"According to the 2017 figures of the TRNC central bank, the local revenues met 83% of all expenses.

The central bank issued a bulletin which gave room to the general outlook of the world economy, the TRNC economy and the daily statistical data and evaluations regarding the banking sector.

According to the bulletin, the TRNC budget with a better performance in 2017 compared to 2016 had a surplus of 78.5 million TL.

The bulletin also indicated that there has been a 27% increase in the deposit money of the 21 banks operating in the TRNC (the breakaway regime in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus) and a 20% increase in the gross credits.

According to the data in the bulletin, the TRNC budget performed better in the 2017 Fiscal Year than in 2016.

Accordingly, the TRNC budget which had a surplus of 20.9 million TL in 2016, with a 22% increase in 2017 had a surplus of 78.5 million TL.

The figures also showed that the total local revenues when recalculated by taking out the donations and credits supplied by Turkey from the budget have met 83% of all expenses.

Meanwhile, the inflation rates in 2017 had reached the highest levels in recent years."

[07] One of two fugitives has reportedly fled to the government controlled area of Cyprus

The position of the guard in the watchtower has been empty for some years now because there is lack of guards.

According to the paper, an investigation began immediately after their escape. It showed that Yilkar, during the time he was in prison, apparently used his telephone right to talk to a Turk, who is in the government controlled area of Cyprus. It is believed that Yilkar has fled to the government controlled area of Cyprus after his escape. However, it has not been determined yet where Eymirov is.

(DPs)

[08] Turkey's MFA described EP's recent Resolution 'null and void'

Turkey defined the Resolution as "null and void" and said: "As an institution allowing the rags of the terror organization to be hung in its own buildings, it is not surprising that such a Resolution has been adopted by the European Parliament.

"This is also the clearest indicator of our country's and the Turkish people's rightfulness in no longer being able to take seriously the EP which has long lost its credibility. Therefore, this Resolution is null and void for us."

Responding to the EP's criticisms regarding Turkey's state of emergency, the Foreign Ministry said: "Adopting effective measures such as the State of Emergency, which is needed to fully eliminate the threats against the existence of our State and our nation's right to democratic life, is the duty and an incontestable right of the Republic of Turkey."

"Measures taken as part of the State of Emergency are conducted within the laws and in conformity with our international obligations. These measures are continuously reviewed; our cooperation based on transparency with international organizations continues on these subjects," it added.

The statement stressed on Turkey's regional challenges in terms of security conditions, and stated that the Resolution "is nothing but a patchwork of ungrounded claims compiled one after the other from various sources, just for the sake of criticism."

"The Resolution is yet another reflection of the twisted perspective that overlooks the fact that the terrorist coup attempt of FETO [Fetullah Terrorist Organization] on 15 July 2016 in our country targeted, above all, our democratic and legitimate Government and our Constitutional system…"

The statement added that the terrorist coup plotters violated Turkish citizens' fundamental rights and freedoms -- first and foremost the right to life -- and they attempted to establish an oppressive government.

Regarding Turkey's recently launched Operation Olive Branch against PYD/PKK terrorists in Syria's Afrin, the Ministry reasserted that the operation "is fully conducted in line with the international law and based on the right to self-defense as enshrined in Article 51 of the UN Charter, as well as the relevant UNSC Resolutions."

"From the outset, Turkey clearly expressed its legitimate security concerns, as well as the target, end-goal and principles of the operation... All necessary precautions are taken to avoid collateral damage and any harm to civilians."

Turkey refuted the EP's criticisms regarding the country's fight against terrorism and asserted that Turkey's "great devotion" in counter-terrorism "demonstrates that some elements within the EP are incapable of comprehending the vital importance of this fight for Europe as well."

[09] Erdogan: "Syrians will not stay here forever"

"We want our refugee brothers and sisters to return to their land, to their homes. We are not in the position to hide 3.5 million here forever," Erdogan said on February 8, addressing local province heads at the Presidential Palace in Ankara.

As Turkey's "Operation Olive Branch" in Syria's northwestern province of Afrin continues into its second week, Erdogan has vowed to "solve the Afrin issue."

"We have taken 2,000 square kilometers of land under our control in al-Rai, Jarabulus and al-Bab. Some 135,000 refugee brothers and sisters in Turkey who have come from Syria have returned to their homes," Erdogan said.

"We have reconstructed the cities, their hospitals and schools. Now, they are living in their own land. The Free Syrian Army [FSA] and our soldiers have provided security for them. We want to do the same in Afrin," he added.

(…)Erdogan also rejected a call by main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu to establish contact with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. "What will we talk about with a murderer who has killed one million of his citizens?" said Erdogan.

"You can walk hand in hand with terrorists when necessary … Until today, we have not walked with those who have taken the path permitted by terrorist organizations and we will not do so from now on," Erdogan added.

(…)

[10] OSCE blasts Turkey's legal moves against criticism of Afrin operation; Turkey arrests 3 over terror propaganda on social media

According to the Interior Ministry, as many as 449 people so far have been detained and charged with terror propaganda for their social media posts on Turkey's recent military operations in Afrin, he noted.

Desir had emphasized in a letter to Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on February 6 that "creating an environment restricting freedom of expression can only weaken democratic societies."

"Disagreeing with actions taken by the government should not be punished with imprisonment. Freedom of expression must be respected, even in times of conflict or war," he added.

"Security concerns should not lead to disproportionate restrictions on fundamental freedoms. I call on Turkey to reverse its current approach to critical expressions, release those detained arbitrarily, and drop the charges against them," Desir stated.

On the same issue, Ankara Anatolia news agency (08.02.18-http://aa.com.tr/en/turkey/turkey-arrests-3-over-terror-propaganda-on-social-media/10583010) reported that police sources said on Thursday that at least three suspects were arrested in Turkey over charges of spreading terror propaganda on the social media.

Turkish police arrested Mehmet Zeki Kilic, the co-chair of the Peoples' Democratic Party's (HDP) Sancaktepe district representation in Istanbul, said a source, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on talking to the media.

Kilic is accused of spreading propaganda of the PKK terrorist group on social media.

In the northwestern province of Tekirdag, police arrested two people over terror propaganda against Turkey's Operation Olive Branch on social media.

A Turkish court remanded in custody one of the suspects, the source said.

Meanwhile, in Turkey's southeastern province of Diyarbakir, a court remanded in custody Mehmet Arslan, the co-chair of the Democratic Regions Party (DBP) over making terror propaganda on social media and his statements on Turkey's operation in Syria. He is accused of being a member of an armed terrorist organization, the source added. Arslan had been arrested on Feb. 6.

The propaganda against the Turkish military began soon after Turkey launched the military operation in Syria's northwestern region of Afrin.

PYD/PKK terrorist organization posted fake and distorted photographs on the social media and falsely claimed that they were from Afrin.

(…)

[11] Turkey to host Turkey-Russia-Iran summit on Syria

The three-way summit was discussed during a phone conversation between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin early on February 8, during which they also discussed Turkey's "Operation Olive Branch" into Afrin.

Turkish sources said that the two leaders agreed to hold a top-level meeting with the inclusion of Iranian President Hasan Rouhani in Istanbul, following their summit in Sochi in late November 2017. The date of the upcoming Istanbul summit has not been decided.

Erdogan told Putin about the ongoing Turkish incursion into Afrin, while the two leaders "agreed on the need for the intensification of efforts for the establishment of monitoring spots in Idlib" as part of joint works to create de-escalation zones in Syria in line with the Astana agreement, sources said. They added that the two leaders "agreed to continue their military and political coordination" in the Syrian theater, while Erdogan raised the issue of the "worrying situation" in Eastern Ghouta, where Syrian government and Russian forces have staged harsh raids on rebel-held areas.

Meanwhile, Erdogan also spoke with Iranian counterpart Hasan Rouhani on the phone that same day. The two leaders discussed the latest developments in Syria and hailed increased cooperation on security issues and the fight against terrorism.

(…)

[12] Pervin Buldan and Sezai Temelli nominated as new HDP co-chairs

"Pervin Buldan and Sezai Temelli will stand for the co-chair positions in our congress," she said, referring to the upcoming vote to elect the party's leader.

A consensus commission set up to pick co-chair candidates had already selected Buldan to replace jailed co-chair Selahattin DemirtaS, who has been accused of various terrorist activities, according to Turkish media reports on February 7.

As a lawmaker who represented the eastern province of Igd?r for two terms and current HDP Deputy chair, Buldan has been deemed an experienced politician.

In an interview with Dogan News Agency on Jan. 12, Demirtas said he would undertake any duties given to him by the HDP, despite having stepped aside from the leadership race.

(…)The HDP's third ordinary congress has been scheduled for February 11.

Some 500 members of the HDP have been detained in the last 10 days mainly due to their opposition to "Operation Olive Branch" but they are determined to make the congress a new start in the struggle for peace, Kemalbay said.

[13] Former Istanbul Governor and former Turkish Police Chief face up to 15 years in jail

Mutlu is accused of "being a member of armed terror organization" and Capk?n is accused of "willfully helping the organization, despite not being involved in the organization's hierarchical structure."

Mutlu was arrested on Aug. 5, 2016 along with nine other suspects, shortly after Turkey's July 2016 military coup attempt, believed to have been orchestrated by the followers of U.S.-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen.

Mutlu, who served four years as Istanbul governor until 2014, a period that included a police crackdown on the Gezi protests under his watch. In 2014 he was reassigned to Ankara to become an Interior Ministry civil servant but was suspended from his position on July 17, 2016.

(…)Capk?n was arrested on September 3, 2016 and also denies all charges.

"I'm not a part of such an organization. I've never received help from [such] an organization during my career. I've never sent my children to any schools belonging to this group," he said in his testimony.

The 2016 coup attempt left 250 people dead and nearly 2,200 wounded. In the aftermath the government declared a state of emergency, which has continued up until today.

TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION

(AK/ AM)

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

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