TCC Press Review 9 Mar 2020

Front Page Headlines

Yenidüzen

Woman murdered on March 8

The country was shaken by the murder of yet another woman, this time on March 8 International Women’s Day. A 45-year-old woman named Elif Lort was stabbed to death by his finance.

  • A police station and military barracks were placed under quarantine.
  • Purple wreath laid at Lokmacı (Ledra Street) – To protest the closure of the crossing points, the Women’s Branch of the Republican Turkish Party (CTP) and POGO laid a purple wreath in front of the barricades.
  • “The world federal sounds so nice. What a nice world…but look at what lies beneath it, it will wipe you away” – Presidential candidate Ersin Tatar answered Yenidüzen’s questions.

Kıbrıs Postası

“Not possible for us to start politics on equal terms because it’s a male-dominated area”

Republican Turkish Party (CTP) MP Doğuş Derya, who is one of the significant names in women’s movements in the north, said feminism is a struggle for democracy, equality and justice. Derya also emphasized that due to the fact it is a male-dominated area, women can’t enter politics on equal terms. 

  • Erhürman: “The office of the presidency must be active in explaining our problems to the international community.”
  • Özersay: “The office of the presidency is a place to work and not to lay around.”
  • “We will bring down the barriers” – CTP Women walked to the Lokmacı (Ledra Street) crossing.

Kıbrıs

Tatar: 28 per cent Akıncı 26.8 per cent

COMAR polling company, which is owned by the Kıbrıs media group, revealed its latest election poll. The results show that Mustafa Akıncı and Ersin Tatar will the lead the first round of the elections and that Tatar will receive 56 per cent of the votes compared to Akıncı, who will receive 44 per cent in the second round when the undecided votes are distributed.

  • They were trying to smuggle people to the south illegally– Four people, two Turkish Cypriots and two foreign nationals who tried to smuggle four foreigners through Akıncılar (Lourijina) in the back of a van have been arrested.

Havadis

A woman was murdered on Women’s Day

A 45-year-old woman named Elif Lort was stabbed to death by his finance on International Women’s Day. 

  • No struggle can be won without women – President Mustafa Akıncı asked for greater awareness on the unfair treatment of women  during his campaign meeting at Yeniboğaziçi (Agios Sergios)
  • A light shines in the darkness at Lokmacı (Ledra Street) – CTP Women Branch held an 8 March World Women’s Day event.

Diyalog

He pushed the cleaver on his face

Gökhan Güldalı faced death after being attacked by the Levent and Melih Fırat Ulucan brothers whilst arguing with his lover. The two men threatened Güldalı with a cleaver and warned him not to call the police.

Afrika

They were allowed to cross without IDs

It emerged that protestors on Saturday were allowed to cross into the buffer zone from the Turkish side of the Lokmacı (Ledra Street) even though the officers on duty knew they wouldn’t be able to cross south. They were not even asked to produce any IDs. As a result, they turned a blind eye to the fact that the protestors would come face-to-face with Greek Cypriot police. This raised the question. Did our authorities do the same thing Erdoğan did by sending all the migrants to Greece’s borders? 

Main News

Natural gas presents an economic opportunity for TCs, says Özersay

Kıbrıs Postası, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog
Governance and Power sharing

OVERVIEW

Turkish Cypriot Foreign Minister and independent presidential candidate Kudret Özersay said on Sunday that important steps have been taken regarding the island’s offshore resources present an economic opportunity for Turkish Cypriots.

Meeting with his supporters in Yenierenköy (Yiaolousa), Özersay highlighted the need to develop a foreign policy independent of the Cyprus problem and the negotiations process.

“Focusing solely on the Cyprus problem will only mean imprisoning the Turkish Cypriots in the negotiations process,” Özersay stressed.

He argued that the discovery of hydrocarbons in the East Med had drawn the attention of global players in the energy sector which was why the Turkish Cypriot side and Turkey needed to be careful. 

“The regional developments have made the island of Cyprus and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus a lot more important,” Özersay said.

“It is time that we put pressure on the Greek Cypriot side negotiate for our share in the natural gas,” Özersay said, adding that whoever is elected as the next president needed to take on a more active role by developing proposals in line with a proactive foreign policy.

He pointed to the importance of the upcoming elections and urged voters to consider certain issues when voting.

“Instead of the question what the president-elect will do for the Cyprus problem, we have to consider whether s/he knows maritime law; knows defence and security principles and diplomacy. The question is how well the president-elect will represent the Turkish Cypriots in the international arena,” Özersay asked.

 Touching on the Maraş (Varosha) initiative, Özersay expressed belief and confidence that he will be able to reopen the fenced-off town if elected president in the upcoming elections.

“The opening of Maraş (Varosha) will not only be an economic opportunity but will also bring the Turkish Cypriot community a step closer to the international law and the UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions,” Özersay concluded.

Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister, leader of the National Unity Party (UBP) and presidential candidate Ersin Tatar said that his party had red lines such as a two-state solution and the continuation of Turkey’s guarantees which will never be abandoned.

Tatar, in an interview to Yenidüzen published on Monday, said he will be attending a five-party conference should he be elected as the next president.

He also criticized Akıncı for failing to keep his election promises which were to settle the Cyprus Problem, to preserve Turkey’s rights as a guarantor country and to ensure that the bizonal nature of a settlement would not be watered down.

“What happened? The minute he was at the Conference on Cyprus he said that the issue of guarantees was not a taboo. He placed the issue of guarantees on the table. He submitted a map. Some criticized him for giving Güzelyurt (Morphou) away,” he said.

Tatar added that he did not trust any system of guarantees which excluded Turkey.

He warned that a federal settlement would spell the end of Turkish Cypriots on the island.

“The world federal sounds nice. It is a nice word but when you take a look at what lies beneath it you will see that we will be wiped out,” he warned.

Tatar also accused Akıncı of deliberating stoking tensions with Turkey to win votes.

“Supposedly he is trying to stand strong. But what happened? Relations with the Turkish people have become tense. He spoke and he created tidal waves. It was us who paid the price in the end,” he said.

KEY ACTORS
Özersay (HP)
>> Important steps have been taken on offshore resources that present an economic opportunity for TCs.
>> The TC side needs to develop a foreign policy independent of Cyprob & negotiations process.
>> Focusing solely on the Cyprob will only mean imprisoning the TCs in the negotiations process.
>> The TC side together with Turkey must take careful steps in the east Med. on hydrocarbons.
>> The regional developments have made the island of Cyprus & TRNC a lot more important.
>> The TC side must adopt a separate policy on the natural gas and the maritime jurisdiction.
>>The TCs will not allow their rights to be usurped.
>> It is time that we put pressure on the GC side to negotiate for our share of the natural gas.
>> The opening of Maraş (Varosha) will not only be an economic opportunity but also will bring TCs a step closer to int’l law & UNSC resolutions.

Tatar (UBP)
>> UBP red lines are a two-state solution & continuation of Turkey’s guarantees.
>> A federal settlement would spell the end of TCs on the island.


CMP doubles findings with new strategy & modern tech

Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs Postası, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Afrika
Human Rights

OVERVIEW

The bicommunal committee of missing persons in Cyprus (CMP) has nearly doubled its findings in 2019 as a result of implementing a new strategy and utilising newly developed scientific equipment, all six dailies report.

The CMP has found the remains of 28 missing persons in 2019 compared to 13 in 2018. The committee has started to utilise drones, underground visualisation systems as well as layered maps to compare the geographical descriptions of the area with today’s maps.

The CMP, which is tasked to find the remains of 2002 missing persons on the island, has found the remains of 1217 persons as of the end of January 2020.

The CMP has so far identified 969 persons.

The CMP is still searching for 810 missing Greek Cypriots and 223 Turkish Cypriots.

Speaking to Turkish Cypriot news agency (TAK), Turkish Cypriot member of the CMP, Gülden Plümer Küçük noted a majority of the missing persons found are from 1974. She also noted that only a handful of missing persons from 1963-64 have been found because almost all are buried in the south.

“CMP’s Greek Cypriot member has established a new team to locate the missing persons from 1963,” Küçük said and added that the 75 per cent of the Greek Cypriot missing persons are military personnel whereas the Turkish Cypriots are all civilians.

Küçük noted that time was the CMP’s biggest enemy which was the committee intends to utilize modern technology more.

“We have developed different working methods compared to previous excavations. We have started to use drones and have updated the maps based on information from the witnesses in today’s conditions,” she added.

Küçük said modern technology has helped in achieving more positive results from their excavations.

Küçük in addition to the successes of the CMP said the Committee has prepared the grounds for the establishment of forensic anthropology on the island.

“The CMP currently has all the human resources it needs for its work. There are highly qualified personnel on both sides of the island.

For example, the drone operator is a Turkish Cypriot, while the mapping expert is Greek Cypriot. The software programme is written by a Greek Cypriot but the calculations are done by a Turkish Cypriot. We have established a bicommunal team with highly qualified members now,” Küçük concluded.

KEY ACTORS
Küçük (CMP)
>> CMP has nearly doubled its findings in 2019 because a new strategy & used of modern tech.
>> Time is the CMP’s biggest enemy.
>> Modern tech has helped in achieving more positive results from their excavations.
>> The Committee has prepared the grounds for the establishment of forensic anthropology on the island.
>> The CMP currently has all the human resources it needs for its work.


Four arrested for attempting to smuggle people across the divide

Yenidüzen Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog
Internal Security

OVERVIEW

Turkish Cypriot police arrested four people, two Turkish Cypriots and two foreign nationals who tried to smuggle four foreigners through Akıncılar (Lourijina) in the back of a van.

The four appeared before the Nicosia District Court on Sunday and were charged with establishing a secret partnership to commit a crime and attempting to commit a crime.

The court ordered to be remanded in police custody for three days pending an investigation.


COMAR: Tatar leads the presidential race with a narrow margin

Kıbrıs
Governance and Power Sharing

OVERVIEW

COMAR polling company, which is owned by the Kıbrıs media group, announced the results of its latest poll on Monday.

The results show that Mustafa Akıncı and Ersin Tatar will make it into the second round of the elections and that Tatar will be elected as the new Turkish Cypriot president.

According to the poll, which was conducted through face-to-face interviews with 2249 participants between 29 February and 2 March, 28 per cent of the voters will vote for Ersin Tatar in the first round while incumbent president Mustafa Akıncı will receive 26.8 per cent of the votes.

Republican Turkish Party (CTP) candidate Tufan Erhürman came in the third place with 13.4 per cent, followed by Rebirth Party (YDP) candidate Erhan Arıklı with 6.5 per cent, and Kudret Özersay with 5.4 per cent of the votes.

15.1 per cent of the poll participants stated they were undecided.

The poll, which only publishes the results of a second-round possibility between Tatar and Akıncı, shows that Ersin Tatar will win the election race with 40.6 per cent of the votes defeating Akıncı who will receive 32.3 per cent of the votes in the second round. 17.6 per cent of the participants said they will not cast their votes in the second round and 9.5 per cent said they are undecided.

The poll also revealed that older voters had a higher tendency to vote for Akıncı while younger voters preferred Tatar.

The same correlation can also be seen in the education level of the voters. The higher the education level voters have, the more they are likely to vote for Akıncı, COMAR poll reveals.

Birthplace of voters is also another distinguishing factor, according to the poll. The percentage of the Tatar-voters, who was born in Turkey is double of those who said they will vote for Akıncı.

The poll also notes that Tatar’s supporters see relations with Turkey and direct flights as the primary issues of concern compared to Akıncı’s supporters.

Regarding a question on the solution model for the Cyprus problem, the poll reveals that the Tatar supporters prefer a confederal model based on two independent and separate states whereas Akıncı supporters want a bizonal, bicommunal federation (BBF).


Translate »