Cohen was received by the Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades this morning. The Cyprus issue, energy, regional developments and bilateral relations were taken up during the meeting.

[03] Cavusoglu: "Turkey, Azerbaijan and Pakistan should be in solidarity on the Karabakh dispute, Kashmir issue and the Cyprus problem"

The Minister's remarks came at a news conference with his Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov and Pakistan's Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif in the Azerbaijani capital Baku after the first trilateral meeting.

Cavusoglu said it was "important" to strengthen economic ties among the countries, adding: "For this, we need to remove obstacles to trade and it is beneficial for us to sign the trade agreements as soon as possible."

He added Ankara, Baku and Islamabad can develop relations in military and defence fields, saying: "We see that we are not competitors in these areas, rather complements."

Cavusoglu said that the three countries should be in solidarity on the Karabakh dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia, the Kashmir issue and the solution of the Cyprus problem.

Mammadyarov said that the Ministers discussed several fields, including economy and counter-terrorism. "We also discussed the conflicts in the region. We recognize that the conflicts are undermining the stability and security," he added.

"This was the first trilateral meeting and we have agreed to pursue this platform more vigorously and make this platform more vibrant so that the three countries can benefit from their mutual reliable resources," Asif said.

[04] Self-styled minister of public works and transportation on Hala-Sultan religious school and the illegal universities

He went on adding that the number of students who study in the breakaway regime increased from 43,000 to 100,00 and said that this development strengthens the construction industry as well.

(CS)

[05] KTOS: "25 thousand children of mix marriages are waiting for the Republic of Cyprus' citizenship"; KTOS warned that it will take legal action against the Republic of Cyprus

Elcil further announced that KTOS has decide to take a legal action for the issue, describing this issue as a communal problem and a "violation of human rights".

"KTOS will start accepting applications from the families which are affected from this situation and afterwards its will launch a legal process, undertake attempts and protest to the south", Elcil stated.

Arguing that the political parties in the occupied area of Cyprus are not interested on this issue, Elcil called on the political parties to undertake steps for finding a solution to this matter.

(AK)

[06] The illegal YDU was "represented" in an international conference in the UK

The conference entitled: "Political power sharing", took place at the Queen's University of Belfast.

(AK)

[07] Erdogan: Turkey did not breach Iran sanctions

"The world is not only about the U.S. We also have trade and energy relations with Iran," he said.

The meeting came amid an ongoing court case in which Hakan Attila, a former senior official of the public lender Halkbank, stands as the sole defendant accused of bypassing U.S. sanctions on Iran through gas-for-gold scheme operated by Zarrab, a Turkish-Iranian businessman. He began cooperating with the U.S. prosecutors and on Nov. 29 started testifying about how he bypassed sanctions and bribed senior Turkish government officials.

There are concerns that the Halkbank could face a serious fine as a result of the ongoing court case. The Turkish government, however, has characterized the trial as a "theatre" that targets the credibility of Turkey and President Erdogan.

"The objective of this trial is to destroy their credibility and harm them in the eyes of the Turkish public and the world. That is clear," Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag told state-run Anadolu Agency on the morning of Nov 30.

Bozdag argued that both the judge and the prosecutor of this case have close ties to the Fethullahist Terror Organization (FETO) and evidence submitted court is "fabricated and illegal". "What justice can we expect from such a court?" he said, claiming that similar accusations against the government were made in the December 2013 corruption probes.

AKP spokesman Mahir Unal also suggested that Zarrab was being kept as a "hostage" in the U.S. and was being forced to testify against Turkey and the Turkish government. "We observe that some people's hopes are rising over accusations being voiced by a man being strangely held as a hostage. Our response to them is that we will not remain idle against efforts to corner us economically and politically", Unal told reporters.

"The whole nation sees what's being done against Turkey. Everything is obvious. Turkey will overcome this as it did in the past," he said.

Meanwhile, main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu called on the government to "resign", amid Zarrab's testimony about "$45 million or $50 million" bribes on Nov. 29.

"Zarrab was occupying a seat in the state protocol until yesterday. They called him a charitable businessman. Now he has become their foe. Why? Because he has started confessing," Kilicdaroglu said.

The CHP head denied that the case in New York is a "national issue" for Turkey, saying it is simply about "corruption and theft". "What saddens me most is the fact that all this happened in Turkey and we all know about it, but the trial is taking place in the U.S. Our Ministers and those who took bribes are here but we cannot try them in courts here," he added.

On the same issue, Ankara Anatolia news agency (30.11.17, http://aa.com.tr/en/economy/turkeys-halkbank-says-all-transactions-transparent/986488), reported that Turkey's Halkbank said on Thursday its foreign trade transactions and money transfers were transparent.

"No mechanism, method or system other than those in the existing regulations and those known to and followed by all other banks in foreign trade practices have been used by the bank when offering banking services," the public lender said in a statement on Turkey's Public Disclosure Platform (KAP).

Halkbank's statement came after a U.S. court began hearing a case against Mehmet Hakan Atilla, the former deputy chief executive officer of Halkbank.

[08] Turkey concerned over Pentagon, Trump playing different tunes on arming YPG

"We do not interfere in the U.S.'s internal affairs, but if the Pentagon is not listening to its own President, then it ultimately concerns us because the weapons given to them are a threat to us." (…)

Cavusoglu said what Trump said should be heeded. "Turkey gives great importance to this," he said. "We keep every promise we make." Cavusoglu was speaking at a news conference with the Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan and Pakistan in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku.

The ambiguous and contradictory remarks from U.S. foreign policy makers have become a matter of concern for Ankara, which sees U.S. arms support for the YPG as an issue threatening its national security. Ankara argues that military support to the YPG is ultimately transferred to PKK terrorists and used against Turkey.

In a separate statement released yesterday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry also said that the U.S. sharing information on the weapons provided to the YPG is "not sufficient" and that Ankara expects clarity from the U.S. administration on when the support to the group will end.

Government spokesman, Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag, said in a televised interview with Anadolu Agency (AA) that Ankara would monitor the process regarding the issue as Turkey was promised that Washington would not provide weapons to the YPG anymore.

Cavusoglu made clear on Thursday that if Turkey is felt threatened in anyway, it will not hesitate to enter into Afrin. He further added that Turkey could carry out operations similar the Operation Euphrates Shield, which was launched on Aug. 24, 2016, to drive Daesh away from Turkey's border after the terrorist group's presence threatened safety and security in southern provinces, including Kilis, Gaziantep, and Sanl?urfa.

"As the President [Recep Tayyip Erdogan] has said, we would enter unexpectedly in one night," Cavusoglu said.

[09] Merkel promises Erdogan she will speed up refugee aid

In a phone conversation between Erdogan and Merkel, regional developments concerning Syria and bilateral relations were discussed, said the sources. Erdogan also told Merkel about last week's Sochi summit on Syria.

Erdogan and Merkel also discussed the importance of cooperation in the fight against all terror groups, with primary emphasis on the fight against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

The two leaders also agreed to accelerate high-level bilateral contacts after Germany finishes forming a government.

[10] Main opposition CHP makes off-shore bank documents public

The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office on Nov. 30 launched an investigation into the CHP's accusations of off-shore accounts.

K?l?cdaroglu revealed on Nov. 28 that Erdogan's close circle - including his brother, his son and his executive assistant – made transactions worth around $15 million to an off-shore company called Bellway Limited in the tax haven Isle of Man in December 2011 and January 2012.

TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION

https://www.pio.gov.cy/moi/pio/pio2013.nsf/All/EDB254ABD6F3EAE1C225816F00425E83?OpenDocument

(DPs / AM)

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