Front Page Headlines
They ran away!
The UBP (National Unity Party)-DP (Democratic Party)-YDP (Rebirth Party) avoided a vote on a motion to launch an inquiry into allegations of election meddling from the outside. The quorum could not be sustained. The debate on the motion was left incomplete after MPs of the UBP-DP-YDP minority government walked out of the plenary.
- Additional payments to 30,000 pensioners in the south – No one will have an income lower than €710.
They are not complying with the agreement
The fight to register Hellim (Halloumi) as a product designation of origin (PDO) which has been underway for the past 12 years has erupted again. KTSO (Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Industry) President Candan Avunduk said that the south’s demand to be in charge of inspecting Hellim (Halloumi) production in the north was unacceptable. Avunduk, recalling the 2015 agreement which was reached by the leaders of the two communities said: “Under the agreement, Bureau Veritas which is an impartial and independent mechanism, will be in charge of carrying out the inspections.”
- We will propose an investigation into all elections – The motion submitted to launch an inquiry into allegations of meddling in the presidential elections was postponed to today (Tuesday) after parliament failed to reach the required quorum to resume the debate. Prime Minister Ersan Saner said they will submit a different proposal to parliament on Monday.
The first fiasco of the coalition
UBP-DP-YDP government had its first test in parliament. The coalition partners, who rejected Hüseyin Özgürgün’s resignation, also prevented a vote on a motion to launch an investigation into election interference.
- Annual inflation: 16 per cent – State Planning Organisation renewed its inflation forecast for 2020 in the “The 2020 3rd quarter report for the TRNC Economy .”
- Fear of recognizing the TRNC – Anti-solution Greek Cypriot daily Phileleftheros attacked Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades’ idea of opening Maraş (Varosha) and allowing direct flights to Ercan (Tymbou) under UN control.
Commotion in parliament
The resignation submitted by (UBP MP) Hüseyin Özgürgün who hasn’t been attending parliament for over a year was rejected with 23 votes. The opposition voted in favour of accepting the resignation but fell short with 21 votes. In addition to Finance Minister Dursun Oğuz, Serdar Denktaş, Zeki Çeler and Hasan Topal did not take part in the votes. Speaking following harsh criticism from the opposition, Prime Minister Ersan Saner said that there were no criminal charges filed against Özgürgün. The People’s Party MP Kudret Özersay rejected this claim, stating that there was a case filed against Özgürgün but that it was not possible to serve him a subpoena because he has been living abroad.
On the path to becoming speaker of parliament
Hüseyin Özgürgün, whose resignation was rejected in parliament, challenged all the MPs and said: “I will return to the island tomorrow if all the MPs publicly announce their assets.” (UBP MP) Sunat Atun said: “In my opinion, Hüseyin Özgürgün should become the speaker of the parliament…”
- 286 positive cases of coronavirus and one death in the south, 17 cases in the north…
Main News
Coalition MPs walk out to prevent vote on election inquiry
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Avrupa
Governance & Power Sharing
OVERVIEW
MPs of the newly formed coalition government walked out of Monday’s plenary just before a vote was to be held on a motion filed by the opposition to launch an inquiry into allegations of meddling by Turkey in the recent presidential elections.
The opposition, in protest, banged their hands on their desks.
The incident happened when Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Ersan Saner, addressing the plenary, asked the opposition to postpone the vote till next Monday.
Claiming that it was not the first such speculations made of meddling in elections held in the north, Saner proposed that an inquiry be held on all past elections, not just the last presidential election.
He also said his party would walk out and prevent parliament from achieving the necessary quorum to convene every 24 hours.
Saner’s proposal was rejected and just as the vote was set to begin the MPs from the National Unity Party (UBP), Democratic Party (DP) and Rebirth Party (YDP) walked out causing the session to be adjourned for 15 minutes.
The session was then closed after a failure to achieve the necessary quorum.
Leader of the Social Democratic Party (TDP) Cemal Öziğit, whose party filed the motion, questioned what Turkish MPs were doing in the north during election time.
He said that it was clear Turkey had interfered in the presidential elections in the north and more recently in UBP’s internal election to choose a new leader.
Özyiğit also said that his party would continue to support a bizonal, bicommunal federal settlement at all costs.
Also speaking, Saner said that claims of outside interference in the politics of the north were made during every election.
He proposed that an inquiry be launched on all past elections rather than the latest presidential election.
The leader of the Republican Turkish Party (CTP) Tufan Erhürman for his part said that a 10-month election government couldn’t investigate 26 years of election interference.
UCN urges communities to heal wounds of the past
Yenidüzen, Havadis
Negotiations Process
OVERVIEW
The bicommunal peace initiative, UniteCyprusNow (UCN) on Monday urged both communities to work harder to heal the wounds of the past.
UCN, in a statement issued to mark the anniversary of the intercommunal conflict on the island, said that it has become evident the conflict between the two communities was the failure of former generations to establish a common understanding and acceptance of each other.
“Today our homeland is still divided, and younger generations are still being raised with suspicion and hatred. Despite the tragedy that ensued, we still have not learned from the past,” the statement read.
It added that Cyprus, the common homeland of both communities, is where Cypriots were destined to live and prosper together.
“For this to happen, UniteCyprusNow will increase its efforts to connect Cypriots through awareness, empathy, forgiveness and acceptance so that we and our children can enjoy a joint future together,” it added.
UCN also said that a united Cyprus for all Cypriots was its vision and that the initiative will never allow future generations to experience what previous generations had to go through in the past.
“The need to unite Cyprus and heal the wounds of the past is now more urgent than ever,” the statement concluded.
Chamber rejects GC demands on Hellim (Halloumi) registration
Kıbrıs
Economy
OVERVIEW
The fight to register Hellim (Halloumi) as a product designation of origin (PDO) which has been underway for the past 12 years is back on the agenda, Turkish Cypriot daily Kıbrıs reported on Tuesday.
Speaking to the daily, Candan Avunduk, head of the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce (KTSO) said that the south’s demand to be in charge of compliance controls on the production of Hellim (Halloumi) in the north was unacceptable.
He added that the demand was against the agreement reached by the two leaders in 2015 that the inspections would be carried out by Bureau Veritas, which was an impartial and independent mechanism.
However, it seems that the Greek Cypriot leadership has changed its mind and now wants the Greek Cypriot Agriculture Ministry to carry out compliance controls for the production of the cheese in the north. This would also mean that all the information on our producers and other details would be stored in their archives,” Avunduk argued.
He also noted that the Greek Cypriot side had stepped up pressure on the EU for PDO registration following Brexit.
“If the Greek Cypriot side is successful in obtaining the PDO registration before December 31, 2020, it would mean that the UK will also be covered in the geographic area of the registration. In other words, it would mean that they will claim the UK market as well,” Avunduk said.
He added that the Turkish Cypriot side in response had asked the EU officials to delay their decision into the new year.
“We want to be able to capitalise on the UK market. We want to protect our share and benefit from Brexit,” Avunduk said.
He also argued that the quality of the Hellim (Halloumi) produced in the north was higher than that produced in the south.
“The factories are more modern in the north. The tankers that transport raw milk are new. The cold-chain system is also new in the north. Moreover, the livestock is free of animal diseases as well,” Avunduk argued.
Touching on the provisions of the Green Line trade regulation, Avunduk repeated the official position that Hellim (Halloumi) should be included in the regulation like fresh fish and honey.
“The hygiene controls for Hellim (Halloumi) must be carried out by independent companies as opposed to the Greek Cypriot side’s demands,” the KTSO president said.
“The Greek Cypriot side’s demand to carry out controls in the north is also against our political position. They cannot carry out controls and when they cannot, the Turkish Cypriot producers will then be deprived of the PDO registration and its benefits,” Avunduk concluded.
Surge in coronavirus cases in north causes panic
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Avrupa
Internal Security
OVERVIEW
Panic was widespread in the north on Monday night after health ministry officials announced a record high of 16 new local cases.
Locally transmitted cases have been on a steady rise in the north over the past two weeks despite low case numbers compared to the south.
A total of 17 cases were confirmed on Monday out of 3,521 tests carried out.
There are currently 181 Covid-19 patients receiving treatment in the north, 55 of them undergoing treatment at the pandemic hospital and another 126 kept under observation at the state quarantine facilities.
In his daily update on Monday, Turkish Cypriot Health Minister Ali Pilli noted that the measures were intensified given the spike in cases, as expected in the winter months.
Pilli drew attention to the need to tighten measures and to impose stricter controls particularly for travellers arriving from the UK where a variant of Covid-19 has been confirmed.
He added that new measures could be announced later this week in light of the situation.
Pilli also rejected criticism that his ministry was making no plans for the arrival of the Covid-19 vaccines or vaccinating the public.
“Our plan is clear. We have prepared for the arrival of vaccines both from Turkey and EU via the south. We have two freezers capable of preserving the vaccines and another is on the way,” he said, adding that people should not refrain from getting vaccinated when the vaccines arrive.
In terms of the breakdown of the cases, Pilli noted there is a surge in cases in the Famagusta region.
“There are seven positive cases identified at a bakery in Famagusta; another four cases in Akdoğan (Lysi) and one positive case identified at the Beyarmudu (Pergamos) crossing point out of the total 16 local cases,” Pilli noted.
He added that the contact tracing teams were working hard to detect those who had come into contact with positive cases.
In the meantime, Akdoğan (Lysi) Municipality has called on its residents, particularly those who have come into contact with positive cases, to carry out PCR tests.
In a social media post, Mayor of Akdoğan (Lysi) Ahmet Latif urged the public to apply either to the municipality or health services after a barber in the town tested positive for coronavirus.
Free PCR testing will be carried out at the town on Tuesday.