GCC Press Review 30 Sep 2019

Front Page Headlines

Politis

Political air fights on the presidential flight

The debate on the president’s transportation reopens. The transfer to New York in a private jet cost around €60,000. The leasing of the jet was made with legal procedures, the government responds to AKEL’s innuendos.

  • New York: Akinci is positive, Turkey is angry

Phileleftheros

Attention is turned to New York

The scene on talks is being made clearer, appeal to the UN Security Council on Varosha. Today, the Guterres-Akinci meeting.

  • Greece-Egypt: They are launching a dialogue on delimiting their EEZs

Haravgi

Zero applications for the Estia scheme

Estia got stuck on red tape since a month after the scheme was launched, no application has been sent to the labour ministry as yet. In fact, more than eight in 10 applications are returned to the borrowers due to lack of information while other problems have arisen due to the high cost of securing the necessary documents but also due to the reevaluation by the land registry of properties based on 2018 prices.

  • (Akinci): “With positive mood at the meeting with the UNSG”
  • Turkey’s new economic package promotes the assimilation of TC identity 

Alithia

He is listening and will decide

The UNSG wraps up his exploratory contacts on the Cyprus problem with a meeting today with the TC leader. Mustafa Akinci declares that he is going there with constructive mood and that the Cyprus problem must not remain unsolved. He insists on his positions on political equality and will try to convince the UNSG of their correctness.

  • Tayyip Erdogan: When they awaken the giant there will be consequences

Main News

Guterres wraps up round of Cyprob contacts with Akinci meeting

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

OVERVIEW

All eyes are on New York since UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is expected to make announcements on his next steps on the Cyprus problem after his meeting with TC leader Mustafa Akinci on Monday, the last of his contacts with the two sides and guarantors, the papers report.

The dailies, citing Akinci’s statements to TC media, report that the TC leader said he will go to the meeting with Guterres in a constructive mood to ease tensions caused by the hydrocarbons issue and that he would also remind the UNSG of his July 13 proposal on natural gas.

He also said the issues defended by the TC side have become UN parameters and called on the UN to prevent the GC side from diverting from these parameters.

Alithia reports that Akinci insists however on his positions on political equality and will try to convince Guterres of their correctness.

Citing information, Phileleftheros reports President Nicos Anastasiades told Guterres during their meeting last Friday that the solution will be as described in the 2014 Joint Declaration, which they want as part of the Terms of Reference, meaning based on a bizonal, bicommunal federation (BBF). As for the Terms of Reference, Anastasiades’ position is that this text aims to set the tone for the substantive negotiations. He also said that there would be no precommitment by anyone either for a positive vote, for guarantees or for anything else.

Politis reports that Akinci is meeting Guterres in a constructive mood while the Turkish foreign ministry angrily responds to the joint statement between Cyprus, Greece and Egypt.

The daily reported that the Turkish foreign ministry rejected as baseless the claims concerning Turkey in the joint statement of the trilateral meeting with the participation of the FMs of Greece, Egypt and the GCs last Friday.

The ministry said the latest efforts of Greece and the GCs to involve the countries in the region, in addition to the EU countries, in their maximalist national policies do not serve peace and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean. Countries in the Eastern Mediterranean neither have authority nor responsibility nor a word to say concerning the Aegean problems and the Cyprus issue, it said.

Steps with political expediencies aiming to isolate and ignore Turkey and the TCs in the Eastern Mediterranean have no chance of success, it said.

Projects which do not include Turkey and the TCs in the region will never be efficient and effective, the ministry said, according to Politis.

KEY ACTORS
Akinci
>>
Willing to discuss with Guterres constructively to ease tensions caused by the natural gas issue.
>> The issues defended by the TC side have become UN parameters.

Turkish foreign ministry
>>
Rejects as baseless claims by Greek, Egyptian & GC FMs concerning Turkey’s actions in the East Med and Aegean.
>> Efforts by Greece and the GCs to involve countries in the region in their maximalist national policies do not serve peace and stability in the East Med while countries in the East Med have no say in the Aegean problems and Cyprus issue.
>> Warns that political expediencies aiming to isolate and ignore Turkey and the TCs in the East Med will not succeed while projects which do not include them will never be efficient and effective


UNSC to discuss Varosha issue behind closed doors

Phileleftheros
Property, Regional/International Relations, Human Rights

OVERVIEW

Phileleftheros reported that the government will send within the coming days a letter to the UN Security Council asking the body to look into Turkish actions in the closed-off town of Varosha.

Citing information, Phileleftheros reported that Cyprus’ appeal will be discussed behind closed doors by the Security Council because Nicosia does not want any dangerous developments as regards persons who will be invited to brief the UNSC.

What Nicosia wants anyway, is not a new resolution on Famagusta since the existing ones are powerful enough but a reaffirmation of these resolutions, either through the body’s presidency or the press. These two choices were among the scenarios Nicosia had mulled over ahead of Anastasiades’ visit to New York, the daily reported.

Following consultations in New York with the permanent members of the Security Council, the Cypriot government has decided to send the letter this week. It is expected to be delivered by Cyprus’ permanent representative to the UN, Andreas Mavroyiannis, Phileleftheros reported.


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