Front Page Headlines
Non-contact export to the south
The Covid-19 pandemic has harmed exports from north to south. A ‘dead period’ was experienced in exports carried out within the framework of the Green Line Regulation between March 15 and April 29. Trade based on a principle of no (physical) contact has now resumed following the reopening of sectors.
- We are ready to help to reopen crossings – UNFICYP Spokesman Aleem Siddique: UNFICYP is ready to assist both sides for the reopening of the crossing points.
- “Covid-19 triggered racism and discrimination within the community” – Başak Ekenoğlu and Fezlie Osum from the Refugees’ Rights Association said that foreigners, individuals who don’t speak Turkish, refugees, migrants and victims of human trafficking had become targets during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown.
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One crisis over another
The economy, which had come to a grinding halt due to Covid-19 measures, is now faced with yet another crisis due to the increasing value of the foreign currencies against the Turkish Lira. The foreign currency rates have broken new records. Mahmut Kanber, head of the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Artisans and Shopkeepers (KTEZO) said the Turkish Lira has already experienced a 30 per cent devaluation. “While the effects of the pandemic continue, the Turkish Lira started to erode and shopkeepers have incurred damages up to 100 per cent. Sales have dropped by at least 50 per cent. We are going through one crisis after another,” Kanber stressed. Turgay Deniz, head of Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce said the devaluation in the Turkish Lira is another crisis that has hit businesses. “It is very easy to close down a business while keeping it open is difficult. What’s most difficult is to reopen the business again,” Deniz said.
- The future of the provident fund is at risk – The unions reacted against the Labour Ministry’s efforts to allow people to withdraw ₺2,000 (€260) per month for five months from their provident fund savings without having to pay it back. Labour Minister Faiz Sucuoğlu said the proposal has been sent to the cabinet and added: “No one is forced to withdraw that money.” On the other hand, KTAMS (Turkish Cypriot Public Servants’ Union) General Secretary Devrim Barçın said, “the union objects to opening the fund to everyone.” He added as a result of the labour ministry’s decision the fund, which has ₺800m (€103.8m) now could be left with ₺300m (€39m) only, which will have to be used for pensioners. “The future of the provident fund would be at great risk,” Barçın concluded.
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No hope
All major retail stores offered sales for Mothers’ Day but sales are still down. The businesses were unable to attract customers. Speaking to Diyalog, shop owners in Nicosia said they were hanging on by a thread and warned that many stores will be forced to shut down soon.
- ‘Kawasaki’ panic in the South – Five-year-old child admitted to hospital.
- 126 suspected cases – 1875 tests were carried out yesterday (Friday) with no positive cases.
- Two new cases – 1957 people were tested in South Cyprus for coronavirus.
- Death toll reaches 3689 – 1848 new cases recorded in Turkey bringing the total number to 135,569.
“We are not puppets”
Mustafa Akıncı clarified the issue of relations with Turkey. He said: “the Turkish Cypriot people did not elect me to be a puppet but to lead them as their president. There is only one state that recognizes the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, right? And that is the Republic of Turkey. Then, our size, our wealth or poverty or population should not matter. We want two republics in a brotherly relationship. We worked towards that goal.”Akıncı added “Do you feel obliged to give up on your identity and your character to be the same with others? Then you would end up losing your identity and character, becoming a puppet or an imitation.”
- Senih Çavuşoğlu needs not to apologise from Tatar – Tacan Reynar: The police have not charged my client Çavuşoğlu nor has he been indicted.
- 90 more soldiers arrived – 90 soldiers and one civilian entered the north from the Famagusta Port on Friday and nine civilians from the Kyrenia Port.
- “I will not forgive if $26m is paid to AKSA” – National Unity Party (UBP) MP Oğuzhan Hasipoğlu said the AKSA private energy company should be informed that we are annulling their contract because we do not have $26m to pay them.
- No new cases in the north, two cases in the south – 23 individuals referred to PCR testing.
Main News
Akıncı: Maintaining a balanced relationship with Ankara important
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs Postası, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Afrika
Negotiations Process, Energy, Regional/International Relations, Internal Security, Governance and Power Sharing
OVERVIEW
In a bold stance against Ankara President Mustafa Akıncı on Thursday highlighted the need for a more balanced relationship with Turkey and Turkish institutions.
Akıncı, speaking to Ada TV, said that it was important for the Turkish Cypriot community to preserve its identity.
He added that the Turkish Cypriot community had not elected him to become a puppet of Ankara or any other country.
“On the contrary, we want two republics maintaining brotherly relations
We ask everyone to help in establishing such relations,” Akıncı stressed, noting that relations between the north and Ankara would be built on healthier foundations.
He said that he has always been in favour of expressing his ideas in a respectful manner instead of trying to mimic others.
“It is necessary for the institutions in the north and in Turkey to maintain relations on an equal footing with their counterparts. The institutions in Turkey must show attention to maintaining this while the Turkish Cypriot institutions must demand it,” Akıncı said.
He added it is necessary for everyone in the community to agree on establishing healthy relations with Turkey first.
“No matter who will be elected as president, if the relations with Turkey are not structured on a solid and healthy basis, the problems we are faced with today, will remain unsolved and will continue to be faced by the Turkish Cypriot community in the future,” he added.
Akıncı, in response to a question on energy companies suspending their hydrocarbon activities due to the coronavirus pandemic, recalled the Greek Cypriot side categorically rejected the Turkish Cypriot side’s 13 July 2019 dated proposal.
“What needs to be done is either to declare a moratorium or act in line with the articles of the 13 July proposal. If it is not possible to collaborate on hydrocarbons, then the sides will carry out their activities separately,” Akıncı said.
He also pointed out the decisions made by ENI and TOTAL cannot be regarded as a declaration of a moratorium because they are suspending activities not because the two sides have reached an agreement but because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Even if the companies have halted their activities due to the pandemic, this gives an opportunity to the Greek Cypriot side to re-evaluate our proposal,” Akıncı said, adding that the Turkish Cypriot side was open to discussions on the condition that the Greek Cypriot side abandoned its insistence that issue of the hydrocarbons was a matter of sovereignty
“If the pandemic allows us to discuss the hydrocarbons matter, we are willing for it as long as the Greek Cypriot side abandons its unilateral attitude,” Akıncı said.
Also commenting on the government’s handling of the Covid-19 outbreak, Akıncı said that the declaration of a state-of-emergency would have allowed everyone to work closer together in collaboration.
Instead, the cabinet ignored the opposition’s proposals.
He said that a state-of-emergency would have also shortened the lockdown period, resulting in less damage to the economy.
Akıncı argued that the success in preventing the spread of coronavirus did not belong to the government but to the public which had adhered to the measures.
KEY ACTORS
Akıncı
>> Important forTC community to preserve its identity.
>> TC community has not elected me to become a puppet of Ankara or any other country.
>> Two countries should maintain brotherly relations for a healthier relationship.
>> Necessary for institutions in north & Ankara to maintain relations on equal footing. Ankara should show attention to maintaining this & TC authorities should demand it.
>> If relations are not structured on a solid basis, future representatives of TC community will continue to face problems.
>> Either a moratorium should be declared on hydrocarbons issue or sides should agree on TC side’s 13 July proposal.
>> Two sides will continue their activities separately if they don’t agree on hydrocarbons.
>> ENI and TOTAL decisions cannot be regarded as a moratorium.
>> Even if companies have halted their activities because of the pandemic, GC side could re-evaluate the TC side’s proposal.
>> TC side is open to discussions on hydrocarbons if GC side stops insisting that it is a matter of sovereignty.
Contactless trade via the Green Line resumes
Yenidüzen
Internal Security, Economy, CBMs
OVERVIEW
Even though there was a ‘dead period’ between March 15 and April 29 April due to the Covid-19 restrictions, the Green Line Trade (GLT) resumed this week on the principle of ‘contactless trade’ with the reopening of the sectors, Yenidüzen reported on Saturday.
Director of the Trade Department, Salih Gökpınar, in his comments to the Yenidüzen, said the closure of the sectors had had a negative impact on the GLT.
“Before Covid-19 pandemic, the department issued approximately 40 export permits. There were none until April 29 and only 15 permits issued since then,” Gökpınar said.
He also expressed hope that the number of permits will increase in time.
Gökpınar explained that the GLT was now ‘contactless’ carried out through a system of appointments and coordination.
He also expressed hope the GLT volume will increase as more sectors will be opened.
“We have been issuing permits for various product groups for the last 10 days.
He said the plastic industry leads in the product groups that are traded through the GLT and the department is now working on documentation for marbles.
Also speaking to the Yenidüzen, İzzet Adiloğlu, who is responsible for the GLT at the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce (KTTO), pointed out that resumption of trade, for the first time in 50 days, was carried out with strict adherence to health measures and was contactless.
He added the ‘contactless’ trade is working slowly because the system is based on appointments but it is unavoidable due to the given circumstances.
CTP accuses cabinet of fait accompli on unemployment benefit
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs Postası, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Afrika
Internal Security, Economy
OVERVIEW
“The cabinet pulled off a fait accompli when lowering the unemployment benefit from ₺2672 (€347) to ₺1500 (€195),” Republican Turkish Party (CTP) MP Doğuş Derya said on Friday.
Speaking during a Kıbrıs Postası web TV programme, Derya claimed the government had made a mess of handling the Covid-19 crisis.
“The north is perhaps the only place in the world where salaries were cut and unemployment benefits were lowered resulting in a drop in the public’s purchasing power,” Derya said.
She also added the cabinet did not make any effort to reduce the price of utilities like electricity, which naturally went up during the lockdown.
The CTP leader Tufan Erhürman also pointed to economic difficulties on Friday.
In a social media post, Erhürman said his priority was health and the economy.
“We have to focus our efforts on the social state, a self-sufficient economic model, health, labour market and social security. These are issues of basic human rights,” Erhürman stressed.
In the meantime, the government continued to complain about the drop in state revenues.
“The customs revenues dropped by 57.1 per cent in addition to ₺300m (€39m) drop in taxes,” Finance Minister Olgun Amcaoğlu said on Friday.
Amcaoğlu told HaberKıbrıs web TV that the state had spent ₺6m (€780,000) for the quarantine of 2,011 repatriated citizens.
Meanwhile, no new coronavirus cases were reported in the north on Friday at the end of the first week of the easing of restrictions.
No cases have been since April 17 and the last patient receiving treatment is expected to be discharged sometime over the weekend.
Turkish Cypriot Health Minister Ali Pilli, on Friday, announced that 1,875 tests were carried out and that 83 people had referred to the Dr Burhan Nalbantoğlu State Hospital for PCR testing after their rapid tests came back positive.
He said that a bulk of 1415 tests had been carried out mostly on fast food and restaurant staff working in delivery or takeaway services and healthcare workers and patients at the public hospitals and outpatient clinics across the north.
In the meantime, Pilli also met with the mayors of municipalities to discuss the coordination between the local administrations as well as to discuss the rules the restaurants and cafes need to follow in their reopening process on May 11.