Front Page Headlines
We got vaccinated
Vaccines from EU to arrive in the north on Monday. It has been announced that 2000 doses of Pfizer Covid-19 vaccines are to be delivered to the north. Prime Minister Saner: Our goal is to vaccinate 250,000 people. Research company Metron’s survey says 85 per cent of Turkish Cypriots trust the European-US vaccines while 43 per cent trust the Chinese vaccine.
We are being vaccinated
Vaccination with Sinovac’s coronavirus vaccine CoronaVac has begun in the TRNC. President Ersin Tatar, Prime Minister Ersan Saner and Health Minister Ali Pilli were the first ones to receive the jabs. The vaccination plan for the health workers is ready and a call for vaccination applications for individuals above the age of 65 has been made. The goal is to complete vaccination for all the health workers by Monday.
- Partial or full lockdown is being considered – 28 local, total 31 positive coronavirus cases have been identified in the tests carried out in the last 24 hours. The Higher Committee for Infectious Diseases held a series of meetings that lasted hours on possible new measures to be implemented. The health ministry said the decisions will be announced to the public today (Saturday).
- 2021 Budget sent to parliament for debate.
Start from scratch
The Higher Committee for Infectious Diseases decided in favour of a total lockdown for two weeks until February 1. The Council of Ministers will have the final say about a street curfew. According to the committee’s decisions, all businesses except for essential services will be shut down as of midnight on Saturday. Supermarkets, pharmacies, construction workers and farmers will be able to work at certain hours. Restaurants will only be allowed to operate delivery services. All establishments such as taverns, hotels, casinos, barbershops, hairdressers, bars and entertainment venues will remain closed until February 1, 2021. A night-time curfew will also be in place between 10pm and 5am should the Council of Ministers approve it.
- No list – Health professionals will be vaccinated by Monday. Vaccination of over 65-year-olds will follow.
They got vaccinated first
20,000 doses of China’s Sinovac vaccines arrived from Turkey and a vaccination drive for our community has started. Ersin Tatar, Ersan Saner and Ali Pilli received the first vaccines… To begin with, the vaccinations will be carried out at nine centres. The first vaccines will be administered to all the health workers who are on the frontlines in the fight against Covid-19, followed by those above the age of 65. The goal is to complete vaccinations by March.
- We need courageous journalists – AKEL backs Andreas Paraschos.
- Free media means free community – KTOEÖS (Turkish Cypriot Secondary School Teachers’ Union) backs free media.
- 244 positive cases of coronavirus in the south, 31 in the north…
Main News
Tatar’s election ‘turns a new page’
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Diyalog
Negotiations Process
OVERVIEW
Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar on Friday reiterated his position in favour of a two-state solution in Cyprus.
Speaking to TAK after his meeting with the leaders and representatives of the political parties with seats in the parliament, Tatar highlighted the need and importance of keeping parties and parliament informed. Tatar had invited the party leaders for the meeting following growing criticism from the Republican Turkish Party (CTP).
“A new page has been turned in Cyprus with my election,” Tatar said, adding, he was working to defend the rights of the Turkish Cypriots.
He repeated his view that it was no longer possible to reach a federal solution after the failure in Crans Montana. Tatar added he was convinced that the Turkish Cypriot side’s views for a two-state solution will receive acceptance at the 5+1 informal meeting set to take place late next month. He also claimed that the Turkish Cypriot side’s current harmony with Turkey strengthened its hand at the negotiating table.
As for the meeting with the party heads, Tatar admitted that not all parties saw eye-to-eye with him but that he will nevertheless continue to hold such meetings regularly.
On the issue of hydrocarbons, the Turkish Cypriot leader argued that the north has become stronger with the developments in the Eastern Mediterranean. He added that both Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot side were in favour of an equitable sharing of natural resources.
“An agreement on the distribution of natural resources will benefit everyone. It will be a win-win situation for all,” Tatar stressed.
On the issue of coronavirus vaccines to be supplied from the EU, Tatar accused various circles of “distorting his initial statement.” He said he was not opposed to the arrival of the vaccines but added it would not be possible to receive them through the Greek Cypriot health ministry.
KEY ACTORS
Tatar
>> TC side’s view in favour of two-state solution will receive acceptance at 5+1 meeting.
>> Turkey & TCs favour equitable sharing of natural resources, consider it a win-win for all.
Vaccination drive in north begins, Pfizer vaccines expected Monday
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Diyalog
Internal Security
OVERVIEW
Turkish Cypriot President Ersin Tatar kick-started the vaccinations against coronavirus in the north on Friday after receiving the first jab of Chinese firm’s Sinovac batch sent this week by Turkey.
The first batch of 20,000 vaccines arrived in the north early on Thursday via ambulance plane. Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Ersan Saner and Health Minister Ali Pilli followed after him.
Speaking to reporters at the newly completed pandemic hospital in Nicosia, Tatar expressed gratitude to Turkey for sending the vaccines. He also thanked Pilli and the health workers for their efforts to contain the pandemic.
Tatar said that the tourism and education sectors could open and start operating again by the beginning of summer if most of the population got vaccinated. He also changed tack on the issue of vaccines set to arrive from the EU, saying it was not right to create polemics over the issue.
“Of course we are going to accept the vaccines from the EU. The vaccines are about health, not a political issue,” he said.
Also speaking, Pilli reassured the public about the safety of the vaccines. Saner for his part also thanked the Turkish government for sending the vaccines, pointing out that it was a true blessing to have obtained so many as the rest of the world scrambled to get a hold of vaccines due to the high global demand. He said that their goal was to vaccinate 250,000 people over the next two months.
It was announced earlier that 5,000 healthcare workers will be vaccinated first while priority would be given to people over 65 and to vulnerable people. Nine vaccination centres have been set up and the number will be increased to 15 in the coming days. The goal is to vaccinate 80 per cent of the population in the north.
The Turkish Cypriot community is also due to receive part of the Pfizer/BionTech vaccines reserved by the EU for the north. Pilli said that the first 1,000 vaccines would be delivered on Monday.
Local & foreign media organisations condemn attacks on media freedom
Avrupa
Human Rights
OVERVIEW
KTOEÖS (Turkish Cypriot Secondary School Teachers’ Union) issued a statement in support of Avrupa newspaper’s editor-in-chief Şener Levent on Friday, slamming attempts to silence, censor and intimidate free media in the north.
The union condemned any attack on media freedom and freedom of expression in the northern and southern parts of the island, urging the political administrations on both sides to respect democratic values. It said that journalists Şener Levent, Esra Aygın and Andreas Paraschos had been subjected to pressure from the ruling elite across the divide.
Levent was subjected to prosecution in Turkey as a result of the “caricature” he published in his daily, then titled Afrika.
Paraschos exposed the Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades’ connections with and alleged gains from the golden passport scheme in the south. A
Aygın had criticized the Turkish Cypriot leader’s stance on the EU vaccines to be delivered via the south side but has been receiving death threats and insults on social media following an inappropriate response from Tatar.
Aygın in a tweet called on Tatar not to play his games on sovereignty at the expense of the Turkish Cypriot community’s health.
“To be a state, a statesman means working for the people’s prosperity and welfare. You are not aware of the responsibility your post requires, the weight it carries,” she tweeted.
Tatar, who tweeted a response in English said, “Cheap and undignified, u should do better, at least keep quite (sic) and give us a chance.”
His tweet was followed by a series of insults and threats against Aygın by supporters.
BASIN-SEN (Turkish Cypriot Press Workers’ Union) and the Journalists’ Union in the south also sent letters to the Association of European Journalists and the International Federation of Journalists in defence of Avrupa newspaper’s Editor-in-chief Şener Levent.
Ali Kişmir, head of BASIN-SEN, and George Frangos, head of the Journalists’ Union, issued a joint statement, saying: “Şener Levent has been subjected to oppression and persecution due to his critical journalism on Turkey’s policies on Cyprus.”
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) called on Turkey to withdraw the cases filed against Şener Levent and to respect freedoms of the media and expression.
Kişmir slammed Tatar for his comments directed at Aygın in a statement issued on January 14.
“Tatar’s words on Aygın are not acceptable,” Kişmir said, accusing him of committing a hate crime based on ethnic identity and putting the Turkish Cypriot community’s health at risk by rejecting the vaccines that will be delivered via the Greek Cypriot side.
Moreover, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has asked the Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar to apologize to the journalist & RSF correspondent Aygın for the insults against her and called on Tatar’s supporters to stop sending her death threats.
“The intimidation and harassment have to stop now!” RSF stressed.
RSF also called the Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades to respect press freedom.
“RSF denounces an inadmissible political pressure,” the statement read, adding that Anastasiades also increased pressure, accusing Paraschos of an “orchestrated smear”.
Director of weekly Kathimerini, Andreas Paraschos was forced to resign after suggesting that the law firm of Nicos Anastasiades earned €300m from the ‘golden passport’ scheme, which allows applicants to get citizenship in exchange for investment.