Front Page Headlines
The sky ripped open, the ground gave way
Heavy rains in the morning first caused flooding in Kyrenia. In the afternoon, the rains paralyzed life in Nicosia and the surrounding areas. The rain poured as if the sky ripped open, flooding roads and stranding cars. Homes and shops were also flooded.
The rain did not stop, but the state did!
Both the north and the south parts of the island have been affected by torrential rains. The water levels at dams have increased. The usual ruinous scenes of flash floods, blocked roads in the north did not change.
- Erdoğan: “No one can ostracise us from the region” – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke at the inauguration ceremony of the TurkStream.
Submerged in rainwater
Heavy rains paralysed Nicosia. Roads were flooded by rivers bursting their banks. Houses and businesses were all flooded. The Civil Defence rescued people who were stranded. All five rivers flowing through Nicosia became active. The Morphou Dam which overflowed caused floods in Morphou town.
- Bad days awaiting the Middle East – Political scientists spoke to Kıbrıs regarding the recent developments in the Iran-US tension.
Red Alert
Bad weather conditions hit Nicosia this time! Main arteries were all closed to traffic. The industrial area was flooded. The government decided to shut the schools and the public sector. Schools remain closed on Thursday as well.
We disgraced ourselves
Rivers overflowed, roads closed, livestock perished, mud-brick houses collapsed, dozens of cars were stranded on the roads and schools were given a holiday as a result of the torrential rain.
- Historical step –The TurkStream natural gas pipeline project which will transport Russian natural gas to Europe via Turkey has been brought to life.
- Urgent security summit – Foreign Ministers of South Cyprus, Greece, Egypt, France and Italy met in Cairo.
We sunk
We surrendered to rain once again and were left in knee-deep water. We suffered the consequences of the lack of infrastructure in the north of the island and the poor conditions of the roads. Life was literally paralyzed and schools were closed. Roads in Famagusta, Nicosia and Morphou were closed. Rivers overflowed and roads were transformed into rivers themselves.
Main News
Turkey, Russia inaugurate landmark energy project
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs Postası, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog
Energy, Regional/International Relations
OVERVIEW
The 33-year-long energy cooperation between Ankara and Moscow has been cemented once again with the inauguration of the TurkStream natural gas pipeline at a ceremony attended by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Istanbul Wednesday.
Described as the epitome of the energy cooperation between Turkey and Russia by the leaders of the two countries, TurkStream aims to provide uninterrupted and direct gas supply to Turkey and south-eastern European countries from Russia.
“TurkStream, into which we have put a lot of labour together with our Russian friends, is a project of a historic nature for Turkish-Russian bilateral relations and for the regional energy map,” Erdoğan said during his address at the inauguration ceremony.
He remarked that thanks to TurkStream, 15.75 billion cubic meters of gas out of a total capacity of 31.5 billion cubic meters will directly enter Turkey with no intermediate country and will meet the natural gas needs of 15 million households.
“Over the past 33 years, we have provided 400 billion cubic meters of natural gas from Russia. This figure is the epitome of Turkish-Russian cooperation based on a mutual win-win principle,” he added.
During his address, Erdoğan also evaluated the latest developments in the Eastern Mediterranean and firmly ruled out any project in the Eastern Mediterranean excluding Turkey.
“There is no chance of realizing any project in the Eastern Mediterranean that excludes our country,” he said.
In reference to Turkey’s ongoing efforts in the region, the Turkish president remarked, “The only aim of our hydrocarbon exploration activities in the Eastern Mediterranean is to protect the interests of our country and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.”
“Turkey, which has the longest shoreline in the Eastern Mediterranean, will, of course, have a say in any project related to this region,” Erdoğan added.
He once again called on all the riparian states in the Eastern Mediterranean and said, “Let us turn the Mediterranean, which has been the cradle of civilizations throughout history, into a field of cooperation, not conflict.”
Also speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Putin said the cooperation between Russia and Turkey is developing in all areas, despite efforts to prevent it.
“TurkStream is an extremely important and unique gas transfer system that will help boost cooperation even more,” the Russian president remarked.
“The successful realization of TurkStream shows the remarkable outcomes of Turkish-Russian strategic partnership,” Putin said, noting that the Russian gas transport to Europe via Turkey will ensure energy supply security in south-eastern European countries and positively impact their economies.
Meanwhile, Erdoğan and Putin held a separate meeting on Wednesday on the sidelines of the inauguration ceremony.
During the meeting, Erdoğan presented his Russian counterpart a bilingual book titled “Strategic Step in the Eastern Mediterranean Equation: Memorandum of Understanding between Turkey and Libya.”
Prepared in Turkish and English by Turkey’s Directorate of Communication, the book consists of the chapters titled, “Geopolitical Importance of the Eastern Mediterranean,” “Hydrocarbon Potential of the Eastern Mediterranean,” “Turkey’s Position Regarding the Eastern Mediterranean,” “EU, South Cyprus and Greece’s Stance on the Eastern Mediterranean” and “Turkey-Libya Memorandum of Understanding.”
The book explains Turkey’s policy in the Eastern Mediterranean and the unlawful steps taken by the European Union, the Greek Cypriot administration and Greece.
The book evaluates the maritime delimitation agreement between Turkey and Libya from political, legal and economic perspectives and elaborates on the potential outcomes of the deal.
KEY ACTORS
Erdoğan (Turkey)
>> No chance of realizing any project in the East Med that excludes Turkey.
>> The only aim of Turkey’s hydrocarbon exploration activities is to protect the interests of Turkey and TCs.
>> Turkey, which has the longest shoreline in the East Med, will, of course, have a say in any project related to this region.
>> East Med should be turned into a field of cooperation, not conflict.
Putin (Russia)
>> The successful realization of TurkStream shows the remarkable outcomes of Turkish-Russian strategic partnership.
>> Russian gas to Europe via Turkey will ensure energy supply security in south-eastern European countries & positively impact their economies.
Bad days awaiting the Middle East
Kıbrıs
External Security, Regional/International Relations
OVERVIEW
Turkish Cypriot academics Sadık Akyar, Ahmet Sözen and Şevki Kıralp evaluated the latest developments in the Middle East particularly following the assassination of top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, who was branded as a terrorist by the US.
Dr Sadık Akyar, who is the Director of the Research Centre on Security at the Kyrenia American University (GAU), said Cyprus will only be affected if the current tense situation between the US and Iran ignites into full-blown war and the US decides to utilize the bases in the south.
Akyar, however, added it seems there the situation is de-escalating.
Professor Ahmet Sözen, who is the chair of the Political Science and International Relations department at the Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) argued that the US President is more worried about the impeachment process and the upcoming presidential elections than war with Iran.
He added that Iran is a regional power and the US is a global one and if they chose to prolong their conflict, it would be very bad for the Middle East.
Dr Şevki Kıralp, who is a member of the faculty of Political Science at the Near East University (NEU), recalled the normalized relations between the Obama administration and Iran in 2015.
He added, however, the conflict between the US and Iran is focused on Iraq. “This is very dangerous for peace and stability in the region,” Kıralp concluded.
Bi-communal Art and Culture Exhibition opened
Kıbrıs Postası
Human Rights
OVERVIEW
Bi-communal Art and Culture Exhibition, which was organized by “Real Cypriots Group” with support from the Nicosia Turkish Municipality (LTB) was opened on Tuesday evening at the Atatürk Cultural Centre. The exhibition will be on display until 10 January.