Front Page Headlines
Figures for the last seven years: ‘File on crimes’
Figures on crimes such as murder, drugs and robbery for 2012-2018 and revealed in a report prepared by the High Court’s General Secretariat has drawn attention. The report provides serious data which requires careful examination.
“I look right into the eyes of my partners”
PM Tufan Erhürman rejected claims the (coalition) government is falling apart and said: “I look into the eyes of my partners, not to the statements given to the media.”
- Artists without borders opened an exhibition in Nicosia – Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot artists opened two exhibitions on both sides of Nicosia.
- “Does today’s status quo hurt the Greek Cypriot side?” – FM Kudret Özersay spoke at Near East University conference on the Cyprus problem.
Morphou flooded this time
Morphou flooded as a result of heavy rains due to the new Morphou-Lefka road constructed on a river bed.
- Women must not forgive violence – Women’s rights activists urge the women victims of violence not to remain quiet.
- Seven tons of smuggled meat seized – Police seized seven tons of red meat worth 500,000 TL at Bostancı (Astromeritis) crossing point.
It is alright until June
Finance Minister Serdar Denktaş said the government can deliver its financial responsibilities under current conditions until June in an interview with Havadis.
- Mandatory attendance implemented up to 70% – Turkish Higher Education Board (YÖK) included universities in North Cyprus to its new decree forcing students to attend all courses at the Faculty of Law. YÖK tolerates up to 30% absentees.
The burden on our shoulders is 140 million dollars
The Agricultural Products Marketing Board, which introduced extra taxes on its products in order to pay off its debts after being run into the ground by politics over the past 19 years, has made living in the TRNC even more unbearable.
- 500 million Euros to be spent – The construction of the hotel and casino in Limassol, the largest investment project in South Cyprus, is starting.
- It’s no longer inhabitable – UN peacekeepers are vacating the Ledra Palace Hotel after 45 years.
Even if we don’t receive a single Lira
The fact that no money has been flowing to the TRNC from Turkey for almost a year now has put public finances into a tight situation. Tufan Erhürman said that this situation will not prevent investments and reforms from being implemented.
- The Ledra Palace being vacated – The historical hotel is being vacated by UN peacekeepers for safety reasons and will not be returned to the Greek Cypriot side. The hotel’s ground floor will be used to host bicommunal activities.
Main News
Does today’s status quo hurt the Greek Cypriot side?
Kıbrıs Postası, Diyalog
Negotiations Process
OVERVIEW
Foreign Minister Kudret Özersay emphasized the need to be able to think outside the box when it came to the Cyprus Problem.
He pointed out that the two sides on the island must discuss new and alternative ideas during his speech at the closing ceremony of the 2nd International Conference on the Cyprus issue at Near East University in Nicosia on Wednesday. “These new ideas and a new dialogue process have to be in compliance with the conditions on the island,” Özersay said.
Özeray said the Greek Cypriot side did not want to share power or wealth with the Turkish Cypriot side nor did it possess the political will to do so. This fact can also be observed in the UN reports, he said.
Özersay noted that the talks for the past 50 years had been guided by the memorized sentence of a bicommunal, bizonal federal partnership but in reality, the two sides’ understanding of a settlement were quite different from each other. Noting that Cyprus lacks experience regarding the concepts of a federal partnership and federal culture, Özersay said that Cyprus had experienced a functioning federal state for three years between 1960 and 1963.
He argued that everything that should not have been done in a federal state had been done during that period.
Moreover, he added, there is no mutual trust between the communities, therefore, the question of how to establish a federal partnership at such a time remains in question. Another question waiting to be answered is whether the Greek Cypriot side needs such a partnership or not, he underlined.
The Greek Cypriot side must ask itself if the continuation of today’s status quo is in its interest or not,he said, adding that it is time for the sides to sit down to discuss sincerely what is possible on the island and what is not.
Özersay noted that Jane Holl Lute had been appointed eight months ago to determine whether or not there was common ground between the two sides.
He urged her to finalize her findings in a report as soon as possible.
Özersay also urged UN officials to be more courageous on the Cyprus problem, adding that one did not need to be a genius to see there was no joint vision on the island.
He concluded by pointing to a way out of the current impasse. The two sides with their separate identities and their distinct communities need to co-exist side by side in peace no matter what the model is called. It will eventually transform into a different partnership in time and the sides must be open to such options, he said.
KEY ACTOR
Özersay
>> New ideas and alternatives must be discussed sincerely by the two sides.
>> GC side does not have the political will to share wealth or power with the TC side.
>> Cyprus negotiations processes guided by BBF model which the two sides understand differently.
>> Cyprus lacks experience in federal governance and federal culture.
>> Two sides must discuss what is possible and what is not on the island.
>> There is no joint vision on the island.
>> Two sides with their separate identities & distinct communities need to co-exist side-by-side in peace. Whatever you call this model, it will eventually transform into a different partnership in time.
CMP prepares for new communications campaign
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs Postası, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Afrika
Human Rights
OVERVIEW
The Turkish Cypriot member of the Committee for Missing Persons in Cyprus (CMP) Gülden Plümer Küçük announced on Wednesday preparations were underway to launch a new communications campaign aimed at encouraging people with information regarding missing persons to come forward.
Küçük said that the communications campaign would be carried out by Arkin University of Creative Arts and Design (ARUCAD) in the North and a company in the South.
Speaking to the TAK news agency, the CMP’s Turkish Cypriot member said that the committee had decided on a two-phase campaign which would be carried out on a voluntary basis.
She said that preparations were almost complete and that the campaign was planned to be launched in May.
“The aim of the campaign will be to make the work of the committee more visible and more specifically to obtain new information on hidden burial sites,” she said.
In regards to the removal from duty of the Greek Cypriot member of the CMP Nestoras Nestoros, Küçük said that this could have a negative effect on the campaign.
She said that they had only been informed of the situation on Tuesday and had no information on the reasons as to why his contract had not been renewed.
Küçük added that she did not agree with reports that the Greek Cypriot member had been removed from his post because of the drop in the number of missing persons found recently.
It is only natural that there has been a drop after so many years, said Küçük, adding that new scientific methods and strategies introduced in 2018 were aimed at stopping this fall.
“In the first three months of 2019, we found the remains of 13 missing persons, despite the poor weather conditions. This shows that the CMP, with the measures it has adopted, is on the right track,” Küçük said.
Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage to restore cemeteries
Yenidüzen
CBMs
OVERVIEW
The Bicommunal Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage’s latest project is to restore cemeteries in six different areas, the committee’s co-chair Ali Tuncay said in an interview to Yenidüzen.
The technical committee has been carrying out restoration and renovation work on sites of joint cultural heritage on both sides of the island for the past ten years.
Cemeteries in Geçitkale (Lefkonoiko), Köfünye (Kofinou), Akova (Gypsou), Vuda (Kalochorio/Vouda), Alsancak (Karavas) and Mandırga (Mandria) are being restored as part of the project.
Tuncay said the project to restore the cemeteries was important as it would show people that their loved ones were resting in peace with the respect they deserved.
He said that the work to be carried out on the cemeteries included repairing graves, fencing off areas, clearing the cemetery grounds and planting trees.
Tuncay said that in addition to the cemeteries, a project to repair and restore the old city walls of Nicosia was underway.
Another site which was urgently being dealt with by the committee was the Panagia Church in Paşaköy (Assia) which was submerged due to heavy rains, Tuncay said.
He also said that they were deeply saddened to learn that a section of the St. Jacob’s church in Nicosia had collapsed.
He said that the committee was prepared to provide the necessary contribution to the restoration of the church.
Seven tons of smuggled meat seized
Kıbrıs
Internal Security
OVERVIEW
Police seized seven tons of smuggled meat in an operation at the Bostancı (Kato Zodia) crossing point on Wednesday evening. Police who acted on a tip discovered the meat hidden in two tractor-trailers. Kıbrıs reports that the smugglers fled the area before the police arrived. It is also reported that the retail value of the meat is 500,000 TL.
‘No borders’ exhibition by TC and GC artists
Kıbrıs
CBMs
OVERVIEW
The Nicosia Lions Club and the Kyrenia Cosmopolitan Rotary Club opened the second leg of the bicommunal painting and sculpture exhibition at the İsmet Vehit Güney Exhibition Hall on Wednesday. The first leg of the exhibition was held in South Cyprus. There are artworks of 42 Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot artists on display at the exhibition. A Bicommunal Choir also sang songs during the opening event held on Wednesday.
Refusal of entries at Larnaca Airport must be raised with the UN
Kıbrıs
Human Rights
OVERVIEW
National Unity Party (UBP) MP Oğuzhan Hasipoğlu criticized the Greek Cypriot administration for refusing the entry of and deporting three Ukrainian athletes.
He urged the Turkish Cypriot authorities to raise these inhumane and shameful acts by the Greek Cypriot administration at the level of the United Nations in a statement issued by the party on Wednesday.
He added that the three Ukrainians were supposed to participate in the International Model Glider competition, organized by the TC Air Sports Federation, but they were denied entry and sent back.
Hasipoğlu said the two sides always talk about confidence-building measures however in order to build trust, there needs to be at least the slightest bit of confidence. The Greek Cypriot side never had confidence in the Turkish Cypriot side. It is not possible to comprehend the reasons for the actions of the Greek Cypriot side, which on the one hand demands the resumption of talks to reach a solution while continuing to impose sports and cultural embargoes on the other, he added.
Hasipoğlu urged President Mustafa Akıncı to raise the issue of the Greek Cypriot administration’s attitude during his upcoming meeting with UN envoy Jane Holl Lute.