GCC Press Review 11 May 2019

Front Page Headlines

Politis

The 27 ‘holes’ of the Cooperative Bank that sunk the ship

The Attorney-general ordered a criminal investigation into the feast at the Co-op. The finance minister will not be included in the criminal investigations. The (Co-op) management after 2013 also under the microscope.

  • Total’s role enhanced – Agreement on ‘7’ that affects four other blocks. New proposal from Energean for cheap gas from Israel.
  • Education Ministry: ELAM misled
  • Erdogan: The EU needs Turkey

Phileleftheros

Turkey does not change course

The three targets Erdogan wants to achieve with moves in the Cypriot EEZ. The President briefs today the National Council.

  • The French enter blocks 2, 3, 7 and 8 with Total – New drillings and seismic surveys in the Cypriot EZZ have been sealed.
  • Akinci keeps Ankara’s line on energy – Sharing threats.
  • Tatar senior (was) Auditor-general, the son (UBP leader Ersin Tatar) ‘prime minister’?
  • This is how ELAM misled on the jackets issue
  • Tension with everyone against everyone in the pre-election race

Haravgi

Instead of support they question the EEZ

Instead of backing from the EU and the European Council, after the US and the lukewarm reaction and even questioning of the Cypriot EEZ, the positions of the ‘friends’ of the president and ruling DISY raise doubt. President Anastasiades sought sanctions like those imposed on Russia at the informal Council in Romania, but found support only from four countries.

  • A small arsenal in Limassol… linked with EOKA B
  • ELAM member (arrested) for drug trafficking

Cyprus Mail

Criminal probe into co-op ruin

AG wants police to look into actions taken in 28 co-ops that may constitute criminal offences.

Alithia

Time for criminal responsibilities

The Attorney-general has given the green light for police to start investigations on the Co-op (bank demise). The findings of the investigation committee (on the demise of the Co-op) is the guide. Under the microscope are persons with involvement also in the period before 2013 but also after the recapitalisation period.

  • We got whatever was possible for now from the informal meeting of the European Council in Sibiu – After a 24-hour ‘ceasefire’ and ‘silence’ due to the European Council the Turks have started the macho attitude again.
  • Stylloi: Remains have been discovered by the CMP near the primary school
  • Energy plans: Very close to a deal with Total-ENI on block 7
  • Occupied areas: UBP and the People’s Party agreed on everything  (to form a new coalition ‘government’)

Main News

Turkey’s aim is to link Cyprob with energy

Alithia, Haravgi, Phileleftheros, Politis
Energy, Negotiations Process, Regional/International Relations

OVERVIEW

Parliament condemned Turkish provocation in the Cypriot exclusive economic zone (EEZ), the president will brief the National Council on the latest developments, while Turkey does not intend on actually drilling in Cyprus’ EEZ, the papers reported on Saturday.

Alithia reports that parliament on Friday condemned Turkey’s actions inside the island’s EEZ and demanded measures from the international community and the EU that will have tangible consequences on Ankara. It also called for unity between parties and the people to tackle Turkish threats.

House President Demetris Syllouris has also written a letter to the president of the European Parliament, the heads of five other parliamentary organisations and EU member states, as well three to permanent members of the UN Security Council and the Iranian parliament.

Syllouris protested Turkey’s violations and its bid to obstruct Cyprus from exercising its sovereign rights while asking for support and solidarity.

He said parliament’s initiatives will intensify so that foreign legislatures were made to understand Turkey’s actions.

Phileleftheros, citing sources, reported that according to information of the government, ‘Fatih’ will not drill in the Cypriot EEZ but its presence there serves Turkey’s goals as regards energy resources.

The first goal is to maintain tension so that it can achieve linking the Cyprus problem with the energy issue, which Nicosia so far, was able to keep separately, the daily reported.

Secondly, Turkey wants to achieve co-management of the energy resources and for her presence in the area to be tolerated, and thirdly, to achieve 50 per cent of proceeds and the commitment for natural gas pipelines to pass through Turkey.

This is why Turkey has not started drilling yet in the Cypriot EEZ but also why ‘Fatih’ was to drill in areas where there are no blocks licensed to energy companies, to avoid confrontation with other countries, the daily reported.

Phileleftheros also reports that President Nicos Anastasiades will inform the National Council on Saturday on the latest developments, what he discussed with his EU counterparts at the informal council in Romania and on the Cyprus problem and his meeting with the UN Secretary-General.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Nicos Christodoulides will brief this week his EU counterparts in Brussels on Turkey’s illegal activities in the Cypriot EEZ, Phileleftheros reported.

In another article, Phileleftheros reports that TC leader Mustafa Akinci behaves like Erdogan and criticises the GCs that, on energy matters, they expect Turkey and the TCs to just be spectators. During an interview with Turkish state broadcaster TRT, Akinci warned again that something like that would not happen, the daily reported. He also criticised the international factor and the EU of encouraging with their stance the GCs, acting the same way as in 2004 when the Republic of Cyprus was accepted as a whole in the EU block, the paper said.

Politis reports that the Turkish foreign ministry briefs foreign missions on Turkey’s positions on the EEZ and the country’s energy plans in relation with international law.

It also reported that Turkish officials continue with their provocative rhetoric and their actions, including Erdogan who, despite statements by many European leaders and the EU, did not hesitate to declare that the Turkish people “are ready to die for their sacred values.”

“We showed this at every opportunity, from the Dardanelles to the War of Independence to Cyprus, the fight against terrorism and now on July 15,” Erdogan said, according to Politis. He also said Turkey will not bend before those who want to take advantage of EU institutions for their own ambitions. He called on the EU to realise that it needs Turkey needs more than Turkey needs the EU.

Haravgi reports that despite the government’s declarations of support from EU partners on the president’s request for measures against Turkey this does not appear to be the case since the European Council limited itself to a statement. The  Cyprus News Agency had announced at the time that Anastasiades found support only from Greece, Lithuania, Hungary and Sweden at the informal council meeting, but later removed that post from its website, possibly on the request of the Presidential Palace, the daily reported.

Alithia, on the other hand, under the headline ‘We got whatever was possible for now’, reports that Nicosia is satisfied with the stance of its European partners and, citing Anastasiades’ statements, said that the government did not expect immediate action since it was an informal meeting.

The paper reported that Berlin also called on Turkey to respect the Cypriot EEZ, but avoided taking a clear position on the legal status in the region. A spokesperson of the German foreign ministry said that Germany agrees with the statement made on May 4 by the EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, and invited Turkey “to respect the Cypriot EEZ and avoid any escalation in the region.” But on whether Turkey violates international law, the spokesperson said that Cyprus is a signatory of the Law of the Sea Convention and Turkey is not, noting there are difficult international law issues on the legal status of the matter. He reserved to give a more accurate answer on the German positions later.

The dailies also report that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had a telephone conversation with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu where they discussed the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean and Cyprus-related issues.

The Russian foreign ministry said in an announcement that during the discussion the need to continue the substantive exchange of views concerning the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean was stressed, including the Cyprus settlement process, as was the Russian position that any actions to complicate this process would be unacceptable.

KEY ACTORS
Akinci
>>
Turkey and TCs will not remain spectators to the energy plans of the GCs.
>> The international community and the EU encourage the GCs just as in 2004 when the RoC joined as a whole the EU.

Erdogan (Turkey)
>>
The Turkish people are ready to die for their sacred values as was the case at every opportunity including in Cyprus.
>> Turkey will not bend to those who want to want to take advantage of EU institutions for their own ambitions. 
>> The EU needs Turkey needs more than Turkey needs the EU.

Germany
>>
Agrees with Mogherini’s statement. Calls on Turkey to respect the Cypriot EEZ and avoid any escalation in the region
>> Refrained from saying whether Turkey violates international law. As Cyprus is a signatory of the law of the sea convention and Turkey is not, there are difficult international law issues on the legal status of the matter.

Russia
>>
Substantive exchange of views concerning the situation in the East Med and the Cyprob is important. Any actions to complicate this process are unacceptable.


ELAM tricked parents to deliver jackets to needy schoolchildren

Haravgi, Phileleftheros, Politis
EU Matters, Human Rights

OVERVIEW

The leaders of EDEK and ELAM crossed swords on Friday on Omega TV ahead of the Euro-elections while the education minister says the far-right party had cunningly distributed jackets to needy children in a school in Paphos while declaring they were given to ‘Greek children’ only, the papers report.

Politis and Phileleftheros report that EDEK’s Marinos Sizopoulos and ELAM’s Christos Christou engaged in a public spat during a television show with the former accusing the latter of draft dodging and that members of his party are involved in drug-related cases. Sizopoulos called on Christou to explain his relation with an ELAM member who was recently arrested for trafficking of one kilo of cocaine.

Christou said his party was not responsible for the actions of its members, to which Sizopoulos agreed but asked why did ELAM not expel the person in question since he is not a simple member but is among the party’s top brass. According to polls, the two parties are expected to get around the same percentages at the Euro-elections with one of them getting the final MEP seat.

Haravgi reported that two men were arrested last week for the possession of 1kg of cocaine. One of them is an ELAM member with close ties to the party’s leadership, the daily reported, publishing a photo of the suspect along with Christou and Strovolos municipal councilor Giorgos Hadjiioannou.

Meanwhile, all dailies report that Education Minister Costas Hambiaouris said that ELAM tricked a Paphos school last December to donate jackets to poor Greek children.

In his written reply to a parliamentary question by AKEL MP Irini Charalambidou, Hambiaouris said his ministry did not grant any permission to ELAM to enter the A’ Geroskipou primary school where the incident took place.

The minister said that a parent who is a member of the school’s parents’ board had expressed her husband’s willingness to deliver jackets for needy children at the school for Christmas but it was understood he would be doing so as an individual and not as a member of any party.

The man showed up at the school accompanied by two other persons who helped him hand out the jackets to children, but later in the day ELAM had announced that this was the party’s contribution to ‘needy Greek children,’ with photos of the men carrying the jackets at the school.

Hambiaouris said there was no way this could have been foreseen.

The incident was condemned by the school’s parents board at the time, citing a deceitful political exploitation of its indiscriminate constant concern and care for poor children.


UBP leader’s father was the first Auditor-general of the RoC

Phileleftheros
Governance & Power sharing

OVERVIEW

The daily reports that the first Auditor-general of the Republic of Cyprus was Rustem Tatar, father of the leader of TC party UBP, Ersin Tatar who aspires to become ‘prime minister’.

The family name of the UBP leader is linked with the first steps of the Republic of Cyprus as his father had assumed duties as Auditor-general on August 16, 1960, the paper reports.


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