TCC Press Review 3 Mar 2021

Front Page Headlines

Yenidüzen

43 cases from abroad in January, 69 in February

While 43 of the 752 cases detected in January were arrivals from abroad, this figure was nearly doubled in February with the arrival of university students. Speaking to Yenidüzen, Education Minister Olgun Amcaoğlu said there will be new flights from Ankara and Adana on a rotational basis.

  • Daily flights limited to three per day

Kıbrıs

Difficult days await farmers and livestock breeders

Following a dry winter with little rain, the crops in the fields are failing. Farmers and livestock breeders have lost all hope of yielding a good harvest for barley to be used as animal feed. They are now praying for what little that will grow to be used as planting seeds.

  • “We cannot carry this burden anymore” – The Turkish Cypriot Association for Public Transport Operators staged a protest in Nicosia with their buses, slamming the authorities for not responding to their demands.
  • Financial protocol to be signed today – Prime Minister Ersan Saner flew to Ankara with Finance Minister Dursun Oğuz yesterday.
  • Working towards introducing home quarantine – Health Minister Ünal Üstel said a home isolation system is necessary because people who come into contact with positive cases are hiding.

Havadis

₺87m (€9.8m) in six months 

Members of an illegal online gambling ring operating in the TRNC were arrested by police in raids carried out in the Turkish cities of Adana, Izmir and Osmaniye. The scale of illegal online betting was unveiled once again. 53 of 72 wanted suspects were detained in the simultaneous raids. It was reported that the suspects carried out transactions amounting to ₺87.3m (€9.8m) in 199 bank accounts over the last six months.

  • Nicosia locked by the buses – The Turkish Cypriot Association for Public Transport Operators blocked traffic in the capital in protest of the government’s refusal to meet their demands.
  • North Cyprus in a high-risk group – Dr Erden Aşardağ adapted Turkey’s risk group calculation based on case numbers to the TRNC.
  • Schools opened, the cases surged – Valentinos Silvestros, head of the contact tracing team on the Greek Cypriot side drew attention to the concentration of Covid-19 cases in Limassol.

Diyalog

Enough

Public transport drivers staged a protest yesterday lashing out at the government, accusing it of ruining tourism, shopkeepers and the public transport sector. The bus and shuttle service drivers continued their protest in the rain. They hung banners in front of the Prime Ministry which read, “We can’t take anymore… We are here to hand over our keys.” They threw their keys in front of the building in protest.

  • The Greek Cypriot side is ready – The world’s largest tour operator “Royal Caribbean” will be carrying Israeli tourists with vaccine cards to South Cyprus.
  • Only three flights will arrive per day – Public Works and Communications Minister Resmiye Canaltay announced a new NOTAM.

Avrupa

They will poison Lefke (Lefka) even more

Organisations based in Lefke (Lefka) are outraged. New initiatives are underway to restart mining activities in Lefke (Lefka) where the cancer rate is extremely high, believed to be caused by exposure to large quantities of waste from earlier operations. Organisations in the town announced they will in no way accept new mining activity in Lefke (Lefka).

  • Protest with an Ottoman march – Protest staged with their buses during the time of the pandemic.
  • No restrictions on Turkey – Restrictions imposed on flights, banning entries of some country nationals. Transportation and Communication Minister Resmiye Canaltay announced foreign nationals who were in the UK, Netherlands, Denmark, South Africa and Brazil in the last 14 days will not be allowed to enter the north.
  • Home quarantine – Health Minister Ünal Üstel announced they are working on implementing a home isolation system

Main News

TDP leader accuses Tatar of handing Cyprob reins to Ankara

Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Avrupa
Negotiations Process

OVERVIEW

Social Democratic Party (TDP) leader Cemal Özyiğit on Tuesday slammed Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar for being a mere spectator in developments on the Cyprus problem.

“Tatar has handed over the reins to Ankara on all matters related to the Cyprus problem,” Özyiğit said, pointing out that the only thing the Turkish Cypriot leader was doing was repeating the same empty slogans.

Speaking during a TV programme, Özyiğit claimed that Tatar was doing nothing to prepare for the upcoming five-plus-one meeting even though all relevant sides were working hard for it. He added that even the UK following Brexit was displaying unprecedented initiative on the Cyprus issue. Özyiğit also criticised Tatar for not briefing the Turkish Cypriot parliament, unlike his predecessors.


Saner flies to Ankara amid protests on economy

Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Avrupa
Economy

OVERVIEW

Public transport bus and shuttle drivers took to the streets on Tuesday to protest the government which they accused of ignoring their problems. The bus drivers, who drove a long convoy through Nicosia blocking traffic, hung their keys outside the prime ministry building in protest.

Prime Minister Ersan Saner in the meantime was flying to Ankara to sign a new financial assistance protocol with Turkey. The agreement, named the 2021 Economic and Financial Cooperation Protocol, is aimed at securing cash flow from Turkey for the north’s budget as well as to help alleviate the private sector’s economic problems.

Public transport companies have not been allowed to operate at full capacity since the outbreak of the pandemic in March 2020. The switch to online education at universities and schools has only made matters worse as the majority of customers are students.

The companies, which mainly operate through a public-private initiative, claimed on Tuesday that they have been forced to starve due to the government’s callousness regarding their problems. They also slammed the government for demanding that the drivers pay road tax and license fees without any deferrals or postponements even though they haven’t been earning anything for months.

Another sector that gave a warning to the authorities on Tuesday was RES-BIR (Turkish Cypriot Restaurateurs Association). In a statement issued, RES-BIR said the restaurants will start accepting sit-in customers from March 8 onwards, regardless of whether or not the government relaxes the current ban on such establishments. Restaurants and cafes are currently only allowed to operate takeaway or delivery services. RES-BIR also said that restaurants will fully comply with the social distancing, hygiene and face mask rules and will carry out regular PCR tests on all their employees.

Meanwhile, the opposition on Tuesday readily swooped in on the opportunity to criticize the government for its failure to address the woes of the struggling sectors. Leader of the main opposition Republican Turkish Party (CTP) leader Tufan Erhürman warned the government that its failure to address the problems of the various sectors will lead to civil disobedience and further protests in the north. Speaking on Ada TV, he pointed out that the government had neither an economic plan nor a vaccination plan.

People’s Party (HP) MP Tolga Atakan also highlighted the government’s inability to address the economic hardships faced by various sectors. “Society as a whole has slumped into depression as a result of the uncertainty created by the government,” Atakan said, claiming that the tripartite coalition had failed to win the public’s confidence.

He pointed out the coalition is more concerned about appointing its members to various posts than about addressing the public’s problem. Atakan also applauded the Greek Cypriot side and the handling of its economy during the pandemic.

Atakan however criticized the Greek Cypriot authorities for banning tourists from crossing north, claiming that the move was intended to get tourists to spend their money in the south.

“The Office of the President, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the various economic organisations should raise the matter with the EU and the UN. Unfortunately, they have all but kept quiet,” he argued. Social Democratic Party (TDP) leader Cemal Özyiğit for his part urged the government to take up the economic package it proposed recently.


Lefke (Lefka) civil society up in arms over new mining project

Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Avrupa
Economy

OVERVIEW

Civil society organisations (CSOs) from Lefke (Lefka) were up in arms on Tuesday following reports of plans to revive the area’s mines. The organisations warned the authorities over such moves and urged the government to solve the area’s chronic problems rather than create new ones.

In a joint statement, the CSOs expressed their opposition to the plans, despite claims that the operations would be environmentally friendly.

The statement also noted that the Lefke (Lefka) Municipality, the European University of Lefke (Lefka) and the Platform for Lefke (Lefka) CSOs must give their consent before implementing any project in the area.


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