Front Page Headlines
Dirty politics
As the National Unity Party (UBP), Democratic Party (DP) and Rebirth Party (YDP) were sealing the deal on a minority government, resignations from the People’s Party which had been expected for weeks were announced. MPs Dr Hasan Topal, Hasan Büyükoğlu and Mesut Genç announced their resignation from HP. The MPs said their resignations had nothing to do with the new government. They said they were ready to make public all their bank transactions and telephone conversations to prove that they were not bribed.
- (UBP leader) Ersan Saner – We reached an agreement for early elections in October 2021. We are at the final stages of forming the UBP-YDP-DP government.
- ‘This Country is Ours Platform’ revived –The ‘This Country is Ours Platform’ which played an important role in mobilizing the Turkish Cypriot community during the Annan Plan period has been revived. Its goals: to resist all interference in the Turkish Cypriots’ political will; to protect the Turkish Cypriot community’s democratic and secular structure as well as preserve its identity; to work for an independent, united and federal Cyprus; to create a community which can self-administer and stand on its own feet.
Political arena livens up
The (party) leaders, after reaching an agreement in principle to form an UBP-DP-YDP coalition, will announce their final decision following evaluations within their respective parties today (Tuesday). An unexpected move came from three HP MPs as the final talks on forming a new government were being held. Mesut Genç, Hasan Topal and Hasan Büyükoğlu announced their resignations from HP. “We will side with whoever will take on the responsibility,” the MPs said in support of the government to be established.
The end of the road
HP, which was founded by Kudret Özersay and which set out with promises of cleaning up politics and introducing social justice, did everything it said it would not do. The party has entered a stage of disintegrating with the resignation of three MPs.
- Formalities left in forming the new government – Following the resignation of three MPs from HP, the acting leader of UBP, who was reappointed with the task to form the government, has officiated the meetings he had launched with DP and YDP on Sunday night.
- Leaders will make the decisions on Turkey – The EU Foreign Ministers’ meeting ended. EU High Representative Josep Borell said the Ministers’ assessment on Turkey was not positive.
There are elections in October 2021
Ersan Saner who was handed the mandate of forming a government the second time has reached an agreement with DP and YDP. Saner was reappointed by President Ersin Tatar yesterday (Monday) and reached an agreement on a three-party coalition after meeting with the leaders of DP and YDP. According to the agreement reached, the government will remain in office for ten months and early elections will be held in October 2021. UBP will hold seven ministries, DP two and YDP will receive one ministry.
- They will not be ministers – Hasan Topal, Mesut Genç and Hasan Büyükoğlu resigned from HP.
They came, they stayed and then became ministers. We got up, they sat (in our place)
UBP-DP-YDP reached an agreement… YDP will be in government for the first time… Erhan Arıklı managed to secure two seats at once. He will be the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Economy and Energy… Two ministries left to DP… Fikri Ataoğlu will become the Tourism and Environment Minister; Koral Çağman will be the Labour and Social Security Minister. Serdar Denktaş will not have a seat in the cabinet.
- 14 positive cases of coronavirus in the north and 416 cases and two deaths in the south.
Main News
Flight restrictions are a violation of human rights, Tatar argues
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog
Economy, Human Rights, Regional/ International Relations
OVERVIEW
“Despite all the restrictions and embargoes, we can fly to all parts of the world as a result of the support given by motherland Turkey,” Turkish Cypriot President Ersin Tatar said on Monday.
He added that the Turkish Cypriot community has had a separate state for the past 37 years that is subjected to inhumane embargoes.
“The absence of direct flights to the TRNC is unacceptable,” he stressed.
Tatar, speaking at a symposium organised by the Akdeniz Karpaz University to mark International Civil Aviation Day, pointed out that all flights to and from the north were carried out via Turkey.
“Despite all the restrictions and embargoes, we can fly to all parts of the world as a result of the support given by motherland Turkey,” he said, adding that the restrictions imposed by international aviation authorities were a violation of human rights.
Describing the flight restrictions as unfair, Tatar urged the international community to revise their decision.
“Specifically, the international aviation authorities should not bow to pressure from the Greek Cypriot side and should allow direct flights to and from the TRNC,” Tatar stressed.
He explained that the international authorities sympathized with the Turkish Cypriot side’s plight but gave the response that their hands were tied as the issue was political.
Tatar said that he had also conveyed this issue to the Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades who in response had told him that such a move was impossible as this would imply recognition and an upgrade of the north’s status.
“We have commercial ties with and students who study here from over a hundred countries. We have a state which is 37-years-old, and absence of direct flights is unacceptable,” Tatar concluded.
Meanwhile, responding to a question during his daily press briefing, UN Secretary-General (UNSG) spokesman Stephane Dujarric reaffirmed Antonio Guterres’ position that the UN is committed to supporting the two sides in their effort to resume the talks.
“The Secretary-General’s position is that he feels that it’s important to resume a viable and comprehensive negotiation process, and he remains committed to supporting the two sides in that effort,” Dujarric said.
He noted that the Special Envoy Jane Holl Lute will continue her consultations on behalf of the UNSG with the two communities as well as the guarantor powers.
“This is really to assess the conditions to prepare for an informal meeting of the five-plus-one,” Dujarric concluded.
Also on Monday, the revival of the “This Country is Ours Platform” was announced.
The platform which had played a key role in mobilizing the Turkish Cypriot community during the Annan Plan process in 2004, announced the principles on which is was reviving itself.
In this regard, the platform said it rejected all forms of interference in the Turkish Cypriots’ political will and added it will continue to defend the Turkish Cypriot community’s right to exercise its political will freely.
It also noted that it will continue to wage a struggle to protect the Turkish Cypriots’ cultural values and identity, preserving its democratic and secular nature.
The platform said it will continue to work towards achieving an independent, united federal Cyprus while rejecting all attempts to partition the island or its annexation with another country.
Finally, the platform noted it also rejects any measure that will result in economic dependency and fights for an economic structure that will take production as its basis.
Tatar once again tasks Saner to form government
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog
Governance and Power Sharing
OVERVIEW
Turkish Cypriot President Ersin Tatar on Monday reappointed acting National Unity Party (UBP) leader Ersan Saner to form the government.
Saner was reappointed with the task after talks failed twice in recent weeks to form a new government in the country.
The UBP, Rebirth Party (YDP) and Democratic Party (DP) had initiated talks earlier on Sunday on forming a coalition but the official negotiations between the three parties resumed after Saner was handed the mandate on Monday.
Speaking after the meeting, Saner said that final touches were being put on the coalition government and that the new cabinet could be announced on Tuesday.
Developments took an even more interesting turn when three MPs from the People’s Party (HP), Hasan Topal, Hasan Büyükoğlu and Mesut Genç announced their resignation on Monday.
There had been rumours for months that the three were planning to leave HP and support UBP as independents.
The law governing political parties restricts MPs who resign from their political parties to transfer to another party for six months.
There however is no obstacle for such MPs to support governments in parliament as independents.
The UBP-DP-YDP coalition government will now be able to receive the vote of confidence it needs in parliament with the support of the three MPs.
The acting leader of HP Yenal Senin reacted to the resignation of the three MPs via social media, saying that they were making a serious mistake.
“The names of these MPs will be forgotten in the dusty pages of the country’s political history,” Senin wrote.
He also argued that the reasons cited by the MPs, to open the possibilities of forming a government, were neither sound nor plausible.
Citing inside sources, the dailies also report that the three-party coalition has agreed on holding an early election in October 2021.
Former DP leader and MP Serdar Denktaş has also given his support to the new three-party coalition.
Turkey will not bow to threats in East Med, says Erdoğan
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog
Energy, EU Matters, Regional/International Relations
OVERVIEW
Turkey will not bow to threats in its dispute with Greece and the Greek Cypriot side over maritime claims in the Eastern Mediterranean, President Tayyip Erdoğan said on Monday as EU foreign ministers met in Brussels to discuss the issue.
He was speaking in a video message for the Eastern Mediterranean Workshop organized by the International Universities Council and the Mediterranean University.
But Erdoğan also said Turkey wanted negotiations over the conflicting claims to continental shelves and rights to potential energy resources.
“In the Eastern Mediterranean issue, our country never sides with tension, but with peace, cooperation, fairness and implementing justice. The path to this goes through negotiations based on mutual respect,” Erdogan said, repeating a call for a conference that involves all actors in the region.
Erdoğan continued by saying that Turkey will not accept plans and maps that aim to confine the country to the coasts off Antalya.
Turkey would not allow a “pirate mentality” shown by other countries to restrict it to a narrow strip of coastal water. “We will not bow down to threats and blackmail… We will not allow imperialist expansionism,” he said.
“The EU should get rid of its strategic blindness and not let itself be manipulated by either the Greek Cypriots or Greece itself in the Eastern Mediterranean,” Erdoğan said, adding that the bloc should stop doing wrong to Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots.
Erdoğan said that it was believed there were between 3.5 and 10 trillion cubic meters of natural gas and between 1.5 and 3.5 billion barrels of oil in the Eastern Mediterranean.
“No country in the region regardless of its economic power or location can ignore such a potential,” he said.
The Turkish president said that it was not possible for Turkey, which had the longest coastline in the region, to watch developments from the sidelines.
“We are following developments closely, both in terms of guaranteeing our interests as well as to protect the rights of our brethren in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus,” he said.
Calling on all neighbouring countries to stop seeing the matter as a “zero-sum game,” Erdoğan said he believes all actors will be able to find a win-win solution when everyone acts consciously, with common sense and sincerity.
Echoing the same message, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu reiterated that Ankara urges fair sharing of resources in the Eastern Mediterranean region.
Also speaking at the workshop, Çavuşoğlu said Ankara wants peace, stability as well as prosperity in the region.
“Turkey urges a fair sharing of the resources in the Eastern Mediterranean while establishing welfare, peace and stability in the region,” said the Turkish Minister, inviting countries in the region to solve the disputes together.
He recalled that despite the maximalist approach displayed by Greece, Ankara continues to call for equitable sharing of the resources.
“We are in favour of fair sharing. We are powerful normally and legally and we will continue to use this power for the benefit of everyone in the coming days,” Çavuşoğlu stressed.
“EU is not an authority on maritime jurisdictions, as the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is,” he stressed and pointed out that the EU is expected to weigh possible sanctions on Turkey over the Eastern Mediterranean issue in line with demands made by Greece and the Greek Cypriot side during its summit on December 10 and 11.
“Turkish-EU relations will continue with a win-win approach or be strained due to unfair decisions taken under the influence of two spoiled members,” Çavuşoğlu warned.
He urged the EU to stop giving unconditional support to Greece and instead make recommendations to Greece to enter a dialogue with Turkey and launch the exploratory talks.
“The EU needs to be an honest mediator for it to be a respected organization,” Çavuşoğlu concluded.
KEY ACTORS
Erdoğan (Turkey)
>> Turkey will not bow to threats in its dispute with Greece & GC side over maritime claims in the East Med.
>> Turkey wants negotiations over the conflicting claims to continental shelves & rights to potential energy resources.
>> Turkey never sides with tension, but with peace, cooperation, fairness & implementing justice.
>> This is possible through negotiations based on mutual respect.
>> A conference that involves all actors in the region must be held.
>>Turkey will not accept plans & maps that aim to confine the country to the coasts off Antalya.
>> Ankara will never allow a “pirate mentality” shown by other countries to restrict it to a narrow strip of coastal water.
>> The EU should get rid of its strategic blindness & not let itself be manipulated by either the GCs or Greece.
>> The bloc should stop wrongdoing Turkey & TCs.
>> Not possible for Turkey, which had the longest coastline in the region, to watch developments from the side-lines.
>> Ankara following developments closely, both in terms of guaranteeing its interests as well as protecting the rights of TCs.
>> All neighbouring countries should stop seeing the matter as a “zero-sum game”.
>> All actors will be able to find a win-win solution when everyone acts consciously, with common sense & sincerity.
Çavuşoğlu (Turkey)
>> Ankara urges fair sharing of resources in the East Med.
>> Ankara wants peace, stability as well as prosperity in the region.
>> EU to stop giving unconditional support to Greece & instead encourage Athens to enter a dialogue with Turkey.
>> The EU needs to be an honest mediator for it to be a respected organization.
20 undocumented migrants detained shortly after arrival
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog
Internal Security, Human Rights
OVERVIEW
19 undocumented Syrian migrants and two suspected human traffickers were detained by the police as they landed on a beach located somewhere between the villages of Yenierenköy (Yialousa) and Dipkarpaz (Risokarpaso) also known as the ‘stone quarry’.
Another Syrian migrant was found, later on, bringing the number to 20, the dailies report on Tuesday.
A joint operation was carried out by the Turkish Cypriot Coast Guard and police who were tipped off about the arrival of the migrants.
Among the group, there are two children aged three and five, two boys under the age of 16 years, two women and 14 men.
Police have also detained two suspected human traffickers, who were waiting in their vehicles on the beach where migrants disembarked.
The migrants have been placed in quarantine at the police station in İskele (Trikomo).
The court has ordered the migrants to be remanded for three days until police conclude their investigation.
It is reported that the police are searching for one more human trafficker in connection with the case.
Control of unofficial Pergamos crossing handed over to TC police
Havadis, Diyalog, Avrupa
Internal Security, CBMs
OVERVIEW
The control of the Süleyman-6 crossing point, which is used by the people residing in the Beyarmudu (Pergamos) village has been handed over to Turkish Cypriot police, the dailies report on Tuesday.
In a statement on Monday, police noted that the procedures at the “unofficial” crossing, which is only allowed for the use of the residents in Beyarmudu (Pergamos) and the surrounding villages to access their homes located within the British Sovereign Base Areas (SBAs) will continue as before.
Additionally, it will be possible for the Süleyman-6 crossing to be utilised for the cultural and sports activities to be held at Beyarmudu (Pergamos) Football Field, the statement concluded.
The Süleyman-6 crossing point was previously managed by the Turkish Cypriot Security Forces (TCSF).