Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 13-04-24

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

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS

[01] Eroglu says the barricades opened to show that "the two peoples can live side by side in peace"

[02] Tatar: 30% of the electric power stations in the government-controlled area of Cyprus belong to the Turkish Cypriots

[03] Self-styled minister to participate in international congress in Istanbul

[04] How the Turkish Cypriot press covers ECHR's decision in favor of Turkey on Greek Cypriot Eleni Meleagrou case

[05] An international symposium will be held in occupied Keryneia

[06] "The two faces of the Feast"

[07] Downer: "Sensitivity should be shown to the crisis"

[08] Erdogan: "I will visit Gaza after my US trip"

[09] Turkey, Israel agree on methods to calculate compensation

[10] Caglayan: "Turkey does not need the EU, but EU needs Turkey"

[11] Council of Europe's Turkey report calls PKK militants 'activists', sparking outcry

[12] Turkey's Star Media Group sold to Azeri oil giant Socar

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS

[01] Eroglu says the barricades opened to show that "the two peoples can live side by side in peace"

Eroglu said that this process should be concluded with an agreement and reiterated the allegation that the Turkish Cypriot side sits at the negotiating table having the will to reach an agreement, something which is allegedly not exhibited by the Greek Cypriot side.

Referring to the issue of the gold of the Republic of Cyprus, Eroglu argued that this gold had been purchased based on the Turkish-Greek partnership according to the 1960 agreements and claimed: "The 1960 agreement was clear. If the Greek Cypriot side says that we have no right in this gold, they will be rejecting the past".

Commenting on information that the Republic of Cyprus will demand the cost of electricity which has been free of charge providing to the Turkish Cypriots, Eroglu argued that "the bankrupted merchant rummages through his old account books" and alleged that asking from the Turkish Cypriot side to pay the cost of this electricity would be "unreasonable".

(I/Ts.)

[02] Tatar: 30% of the electric power stations in the government-controlled area of Cyprus belong to the Turkish Cypriots

In statement yesterday to illegal TAK news agency, Tatar commented on the information that the cost of the electricity, which the Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC) has been free of charge providing to the Turkish Cypriots within the period 1964-2012, reached to one billion and 18 million euros, including the interest rate.

Tatar said that when the Republic of Cyprus was established, the electric power stations were transferred to the people by Britain and argued: "30% is already ours". He alleged that the statements that the Turkish Cypriots owe money to the Greek Cypriots for this electricity are not correct and added: "If they gave us electricity, we gave them water".

Tatar said that these issues will be discussed on the basis of an agreement and alleged that after the Turkish Cypriots had been sent away from the Republic of Cyprus by force and migrated to the north part of the island, made big investments with the help of Turkey and realized their own power plants that produce electricity.

(I/Ts.)

[03] Self-styled minister to participate in international congress in Istanbul

Tatar claimed that in cooperation with Turkey, the breakaway regime exerts efforts to prevent smuggling in the occupied area of Cyprus and that it has "made significant progress on this issue".

Tatar said: "I want to stress that the TRNC is working with all international organizations such as the Interpol and we are cooperating with both the police and the customs authorities of countries such as Britain. Our participating in the global congress is important from this point of view?"

(I/Ts.)

[04] How the Turkish Cypriot press covers ECHR's decision in favour of Turkey on Greek Cypriot Eleni Meleagrou case

With this decision, says Volkan, the ECHR closed the way for the Greek Cypriots, who want to apply to the above-mentioned court regarding their properties in the occupied part of Cyprus and showed that it does not want this issue to come onto the agenda again.

Other Turkish Cypriot newspapers (24.04.13), which also publish information from the Greek Cypriot press, cover the issue under the following titles:

Kibris: "Rejection for the Greek Cypriot title deeds" and "ECHR did not recognize the sovereignty of the 'Republic of Cyprus' in the TRNC"

Haberdar: "Sovereignty shock by the ECHR for the neighbours!"

Afrika, Yeni Duzen and Bakis: "ECHR did not recognize the sovereignty of the 'Republic of Cyprus'"

Kibrisli: "ECHR did not recognize the Greek Cypriot title deeds"

Star Kibris: "ECHR decision shocked"

(I/Ts.)

[05] An international symposium will be held in occupied Keryneia

According to a statement issued by the Turkish Cypriot "Municipalities' Union', the self-styled prime minster Irsen Kucuk, the so-called ambassador of Turkey to occupied Lefkosia, Halil Ibrahim Akca and the general secretary of the Turkey's Municipalities' union, Hayrettin Gungor will address the symposium which will start tomorrow at 09.00 o' clock.

(I/Ts.)

[06] "The two faces of the Feast"

However, says Halkin Sesi, yesterday there were also children who were working and trying to earn their living at the same places where other children were celebrating.

"Their only concern was bread and butter. They were concerned with taking bread home, some of them by holding a broom, some of them by holding a weighing machine", reports Halkin Sesi adding that scenes, which the Turkish Cypriots have not been used to seeing, existed yesterday at the Gate of Keryneia in the occupied part of Lefkosia. "A mother, who was begging sitting on the pavement with her little girl by her side, was asking for money all day long from people who were passing by".

(I/Ts.)

[07] Downer: "Sensitivity should be shown to the crisis"

Present at the meeting were also the UN SG Special Representative in Cyprus, Lisa Buttenheim, Eroglu's special representative Osman Ertug, Eroglu's undersecretary Hasan Gungor as well as members of the negotiation committee.

Speaking after the meeting with Eroglu, Downer said that sensitivity should be shown to the crisis in the Republic of Cyprus, adding that the life standard has dropped rapidly and the unemployment has been increased.

Downer further said: "If we don't look this situation with sadness, then we cannot be humans", adding that there is consensus that the process should proceed in order to find a solution in the negotiations.

Noting that Turkish Cypriot leader Eroglu and Cyprus President Anastasiades will come together for a dinner next month, Downer said that the agreement by both leaders is expected in order to determine the date of this dinner.

Downer will visit Ankara on Monday after his visit in Athens and on Tuesday will return to Cyprus. At the same day, he will evaluate these meetings in separate meetings with Eroglu and Anastasiades. He concluded by saying that he hopes his above mentioned visits to be constructive in order to be able to proceed with the process.

[08] Erdogan: "I will visit Gaza after my US trip"

"Anyway, I said that I was going to go (to Gaza) after my US visit. There is no postponement," Erdogan added.

When reminded of the words of US Secretary of State John Kerry as saying, "I think, it would be better if Prime Minister Erdogan postpones his Gaza visit," and Turkish Prime Minister said: "I wish he had not said such a thing. It was indecorous, yet our Government Spokesman and Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc gave him the necessary reply. We have a planned US trip, we could have discussed this there."

Upon another question, Erdogan said, he was planning to travel to the US on May 14.

[09] Turkey, Israel agree on methods to calculate compensation

An Israeli delegation led by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's national security adviser, Yaakov Amidror, met in Ankara for talks with Turkish Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu that could lead to an exchange of ambassadors between the two countries and other diplomatic moves.

Speaking to reporters at the end of a Turkish Cabinet meeting, Arinc said the two sides had agreed on "the methods and principles, the basics and parameters" for working out the compensation, but said the amount to be paid had not yet been determined.

"The meeting was positive, in general," Arinc said. "When the amount of compensation is determined, when an agreement is reached and is approved by authorities in both countries, we will have reached an important phase for relations to be fully restored."

Arinc was quoted as saying that the amount of compensation was not among the topics discussed, while Sinirlioglu stated that a draft text as to the amount was agreed between the delegations.

Arinc also said a second and possibly third meeting would be held in order to resolve the issue, important for the rapprochement between the two nations. Arinc said the two sides would meet again in the next few days.

During the talks with the Israeli group, it was agreed to pay compensation not only to the families of the nine dead activists, but also to the 70 passengers injured in the bloody Israeli raid while they were on their way to Gaza in May 2010. According to the preliminary agreement, the compensation amount, although not yet stated, will be kept high. Israel will send the flotilla compensation to a specially designated fund controlled by Ankara which will then make the distribution.

To determine the amount of compensation for each victim, it was agreed between the parties at the talks that the age, education, financial status of the family and specific injuries sustained would be taken into consideration.

[10] Caglayan: "Turkey does not need the EU, but EU needs Turkey"

Caglayan said that Turkey was the first country which had been pursuing its EU full membership negotiations for 50 years, and had been in customs union for 18 years.

"Turkey does not need the EU, but EU needs Turkey strongly", said Caglayan, adding that while one of each three or four people in Spain and Greece was unemployed, Turkey, on the contrary to Europe, employed five million more people in the past four years.

Regarding 2013 ESE, Caglayan said that 15 Turkish companies were attending the fair. World seafood export volume was 120 billion USD, said Caglayan, adding that Turkey's share in this figure was 546 million USD.

[11] Council of Europe's Turkey report calls PKK militants 'activists', sparking outcry

"The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe's (PACE) latest assessment on Turkey published April 23 praised the reforms in the country but sparked debate by changing the terminology for describing the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants to activists.

During the discussion sessions on the report, the Council of Europe deputies voted in favour of Peace and Democracy Party's (BDP) deputy Ertugrul Kurkcu's motion to change a sentence which stated that 'PKK terrorism has claimed over 40,000 victims' to 'the conflict between PKK and the Turkish state'.

Deputies representing the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) as well as the opposition parties slammed the use of the wording 'PKK activists' in the explanatory memorandum prepared by the rapporteur on Turkey Josette Durrieu.

'I comment on this with a lot of anger. There is an ongoing resolution process. That's why there is an attempt to soften the atmosphere. But the PKK is a terrorist organization. And the members of this organization are called terrorists. I can't understand why they refrain from admitting or saying that,' AKP's representative at the Council of Europe, Nursuna Memecan was quoted by the Anatolia news agency. 'This [ends up] with the question that [for the Council of Europe] the others' terrorists can be called activists,' she added.

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Spokesman Haluk Koc also described the changes as 'unacceptable'. 'The expressions presenting the PKK as equal to the [Turkish] state are unacceptable. It's is not possible to approve the expression calling terrorists activists,' he said.

Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that the report would not change the fact that the PKK was on the European Union's designated terrorist organizations list. 'If you read the report, you will see that there are many sentences that define PKK's activities as terrorist activities,' Davutoglu said, adding that Turkish deputies had voiced the appropriate reaction to the report. 'Therefore it's not right to make such significance of this, but we always respond in the due way,' he said.

The resolution, the first in five years, welcomed Turkey's progress in many areas, including bringing its legislation into line with the European Convention on Human Rights, advancing the ongoing peace process, promoting the cultural and linguistic rights of the Kurds, stepping up dialogue with religious communities and establishing the institution of ombudsman.

However, it also spells out the steps Turkey still needs to take if it is to successfully complete its reform program, such as further reform of the Constitution and continuing revision of the Criminal Code, as well as progress on freedom of expression, pre-trial detentions, local and regional decentralization and resolving the Kurdish question."

Furthermore, Ankara Anatolia news agency (23.04.13) reports that Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) spokesman Levent Gumrukcu, Commenting on the report of the PACE on Post-Monitoring Dialogue with Turkey, said Turkey's firm determination shall continue on further improving fundamental rights and freedoms, democratization and the workings of justice.

"The resolution contained in the report which was voted by the plenary session of the PACE evaluates the issues covered by the post-monitoring dialogue process, within the framework of the developments made in Turkey in the field of human rights, democracy and the rule of law, the comprehensive reforms realized, the new Constitution and judicial reforms. By the resolution, it has been decided that, following the next parliamentary and presidential elections, a report be prepared on the post-monitoring dialogue with Turkey," he said.

[12] Turkey's Star Media Group sold to Azeri oil giant Socar

Star Media Group's partner Fettah Tamince, also the founder of Rixos Hotels, a tourism sector giant active in eight countries, confirmed earlier this week that they were in discussions about the sale of the media group, however, he said that they had not arrived at a final agreement yet.

Tamince is known for his close links to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who usually spends his holidays at one of the Rixos Hotels.

Star Media Group, which comprises Star Newspaper and Kanal 24, is owned by Fettah Tahmince and Tevhit Karakaya.

Star daily, founded by the Uzan Group in 1999, was transferred to the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF) in 2004. The group was first bought by Turkish Cypriot businessman Ali Ozmen Safa in a tender in 2006 and was later sold to Ethem Sancak. Tamince is a partner of the group since 2009.

Baku-based energy company Socar had purchased Turkey's petrochemical company formerly owned by the state in 2008.

The Socar-Turkey ties include the Baku-Tblisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline that carries Azeri crude to Turkey's Ceyhan Mediterranean oil hub, and the South Caucasus Pipeline that runs parallel to BTC and carries Azeri gas to Turkey and on to Greece. TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION

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