TCC Press Review | 3 Mar 2019 |

Front Page Headlines

Yenidüzen

Frying cheese deception hurts production

Despite a steady increase in Hellim (Halloumi) exports to Turkey over the past five years, the sector is in trouble over Hellim produced in Turkey under the name ‘frying cheese’.

Kıbrıs Postası

Energy economy to shape diplomacy in Cyprus

Gürkan Kumbaroğlu, President of Turkish Energy Economy Association, spoke about the recent discovery in block 10 and highlighted that Cyprus has become more strategic now with the discoveries.

  • “As long as the Greek Cypriots get a pat on the back, the solution will be postponed to another spring” – Akıncı talks on Cyprus Problem during an interview with CNN Türk.
  • “Republican People’s Party (CHP) walking on the same path with PKK, FETO and the Greek Cypriots” – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan attacks opposition CHP in election rally speech.

Kıbrıs

Morphou could be submerged in water

The Morphou Dam, which has not been maintained for years, started to leak water. Residents in the area are concerned.

  • “I am trying 19 women murdered – 4,153 cases of violence against women in the past 26 months. Prime Minister Tufan Erhürman announced 148 women contacted the police in the first two months of the year.
  • Yavuz, the second drilling vessel to be deployed to the Mediterranean –Turkey to carry out hydrocarbon drilling with two vessels in the Mediterranean.

Havadis

Bought in scoops, sold in spoons

Trade Department announced 91.2m USD exports compared to 1.57bn USD imports. (Headline plays on words of a Turkish idiom.)

  • Public spaces under 24/7 surveillance – Countdown starts for the implementation of the City Security Management System. It will be installed in Nicosia and Kyrenia first.
  • Yavuz to be deployed to the Mediterranean – Turkish President Erdoğan announces second drilling vessel to join hydrocarbon exploration activities soon.

Diyalog

It’s going to get very colourful

While UBP, CTP and YDP have all announced they will be nominating their own candidates for the presidential elections, HP, DP, TKP, BKP and the YKP have yet to make a decision.

  • ‘Yavuz’ to embark – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has announced that Turkey’s new drilling platform ‘Yavuz’ will be embarking soon to protect rights and interests of Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Afrika

Wolves rush to smell of treasure

Natural gas discovered in the Mediterranean has whetted America’s appetite. The world’s attention has once again turned to Cyprus which had been forgotten. 

  • Hydrocarbon fund law passed – GC House of Representatives passes hydrocarbon fund that will manage Cyprus’s natural gas revenues. Revenues will not be used to pay off public debt but will be deposited for future generations.
  • Natural gas to determine future of Cyprus – Chamber of Geological Engineers says recently discovered reserve large but not large enough to make Cyprus a game changer on the global natural gas market.
  • EU should show Turkey more understanding – EU Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avrampoulos says the European Union should not exclude Turkey and should show it more understanding on problems regarding internal security and terrorism.

Main News

Akıncı: solution will be postponed if GC side keeps getting pat on the back

Kıbrıs Postası
Negotiations Process

OVERVIEW

As long as the Greek Cypriots get a pat on the back, the solution will be postponed to another spring, said President Mustafa Akıncı during an interview with CNN Türk. Akıncı stressed that no one will lose from peace on the island, adding that the Cypriots can design the future together. 

Energy can be an area of collaboration between the Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots rather than being a source of tension, he said.

Akıncı stressed that the Greek Cypriot leader’s disregard of Turkish Cypriots’ political equality and effective participation is not acceptable. He reminded of the UN parameters and said political equality does not mean numerical equality. It means Turkish Cypriots will have a right to vote in every federal organ. Akıncı stressed that this was already a convergence but Anastasiades now objects to it.

KEY ACTORS
Akıncı
>>
Pandering to the GCs will only put off a solution.
>> Peace will bring a win-win situation. TCs & GCs can design future of the island together.
>> Anastasiades’ rejection of political equality & effective participation unacceptable.
>> Political equality does not mean numerical equality but means right of vote for TCs in every federal organ.
>> Political equality was a convergence which Anastasiades now objects to.


Debate over quantities of natural gas and impact

Kıbrıs Postası, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Afrika
Energy

OVERVIEW

The Chamber of Geological Engineers (CGE) which is registered under the Cyprus Turkish Chamber of Architects and Engineers has stated that the natural gas discovered off the coast of Cyprus is of a significant quantity for Cyprus but that figures were not high enough to make Cyprus an actor in the global natural gas market.

The chamber also claimed that the discovered quantity is not high enough to make the construction of a pipeline or LNG terminal to transport the gas to Europe, feasible. Listing the quantities discovered in the different licensed blocks off the coast of Cyprus, the Chamber said that with the exception of the Aphrodite reserve, no confirmation drilling has taken place in the other blocks.

CGE also said it would be wrong to assume that a serious company such as ExxonMobil would exaggerate the quantity discovered in an attempt to raise its stocks as other smaller firms might do.

However, it is not scientific to say that a reserve has been discovered the day after drilling is conducted. What must have happened is that ExxonMobil discovered gas formations around 133 meters which indicates a large reserve. The chamber pointed out that only 60 to 70 per cent of the discovered gas can be generally utilized so the reserve everyone is talking about is predicted to be between 90 to 146 billion cubic meters.

CGE also said that geological conditions and findings around Cyprus proves to us that natural gas reserves do exist in the area and discoveries are bound to increase.

“We must continue to work to convince Greek Cypriots that these reserves not only belong to them but to all Cypriots and that they must be co-managed. We are late to discuss in which sectors this gas can be used and in preparing joint projects,” the chamber said in its statement.

Speaking to Kibris Postasi, Gürkan Kumbaroğlu, president of the Turkish Energy Economy Association, said the recent discoveries have increased the strategic importance of Cyprus. “The future of Cyprus will be shaped by the energy economy and its diplomacy,” he added.

Kumbaroğlu noted that verification drilling is needed to confirm the results of seismic research, adding that the discovery of 226bn cubic meters is not a significant amount. He drew attention to the timing of the announcement on the discovery and said the reserves found are not big enough to cause political tension but there is plenty of play on words. Kumbaroğlu underlined there is not enough gas to make a pipeline project feasible.


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