Front Page Headlines
Casinos ask the government: “Why did you leave us open?”
The Covid-19 pandemic has ended tourism in our country. Hotels and casinos are now empty and quiet. We have started hearing reports of one hotel shutting down. Coordinator for the Casino Operators Association Ayhan Sarıçiçek reacted to Health Minister Ali Pilli for holding casinos responsible for the spread of the virus. Sarıçiçek who spoke to Yenidüzen asked why health authorities had allowed casinos to remain open despite shutting down restaurants, bars and clubs.
- Proposal for Maraş (Varosha) and Ercan (Tymbou) under UN control – Proposal from Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades for expanding confidence-building measures (CBMs): “Maraş (Varosha) and Ercan (Tymbou) airport should be opened under UN control.
Unregistered labour force being disregarded
The household labour force survey carried out by the Department of Statistics revealed more than 6,000 people are working without any social security. Despite that, it has not been possible to find a solution to the problem of unregistered labour.
- 14.24 per cent increase in personnel expenses – The 2021 TRNC fiscal year budget is set at ₺10.1bn (€1.1bn) and passed on to the parliament.
- Inflation rate for December is 0.41 per cent – TRNC Department of Statistics announced the 2020 December consumer price index.
- 21-day long lockdown is an option if the people do not comply with the measures – Health Minister Ali Pilli said a full lockdown could be considered for public health and to end the pandemic in a shorter period.
Coastal pillage
Those who took advantage of the pandemic period are working seven days a week to complete a new villa project adjacent to the sea. The construction is located next to the Merit Hotel in Lapta (Lapithos). Neither the Lapta (Lapithos) Municipality nor the Kyrenia District Office knows anything about the construction.
- The goal is a two-state solution, thus supporting the five-party conference – President Ersin Tatar responds to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ letter.
- A strong state that is bicommunal and bizonal – Turkish Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Director for EU Affairs Faruk Kaymakçı underlined Turkey’s policies on Cyprus during a “2021 expectations in the Turkey-EU relations” conference organized by DEIK.
- The annual inflation rate is 15.03 per cent – The inflation rate for December is 0.41 per cent even though it was 1.25 per cent in Turkey.
Elections again
While it was decided to postpone the vote for the Speaker of Parliament and to seek the views of the Attorney General, the opposition has started to talk about an early election in March. An agreement could not be reached among MPs on the second round of voting to elect the speaker of parliament after National Unity Party (UBP) MP Resmiye Canaltay failed to receive the votes needed. The parties in parliament have now decided to postpone the vote and seek the view of the Attorney General to determine whether or not the second round of voting can be held for a candidate who failed to receive more than half of the votes of the MPs in parliament.
- ‘Declaration of intent’ – The US and South Cyprus sign an agreement to act jointly against regional threats.
Turkish side rejects the establishment of War Crimes Committee
Journalist Andreas Paraskos, who has carried out extensive research on the issue of missing persons in Cyprus and who is the first journalist in South Cyprus to write about the Muratağa (Maratha)–Atlılar (Aloda)– Sandallar (Santalaris) massacre, expressed his anger against Turkey for using the burial of the 14 slain children a third time for propaganda purposes. Paraskos also accused the Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) in Cyprus for being a tool of Turkey’s propaganda.
- 573 positive coronavirus cases and four deaths in the south, 18 positive cases in the north…
Main News
Tatar says he supports informal 5+1 meeting
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Avrupa
Negotiations Process
OVERVIEW
Turkish Cypriot President Ersin Tatar on Wednesday said he supports an informal five-party meeting to determine whether or not there is common ground between the two sides for a lasting settlement and blamed the Greek Cypriot side for the absence of a solution.
According to a statement issued by his office, Tatar sent a letter to UN chief Antonio Guterres saying that in light of new conditions in the region and Cyprus, his aim was to establish a relationship of cooperation based on two sovereign states with equal international status.
He claimed that the search for a federal solution has been going on for decades and all the efforts of the UN Secretaries-General (UNSG), their actions and initiatives, “have been thwarted by the Greek Cypriot side”.
In Crans-Montana, he added, despite the flexibility and good intentions of the Turkish Cypriot side and Turkey, “the Greek Cypriot side and Greece prevented a solution from taking place and tried to continue the status quo”.
He said that for the Turkish Cypriots, there was no question of continuing the process from where it left off in Crans-Montana in 2017.
“A process, based on new common ground must be result-oriented and, to make sense, it must have a timetable,” Tatar said in his letter.
The resolution of the Cyprus issue would contribute to the restoration of regional security and stability and pave the way for the creation of a vision that will embrace the entire Eastern Mediterranean, he added.
On the issue of hydrocarbons, Tatar argued that the most appropriate option for natural gas was to transport it through Turkey to Europe with the construction of an underwater pipeline.
He called on Guterres to help convince the Greek Cypriot side to approach the issue with “open ideas.”
According to Tatar, solution efforts are at a turning point and to reach a final agreement it was “the responsibility of all stakeholders to seize this opportunity and make every effort”.
KEY ACTORS
Tatar
>> TC side supports informal 5+1 meeting to determine whether or not there is common ground between the two sides for a solution.
>> In light of new conditions in the region & Cyprus, TC side aims to establish cooperation based on two sovereign states with equal international status.
>> Not possible to resume talks from where they left off in Crans-Montana.
>> New process must be result-oriented & must have a timetable.
>> Cyprob solution would contribute to restoring regional security & stability.
>> Most appropriate option for selling natural gas is through Turkey to Europe via underwater pipeline.
UNSC to renew UNFICYP mandate on Jan 28
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Avrupa
External Security
OVERVIEW
The UN Security Council (UNSC) is expected to renew the mandate of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) on January 28 ahead of its January 31 expiry, the dailies report on Thursday.
Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (UNSG) and head of mission Elizabeth Spehar is expected to brief the UNSC on the latest UNFICYP report through a video conference ahead of the renewal.
The impact of the coronavirus pandemic on bicommunal relations as well as on the political settlement process is likely to dominate the agenda during the UNSC deliberations.
The dailies on Wednesday reported that the UNSG’s special envoy to Cyprus Jane Holl Lute is set to arrive on the island to hold separate meetings with the two leaders on January 11 as part of her efforts to convene a 5+1 informal meeting on the Cyprus Problem.
Ankara favours strong bicommunal & bizonal state in Cyprus
Havadis
Negotiations Process
OVERVIEW
In a surprising move that raised eyebrows, Turkey’s Deputy Foreign Minister and Director for EU Affairs Faruk Kaymakçı on Wednesday said that Ankara favoured a strong state in Cyprus, bi-communal and bizonal in nature that ensured the political equality of the two communities.
Addressing the Foreign Economic Relations Board’s web conference on ‘2021 expectation in Turkey-EU relations’ the Turkish deputy foreign minister said that Turkey desired a permanent solution to be found to the Cyprus problem, one that would be accepted by both sides.
Kaymakçı argued that it was not possible to find a solution within the framework of existing parameters, adding that it was not possible to exclude Turkey from the energy equation in the Eastern Mediterranean.
He also expressed the view that developments in the Eastern Mediterranean coupled with the disagreements with Greece have reflected negatively on Turkey-EU relations.
He said Ankara wants to launch exploratory talks with Greece as soon as possible as he expressed the belief that dialogue with Greece would have significantly positive consequences on Turkey–Greece and Turkey–EU relations.
KEY ACTORS
Kaymakçı (Turkey)
>> Ankara favours strong state in Cyprus that ensures political equality of the two communities & which is bicommunal & bizonal in nature.
>> Not possible to solve Cyprob within the framework of existing UN parameters.
>> Turkey desires a permanent solution accepted by both parties.
>> Not possible to exclude Turkey from the energy equation in the East Med.
New TC member of CMP appointed
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Avrupa
CBMs
OVERVIEW
Retired Turkish Cypriot diplomat Tarık Müftüzade has been appointed as the new Turkish Cypriot member of the Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus (CMP), the Office of the President announced on Wednesday.
Müftüzade who retired from the public sector after serving years in the Turkish Cypriot Foreign Service has replaced Ms Gülden Plümer Küçük, who held the same post since 2006.
The new Turkish Cypriot leadership did not renew Küçük’s contract which expired on December 31, 2020.
Müftüzade officially assumed the post on January 1, 2021. He also served twice as political advisor to former Turkish Cypriot leaders Mehmet Ali Talat and Derviş Eroğlu.
North aims to vaccinate 60% of population by March, says Pilli
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Avrupa
Internal Security
OVERVIEW
Turkish Cypriot authorities hope to start vaccinating the country’s population against the novel coronavirus by January 15 at the latest, Turkish Cypriot Health Minister Ali Pilli told Anadolu News Agency Wednesday.
The authorities aim to have 60 per cent of the north’s population immunized to the virus by March, Ali Pilli added.
“We’ll conduct the vaccination programme with Turkey […] I discussed with [Turkish Health] Minister Koca that we’d start the first vaccinations next week at the latest. We’ll first administer these vaccines to healthcare professionals and nursing home residents,” added Pilli.
He noted that the vaccines, which will be sent by Turkey, would be administered at the general hospital in Nicosia, the newly built pandemic hospital in Nicosia and other health centres.
Regarding vaccines from the EU, the Turkish Cypriot health minister said that they had presented the north’s vaccination plan to the EU via the bicommunal technical committee on health.
He said that they were expecting a response from the EU in the coming days.
Pilli also said they have sent samples to Turkey to test for a recent new strain of the coronavirus that was first reported in the UK recently, adding that cases of the variant had emerged in South Cyprus, as well as other countries.
Though not ruling out the possibility of imposing new measures against the virus in the country, he said a full lockdown was not currently necessary.
“If necessary, we may impose a lockdown for 15-20 days for public health and to end the pandemic sooner,” he added.