A press conference regarding the "search and rescue exercise" took place this morning at 9am at the "headquarters" of the "Turkish Cypriot security forces".

Following the press briefing, the land phase of the exercise took place in occupied Keryneia near St. Hilarion castle. The exercise was watched by Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Ak?nc? and so-called prime minister Tufan Erhurman.

The second stage of the exercise which is conducted at sea will take place tomorrow off the coast of occupied Famagusta at 9:30am.

[03] CAS company is shutting down

Self-styled finance minister Serdar Denktas met yesterday with a delegation of CAS' employees and said that it will be necessary for the employees to be fired and that the "state" cannot employ them. Denktas argued that they will try to turn CAS into a functional company in order for the "airport" not to remain in only one company's hands. He added that if they find clients, they will rehire the laid off employees of CAS.

(I/Ts.)

[04] Columnist: "We must not need guarantees!"

"[?] Nikos Kocias [Translator's note: The Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs] says that 'there should be no guarantees in Cyprus'! Our nationalists get angry! However, they should be the first to support this! Why? Because, what is the thing or things for which 'the guarantees' exist? Firstly: The existence and integrity of the Republic of Cyprus. Secondly: The Sovereign Bases which belong to Her Majesty the Queen.

When they say guarantees our people [Translator's note: The nationalists] understand 'Turkey's unilateral right of intervention', and in absolutely no place of the international law or the law, this right of intervention has any relation ? connection with the existence of the Turkish Cypriots!

Moreover, if the issue is the existence of the Turkish Cypriots, since 1571 this existence has never faced as much danger as now! No to the guarantees! Long live the federal solution! This is the only guarantee of our existence! If Turkey is big, if it is very big and its trouble is the existence of the Turkish Cypriot community, it needs no agreement and things like that! Did any agreement exist when it entered Afrin? [?] Why are we deceiving each other? Let us be sincere my nationalist brothers!"

(I/Ts.)

[05] Worries for the increasing number of "construction buildings" in the occupied area of Cyprus

According to Amca, between the period 2013-2016, 2,688 new constructions were built in the occupied part of Lefkosia, 1,743 in occupied Famagusta, 2,775 in occupied Keryneia, 657 in occupied Trikomo, 374 in occupied Morfou and 275 in occupied Lefka area.

Expressing his worries over the uncontrolled increasing number of constructions in the "TRNC", Amca argued that they should take lessons from the mistakes of the past and if they do not want to see again semi and unfinished constructions, to undertake urgent measures.

(AK)

[06] Submarine lines will reportedly be launched soon between the occupied Karavas and Antalya

Ataoglu briefed the paper about their works towards this issue and announced that as a result of the "contacts" they held during winter, they have "received the necessary permission" for the submarine lines which are expected to be launched within the next one or two months.

"The submarine which will carry out lines to our country will have a capacity of 44 passengers. It would travel in 110 metre depth under the sea. Since it works will electricity there will not be any problem with fuels. [?]. We carried out a study on this, and we determine Keryneia-Karavas area as an appropriate place for the lines. After completing some other works in one or two days all necessary procedures for gaining tourists by submarine lines will be completed", Ataoglu added.

(AK)

[B] Turkish Press

[01] Turkish forces enter the outskirts of Syria's Manbij as part of deal with U.S

"We said the terror organizations would be removed from there. They have started to be removed ? The patrolling has started," President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at a rally in Samsun on June 18.

Earlier this month Turkish and U.S. military officials agreed on the implementation of a road map for the withdrawal of the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) from Manbij, in accordance with a political agreement between Ankara and Washington in early June.

Prime Minister Binali Y?ld?r?m also said that the Turkish soldiers kicked off their duties in Manbij as of June 18."They are conducting work with the U.S. in order to clear terror elements from there," Y?ld?r?m said.

Also, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that the army has yet to enter Manbij city but vowed that it would do so in due course. "The YPG will be taken out of Manbij and the Turkish army will continue its efforts for the stability of the region, he said.

In a statement on its Twitter account, the Turkish Armed Forces announced the beginning of the mission with the U.S., saying that patrolling was conducted in the line between the Euphrates Shield area and Manbij.

The joint forces carried out patrols in an area overlooking the U.S. base in Syria's Dadat town, Anadolu Agency reported. The patrols, in line with the roadmap on Manbij, lasted for around three hours, the agency said.

Turkish military convoys, accompanied by helicopters, have entered the outskirts of Manbij as part of a deal agreed with the United States, Turkish media reported, citing Free Syrian Army sources.

Turkey considers the YPG as the Syrian branch of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the EU and the U.S.

Turkey has long pushed for the YPG's removal from Manbij, where a sizeable U.S. force has also been deployed since early 2016.

Military-to-military talks followed a deal between Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on June 4 over the Manbij road map.

The road map, which has a set timeframe, suggests the withdrawal of the YPG from the city and the establishment of a new local council to be composed of mainly Arab locals.

The road map, the timeline of which has never been formally announced but which was leaked by diplomatic sources to the media, foresees a three-stage process. The first stage for the first 10 days is about the completion of initial preparations between the military and intelligence officials from the two sides, the second stage from the 11th to the 30th day needs to finalize initial preparations, and the final stage requires the full implementation of the road map within 60 days.

[02] Erdogan: "Turkey to build third nuclear power plant; Erdogan accuses the CHP of cooperating with pro-PKK HDP for votes

During a live question-and-answer social media broadcast with Turkish youths, President Erdogan said that Turkey would build its own nuclear power plant after the Akkuyu nuclear power plant, to be built by Russia.

"Akkuyu will meet 10% of our energy needs," he said, adding that another 10% or more would be met by the second nuclear power plant, which will be located in Sinop.

"We will also have an opportunity to meet more than that with the third one", Erdogan added.

Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin launched the construction of the Akkuyu plant at a ceremony in Ankara in early April.

Answering a question on unemployment rates, Erdogan said they were aiming to employ 100,000 people by building mega-industrial areas. "We are renewing and transforming our 135 industrial sites. We will provide 317,000 people with employment here," he added.

Meawhile, Turkish daily Sabah (18.06.18-https://www.dailysabah.com/elections/2018/06/19/erdogan-says-chp-cooperating-with-pro-pkk-hdp-for-votes) reported that Erdogan criticized yesterday the main opposition Republican People's Party's (CHP) cooperation with the pro-PKK Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) ahead of the June 24 elections, saying that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has never been associated with a political wing of a terrorist organization to get "a few more votes."

"Currently, we're in a struggle for the sake of our nation. We're not waiting for permission from anyone for what we do. We have already got our permission from our nation," Erdogan said during his rally in the northern province of Samsun, while adding that the CHP's presidential candidate Muharrem Ince makes his decisions with direction from the U.S. or the western province of Edirne, referring to the north western Turkish province, where the HDP chairman Selahattin Demirtas is currently in prison for alleged terror-related charges.

The election process has witnessed the CHP getting closer and closer with the HDP. Last month, CHP's presidential candidate Muharrem Ince visited Demirtas in prison.

Ince's wife Ulku Ince also visited Demirtas's wife Basak Demirtas at their home late Monday after the CHP candidate's campaign meeting in Diyarbak?r.

The HDP has come under fire for close links to the PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU. Members of the party have so far declined to call the PKK a terrorist group and have attended PKK militants' funerals, two of whom were suicide bombers that killed dozens of civilians in multiple bombings in Ankara.

(?)

[03] Arrest warrants for 124 suspects in FETO case

The group, led by U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, is widely believed to have been behind the July 2016 coup attempt.

The suspects are alleged "covert imams" of the group in the Turkish Armed Forces, according to judicial sources in the central Konya province, speaking to the agency on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

The suspects are being sought in simultaneous raids across 31 provinces, the statement said, adding that the operations are ongoing.

..

TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION

(AK / AM)

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