Front Page Headlines
“A-B Teacher crisis” in economic protocol
It has been claimed that several demands in the “economic protocol” signed between Turkey and the TRNC have led to a crisis. The biggest crisis is said to have emerged over the proposal to end the current system of “A Teacher, B Teacher”. A debate is being held whether to remove the practice of senior (A) teachers teaching fewer hours a week than newer (B) teachers.
- “Racist Derinya (Deryneia) beach is a monument of shame” – Famagusta Initiative, UniteCyprusNow and Famagusta Youth Centre issue statement condemning protocol at Derinya (Deryneia) beach.
- Taken to Larnaca through Beyarmudu (Pergamos) – One more arrested in connection with the escape of a convict from prison.
- Savagery at city centre –They killed him, dumped him in the trunk and left him. The body of an African male was found in the trunk of a car in Nicosia’s Kaymaklı (Omorfita) district. The car belongs to Obasanjo Adeola Owoyale who has been missing since July 1. It’s believed the body found may be him.
Corpse found near police station and schools
The body of 33-year-old Nigerian Adeola Owoyale who had been missing for a week was found in the trunk of his car only 500 metres away from the police general headquarters in the schools’ district.
- Akıncı to send a letter to UNSG Guterres
- “President’s name not on the list of speakers” – Presidential spokesman Barış Burcu explained the reasons for Akıncı not attending the 1st Economy Conference.
- Yavuz off the coast of Karpaz (Karpasia) – Turkish drilling vessel Yavuz has arrived to carry out drilling.
Corpse in the car trunk
Horrific events continue to unfold in our country. A decaying male corpse believed to be that of a murder victim was found in a parked vehicle in Nicosia. All evidence points to the 33-year-old Nigerian Adeola Owoyale who has been missing since July 2.
- Price hike in milk prices caused reactions – As a result of ₺0.30 increase in the price of raw milk, KOOP-SÜT, which holds 80 per cent of the market share increased the retail price of UHT milk by ₺1.
Dumped in the trunk of his car
A decaying male corpse was found in Nicosia around noon on Monday. The car was parked near the Şehit Hüseyin Ruso Secondary school. Police acted upon complaints of a foul odour and found a body in the trunk wrapped in a blanket.
- Established practice disrespectfully violated – Presidential spokesman Barış Burcu criticized the TC Chamber of Commerce (KTTO) when explaining why Akıncı did not attend the 1st Economy Forum.
- Turkey is in Karpaz (Karpasia) with all its might – Yavuz drilling vessel has reached Karpaz (Karpasia) and is being protected by navy frigates, jets and drones.
Torture in 40 degrees heat
A group of 40 Turkish Cypriots on a day trip to their villages near Baf (Paphos) were ordered by Greek Cypriot police to get off the TRNC number plated bus at the Metehan (Ayios Dometios) crossing point. The group was kept waiting in the sweltering heat for hours. The trip became torture as a result of the Greek Cypriot police’s recent policy of discouraging TRNC number plated buses from operating tours or services in the south. The driver Aytaç Eşan told Diyalog newspaper that such incidents were on the rise as a result of the president’s silence over the matter.
I’d like to see you do the same to Erdoğan
Presidential spokesman Barış Burcu questioned that Chamber of Commerce’s act of disrespect against Mustafa Akıncı. He asked whether the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will be subjected to the same treatment when the 2nd Economic Conference is organised in Turkey. Akıncı was excluded from the list of speakers at the conference. The Chamber of Commerce, in its explanation on the matter, said that they did not see a need for the president to address the conference.
- He drowned – 72-year-old Joseph Foradavis, a resident of South Cyprus, was fished out of the sea at Kervansaray Beach in Kyrenia but could not be saved.
- And now have drones flying over our heads –Drones are flying above Cyprus to provide protection to the Barbaros, Fatih and Yavuz vessels conducting hydrocarbon activities in the Eastern Mediterranean. The Minister of Public Works and Communications Tolga Atakan says they have been informed about the drones.
Main News
Akıncı reiterates commitment to BBF amid risks of permanent partition
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs Postası, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Afrika, Diyalog
Negotiations Process
OVERVIEW
President Mustafa Akıncı will be sending a comprehensive letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressing the Turkish Cypriot side’s clear position and its commitments towards a solution in the coming few days, Kıbrıs Postası reported on Tuesday.
Citing sources close to the presidency, the paper said that Akıncı also wants to respond to the Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades’ accusations towards the Turkish Cypriot side in his letter dated June 14. “The other reason for Akıncı to write the letter is to clear the confusion created by the government with its statements distant from the goal of a solution,” the paper claims.
The pro-solution activist group UniteCyprusNow (UCN) said on Monday that Cyprus faces the serious risk of permanent partition.
In a press statement, UCN reminded that it had been two years since the talks for a bicommunal, bizonal federal (BBF) settlement had collapsed in Crans Montana and that it was necessary for both communities to reflect on what has happened since then.
“At first we were told that the reason for the failure was security and guarantees. A year later we were told it was functionality. Then it was power sharing. Today the Greek Cypriot leader is officially proposing a so-called decentralized federation as a solution model even though according to the UN Secretary-General, the governance chapter was almost finalized. We are now in uncharted waters,” the statement read.
The statement also pointed the finger of blame on the Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades for trying to muddy the Guterres Framework, which was presented by the UN Secretary-General as the bridging framework, through a superficial discussion on its date, despite the fact that the Secretary-General had set the record straight.
It recalled that the Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akıncı has openly announced he is ready to sign it as a strategic agreement.
UCN also drew attention to the fact that ongoing tensions over the island’s natural resources have been further exacerbated by Turkey’s drilling activities around Cyprus.
It pointed out that a right-wing coalition has taken over in the north, likely to speed up a change in the demographics and the status of the Greek Cypriot owned properties in the north.
“At the same time, in an attempt to bypass Mustafa Akıncı, the only remaining voice for BBF, Kudret Özersay has aligned himself with the new Turkish policy of a two-state solution under the EU, dismissing a federation that would mean a united country. Mr Özersay had a secret dinner with Mr Anastasiades and shortly afterwards took steps towards opening Maraş (Varosha) under the TC administration,” it said.
It is clear that two years after Crans Montana we now find ourselves face to face with the risk of permanent partition, with new military bases in the north, with UN-led talks on BBF no longer on the agenda, with the risk of having Varosha opened under the TC administration, with natural resources being contested, with Akıncı discredited, and with Turkish Cypriot demographics further diluted, the statement added.
“Two years after Crans Montana we have gone from “one step before a solution” to a stage in which partition looms,” the statement concluded.
Re-birth Party (YDP) leader Erhan Arıklı on Monday claimed that the collapse of the talks on the basis of a federation had been openly declared and that the Cyprus problem had reached a serious turning point.
Speaking at an event by a Turkish Cypriot Association based in Turkey, on the 45th anniversary of 20 July military intervention, Arıklı said: “we are now getting ready to say something new” and added that “among them, will include changing the name of the TRNC to the Cyprus Turkish Republic.”
“It is our priority to seek (political) recognition for the Cyprus Turkish Republic,” Arıklı stressed.
He added that there was also the Taiwan model which is an alternative way to establish relations with the entire world without having to seek political recognition.
Arıklı also talked about the possibility of adopting a model similar to the Monaco model in which responsibilities regarding foreign affairs and defence could be transferred to Turkey.
He pointed out that 42 states have declared their independence and have become members of the UN since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
“In the meantime, there is not a single example where a country annulled itself to form a federation,” Arıklı said.
He also claimed that a number of countries hiding behind the UN wanted the Turkish Cypriot people to be assimilated by the Greek Cypriot side. He claimed their goal was to keep the Turks out of the Eastern Mediterranean.
KEY ACTORS
UniteCyprusNow
>> Cyprus faces the serious risk of permanent partition.
>> Both communities need to reflect on what has happened since talks on BBF collapsed in Crans Montana.
Arıklı (YDP)
>> Collapse of the talks on the basis of a federation has been openly declared.
>> Cyprob has reached a serious turning point.
>> The name of the TRNC should be changed to the Cyprus Turkish Republic. Political recognition of the new state should be the priority.
>> Taiwan or Monaco models could be alternatives.
>> Taiwan model would allow establishing relations with the rest of the world without seeking political recognition.
>> Monaco model would see the transfer of foreign affairs and defence to Turkey while domestic affairs would be run by TCs.
>> Some countries hiding behind the UN want the TCs to be assimilated into GC state.
Akıncı hits back at new attempts to discredit him
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs Postası, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Afrika
Governance and Power Sharing, Regional/International Relations
OVERVIEW
President Mustafa Akıncı expressed discontent on Monday for what he said was the latest attempt to discredit him.
Akıncı’s is already at loggerheads with the National Unity Party (UBP)-Peoples’ Party (HP) government over a ministerial announcement in June that work was being launched to pave the way for reopening the fenced-city of Maraş (Varosha), and news of a “dinner date” between the deputy prime minister and Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades.
Reports by several dailies on Monday questioned the reasons for the visiting Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay breaking tradition and protocol by not meeting with Akıncı.
Akıncı’s spokesman Barış Burcu said that the president had found the need to clarify his position regarding the Turkish vice president’s visit.
Oktay had met only with the Prime Minister Ersin Tatar.
According to Burcu, Akıncı had maintained a relationship based on mutual respect with the Republic of Turkey since the first day he assumed office.
“Within this framework, all state, government officials, as well as members of the opposition from Turkey, are always welcome to meet with the president,” he said.
Burcu added that Oktay had not requested to meet with Akıncı during his latest visit but had asked for a meeting to be scheduled when he returned later this month for the 20 July celebrations to mark the anniversary of the 1974 military intervention by Turkey.
Burcu also expressed Akinci’s discontent for what he said was the latest attempt to discredit him.
The incident concerns his absence from the 1st Economic Conference organised by the Turkish-TRNC Chamber of Commerce Forum last Saturday.
Burcu said that the president had been invited by the chairman of the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce Turgay Deniz to attend the event but that Akıncı had turned down the invitation after being informed that he would be excluded from the list of dignitaries speaking at the event.
“When the matter was questioned by his private secretary he was informed that the decision had been taken by the chamber’s executive board. As it is known, the established practice is that the president will decide whether or not he will speak when invited to such events. This practice has been blatantly violated,” he said.
Burcu questioned whether Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will receive the same treatment when the 2nd Economy Conference takes place in Turkey.
He pointed out that the Turkish Chamber of Commerce was a well-established and reputable Turkish Cypriot institution and that such disrespectful actions, deliberate or accidental, did not harm the president if that had been the intent.
“The KTTO’s latest action is the newest addition to a series of efforts to discredit the president. Let it not be forgotten that the president who represents the Turkish Cypriot people at the highest level does not lose respect in the face of such actions. To the contrary, it is those who display or encourage such actions which loose respect and esteem in the eyes of the public,” Burcu said.
The leader of the Social Democratic Party (TDP) Cemal Özyiğit, Nicosia’s Turkish Cypriot Mayor Mehmet Harmancı and Republican Turkish Party (CTP) MP Fikri Toros issued statements condemning KTTO for its actions and expressing support to Akıncı.
Transferring Evkaf property to individuals is a crime against humanity
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs Postası, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Afrika
Property, Territory, Human Rights
OVERVIEW
The General Director of the Evkaf Administration İbrahim Benter said on Monday that transferring proprietorship of Evkaf property to individuals constituted a crime against humanity.
Benter’s statement comes amid an ongoing debate in the north on the original ownership of Maraş (Varosha). In a written statement, Benter claimed that almost everyone agrees that Maraş (Varosha) in its entirety, is Evkaf property because there are title-deeds dating back to British colonial rule that prove the properties belonged to the Abdullah Paşa, Lala Mustafa Paşa and Bilal Ağa Foundations.
“Laws regulating foundations and international law deem transfer of ownership of foundation properties to individuals, unlawful,” Benter said.
“The only transferable right is the right to grant an individual the use of the property in question,” he added.
Benter noted that while legal debates on Maraş (Varosha) rage on, the ethical aspects of the ownership (by foundations) are being disregarded. “Foundation properties are at the disposal of people who are in need and to end the status of such property means that the property can no longer be used for the service or benefit of humanity. This, in my view, constitutes a crime against humanity,” Benter concluded.
In a written statement on Monday, the Famagusta Initiative, the Famagusta Youth Centre (MAGEM) and UniteCyprusNow condemned the existing protocol which only permits Turkish and TRNC citizens to access the Derinya (Deryneia) beach located at the edge of Maraş (Varosha). The beach is currently only accessible through the fenced-off city. The three civil society organizations (CSO) described the procedure as racist and discriminatory. They underlined Famagusta’s multicultural character and said anyone who can access Famagusta (Greek Cypriots, tourists, students, migrants) should be allowed to access all parts of the town without any discrimination. They also called on the people to boycott the Derinya (Deryneia) Beach until access is given to everyone.
KEY ACTOR
Benter (Evkaf)
>> Transferring proprietorship of Evkaf property to individuals constitutes a crime against humanity.
>> Maraş (Varosha) is Evkaf property in its entirety. Title deeds dating back to British colonial rule prove properties belong to various foundations.
>> Laws regulating foundations deem transfer of ownership of Evkaf property to individuals unlawful.
>> Ethical aspects of ownership (by foundations) being disregarded.
Second Turkish drillship arrives off the coast of Cyprus
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs Postası, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Afrika
Energy, Regional/International Relations
OVERVIEW
All six dailies report that Turkey’s second drillship Yavuz arrived off Cyprus’s northeastern coast on Monday.
Turkish Energy Minister Fatih Dönmez had told the Anadolu News Agency on Saturday that the Yavuz, was expected to start drilling off Karpaz (Karpasia) within the week.
Ship tracking sites showed Yavuz, which had been docked in Mersin in southern Turkey for refuelling and final checks has arrived off the coast of the Karpaz (Karpasia) peninsula overnight.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Turkey will continue exploration and research activities in the Eastern Mediterranean.
“Turkish drill ships continue coordinated exploration and research activities in the Eastern Mediterranean,” said Erdoğan, ahead of his visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Erdoğan expressed hope that “problems” would not arise in the Aegean and Mediterranean seas in the future.
Turkey’s domestically-made Bayraktar Tactical Block 2 (TB2) Armed Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (SIHA) are helping protect operations by seismic research vessel Barbaros Hayreddin Paşa and drilling ships Fatih and Yavuz in the Eastern Mediterranean, it was reported on Monday.
In addition to battleships and jets now patrolling the area, 10 Bayraktar TB2 SIHAs are flying over the Aegean coast, Cyprus and the region where drilling activities are taking place to protect against potential harassment, according to Turkish daily Milliyet, reports Afrika and Havadis.
Turkish navy frigate and assault ships are providing protection from sea-borne threats, while F-16 jets are ensuring protection against possible harassment attempts by Greek Cypriot aircraft, the daily said.
KEY ACTOR
Erdoğan (Turkey)
>> Turkey will continue exploration and research activities in the East Med.
GC shoplifter released
Diyalog
Internal Security
OVERVIEW
The Nicosia District Court released on Monday Greek Cypriot Anastasia Kourtella who was arrested last Friday for stealing a bottle of whiskey from a supermarket in north Nicosia.
Kourtella was released after posting a bail of ₺2000 (approx €300) until her trial begins.
Addressing the court, Kourtella expressed regret over the incident and apologized for her behaviour.
TCs kept waiting at Metehan (Agios Dometios) under the sweltering heat
Diyalog
CBMs
OVERVIEW
Diyalog newspaper reported on Tuesday that a group of 40 Turkish Cypriots taking part in a day-trip to their former villages in Baf (Paphos) district were kept waiting at the Metehan (Agios Dometios) crossing point for hours under the heat.
The driver of the bus Aytaç Eşan told Diyalog that the Greek Cypriot police officers at the crossing point had prevented them from crossing by making up a series of excuses.
He claimed that such incidents had started occurring frequently and were part of a policy aimed at discouraging Turkish Cypriot tour and bus operators from operating in the south.
Eşan said that tour buses which wanted to operate in the south were subjected to tight inspections by Greek Cypriot officials.
“Furthermore they refuse to recognize TRNC driving licenses of our bus drivers,” he said.
Eşan criticized the president for remaining silent over such repeated incidents, arguing that Akıncı’s silence over such matters further encouraged Greek Cypriot authorities.
The driver also questioned whether Greek Cypriot buses crossing over to the north were being subjected to similar treatment. He claimed that Turkish Cypriot authorities should retaliate with similar measures.