Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 18-06-06

Cyprus Press and Information Office: Turkish Cypriot Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS

[A] Turkish Cypriot Press

[01] Akinci met with Verwey

[02] The first Turkish drilling vessel arrived in Antalya

[03] Data on the occupation regime's tourism

[04] "Self-styled ministry of education plans to make religion classes selective for high school students

[B] Turkish Press

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS

[01] Election spot of MHP shows the whole of Cyprus as part of Turkey

[02] Turkish Foreign Ministry calls Greece 'a safe haven to coup plotters'

[03] Erdogan claims foreigners are 'playing games through currency'

[04] Turkey eyes 'four-way deal' against PKK in northern Iraq

[05] Yildirim slams US, Europe calling for Kurdish state

[06] Latest opinion polls on the upcoming presidential elections in Turkey

[A] Turkish Cypriot Press

[01] Akinci met with Verwey

According to a press release issued by the so-called presidency, Akinci and Verwey discussed during the meeting the Turkish Cypriot community' ties with the EU and the current phase of the Cyprus problem.

The meeting lasted for approximately one hour.

(AK)

[02] The first Turkish drilling vessel arrived in Antalya

According to the paper, the vessel will start drilling on the end of summer.

(CS)

[03] Data on the occupation regime's tourism

According to the same data, the hotel occupancy during the above mentioned period has reached 44.8% while during the first four months of the previous year it was 46.1%.

Also, according to the data totally 561, 571 passengers had "visited" the "TRNC" via the air and the sea and only 246, 581 out of them overnighted. During the same period, the occupancy at the hotels with casino was 54.6% while at the hotel with no casino was 50.5%.

Also, a remarkable decrease has been showed on the number of tourists from the UK. According to the data, the number of tourists from the UK who "visited the TRNC" in 2014 was 57, 888, 56,250 in 2015, 53, 058 in 2016, 45, 146 in 2017, while from January-April of 2018 these has reached 8, 588.

(AK)

[04] "Self-styled ministry of education plans to make religion classes selective for high school students

He said that in this framework their first priority is the construction of three schools in occupied Keryneia.

He also stated that as from the new school year the religion class will be selective for high school students.

(CS)

[B] Turkish Press

[01] Election spot of MHP shows the whole of Cyprus as part of Turkey

Reporting on the issue, the paper notes that the spot, which was shared at social media "will drive crazy the Greek Cypriots".

(CS)

[02] Turkish Foreign Ministry calls Greece 'a safe haven to coup plotters'

Hami Aksoy, spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (http://www.mfa.gov.tr/sc-43-yunanistana-kacan-sekiz-darbecinin-hepsinin-serbest-birakilmasi-hk-scen.en.mfa), in response to a question regarding the release of all of the eight fugitive putschists who had fled to Greece, stated the following:

"We have expressed our condemnation of Greece's repeated refusal to extradite the eight fugitives who had taken part in the treacherous coup attempt of July 15 and had then fled to Greece, as well as the release of, and the granting of asylum by the Greek Council of State to, one of these traitors. We have also expressed our expectation from the Greek judiciary not to repeat the same mistakes by taking similar biased decisions in the future.

However, it has been learned that Greece has released the other seven remaining fugitives over the past few days. The release of all the fugitive putschists cannot be explained as a routine administrative decision pertaining to their detention period.

With this decision, the putschists will be able to move freely in Greece. Hence, Greece has clearly exposed itself as a country that provides safe haven to putschists.

The release of the traitors who plotted a coup in order to overthrow the democracy in a neighbouring country by a country, which claims to be the cradle of the democracy, conforms neither to international law, nor to good neighbourly relations.

We remain determined to ensure that the fugitive putschists are extradited to and stand trial in Turkey."

[03] Erdogan claims foreigners are 'playing games through currency'

"Turkey's economy, in all areas, is now far beyond developed countries", Erdogan said at a rally in the province of Sakarya on June 5.

The volume of the country's exports was $36 billion in 2002 when the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) first came to the power but it has now reached $162 billion, he stated.

"We have made Turkey a country that has a growth rate of 5.7%", Erdogan said, adding that the Central Bank's foreign exchange reserves amounted to $27.5 billion when the AKP came to office but these are now $110 billion. "We have had a fall recently and we need to move it forward again," the President said.

(…)

Erdogan slammed Muharrem Ince, the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) candidate for the presidential elections, as well as CHP head Kemal Kilicdaroglu for "lacking knowledge on the economy". He also blasted Ince, who recently objected to Second Army Command Commander Lt. Gen. Ismail Metin Temel's applauding of Erdogan at an election event while wearing his military uniform. (…)

Meanwhile, Erdogan criticized Ince over his visit to Selahattin Demirtas, the jailed candidate of the Kurdish issue-focused Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), last month. (…)

"One who killed 53 of my citizens is a presidential candidate in this country. This Muharrem is also visiting him ... A terrorist cannot be President. My Kurdish brothers will break this game," he said.

[04] Turkey eyes 'four-way deal' against PKK in northern Iraq

"There will be a four-way cooperation between Turkey, the U.S., Baghdad and Arbil [in the fight against the PKK]. Because the PKK is also the enemy of Arbil," Cavusoglu told Ankara bureau chiefs of media outlets at a press conference in Antalya on June 5, referring to the KRG capital. (…)

An operation against the PKK in northern Iraq requires intelligence-sharing between these four actors and political coordination, he added, stressing that "necessary works are ongoing to this end. We are conducting operations against the terrorist organization."

Turkey and the U.S. have recently established a working group solely to focus on the fight against the PKK in Iraq, while Ankara has also launched talks with both Baghdad and Arbil on the same matter.

"We are determined to clear the PKK from our borders. In addition to this four-way agreement, support from inside Iraq is also key because at the end of the day this is Iraqi soil. [The PKK] has left the Sinjar [province of Iraq] but it still has a sizeable presence in the Kandil Mountains [of northern Iraq] and beyond. We will clear all these areas," Cavusoglu said.

His statements come as the Turkish Armed Forces have stepped up activities in northern Iraq in recent months. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly vowed that the PKK's presence in northern Iraq will be eliminated.

Cavusoglu also spoke about the "road map" that Turkey and the U.S. have reportedly endorsed on the withdrawal of the PKK's Syrian offshoot, the People's Protection Units (YPG), from Manbij, an issue that has caused tension between the two allies since 2016.

He said the road map includes three stages, with the first 10 days devoted to initial preparations between the militaries and intelligence agencies of the two sides for the withdrawal of the YPG troops and actions to be taken by the two sides in Manbij. In the second stage, teams from both sides will hold meetings to conclude preparations. In the third stage the implementation of the road map will be carried out.

Cavusoglu said YPG militants will leave the city after they drop their weapons and Turkish and American troops will provide the control of the province in accordance with the road map. "The weapons that were given to the YPG by the U.S. will be taken back," he said, adding that the entire process will be concluded within six months.

"In the third stage, we will also decide who will govern this place and who will take their place in security teams. This will lead to stability in Manbij. We will implement the same model to other YPG-held areas if we are successful. This is cited in our road map. Both sides have this determination," he said, stressing that the road map is endorsed by the two foreign ministers and "not an agreement or a protocol."

"This goes beyond an international agreement. It is a road map, the implementation of which will have an impact on our bilateral ties. As it has been endorsed, we can say there is a positive trend but obviously we must see its implementation," Cavusoglu said. (…)

Cavusoglu emphasized that "no third country will play a role" in the withdrawal of the YPG from Manbij, while adding that Ankara's deal with Washington is "in no way an alternative to its cooperation with Moscow in Syria." "We explain what we are doing here to Russia. This road map is not a secret, it is transparent and its objectives are well-known," he said.

[05] Yildirim slams US, Europe calling for Kurdish state

Speaking at an election rally in southeastern Hakkari province, Yildirim said: "We have been in this land for a thousand years. We have lived the most difficult days together in the west, in the north and in the south".

He claimed the PKK terrorist group did not have a "Kurd problem", but the Kurdish people have a "PKK problem". "Let's put it right. These [PKK terror group members] are trouble for the Kurds, Turks and all innocent people," Yildirim added.

[06] Latest opinion polls on the upcoming presidential elections in Turkey

Erdogan was followed by the Republican People's Party (CHP) presidential candidate, Muharrem Ince with 24% of the votes.

According to ORC estimates, the Good Party's (IP) Meral Aksener would receive 11.5%, the pro-PKK People's Democratic Party's (HDP) Selahattin Demirtas would get 8% and the Felicity Party's (SP) Temel Karamollaoglu would receive 2.1% of the votes. Another survey conducted by Remres Research pointed out that Erdogan may receive the highest percentage of support but there might be a second round of the elections. According to Remres survey, the estimations for the first round left Erdogan with 42.2%, Ince 24.6%, Aksener 16.9%, Demirtas 12.3%, Karamollaoglu 3.8% and Patriotic Party (VP) candidate Dogu Perincek with 0.2% of the votes.

On the other hand, A&G Research Company General Manager Adil Gur previously announced that 55-60% of the voters would support Erdogan in the presidential election, stressing that there will not be a second round of voting.

The polls have not indicated with certainty who will come in second in the elections. Remres Research has claimed that if CHP's Ince faces Erdogan in the second round, he may receive 41.9% of the votes; while Erdogan is expected to get 42.2%. The predictions tallied without factoring in the distribution of swing voters. However, when the swing votes are distributed, Erdogan comes as the victor in the second round, with 51.52%. According to the election survey conducted by Gezici Research, Erdogan will receive 46% of the votes, and Aksener will come in second with 25-27%, gaining more votes than CHP'S Ince. (…)

On the same issue, Turkish daily Cumhuriyet newspaper (05.06.18, http://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/foto/fotogaleri/989607/4/ilkturdaadaylarinoyoranlarineolacakistesonanket.html) published the latest results of the SONAR research company owned by Hakan Bayrakci. The survey was carried out with 3,000 persons in 26 provinces between 29 May-3 June 2018.

According to SONAR's results, the estimations for the first round left Erdogan with 48.30%, Ince 31.40%, Aksener 9.50%, Demirtas 8.20%, Karamollaoglu 2.10% and Perincek with 0.5% of the votes.

The survey showed that Muharrem Ince has risen his points 10% within two weeks, which is considered the highest rate of CHP, after Bulent Ecevit in 1997.

According to survey's results, the Cumhur Ittifaki (People's Alliance) will receive 49.3%, the Millet Ittifaki (Nation Alliance) 39.5% and HDP 10%.

Within the People's Alliance, the 42.2% of the votes belong to AKP and the 7.1% to MHP. While in the Nation Alliance, the 28.2% of the votes belong to CHP, the 9.2% to the IYI party and the 2.1% to the Felicity Party.

The survey showed that Erdogan and Ince will be in the second round. According to this, it is estimated that on the second round of the elections on July 8, Erdogan will receive 53.7% and Ince 46.3%.

(DPs)

..

TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION

(DPs / AM)

Cyprus Press and Information Office: Turkish Cypriot Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article