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This gas isn’t worth fighting for
Energy expert Dr Charles Ellinas who has 40 years of experience in the energy sector spoke to Yenidüzen. Dr Ellinas said the energy market was moving in a different direction. He said that natural gas discovered in the Eastern Mediterranean needs to be competitive to find a place in the global energy market because of cheap prices. “It’s highly unlikely this will be possible. The problems in the region are raising the costs of exploiting the gas. In other words, the costs of extracting the gas are high and profit margins are low. So, it’s not worth fighting over,” he said.
- The 131-year-old church becomes a nest for pigeons! – The Church of Panagia in Akdoğan (Lysi) which was used as a mosque from 1975 to 2019 has been sealed off and abandoned to its fate.
- Between 30 July and 3 August – Possible dates for leaders’ meeting
- “Transitional period” protocol signed! –The Economic and Financial Cooperation Protocol was signed by Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay and Prime Minister Ersin Tatar. It was announced that the first part of the ₺750 million financial assistance was released.
20 messages on 20 July
President Mustafa Akıncı, Prime Minister Ersin Tatar, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Vice President Fuat Oktay and many other Turkish and Turkish Cypriot politicians issued messages to mark 20 July Peace and Day celebrations. President Akıncı asked how much more will the Greek Cypriot side’s inconsistencies last and called on the Greek Cypriot leader to clarify what his true intentions are. Turkish Vice President Oktay said it is time for the international community to admit what is right and wrong.
- ₺750 million in funds released – The long-awaited economic and financial collaboration agreement was signed, releasing the funds. PM Ersin Tatar and Turkish Vice President Oktay signed the protocol on Saturday.
Yes to a solution, no to delaying
The July 20 Peace and Freedom Festival was celebrated throughout the north with various events. During the ceremony held in Nicosia, both President Mustafa Akıncı and Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay gave messages to the Greek Cypriot side.
- Economic protocol signed – Economic and financial collaboration agreement signed by Prime Minister Ersin Tatar, representing the TRNC and Vice President Fuat Oktay on behalf of Turkey.
No tactics but a solution
The Cyprus Problem, tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean and the European Union sanctions were highlighted at the Peace and Freedom Day ceremonies. Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay gave a message to both the Greek Cypriot administration and the world: no more strategies. Just focusing on a solution.
- ₺750 million with one signature – Economic and financial collaboration protocol agreement signed. Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay announced that ₺750 million in funds have been released but he did not give any information regarding the details of the agreement.
- The stars of the celebrations were the Turkish Stars – The aerobatic team Turkish Stars mesmerized the spectators with their breathtaking show.
Bayram (holiday) present
Protocol signed. Turkey released ₺750 million in funds. ₺225 million will be spent on debts. The economic protocol between Turkey and the TRNC was finally signed on Saturday following a two-year delay. Turkish Vice President who is in charge of Cyprus affairs, Fuat Oktay announced the release of the ₺750 million in financial assistance as instructed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
He didn’t break tradition
What do those who argue against celebrating painful experiences of others say about this? Mustafa Akıncı who has been serving president for the past four years did not break tradition during 20 July celebrations as he inspected the ceremonial guard and parade troops.
Main News
20 July messages highlight need for GC side to decide on a solution
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs Postası, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Afrika
Negotiations Process, Energy, Regional/International Relations
OVERVIEW
President Mustafa Akıncı questioned how much longer will the Greek Cypriot side continue to give out mixed messages regarding a solution in his 20 July speech at the ceremony held in north Nicosia on Saturday.
“The Greek Cypriot side must decide now,” Akıncı said, asking: “Will the Greek Cypriot side ever accept a reasonable solution which will safeguard the security, equality and freedom of the two communities and at the same time share power and wealth? Or will they officially inscribe partition permanently?”
Akıncı pointed to the escalating tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean and recalled he had proposed to the Greek Cypriot side to set up a joint committee on hydrocarbons.
“The core of the proposal was for the Greek Cypriot side to abandon unilateral activities and to learn to act together,” Akıncı said.
“Since these resources are considered to be our common wealth, we have proposed to establish a joint committee to co-manage these resources,” Akıncı added.
Reminding that the Greek Cypriot side rejected his proposal, Akıncı said the Greek Cypriot side refused to accept the political equality of Turkish Cypriots and enter into a partnership with them. “The Greek Cypriot side left the Turkish Cypriot side or Turkey with no option but to carry out their activities to balance the situation,” Akıncı stressed.
Akıncı pointed out that through collaboration the region and the island could be transformed into an area of peace and stability.
Also speaking at the ceremony, Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said Turkey will not bow to sanctions on its drilling activities, adding that the Greek Cypriot side is abusing its EU membership to stop Turkey’s Eastern Mediterranean drilling activities. Oktay said that Turkey has always defended from the very beginning that energy resources in the Eastern Mediterranean should be used as an opportunity for peace and stability on the island. Oktay stressed that Turkey would never hesitate to take the necessary steps to protect the rights and interests of both Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots within their continental shelf in the Eastern Mediterranean. “Turkey is acting in unity as one heart and one voice on this issue,” he added.
“We have implemented all the steps that we have always strongly emphasized since the beginning and we will continue to do so,” Oktay said, referring to Turkey’s drilling activities in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said: “The Turkish army will never hesitate to take the same step as 45 years ago if needed for the lives and security of Turkish Cypriots,” in his message to mark the 45th anniversary of the July 20 operation on Saturday.
“Turkey launched the peace operation in Cyprus to protect the rights and interests of Turkish Cypriots who are one of the equal owners of the island,” he added.
Erdoğan recalled that the military operation in 1974 came after all diplomatic steps had been exhausted in line with international law, and added:
“Those who think the wealth of the island and the region only belongs to them will face the determination of Turkey and Turkish Cypriots.”
The Turkish president emphasized that Turkey’s aim was a fair and permanent solution on the island and peace, not for tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean to prevail. “Those who dream of changing the fact that Turkish Cypriots are an integral part of the Turkish nation will soon realize that it is in vain,” Erdoğan added.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu also marked the 45th anniversary of July 20 with a message on Twitter. He said: “Yesterday, today, and always, we will stand by the TRNC.”
Presidential Communications Director Fahrettin Altun, in his Twitter message on the anniversary, said “Turkey will continue to use all rights and opportunities to protect the rights and interest of Turkish Cypriots, to ensure a fair and lasting solution in the island, and to make peace prevail in the region in line with international law.”
Additionally, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the main opposition leader of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), shared a video on Twitter to mark the anniversary.
“The 1974 Cyprus Peace Operation is one of the significant steps we took in [our] foreign policy,” Kılıçdaroğlu said in the video featuring aerial footage of the north side of the island.
Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli said the sovereignty of both Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots is at stake but the hydrocarbon issue is being used as an excuse. He asked what the European Union is doing in the Eastern Mediterranean and said: “Both Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots have historical and legitimate rights over the resources in the region.”
Turkish Presidential spokesman İbrahim Kalın reiterated Turkey will always stand with the Turkish Cypriots in his message issued on the occasion.
KEY ACTORS
Akıncı
>> GC’s must decide whether or not they want a solution with TCs.
>> Aim of the proposal for joint committee on hydrocarbons was for GCs to abandon unilateral activities and to learn to act together.
>> GC side refuses to accept the political equality of TCs and to enter into a partnership with them.
>> GC side left the TCs & Turkey with no option but to carry out their activities to balance the situation.
>> Region & Cyprus can be transformed into an area of peace and stability through collaboration.
Oktay (Turkey)
>> Turkey will not bow to sanctions on its drilling activities.
>> GC side is abusing its EU membership to stop Turkey’s East Med activities.
>> Turkey has always defended from the very beginning that energy resources in the East Med should be used as an opportunity for peace and stability on the island.
>> Turkey will never hesitate to take the necessary steps to protect the rights & interests of both Turkey and the TCs.
Erdoğan (Turkey)
>> The Turkish army will never hesitate to take the same step as 45 years ago if needed for the lives and security of TCs.
>> Turkey launched 1974 operation to protect the rights & interests of TCs who are equal owners of the island.
>> 1974 operation came after all diplomatic steps were exhausted in line with international law.
>> Those who think the wealth of the island and the region only belongs to them will face the determination of Turkey & TCs.
>> Turkey’s aim is for a fair and permanent solution on the island & peace, not for tensions in the East Med to prevail.
Bahçeli (MHP-Turkey)
>> Turkey’s and Turkish Cypriots’ sovereignty are at stake but the hydrocarbon issue is being used as an excuse.
>> EU has no say in East Med. Turkey & TCs have historical and legitimate rights over the resources in the region.
Energy expert claims East Med natural gas not worth the fight
Yenidüzen
Energy
OVERVIEW
Energy expert Dr Charles Ellinas claims that the global energy trend is shifting to cleaner renewable sources and that the cost of investing in natural gas drilling is high and prices low.
Dr Charles Ellinas is a nonresident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Centre with over thirty-five years of experience in the oil and gas sector.
In an interview published in Yenidüzen on Sunday, Dr Ellinas claimed that the natural gas deposits discovered in the Eastern Mediterranean were not worth fighting over.
He said that Cyprus’ natural gas would be ready to be exported before 2025 which gave the sides plenty of time to negotiate a solution to the Cyprus Problem.
“We must focus on the solution of the Cyprus Problem. To fight over hydrocarbons and to delay these developments will only make matters worse for the future because the global energy market is moving towards renewable energy which is cheaper and cleaner. In other words, it will become harder and harder to find buyers for oil and gas,” he said.
He said that Turkey could be a potential market for the gas as its current energy deals would expire by 2021-2025.
Dr Ellinas said that the rejection of Akıncı’s proposal for a joint committee showed that the hydrocarbons crisis will continue.
“Turkey has firmly stated and demonstrated it will continue drilling. If Turkey continues, the Greek Cypriots will ask the EU to impose more sanctions. This would lead to an unstoppable vicious cycle. The only way out would be to find a way to restart the Cyprus negotiations process and to reach a solution immediately,” he said.
Dr Ellinas also said that the quantity of natural gas found in total might not be worth the trouble when comparing it with other natural gas producers in the global market.
“So far, with three discoveries at Aphrodite, Calypso and Glafcos estimated gas reserves, based on a 90 per cent probability, total about 10 trillion cubic feet (tcf). Let’s assume that new drilling rounds with potentially 7-9 wells will double South Cyprus’ gas reserves to 20tcf. Some of it could be exported to Egypt but the rest would be left under the sea. Why? Because the quantity is low when we look at the global natural gas market. It would take too much time, money and effort to develop this gas. These quantities are not enough to get firms excited. Europe has a lot of gas and the price is low. The same goes for Asia. The total gas discovered as part of the East Med only makes up two per cent of global reserves,” he said.
Ellinas argued that neither the Greek Cypriots nor the Turkish Cypriots had the know-how or experience to exploit the natural gas.
He added that even Turkish Petroleum lacked the experience.
Interim financial protocol signed
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs Postası, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog
Economy
OVERVIEW
An interim economic and financial assistance protocol that will cover the period until the end of 2019 was signed between Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay and Prime Minister Ersin Tatar on Saturday.
The first tranche of the ₺750 million in financial assistance will be released, Oktay announced following the signing ceremony. He added that the release of funds will speed up many of the ongoing investment projects. Among them, Oktay underlined Turkish Cypriot youth will from now on be able to benefit from all the means and facilities at Turkish youth camps. “Solidarity among the youth will keep the two communities together,” Oktay said.
The details of the protocol, however, have not been announced, the dailies reported.
Speaking after signing the protocol, Tatar said that a new long-term protocol covering 2020-2022 was expected to be ready to be signed by October.
Yenidüzen published a list of possible provisions of the new protocol which include signing of an agreement to bring electricity to North Cyprus from Turkey via cable, restructuring the Turkish Cypriot Electricity Authority (KIBTEK) and revising benefits received by its employees, launching a tender for a public-private partnership at ports, introducing full-day education for preschoolers, raising weekly teaching load of teachers and preparing legislation for strategic planning for universities.
Historical church abandoned to its fate
Yenidüzen
Human Rights
OVERVIEW
Yenidüzen reported in an exclusive story on Sunday that the historical Church of Panagia (Virgin Mary) located near Akdoğan (Lysi) has been sealed and abandoned to its fate.
The 131-year-church building had been used as a mosque since 1975 until it was recently vacated following the construction of a new mosque in the village.
The paper reported that the neo-Gothic building is now a breeding ground for pigeons.
It shows photographs of the latest state of the building.
Although the Akdoğan (Lysi) municipality cleared the area around the church the interior is crumbling, the paper reports.
Former Greek Cypriot residents of Lysi who visit the village often are outraged by the state of the building. They also filed a request to conduct a service at the church in September, Yenidüzen reports.