Front Page Headlines
“We were prisoners in our home for eight days”
The Turkish Cypriot who escaped the coronavirus spoke to Yenidüzen. Kemal Altınkaya, his wife and little daughter who moved to China in December for a one-year teaching job spoke of their escape following the outbreak of the virus. “I had never seen such a crowd. Everyone was trying to leave. We waited at the airport at a secluded spot. We passed through eight to ten control points before boarding the plane.
- How many litres of petrol can I buy with a minimum wage salary? –A Turkish Cypriot can buy 672 litres for the (north) minimum wage salary of ₺3,600 (approx €545). A Greek Cypriot can buy 737 litres in the south and 1.072 litres in the north for the (south) minimum wage salary of €870.
“United Cyprus is not being discussed here anymore”
Prime Minister Ersin Tatar, who is in the UK for meetings, said: “No one is talking about a united Cyprus anymore.” Claiming that “everyone has seen the reality,” Tatar said they have found out that the Conservative Party Manifesto also refers to two separate states. He added the rules of the game have changed.
- Burcu: “Insults and threats have reached a shameful level”
- Siber: “The presidents must put society’s interests before their own.”
Bountiful harvest in Valencia type orange due to rainfall
Ali Alioğlu, head of Citrus Growers’ Association, said the rains in the past two years have pleased citrus growers. He added they are expecting a 35 per cent increase only in the harvest of the Valencia type orange. Alioğlu added 90 per cent of the citrus produce is exported to Turkey and third countries.
- The Greek Cypriot side asks for potatoes from the TRNC – Engin Halkseven, head of the Potato Growers’ Association, said the potato growers in the South have lost their crop due to heavy rains and the cold. He added, as a result, the Greek Cypriot side has asked for potatoes from the north.
If the NEU does not pay, sequestration order will be executed
The Nicosia Turkish Municipality (LTB) and the Near East University (NEU) case was concluded on Tuesday. The Appeal’s Court rejected NEU’s application to stop the execution of the sequestration order. If the NEU does not pay its debt to the LTB exceeding ₺5m, the LTB can initiate the execution of the sequestration order.
- Went too far – Barış Burcu said: “Insults and threats have reached a shameful dimension” in a written statement issued.
No one spoke of annexation
Citizens do not want relations with Turkey to deteriorate. They highlight the importance of the guarantees and call for dialogue. Speaking to Diyalog members of the public said that there has been no demand for annexation from any segment of society and that this debate needed to end.
- They exploited the issue – According to Greek Cypriot political parties, Akıncı has revealed Turkey’s plans to permanently divide Cyprus, to annex it and to destroy the Turkish Cypriot community.
Look at who is calling Akıncı a terrorist
Here you see Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu who dared to call Mustafa Akıncı a terrorist taking a souvenir photo with terrorists! Does Çavuşoğlu who is standing arm in arm with the president of the Ak Hatay Society Mehmet İpek who headed the attack on our newspaper have the face to call Akıncı a terrorist?
- Maraş (Varosha) being reheated and brought to the agenda –Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay and Prime Minister Ersin Tatar will be holding a roundtable meeting on the fenced-off city on February 15. The meeting is titled “The Legal, Political and Economic Aspects of the Maraş Initiative”. Mustafa Akıncı has not been invited.
- “Shameless man” – The leader of the İYİ (Good) Party in Turkey Meral Akşener slammed Akıncı for his remarks. Akşener said, “Despite Akıncı’s persistence, Cyprus will remain Turkish.”
Main News
Burcu hits back at remarks against Akıncı
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs Postası, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Afrika
Negotiations Process, Governance & Power Sharing
OVERVIEW
Reactions to President Akıncı’s statements to the Guardian continued on Tuesday with a Turkish academician suggesting the Turkish Cypriot leader ought to be taken out of the way since he has become a threat.
According to Kıbrıs Postası, the head of the Ankara-based Anka University of Technology Mehmet Hakan Sağlam told Turkish Akit TV that Akıncı ought to be ‘blown up’ like Murat Karayılan, a leading figure in the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) which is seen as a terrorist organization by Ankara.
Sağlam reportedly said Akıncı’s statements were similar to those of Karayılan who also described Turkey as an occupying power and that the Turkish Cypriot leader had reached a point where he should be taken out.
Earlier on Monday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu called Akıncı an untrustworthy politician.
In response to the backlash, Akıncı’s spokesman Barış Burcu in a written statement on Tuesday afternoon said that after the Turkish foreign minister went as far as branding Akıncı a ‘supporter of terrorism’ there have been death threats against the Turkish Cypriot leader even on television programmes in Turkey.
Hinting at Çavuşoğlu, he said that the accusations made against Akıncı were baseless and insincere since the Turkish Cypriot leader had built his reputation on honesty.
Burcu also said the Turkish Cypriot community which has followed Akıncı’s career over the years and who knew him well enough could only pass judgement on his honesty.
“Insults and threats have reached a shameful dimension,” Burcu added.
He also expressed his sorrow over the hatred and attacks against Akıncı arguing that the published interview was a shorter version of what the Turkish Cypriot leader had said while many people reacted with bias and took the opportunity to insult him.
To show the criticism was not right, Akıncı’s office published the full interview, Burcu said adding that the ideas he expressed were sincere and seek to benefit both Turkish Cypriots and Turkey.
“Our president does not desire a hierarchical relationship with Turkey but one on an equal and friendly basis. His position on this issue is very clear and this is the vision with which he addresses the people. Such a relationship is for the benefit of both Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots,” Burcu noted.
He added that Akıncı “stands behind these views and will continue to do so.”
On accusations that he is a supporter of terrorism, Burcu recalled that Akıncı was the first to condemn the coup attempt against the Turkish president on July 15, 2016 “organised by the terrorist organisation nested within the state in Turkey.”
It is sad, Burcu said, that those who accused Akıncı of being a supporter of terrorism now seem to have forgotten all this.
Akıncı, he said, “is a person who has struggled for democracy throughout his life” criticising efforts to associate him with terrorism.
Burcu added that Akıncı was someone who attached great importance to sincere dialogue and important communication.
In the meantime, National Unity Party (UBP) General Secretary Ersan Saner claimed that Akıncı had deliberately ignited the debate on annexation for election purposes.
Speaking on Bayrak on Tuesday, Saner urged Akıncı not to harm relations with Turkey while trying to win votes from the left.
Saner argued that he could not think of any other reason for Akıncı to raise the issue of annexation, particularly when such an issue was not on the country’s agenda.
Saner, in response to a question on the Cyprus problem, accused the Greek Cypriot side of stalling a settlement for the past 52 years.
Saner pointed out that the UBP did favour a negotiated settlement in Cyprus.
He recalled that the concept of end-game was introduced as a result of former president Derviş Eroğlu’s determination.
“We are again at the same point. We will once again play the end-game but if we are going to enter into a federation, the sovereignty will belong to the two peoples. Otherwise, the Turkish Cypriot people will be condemned to another 50 years of talks,” Saner concluded.
Turkey: We stand by the system of guarantees for Cyprus
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs Postası, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog
External Security
OVERVIEW
Turkey on Tuesday dismissed claims that it had accepted ending the system for guarantees in Cyprus, under which Turkey stands as a guarantor for the island.
“News reports in the Greek Cypriot press alleging that Turkey has accepted ending the system of guarantees for Cyprus are not true,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said in a statement.
The statement came following a claim made by Greek Cypriot journalist Makarios Drousioitis in a column in the Sunday-Mail that Turkey after Crans Montana had accepted ending the system of guarantees in exchange for a two-state solution.
Turkey’s position concerning the guarantee system
established by the 1960 London and Zurich Treaties is clear, he added.
“A just and comprehensive settlement on the
island will be only possible by ensuring the Turkish Cypriots’ political
equality and responding to their security concerns,” he said.
KEY ACTORS
MFA (Turkey)
>> Claim that Turkey accepted the ending of the system of guarantees for Cyprus in exchange for a two-state solution not true.
>> Turkey’s position on the matter is clear.
>> A just & comprehensive solution to Cyprob is only possible by ensuring political equality & security of TCs.
GC property holders should be made to pay a higher tax
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs Postası, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog
Property, Territory, Economy
OVERVIEW
“It should be Greek Cypriot property holders in the north who should be made to pay additional property tax,” Social Democratic Party (TDP) leader Cemal Özyiğit argued on Tuesday.
Özyiğit in his address at Tuesday’s plenary in parliament recalled that efforts to create additional funds for the Immovable Property Commission (IPC) had initially commenced in 2013.
“It is obvious that the IPC needs more funds but it is not clear yet as to who will be made to pay,” he noted.
Özyiğit also pointed out that the process of “Turkifying” Greek Cypriot properties had come to a standstill after Ankara had stopped contributing financially to the IPC.
Criticising the proposed law which aims at increasing property taxes by up to 70 per cent and allocating a 15 per cent portion of these revenues to the IPC, Özyiğit said the TDP is in favour of keeping the existing law without any amendments.
“Whoever holds Greek Cypriot property in the north; invests on it or develops the property must be made to pay the additional tax. Those who become rich by selling the Greek Cypriot properties should be paying the additional tax. This is the only fair approach. It is not fair to make the entire community pay the price for those who chose to acquire Greek Cypriot properties. It would be disrespectful to the community and those who do not hold such properties,” Özyiğit concluded.
Responding to Özyiğit’s statement, Economy and Energy Minister Hasan Taçoy said the proposed law envisages using 15 per cent of the increased property taxes which is collected by the municipalities for the IPC. He also pointed out that the bill is currently being discussed at the relevant parliamentary sub-committee.
“There is no need for populist statements on a bill that has not even been discussed in parliament yet,” Taçoy said in response to Özyiğit’s remarks. He added that anyone who had any objections to the proposed bill should share their views based on facts.
GC side asks for potatoes from the north
Kıbrıs
Economy
OVERVIEW
The torrential rains and the cold weather which damaged the potato crop in the south planted about two weeks ago has led to a demand of potatoes from the north, Kıbrıs reported on Wednesday.
“Greek Cypriot potato exporters have asked for potatoes from the north and the shipment will be made on 17 February,” Engin Halkseven, head of the association for potato growers in the north said.
He added the total amount has not been agreed yet.
Speaking to Kıbrıs, Halkseven said the Greek Cypriot growers had planted their crops earlier due to their export potentials for European countries.
“But they have suffered big losses due to the cold and sub-zero temperatures,” he added.
No one is talking about reunification anymore, Tatar claims
Kıbrıs Postası
Negotiations Process
OVERVIEW
“A United Cyprus is not being discussed here anymore,” Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Ersin Tatar, who is in the UK for meetings, said on Tuesday.
He claimed that “everyone has seen the reality.”
In an interview with Kıbrıs Postası, Tatar said the reunification of Cyprus was no longer on the British parliament’s agenda and that a ‘negotiated partition’ was being voiced for the future of the island.
He said that his had received the impression that the British government and the Conservative Party will be showing far more interest and attention to the Turkish Cypriots now that Brexit has been achieved.
Tatar noted that he had met separately on Tuesday with the Right Honourable Sir Ian Duncan Smith, Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party Paul Scully and British MP Sir David Amess.
“We have shared our expectations from the UK government in the post-Brexit process and have informed them that we will be working harder for a solution based on the island’s realities,” Tatar said.
He added that the UK’s status had changed with Brexit and that they had plans to take steps aimed at turning this situation to the advantage of Turkish Cypriots.
He also said that he had held similar discussions with Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party Paul Scully.
“All we are trying to do is to gain what is ours. We have no quarrels with Greek Cypriots. They [Greek Cypriots] are continuing on their way as a recognised state. Everyone knows they were unfairly accepted into the bloc after the referendum on the Annan Plan. Turkish Cypriots have been excluded and made to suffer,” Tatar noted adding that Turkish Cypriots will pursue more proactive policies in seeking their rights.
Tatar argued that the rules of the game had changed.
He stressed that the political circles in the UK had started to acknowledge the realities on the island and were no longer referring to a reunified Cyprus.
“I was informed that the Conservative Party’s manifesto mentions two separate states. There are very interesting points in that manifesto. The British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also highlights the need to resolve the problem of direct flights. The British government is also supporting the idea of a ‘negotiated settlement’. No one is talking about a reunification anymore,” he said.
KEY ACTORS
Tatar (UBP)
>> United Cyprus is not being discussed in the UK anymore.
>> Everyone in the UK has seen the reality about Cyprus.
>> The British government will be showing far more interest & attention to the TC now that Brexit has been achieved.
>> TCs to take steps aimed at turning Brexit to their advantage.
>> TCs will pursue more proactive policies in seeking their rights.
>> The rules of the game have changed as the British government supports the idea of a ‘negotiated partition’ and two separate states