Kutlu Evren who inspected the construction site yesterday underlined the importance of constructing a new prison, adding that the project had been on the "government's agenda for some time".

The "president of the Turkish Cypriot Contractors Union" Cafer Gurcafer who also accompanied the "minister" during the visit welcomed the launch of work to build a new prison.

He pointed out that that the cooperation model between Turkish and "TRNC" contractor firms should continue.

[08] The number of beds does not meet the tourist demand in the occupied area of Cyprus

Moreover, Suleyman Kansu, general director of Salamis Bay Conti Resort Hotel & Casino, told the paper that when the hotels are full in 2018 the occupied area of Cyprus might face a crisis in 2018. He noted that the number of beds is expected to increase in 2018 and reach 25,000-30,000, something which means that they will need an increase of 30% in the demand of air flights. He argued that they should plan the flights for 2018 from now. (I/Ts.)

[09] Church in occupied Melounta village is turned into a farm

A Turkish Cypriot named Halim Tuler told the paper that in 1995 EVKAF religious foundation had leased him the area where the church is built and claimed that the Greek Cypriots had not carried out a religious service in the church since 1963.

In its main editorial, Kibris reports that "one of our biggest mistakes is that we are extremely pitiless to the lands, houses, churches, graveyards remained by the Greek Cypriots" and notes that the church in occupied Malounta is not the first or the last one which has been turned into a farm in the occupied area of the island. "If the Greek Cypriots turned our mosques in south Cyprus into farms, would we like this", wonders the paper adding that churches are also "a value of our country and we should protect […] these values as well".

(I/Ts.)

[10] Yildirim: Turkey, US must focus on future in ties

"We will openly talk on the situation of our relations and which way should we move on," Y?ld?r?m told a group of Turkish journalists in Washington on Nov. 8, one day before a meeting with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence in the White House.

In addition, Turkish daily Sabah (09.11.17) reports that Y?ld?r?m stated that Turkey and the U.S. should focus on the future of bilateral ties and let bygones be bygones, during a meeting with journalists in Washington, D.C., adding that the Turkish delegation will renew the request for Fetullah Gulen's extradition during the meeting with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence.

" Y?ld?r?m also answered a question about opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) chairman Devlet Bahceli's remarks on the election threshold. "We will discuss and see what can be done. We do not promise to lower the threshold, but we will discuss the pros and cons of lowering it, and reach a decision," he said.

[11] MHP complains on 10% electoral threshold

"The MHP is not worried about the 10 % threshold. But the possibility of staying below the threshold puts pressure on the society. There are people who think this is better [for Turkey]. But 10 % is too high for Turkey," Bahceli told a group of reporters on Nov. 7.

Saying that the threshold was introduced in the wake of the 1980 military coup in a bid to prevent "separatist" and "marginal" parties from entering Parliament, Bahceli noted that this could instead be prevented with alliances between different political parties.

"That is how the 10 % threshold could be overcome," Bahceli said.

"We need to pay attention to two things: Leaving impositions behind, we now have to work on reaching a consensus on how we could launch a process for stability and normalization, and how we can live altogether in a democracy," he said.

The MHP leader's comments come amid the results of opinion polls which predict the MHP could stay under the threshold because of the Good Party (Iyi Parti), established recently by former lawmakers of the MHP.

[12] Erdogan, Space X CEO discuss new Turkish satellites

"Elon Musk came to Turkey to discuss the launch of Turksat 5A and 5B satellites," Ibrahim Kalin told Anadolu Agency.

He was received by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the presidential complex in the capital Ankara.

The hour-long closed-door meeting was also attended by the Turkish Technology Minister Faruk Ozlu and the Turkish Transport Minister Ahmet Arslan.

On Thursday, discussions are expected over a deal with Turkey's chosen satellite-manufacturing Airbus Defence and Space firm, of which Space-X is a sub-supplier, Kalin added.

Turkey hopes to send Turksat 5A into space by 2020 and Turksat 5B by 2021.

Another satellite Turksat 6A will also start operations in the coming years, pushing the number of Turkey's active communications satellites to six, he said.

Kalin added that the long-waited project for the country's first domestically produced car announced by Erdogan, last week, was discussed with Musk, who also heads American automaker Tesla.

"Elon Musk's company is actually a major sustainable energy company. So, we talked about topics such as new generation batteries, solar energy, and wind energy," he said.

"We also discussed issues such as how to overcome traffic problems in metropolitan areas, digging tunnels, having underground traffic", Kalin added.

Five automotive supplier firms -- Anadolu Group, BMC, Kiraca Holding, Turkcell, and Zorlu Holding -- will jointly manufacture Turkey's first car, Erdogan said, adding that he expects the car's prototype will be ready in 2019, with sales to follow in 2021.

Turkey made its first efforts to produce its own car, called Devrim (Revolution), in 1961, but it never made it past the prototype stage.

[13] CHP head warns of dangers of populism in Strasbourg

"Populism is very dangerous but we will certainly overcome this," K?l?cdaroglu said at a panel titled "Is Populism a Problem?" at the Council of Europe.

Citing the example of Turkey in recent years, the CHP head said populist leaders "corrode democracy and target universal principles" through restricting media freedom and weakening judicial independence.

K?l?cdaroglu was speaking during a two-day visit to Strasbourg, where he met with Council of Europe head Thorbjorn Jagland and officials from the Venice Commission.

K?l?cdaroglu stressed that populist leaders do not hesitate to intervene in democratic elections in order to stay in power do not care about reports penned by independent observers. He suggested that the best way to take on populist leaders is to be "brave and unyielding."

[14] Turkish commentary views opposition parties' coalition scenarios for 2019 Presidential Election

"The opposition's desire to create an agenda of snap elections is a futile attempt. The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has already commenced preparations for the 2019 elections and set an election schedule after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan retook the helm of the party following the April 16 constitutional referendum. The party is moving toward elections with the renewal of its cadres and with effective practices. Renewal in the government and party organizations, as well as the call on some mayors to resign, are the parameters of the same process. Erdogan is preparing his party for a difficult test. Given that the 2019 elections are the first elections toward the presidential system, they will create a new politics. Both the understanding of government will change and the profiles of deputies, parties and leaders will be reshaped.

The 2019 elections are too critical to be "left" to Turkey's domestic politics alone. We cannot expect European capitals, which blatantly developed an attitude against the April 16 referendum, and the Gulf States, which acted implicitly, to remain silent in these elections. Let us look at the fronts of domestic politics in today's column.

Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu has lost the momentum he gained through the "justice march." He is trying to adapt to the election dynamism that has started earlier. Although it is easy to search for mayoral candidates, still the most important issue is how he will go to the presidential elections. Will he present a joint presidential candidate as in the 2014 elections or adopt natural reconciliation in the second round? Clarification of this subject will take time and will be painful.

Former Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Deputy Meral Aksener has founded a new party that aroused curiosity for a while. Although it is a splinter party consisting of mainly those who seceded from the MHP, it aims to address other segments of central politics too. It has a challenging attitude like ensuring that former politicians of different tendencies form a holistic party.

Aksener personally intends to confront Erdogan as a candidate in the second round of the 2019 presidential elections.

I think her establishing a party has undermined the possibility of her being a "joint candidate." It is not easy to present the chair of the fifth political party in Parliament as a "supra-party candidate." If Kilicdaroglu runs as a candidate, it is impossible for Aksener to come in second in the elections.

The last possibility is that the CHP might present an unassertive candidate to clandestinely support Aksener. And since it is difficult for the chair of a party that was dissociated from the MHP to say anything "good" enough about the Kurdish question, it is somewhat challenging to persuade the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) voters.

In light of these assessments, I think Aksener's political role cannot go beyond being a part of the "grand coalition" that they might want to establish against Erdogan. The last part of the grand coalition could be a team of resentful politicians severed from the AK Party.

Kilicdaroglu might undertake such a coalition again. Finding a presidential candidate to address all parts of the coalition is like pulling a rabbit out of a hat. Unlike in 2014, this time the president will be elected according to the "presidential system." Another difficult decision is whether this coalition will present a "joint candidate" in the first round or the second round.

Erdogan has a huge advantage in the 2019 elections. I do not mean he will lead to the elections only as a ruling president. He has a not-much-stressed opportunity now: Criticisms of "one-man rule" and "personalization" of power have lost their meaning with the July 15 coup attempt and the following systemic change. As can be remembered, the assertion of "one-man rule" and his "personalization" of power was the most efficient argument against Erdogan during the 2014 presidential system and the April 16 referendum.

The fact that the presidential candidates, rather than parties, will compete in the 2019 elections, has personalized the issue in structural terms. There are also outer fronts (the U.S., Europe and the Gulf states) of the elections, which will not be left to Turkey alone. Let us discuss them in another article.

TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION

(CS / AM)

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