Front Page Headlines
Conundrum over ‘vaccine passports’: Is free movement under risk?
The European Union (EU) has prepared a draft for ‘vaccine passports’ which will open the way for free movement for those who have had EU approved vaccines. Now all attention is focused on how people will be allowed to cross to the south or travel abroad. Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu: “I don’t think we will be seeing any such policy. The EU cannot risk entering such a crisis with China. The cost of such a move would be too high. Republican Turkish Party (CTP) MP Fikri Toros: “We need to harmonise with the EU’s vaccine passport application. We are in a ‘grey area’ when it comes to health safety maps.
- New Council of Ministers decisions –1. Grade 12 students will return to classrooms for face-to-face education. 2. ₺1,500 to be paid to 48.805 on March 23. 3. Switch to the electronic bracelet system to begin on March 12 for three-day closed circuit (casino) tourism.
- ‘Yes to a solution again’ – A survey of Politics and Society in North Cyprus.
Fight over side jobs
While the unemployment rate continues to climb by the day, it’s getting harder and harder for those with jobs to make ends meet. The debate over public sector employees doing side jobs has reignited, particularly at a time when jobs have become more scarce. More and more people working in the private sector whose only source of income is from the job they do express their frustration over what they say is unfair competition. According to the civil service law, civil servants are banned from working at a second or side job. However, the law does not ban those with worker status in the public sector which creates a loophole. Not only does this situation create unfair competition, but also prevents the state from collecting taxes as well as creating a slow and sluggish bureaucracy.
- Come up with a solution for this problem – The fact that only one centre is carrying out free-of-charge PCR tests is causing chaos. Workers, who are required to undergo weekly tests are forced to wait in long queues for hours without masks or adhering to social distancing rule.
- Phased relaxations of measures continue – The Council of Ministers decided that 12th-grade students will return to their classrooms on March 29. Gyms and betting offices will be reopened on March 24. Wrist-band tracking is being considered for home isolation and the start of three-day closed-circuit tourism.
- Five-day recess for online education – National Education Minister Olgun Amcaoğlu announced there will be a break in online education from March 22 to 26. He said both the students and the teachers are exhausted and they need to be re-motivated.
Cyber piracy via the TRNC
Nigerian national arrested on charges of hacking company systems in Turkey and Denmark, stealing €137,000. The cyber pirates who hacked the systems of the firms blackmailed them into wiring €137,000 to an account in the TRNC. A Nigerian nation was caught red-handed while trying to withdraw the money from the bank in Kyrenia. The police are searching for his accomplice.
Resistance against the AKP (Justice and Development Party) is growing
Protests have started to be directed at the right address – the Turkish Embassy…20 organisations are calling on the public to take part in a protest to be staged outside the Turkish embassy today at 4 pm. A statement issued by the organisers said: “Those who fail to unite against fascism, will only meet in the prison cells of fascism.”
- Covid-19 restrictions to continue – The night-time curfew from 9 pm to 5 am will remain in force and there will be a full curfew on Sundays. Efforts are underway to identify criteria for home-isolation and to implement the system.
- 364 cases of positive coronavirus in the south, 43 cases in the north…
Main News
EU proposals for vaccination passports raise concerns in the north
Yenidüzen
Human Rights
OVERVIEW
The latest proposal announced by the European Commission to create a Digital Green Certificate or a vaccination passport to facilitate safe free movement inside the EU during the Covid-19 pandemic has raised questions in the North as to how it will impact movement across Cyprus as well as travel abroad.
According to reports, the certificate will only include EU approved vaccines which have prompted fears within the Turkish Cypriot community which has mainly received the Chinese Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine, CoronaVac which is
Turkish Cypriot Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruoğlu who spoke to Yenidüzen said he did not believe the North would be excluded as this was an issue that did not just concern Turkish Cypriots but the whole World. He said he did not believe the EU would risk locking horns with China over such an issue as this would have severe consequences for the bloc.
Also commenting on the issue, Republican Turkish Party (CTP) MP Fikri Toros said that Digital Green Certificate was currently not in force and that initiatives were being undertaken to ensure the North would be included in such a system.
He also underlined the importance of Ersin Tatar’s Office relaying all the epidemiological data in the north on Covid-19 to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
“We are in a grey zone when it comes to Covid-19 mapping carried out by the WHO. People can look at coloured maps prepared by the WHO to assess the level of risk before visiting a country. The North is currently grey,” he said. Toros pointed out that efforts were also underway to receive EU approval for Sinovac.
Peoples’ Party (HP) MP Jale Refik Rogers on the other hand said that Tatar’s Office needed to be more active on this issue and that the bicommunal technical committee on health needed to work more efficiently.
Commenting on the proposal earlier this week, the EU Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders said, “With the Digital Green Certificate, we are taking a European approach to ensure EU citizens and their family members can travel safely and with minimum restrictions this summer. The Digital Green Certificate will not be a pre-condition to free movement and it will not discriminate in any way. A common EU-approach will not only help us to gradually restore free movement within the EU and avoid fragmentation. It is also a chance to influence global standards and lead by example based on our European values like data protection.”
Erdoğan insists on realistic models for Cyprus instead of failed processes
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Diyalog, Avrupa
Negotiations Process
OVERVIEW
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Friday, reiterated Ankara’s position on Cyprus, stating that realistic options for the Cyprus issue must be discussed rather than insisting on models which have proven to be ineffective.
In a statement issued by the Communications Directorate on his virtual meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council head Charles Michel ahead of an EU leaders’ summit on March 25 and 26, Erdoğan added Turkey maintains and supports stability and cooperation in the Eastern Mediterranean and Aegean despite Athens’ and the Greek Cypriots’ provocations and aggression.
Reminding Ankara’s proposal of holding an Eastern Mediterranean conference to resolve the disputes in the region, Erdoğan warned the EU not to allow Athens and the Greek Cypriot side to abuse the EU summit on the pretext of ‘union solidarity.’
Erdoğan, during the meeting, told the EU leaders that he expects next week’s EU summit to yield results on Turkey-EU ties paving the way for concrete action, adding that the report to be submitted on Turkey-EU relations should “reflect objective, constructive views on the future of Turkey-EU ties.”
On the EU side, von der Leyen and Michel said in a joint statement that the leaders discussed “the follow up to the December European Council, the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, including the forthcoming Cyprus settlement talks, and the state of play of EU-Turkey relations.”
“The EU side underlined the importance of sustained de-escalation and of further strengthening confidence building to allow for a more positive EU-Turkey agenda,” the statement said, adding that the bloc is closely following U.N. efforts to restart peace talks over Cyprus in which Turkey is a key player.
KEY ACTORS
Erdoğan
>> Realistic options for the Cyprus issue must be discussed rather than ineffective models.
>> Turkey maintains stability & cooperation in the East Med & the Aegean despite provocations.
>> The EU must not allow Athens & the GC side to exploit the summit on the pretext of ‘union solidarity.’
>> The report to be submitted on Turkey-EU relations should reflect objective, constructive views on the future of Turkey-EU ties.
EU
>> The EU encourages sustained de-escalation whilst further strengthening confidence building for positive EU-Turkey agenda.
>> The EU is closely following U.N. efforts to restart peace talks over Cyprus in which Turkey is a key player.
Kosovo model could be a temporary solution until a comprehensive settlement
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Diyalog, Avrupa
Negotiations Process
OVERVIEW
Faruk Kaymakcı, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey and Director for EU Affairs, said the Kosovo model could be put into force to generate a temporary solution until a comprehensive settlement is reached in Cyprus.
Speaking at an event he attended on Friday, Kaymakcı stressed that the absence of a solution in Cyprus is not in anyone’s favour.
Bringing the issue to Turkey-EU relations, Kaymakcı noted the Cyprus problem is brought up as an obstacle before technical issues. “The renewal of the customs union agreement is a technical issue but that the delay is a political one,” the deputy minister said, urging the EU to tell Greece and the Greek Cypriot side not to use their right of veto against Turkey.
Reminding that South Cyprus was accepted into the EU despite the Cyprus problem remaining unsolved, Kaymakcı stressed that the threat of a veto by Greece against other countries waiting for membership while the Greek Cypriot side’s membership was in the process should also not be forgotten.
KEY ACTORS
Kaymakcı (Turkey)
>> Kosovo model could be used as a temporary solution until a comprehensive solution is found.
>> Absence of a solution is not in anyone’s favour.
>> Renewal of customs union is a technical issue, not a political one.
>> Greece & GC should not exercise their right to veto.
North sees more relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Diyalog, Avrupa
Internal Security
OVERVIEW
The Turkish Cypriot Council of Ministers continued to ease Covid-19 restrictions amid growing pressure from economic sectors previously deemed to risk to open. While daily Covid-19 case numbers are currently manageable no significant drop has been recorded since the first relaxation of measures two weeks ago.
Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Ersan Saner announced at a press conference on Friday that more sectors will be allowed to operate in line with the latest recommendations made by the Higher Committee for Infectious Diseases.
The cabinet also intensified its efforts to introduce a home-isolation system whereby patients, new arrivals or contacts of positive cases will be monitored through electronic bracelets. The government currently spends hundreds of thousands of euros every month to put up asymptomatic patients, contacts of positive cases or arriving passengers at quarantine hotels. Although foreign nationals are required to pay for their own quarantine expenses, the rest is covered by the state.
The system will also enable tourism activities in the form of a closed-circuit system whereby tourists from abroad will be able to visit the north for three-days without leaving their hotels. The new system is expected to come into force as of April 12 on the condition that the electronic bracelet monitoring systems are launched.
The cabinet also announced that Grade 12-year students (final year of high school) will be resuming in-class education on March 29. Students, teachers and staff returning to school will undergo mandatory testing on March 26
The 9 pm-5 am night-time curfew will continue to remain in place from Monday to Saturday and a full day curfew will be observed on Sundays. The latest relaxation measures will allow gyms, internet cafes, betting offices to open as of March 24 on the condition that staff undergo PCR testing and case numbers remain steady until that date.
The restaurants, patisseries, cafes and taverns in addition to their continuing food-delivery service will continue to accept sit-in customers at their outdoor/garden areas. One-third of the indoor areas of these establishments will be reopened on March 24 depending on the epidemiological situation in the north.
Rules for people crossing across the divide for work and health purposes were revised. Those crossing for work or receive health treatment will now have to present a valid PCR test carried out in the last 72 hours while diplomats, UN peacekeepers or those working for the UN or EU in the buffer zone are allowed to cross with a negative PCR test done within the last seven days. The rule works both ways, for those crossing south or crossing north.
Residents of the mixed village of Pile (Pyla) are still exempt from quarantine provided they present a valid PCR test carried out in the last seven days. Supermarket suppliers who transport goods to the village will however have to present a valid PCR test carried out in the last 24 hours.
Only ambulances and patients using the Yeşilırmak (Limnitis)-Kato Pyrgos crossing point are exempt from quarantine. No changes have been introduced for those who carry out farming activities in the Beyarmudu (Pergamos) area.