Front Page Headlines
“The position of Turkish Cypriots in the UK will not change”
The British High Commission to Cyprus Stephen Lillie explained what will happen now and what kind of practices that citizens of both countries will be subjected to. “The status of Cypriot citizens living, studying or working in the UK will not change, not just until the end of the year but later than that as well.
- ‘Residency’ obstacles for Greek Cypriots in Karpaz (Karpasia) – Politis reports that a new statute aimed at Turkish and other foreign nationals is also affecting Greek Cypriots wanting to return and resettle in the Karpaz (Karpasia) area. These Greek Cypriots include those who were born and raised in the north.
- Karapaşaoğlu’s case for conscientious objection before the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) – The ECHR has started processing the case of Halil Karapaşaoğlu who is a conscientious objector.
We are keeping our support for the second round
Democratic Party (DP) General Secretary Afet Özcafer said they will not support any one of the candidates in the first round of the elections. “We will identify who we will support in the second round,” she added. Özcafer stressed no matter who becomes the president, s/he must know there must not be an open-ended process.
- “This is not to frighten but to deter” – Meltem Onurkan Samani, General Director of the Technical Committees at the office of the presidency, said the law bureau to be established by volunteers for Mustafa Akıncı is not to frighten people but to deter them.
- Tatar: “It is important for our ideology to be at the office of the presidency.”
- Erhürman: “We will carry out diplomacy efforts throughout the world.”
- Özersay: “We will take on the initiative to allow all our citizens to cross to the south.”
We do not know what we eat
Mustafa Naimoğulları, head of livestock breeders association, rejected the allegations that the retail price of meat has been increased as a result of livestock breeders’ demands. He also claimed some of the supermarkets sell beef as lamb and make bigger profits by cheating the consumers. Agriculture Minister Dursun Oğuz had said the rise in meat prices might result in allowing imports of carcass meat.
Nothing is right in health
Health Minister Ali Pilli spoke to Havadis about the problems in the health sector, and about his projects. Pilli said there is not enough personnel at state hospitals. There are serious infrastructure problems. The state labs are not sufficient and the capacity at the intensive care unit must be increased.
An explosion in medicine sales
No coronavirus at the moment but people are being hit hard by the flu. Hundreds of people including children are being treated for flu, sore throats and high fever.
- He will appear before the court in two days – A Greek Cypriot man who abandoned his car after it was stuck in the mud and crossed over to the north illegally was sent to prison pending trial.
Hunger Strike
Workers of the CAS (Cyprus Airport Services) company which terminated operations at Ercan (Tymbou) airport two years ago have started a hunger strike in front of Prime Ministry.
- 17,000 Turkish Cypriots in the south – The report in Philelefteros was denied by (GC) Interior Minister Nicos Nuris. According to Nuris these figures do not reflect the facts and is only a figure on paper.
Main News
Cultural heritage helps develop a culture of peace
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs Postası, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Afrika
Human Rights, Negotiations Process, CBMs
OVERVIEW
“Protecting cultural heritage and works of art contribute to developing a culture of peace and help build trust between the two communities,” Meltem Onurkan Samani, General Coordinator of the Technical committees said on Tuesday.
Speaking on Genç Tv, Samani added those who viewed the exhibition had to face their past as the artwork and the audio-visual recordings reflected the joint lives of the Turkish and the Greek Cypriots in addition to giving a glimpse of the socio-politics of the past.
Samani also noted that President Akıncı during his five-year term has done a lot for the rapprochement of the two communities. “Akıncı, especially in the recent period, has taken significant steps towards cultural and communal transformation,” Samani underscored.
She added during his term, Akıncı also established three technical committees for the transformation of the culture of violence and conflict to a culture of peace.
Responding to a question on the recent meeting of the bicommunal technical committee on health, Samani said the committee members tabled the necessary measures to be adopted against the coronavirus. “During the meeting, the two sides shared needs-analysis with each other and discussed the infrastructure-related measures to be adopted,” Samani added.
She noted the committee also agreed to exchange information as and when needed.
“President Akıncı just like in the negotiations process was also the driving force behind the work of the technical committees,” Samani noted and said the committees had achieved important outcomes that were in favour of all sides.
“What is more important is to reach the political settlement,” Samani said and noted that it is difficult for the two communities to collaborate because they do not know each other.
Samani also argued that a federation was the only model all sides could discuss at the table.
“President Akıncı has made his best effort to reach the solution that will ensure freedom and security of all relevant sides,” Samani added.
“Federation is the only model that can be negotiated and should there be another model at the table, all sides need to agree on it prior to discussing it at the table,” Samani concluded.
“It is time to discuss alternative models other than a federation,” National Unity Party (UBP) MP Oğuzhan Hasipoğlu said on Tuesday.
Addressing the plenary at the parliament, Hasipoğlu said: “No matter what kind of solution there will be on the island, the United Nations’ (UN) role and its reports must be taken into consideration.”
Hasipoğlu also noted that there is no need for UN peacekeeping camps in the north. He especially pointed out the UN camp in Famagusta and said it must be removed elsewhere. “Moreover, there is a serious issue of legitimacy regarding the United Nations peacekeeping force in Cyprus (UNFICYP).”
KEY ACTORS
Samani
>> Protecting cultural heritage & works of art contribute to developing a culture of peace & help build trust between the two communities.
>> Akıncı during his five-year term has done a lot for the rapprochement of the two communities.
>> Akıncı has taken significant steps towards cultural and communal transformation.
>> Akıncı established three technical committees for the transformation of the culture of violence & conflict to a culture of peace.
>> Akıncı just like in the negotiations process, was also the driving force behind the work of the technical committees.
>> The committees have achieved important outcomes that were in favour of all sides.
>> What is more important is to reach the political settlement, but it is difficult for the two communities to collaborate because they do not know each other.
>> Federation is the only model all the sides can discuss at the table.
>> Akıncı has made his best effort to reach the solution that will ensure freedom and security of all relevant sides.
>> Should there be another model than federation at the table, all sides need to agree on it prior to discussing it at the table.
We do not want uncertainty anymore, Erhürman says
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs Postası, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Afrika
Governance & Power Sharing, Negotiations Process
OVERVIEW
“We do not want uncertainty for our children and for our grandchildren. We want them to be able to see their future and this is what we want to work for,” Leader of the Republican Turkish Party (CTP) and presidential candidate Tufan Erhürman said on Tuesday.
Erhürman, speaking at a campaign event in İskele (Trikomo), said the CTP wants peace on the island and will do whatever they can to reach the goal of the solution.
He vowed to work for a solution day and night
“We not stop in our efforts even if a settlement is not reached for reasons we are not responsible for. We will not refrain from undertaking initiatives at international platforms that will bring Turkish Cypriots closer to a solution,” Erhürman said.
He also warned that the Turkish Cypriot community did not have another five years to lose.
“We want peace, democracy and freedom for everyone. We do not want another five years whereby the office of the presidency remains as a symbolic office. We will not allow it to happen,” Erhürman concluded.
In a separate campaign visit on Tuesday, the leader of the National Unity Party (UBP) said that pursuing a federal settlement was nothing more than a waste of time.
Speaking at a UBP event in Gönyeli (Geunyeli), Tatar claimed that Turkish Cypriots would no longer support an agreement based on a federal solution.
Tatar reiterated his position in favour of a solution based on sovereign equality rather than political equality. “The solution must ensure the continuation of the TRNC and must safeguard Turkish Cypriots’ right to self-govern.
He also argued that the Turkish Cypriot people will never give up Turkey’s effective guarantees.
“An honourable solution that will warrant a secure future for the Turkish Cypriots can only be two states, living side-by-side, with the state in the north owned by the Turkish Cypriots,” Tatar stressed.
Tatar also repeated his view that the importance of the Turkish Cypriot state had grown with the discovery of hydrocarbons in the Eastern Mediterranean.
In the meantime, independent candidate Kudret Özersay on Tuesday publicized a list of election promises on social media ahead of the launch of the official campaigning period for the upcoming elections.
The campaign promises, all eleven, include steps to be taken to overcome the uncertainty Turkish Cypriots face; the Maraş (Varosha) initiative; creating interdependency between the two sides through collaboration while accepting a mutually acceptable solution; utilising Brexit as an opportunity for the Turkish Cypriots and taking on the initiative to enable the north’s Turkish origin citizens to cross over to the south.
Meanwhile, the leader of the Rebirth Party (YDP) Erhan Arıklı said on Tuesday that his party will be supporting whoever will be running against Mustafa Akıncı in the upcoming April election.
Speaking on Diyalog TV, Arıklı said that the YDP will be supporting the candidate running against Akıncı in the second round of the election.
17 illegal Syrian migrants caught in Mersin
Kıbrıs Postası
Migration & Citizenship
OVERVIEW
The Turkish Coast Guard and Gendarme on Tuesday caught 17 Syrian nationals, including an individual believed to head of a smuggling operation and the captain of a speedboat in a joint raid in Mersin, Turkey
According to the statement by the Gendarme Command, the individual and boat captain were planning to smuggle the Syrian nationals to Cyprus by boat.
The raid was launched by the coast guard which received a tip that 17 Syrian nationals including a child had been boarded on a speed boat at the mouth of a river, in Mersin.
The migrants and the boat’s captain, also a Syrian national, were detained by police.
The individual responsible for organizing the operation was arrested by the Gendarme.
ECHR accepts Karapaşaoğlu’s case for conscientious objection
Yenidüzen
Human Rights
OVERVIEW
ECHR accepts application from Turkish Cypriot conscientious objector Halil Karapaşaoğlu’s caseand has started processing the case, Yenidüzen reports.
The ECHR case has been submitted by Karapaşaoğlu against Turkey.
Öncel Polili, Karapaşaoğlu’s lawyer announced he had received a letter from the ECHR on January 10 that the application — filed about one year ago — has been accepted.
Halil Karapaşaoğlu was sentenced to 20 days in prison last year after he refused to pay a fine for not reporting for reserve army duty. His sentence was cut short to time served after a successful appeal by his lawyer.
During the appeal hearing, Polili had argued that the initial decision violated articles 5 and 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights, as well as the fair trial principle.
An application was submitted to the ECHR for violations of articles 5, 6 and 9 of the European Convention of Human Rights which refer to deprivation of liberty, the right to a fair trial and the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion respectively.
Accidentally crossed into the north
Kıbrıs Postası, Kıbrıs, Diyalog
Internal Security
OVERVIEW
Greek Cypriot Yiannakis Aristidou, whose car had been found, stuck in mud in the military zone near Akıncılar (Louroujina) is arrested for “violating first degree military zone,” some dailies report on Wednesday.
Investigating police officer told the Nicosia District Court that the suspect in his testimony said he had accidentally crossed into the north while walking his four dogs. As the suspect attempted to drive to the south, his car with registration plate number MZB972 was stuck in mud.
Police officer also told the court that four dogs belonging to Aristidou are being kept at the Veterinary Department in north Nicosia.
The court ordered Aristidou to be remanded under police custody for two more days.