The "TRNC parliament" was "represented" by the Republican Turkish Party
(CTP) so-called deputy Armagan Candan and the National Unity Party (UBP)
by so-called deputy Ersan Hamza Saner.
According to a press release from the so-called assembly, the
"parliamentary delegation" attended the meetings of the committees for
Political Affairs and Democracy, Culture, Science, Education and Media,
Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons, Social Affairs as well as
Equality and Non-Discrimination.
The two "deputies" also attended a session of the Committee for Legal
Affairs and Human Rights during which Greek rapporteur Evangelos Venizelos
presented a report on a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights
titled "Turkey and Ukraine".
In his criticism of the report, Saner alleged that the report only gave
room to the victimization of the Greek Cypriot side and that "no mention
was made of the property violations of Turkish Cypriots prior to 1974
or the Turkish Cypriot missing persons".
He said that Cengiz Ratip, a missing person, was an MP and was not
mentioned in the report either.
Also speaking, Candan said that "the fact that the report failed to
mention or include any of the injustices committed against Turkish
Cypriots was a serious disappointment".
He added further that it should not be forgotten that hundreds of Turkish
Cypriots went missing before 1974.
The two so-called deputies also attended the meetings of the Socialists,
the Democrats and the Greens groupings.
posts=tatar-visits-cyprus-tmt-association )
broadcast that the leader of the main opposition National Unity Party
Ersin Tatar has criticized the "coalition government" for not having a
joint view or position on the Cyprus Problem.
Speaking during a visit he paid yesterday to the Freedom Fighters'
Association (TMT) Tatar said that "this was unacceptable".
Stating that UBP shared the same views with TMT on the Cyprus problem,
the UBP leader said that the Cyprus problem was entering a critical
phase which was why it was important to keep the issue on the agenda.
Criticising the Turkish Cypriot academic Niyazi K?z?lyurek's candidacy
with AKEL party for the upcoming European Parliamentary elections,
Tatar claimed that the 6 seats allocated for Cyprus within the European
Parliament belonged to the whole of the island.
"The distribution of seats is according to the population ratio"
said Tatar.
Claiming that Turkish Cypriots "are victims of the international
isolations", the UBP leader said that "thanks to the sacrifices put
forward by motherland Turkey, the Turkish Cypriot people had set up
their own state".
"The important thing is to strengthen our state and to develop it
economically, politically and socially. The UBP's experienced and
hardworking cadre will continue to work to develop the TRNC" he said.
Also touching upon the "foreign minister" Kudret Ozersay's recent
contacts in New York and Washington, the UBP leader said the statements
made by Ozersay in Washington were correct but that he had been unjustly
criticized by Akinci "and his other coalition partners".
[07] An attacker against Afrika boasts for his actions
Turkish Cypriot newspaper Afrika(25.01.19)reports that Mehmet Ipek, one
of the perpetrators of the attack against the paper on 22 January 2018,
boasted for his actions. The paper recalls that Ipek had been arrested
and released because of "good behavior" and that he had expressed his
"regret" in the "court".
On the occasion of the completion of one year since the attack, Ipek
wrote the following comment on the Facebook page of the press employees'
trade union (BASIN-SEN): "22 January is a date on which we have our
forehead clean and our head upright. May the country be well".
BASIN-SEN's chairman, Ali Kismir made a statement on the issue saying,
inter alia, the following:
"Do you remember Mehmet Ipek, the fascist who had savagely thrown stones
against Afrika newspaper, on the same day he was locked in a close embrace
with the chairman of the UBP Ersin Tatar; when he was arrested he made
the sign of the hearths of the ideal and was released for good behavior
by the parole council? Why is a convicted person released by the parole
council before the end of his punishment? Is it for good behavior? Very
well, are regretting for these actions and accepting that they were
wrong included in this good behavior? [?]"
According to Kismir, Ipek's comment on BASIN-SEN's Facebook page meant
that he did not regret for his actions and that on the contrary he was
proud of them and if necessary he would do the same again. "He defies
the judiciary, the government, us, that is, the Turkish Cypriots and
our culture", notes Kismir.
(I/Ts.)
[B] Turkish Press
[01] Erdogan evaluates his meeting with Putin
Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News
(25.01.19-http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/erdogan-highlights-deal-with-syria-on-terror-fight-140752)
reports that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that the Adana
Agreement can be beneficial in the fight against terrorism in Syria,
as his Russian counterpart Russian Vladimir Putin suggested.
"The [Adana] agreement is an agreement that will make Turkey's presence
felt in the region. We need to bring the agreement to the table again,"
Erdogan told journalists aboard his flight from Moscow to Ankara on
Jan. 24, referring to an agreement signed in 1998 by Turkey's then
President Suleyman Demirel and Syria's then President Hafez al-Assad.
The Adana protocol is important and Turkey should work on it, Putin told
Erdogan, according Erdogan who has stressed that the protocol was still
in effect.
"We're in contact with all actors in order to eliminate terror elements
in Syria," he stated.
Asked how the protocol could be practiced now, Erdogan said that he
refused to carry out any high-level contacts with someone "who forced the
migration of millions and carried out the killing of nearly one million."
Erdogan also said that during his meeting with Putin, the Idlib Memorandum
was also discussed. "We will not let any terrorist organizations be
active in Idlib. We have the capability and ability to provide security
and stability both in Idlib and Manbij as well as the east of River
Euphrates," he said.
"We care about the safety of our Kurdish brothers in Syria more than
anybody else," Erdogan added, stressing that regarding Kurds as the PYD
and YPG is simply not fair.
Erdogan also informed that a trilateral summit between Turkey, Russia
and Iran will be held in February. "The political transition process
will be approached at the summit", Erdogan added.
"We have discussed the Astana process and the establishment of the
Constitutional Commission with Mr. Putin," he said.
When asked about whether U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham's statements in
Ankara can be regarded as a milestone on issues with the U.S. about Manbij
and the YPG, Erdogan said that Turkey's desire is for YPG militants to
retreat from Manbij, as the U.S. and Russia have said they would.
Erdogan also said that according to official Turkish figures nearly
1,000 YPG members are currently present in Manbij.
On the Idlib deal, there is progress, according to Erdogan. "We have
saved Idlib," he said.
"If Russia and Turkey have not cooperated in Idlib, hundreds of thousands
of people would have been forced to migrate", Erdogan said.
"We are carrying on with the Idlib process that we started in
Sochi. However, there are radical elements trying to cloud the process,"
Erdogan further said, expressing that Russia is discomforted by the
radical elements and its discomfort reflects on to Turkey.
"We need to overcome these discomforts, as soon as possible. With Russia,
we believe that we can provide prosperity and peace to Idlib," Erdogan
stressed.
Regarding the U.S.-proposed 20-mile safe zone in northeastern Syria,
Erdogan said that Turkey is ensuring the U.S. and Russia to clear "all
terrorist organizations" from the region if they provide logistical
support.
[02] Cavusoglu: "Russia is positive on Turkey's plans to secure its
borders"
Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News
(24.01.19-http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/russia-positive-on-turkeys-plans-to-secure-its-borders-fm-cavusoglu-140741)
reported that Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said a day after
a meeting between the Turkish and Russian Presidents that the Russian
President Vladimir Putin's mention of a 1998-dated bilateral anti-terror
protocol between Turkey and Syria has been interpreted by Ankara as a
green light given by Moscow to a Turkish military operation against the
YPG on its southern border.
"We think he referred to this [protocol] implying that Turkey can
intervene in [Syria]. And this is positive for us," Cavusoglu told
private broadcaster AHaber in an interview on January 24.
Speaking about the talks between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and
Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Jan. 23, he said all
recent developments in Syria have been discussed particularly after the
U.S. decision to withdraw from the war-torn country.
One specific item on the agenda of the talks was the U.S.'s proposal to
set up a security zone 32 kilometers deep inside Syria that Ankara says
is to protect its borders from the YPG, which it sees as an offshoot of
the PKK. Turkey has long been reinforcing its troops along its border
with Syria in preparation for an incursion into its southern neighbor.
(?)
Cavusoglu recalled that the Adana protocol obliges Syria to "fight against
terrorists that are posing a threat against Turkey," while stressing that
"it also gives the right to intervene to Turkey in the event that Syria
fails to take these measures."
The protocol is still valid but is not being implemented, the Minister
said, noting that he believed Putin's reference to the protocol was a
green light given to Turkey to use its right to intervene.
On questions about Ankara-Washington talks over the secure zone, Cavusoglu
said there was nothing decided yet about it.
"We could establish a safe zone on our own but we will not exclude the
U.S., Russia or others if they are willing to cooperate," Cavusoglu said.
Turkey and the U.S. had exchanged position papers in their first meeting
after the U.S. withdrawal decision on Jan. 8 and there are points agreed
and disagreed on over the process, he said.
Turkey expects the U.S. to collect all the weapons it provided to the YPG
and to leave the military facilities it has been using in Syria to Turkey.
On ongoing efforts to find a political solution to the Syrian question,
Cavusoglu said Turkey, Russia and Iran are on the same page for an
immediate establishment of a committee tasked to write a new Constitution
for Syria.
"We are on the same page with Russia except for Assad," he said,
in reference to the future of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. "They
obviously want to continue with him. But we tell them 'a man responsible
for the death of more than one million Syrians cannot bring about unity'."
[03] "Dynamics of Turkish-Russian partnership"
In a commentary in Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News
(25.01.19-http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/opinion/bora-bayraktar/dynamics-of-turkish-russian-partnership-140753)
columnist Bora Bayraktar, writes the following about Turkey's President
Erdogan's recent visit to Russia:
"Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir
Putin met in person in Moscow this time, for the 18th time since
the summer of 2016. The one-hour and 50-minute-long meeting will have
consequences not only on bilateral relations but also for the Middle East,
Black Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean regions.
The meeting was important because it is the first one since U.S. President
Donald Trump declared his intention to withdraw his troops from
Syria. Because many issues like what will happen to the east of River
Euphrates after the American withdrawal, Turkey's intention to establish
a safe zone in the north of Syria, Russia's reaction to this plan,
how to stop the advance of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in Idlib, and
the future of the constitutional process of Syria depend on the talks
between Erdogan and Putin.
The statements after the Moscow summit reveal that there are disagreements
between Turkey and Russia on many issues, but both sides are still
determined to work together.
Erdogan's statement that 'Turkish-Russian cooperation is the touchstone
of peace, stability and security of Syria; with our close partnership
and dialogue, we achieved many positive developments. We are determined
to enhance our coordination with our Russian friends' reflects this
determination.
Meanwhile, Russia is still distant to the idea, while Erdogan repeated
his concerns about the YPG and PYD. It seems that for the Russians,
the YPG/PYD should remain as leverage to be used against Turkey. One
should not forget that Russia from the 1980s used the PKK as an
asset. When jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan was deported from
Syria, his first stop was Russia in 1998. In the early years of the
Syrian civil war, Russia insisted on having the PYD on the negotiation
table. But Russia stepped back many times upon Turkey's resolve against
this idea. Russia understands that Turkey can offer much more than the
terrorist organization can provide in Syria. Moscow reluctantly supported
Turkey's Euphrates Shield and Olive Branch operations in Syria. For
Russia, Turkey is a partner that can't be lost, and Putin proved many
times that he is aware of this reality.
The Moscow meeting also showed the limits of this partnership. Putin
referred to the Adana Agreement of 1998 between Turkey and Syria. In a
way, he confirmed Turkey's security concerns in Syria. But at the same
time, he pointed out that Turkey needs to coordinate before it takes
action in Syria with Bashar al-Assad's regime.
For Russia, Turkey's importance came from its geopolitical location. When
you look at the Russian Naval Doctrine, Moscow wants to be a Mediterranean
and an Atlantic power.
For this, Russia needs naval bases in the Black Sea (Crimea), Eastern
Mediterranean and in points close to Gibraltar. Russia for the last couple
years tried to develop its naval base in Tartus, Syria. Russian officials
are chasing opportunities to build bases in Egypt and Libya. For the
security of its base in Tartus and its supporting air base in Khmeimim,
Russia needs Turkey's help. These two military bases are within the
range of terrorist groups in Idlib. The permanent threat in such a
close location is a weakness. For Russia, Turkish-Russian understanding
beginning with the Moscow Declaration of 2016, and then the Astana and
Sochi talks, providing relative calm in Syria is critical for Russia.
That's why the question of Idlib was a priority for Russia in the latest
Erdogan-Putin talks. Erdogan provided his commitment by saying: 'We will
continue our common fight against terrorist organizations in Idlib'. In
return, Russia reluctantly and implicitly consents Turkish designs in the
north. But obviously, Russia continues its efforts to take the Kurdish
card from Americans' hand and play it against Turkey in negotiations.
The second importance of keeping good relations with Turkey for Russia
is its efforts to deepen the split within NATO. The closing statements
of each NATO summit are full of criticisms against Russia. For Moscow,
this is regarded as a serious threat and they try to stand by Turkey who
was left alone by her allies in difficult times. By doing that Russia
is aiming to weaken the southern flank of NATO.
From Turkey's point of view, first of all, Russia is a balancing actor
for Turkey in its relations with the western countries. Secondly, Russia
is one of the main military powers in Syria, so practical reasons Turkey
has to deal with Moscow. Eighteen meetings in person and 38 phone calls
between Erdogan and Putin in 30 months prove the importance of this
relation for both sides. Thanks to this partnership Turkey denied a terror
corridor in the west of the Euphrates and Russia and regime-controlled
Aleppo and the rest of the country until the river.
For the last three years, there were a series of attempts to sabotage the
relationship between the two countries. The most brutal of this attempt
was the murder of Russian ambassador to Ankara Andrey Karlov in front
of cameras. Karlov was one of the victims of this horrible crime and
the other target was Turkish-Russian relations. But the Russian leader
did not give in against this terrorist action and managed the crisis
with a cool-headed approach and protected the partnership with common
understanding with his Turkish counterpart. Putin continued working
in coordination with Turkey and he has been paid in kind for being a
determinant actor in the Middle East, Black Sea and the Mediterranean.
As long as the problems continue in Syria and as long as both sides
benefit from it, this partnership seems like it will develop further".
[04] Erdogan backs Venezuelan President after US move; Erdogan met with
his Maltese counterpart
Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News
(24.01.19-http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/maduro-brother-stand-tall-erdogan-tells-venezuelan-president-after-us-move-140730)
reported that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan voiced solidarity
with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on January 24 after Washington
recognized opposition-controlled National Assembly's President Juan
Guaido as interim President.
"Maduro brother, stand tall, Turkey stands with you", Erdogan told
President Nicolas Maduro by telephone, according to Turkish Presidential
Spokesman Ibrahim Kal?n on Twitter.
Kal?n shared the #WeAreMADURO hashtag to show solidarity on Twitter.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced Jan. 23 support for Guaido.
Maduro has slammed the decision and said his country was cutting off
diplomatic relations with the U.S., giving American diplomats 72 hours
to leave the country.
Maduro made the announcement while speaking to supporters who gathered
at the Presidential Palace in the capital of Caracas.
On the same issue, Ankara Anatolia news agency
(24.01.19-https://www.aa.com.tr/en/todays-headlines/those-defending-democracy-side-with-democracy-turkey/13740920
reported that Erdogan, speaking in a joint press conference with the
Maltese President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, who is currently in Turkey
for talks, said, inter alia, that those who fight for democracy should
side with those who are elected and champion democracy.
Erdogan made the above statements referring to the U.S. recognizing a
Venezuelan opposition leader as interim President, rather than President
Nicolas Maduro.
"If Maduro takes a tough stance... I believe the Venezuelan people
will back their elected President", Erdogan said, adding: "If you do
not respect election results, then this is not democracy, this is a
totalitarian mindset".
On ties with Malta, Erdogan said that Turkey and Malta agreed to further
enhance cooperation on culture, tourism, education, health, maritime,
and particularly energy as well as regional issues.
"Visa-free travel to Europe and updating the Customs Union deal will
affect our relations with Malta with more service, investment, and
tourism," he said.
He said further that Turkey hopes Malta will continue supporting Turkey
in its relations with the European Union.
Preca, for her part, said that Malta would continue supporting Turkey's
EU membership process, calling it a necessity for a prosperous Europe.
[05] Erdogan's press advisor assigned as Turkey's Ambassador to the
Vatican
Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News
(25.01.19-http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/erdogans-press-aide-assigned-as-turkeys-envoy-to-the-vatican-140760)
reports that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's press advisor Lutfullah
Goktas has been appointed as Turkey's new Ambassador to the Vatican. The
appointment was announced in the Official Gazette on January 24.
Turkey's former Envoy to the Vatican was again a non-career Ambassador,
Theologian Prof. Mehmet Pacac?.
Goktas is also a theologian and a historian of religions who worked as
a journalist in Italy before he had been assigned as Erdogan's press
officer in 2011. Goktas was born in 1963 and graduated from Marmara
University's Faculty of Theology.
Goktas received his master's degree in the history of religions at the
Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He was the correspondent of
NTV news broadcaster in Rome between 1998 and 2011.
TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION
(AK/EH)
