Front Page Headlines
He meant two passports side-by-side when he meant two states side-by-side
160,000 Turkish Cypriots, including TRNC President Ersin Tatar and Prime Minister Ersan Saner and nine of 11 ministers on the cabinet have Republic of Cyprus (RoC) passports. It was announced that a majority of the members of the Turkish Cypriot delegation which tabled a two-state solution in Geneva were also RoC citizens. While Cybc and Politis reported that 160,000 Turkish Cypriots were RoC citizens, Atlithia gave the figure at 360,000.
- President Tatar confirmed it: “I will return it if there is a way”
- Republican Turkish Party (CTP) leader Tufan Erhürman asked: Why did you get it if you were going to return it?
The construction sector slows down due to shortage of workers
The coronavirus has caused problems in the construction sector. While many unsold homes or apartment units are waiting for buyers, the Turkish labour force in constructions also went down due to coronavirus.
- We will increase local production – The Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Industry will hold its general congress on May 22.
- Prime Minister Ersan Saner in quarantine – Prime Minister Saner has isolated himself after the journalist hosting a programme he attended, tested positive for coronavirus.
Electorate bomb
While the results of the October 11, 2020 election are still being debated, President Ersin Tatar launched a very controversial initiative to give the right to vote for Turkish Cypriots living abroad. Tatar, during a meeting, held an online with an organisation called Turkish Cypriots living abroad, made promises that will have a deep impact on our political lives. Tatar wanted the TRNC citizens living abroad to cast their votes as well. He said the right for the Turkish Cypriots to vote must be given swiftly and called on the government to take up the matter in parliament.
- Time for change in (Chamber of) Industry – The Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Industry will hold its general congress on May 22.
- Life is more expensive by 1.94 per cent this month – Department of Statistics announced the inflation rate for April.
- “I don’t have it (RoC citizenship) but I also do not judge those who have it” – People’s Party (HP) leader Kudret Özersay is included in the debates for RoC citizenship.
160,000 Turkish Cypriots are European (citizens)
President Ersin Tatar who confirmed he was holding a RoC passport which is worth €5m said he will be returning it if there is a way. The Greek Cypriot press gave new figures after the Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades announced that 97,000 Turkish Cypriots were holders of RoC passports. According to the reports, 160,000 Turkish Cypriots have RoC IDs. Individuals from non-EU countries pay €5m to acquire RoC citizenship. While President Ersin Tatar confirmed the reports that he had a RoC passport, and said he would return his Cypriot ID and passport if he could.
Tatar to return his ID
(Ersin) Tatar has made up his mind following the news published yesterday proving that he also is a citizen of the RoC. In a statement Tatar said, “I was born before 1974…I have it (the ID card) but I have not used it. If there was a way, I will return it…” Tatar added: “If my people are having to use the passports, it is due to a need. Our people use the passport for freedom of travel.”
- The hawkish minister also has it – It was revealed that Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu also has RoC citizenship…
- 45 locally transmitted, 64 cases of coronavirus in the north, 562 cases and one death in the south.
Main News
Tatar rejects RoC citizenship as debate continues
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Avrupa
Negotiations Process
OVERVIEW
Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar on Wednesday said he would return his Republic of Cyprus (RoC) ID and passport if he could after it emerged he too was a registered citizen of the RoC. “If there is a way, I will return it,” Tatar told Kıbrıs Postası TV on Wednesday morning. The Turkish Cypriot leader said he had never used his RoC passport and that he had one because he was born before 1974.
Taking a swipe at Anastasiades’ comments on Tuesday about the number of Turkish Cypriots who hold a RoC passport, Tatar said that Anastasiades meant ‘you took the ID, so you are now my subordinates’.
In a separate statement later in the day, Tatar said that the remarks by the Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades were part of an ongoing perception operation targeting himself and the Turkish Cypriot community after the two-state model based on sovereign equality tabled in Geneva had received unexpected attention.
He said that Turkish Cypriots acquired RoC passports or IDs to have free movement, adding that none exercised any right as a citizen or enjoyed its privileges, except for travel purposes.
“The Greek Cypriot leader who claimed that 97,000 Turkish Cypriots have RoC citizenship, has failed to mention why these citizenships were acquired,” he said “Unfortunately, it is a privilege Greek Cypriots are usurping to this day,” Tatar said.
He pointed out that Turkish Cypriots who were subjected to embargoes and isolations were left with no choice but to apply for passports and IDs for travel, health or education purposes. Tatar said that he will do everything necessary to cancel his birth certificate and called on those making the claims to provide proof that he had used a RoC passport.
In another development, a Turkish Cypriot web-based news portal BugünKıbrıs claimed Turkish Cypriot Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu, who is well-known for his ultra-nationalist views, also holds RoC citizenship. Ertuğruloğlu has yet to refute the claims.
In a related development, People’s Party (HP) leader Kudret Özersay on Wednesday said he did not judge the 97,000 Turkish Cypriots for acquiring RoC citizenship but added he never applied to obtain a birth certificate or citizenship from the south.
Speaking during a TV programme, Özersay said he did not apply to be consistent with his arguments at the negotiating table. “I would not have been able to tell our Greek Cypriot counterparts at the negotiating table that they do not represent us nor is the administration they hold legal while carrying the RoC passport in my pocket,” Özersay said, adding that he travelled all over the world on his diplomatic passport when in office and with his TRNC passport as an ordinary citizen.
Özersay noted that it is only normal for the Turkish Cypriots to try to acquire another citizenship due to the political situation in the north. “The Turkish Cypriots used their rights emanating from 1960 to acquire their citizenship but it is not wrong to have dual citizenship. Some people are Turkish and some are UK citizens as well,” the HP leader said, adding the dual-citizenship issue should not be abused.
“It is not right to use citizenship as if it is a political preference or trying to portray it as such,” Özersay stressed, adding that an individual’s personal relationship with another state does not imply any changes in the relationship between the two states.
Touching on the Greek Cypriot leader’s remarks, the HP leader argued Nicos Anastasiades believes that being in conflict with the Turkish Cypriot leadership will earn DISY more votes in the upcoming election.
“If getting on well with the Turkish Cypriot side does not work politically in the south, no one should disregard this fact when negotiating for a solution,” Özersay argued, adding that on the other hand, displaying a pro-solution attitude does not take the north a step closer to recognition either.
Noting that it is also not right for the Turkish Cypriot side to be seeking justice from the UN Security Council (UNSC), Özersay said the sides must focus on an interim model which is based on the collaboration of the two sides.
He reiterated his position, noting that the EU was also established on a similar collaborative model. Özersay, arguing that the Turkish Cypriot side copied the HP’s proposals during the Geneva talks, noted that setting preconditions for the UNSC was ludicrous.
“It is right for the Turkish Cypriot side to demand equality before the solution but demanding it from the UNSC is wrong,” Özersay said, adding that “the Turkish Cypriot side missed its opportunity in Geneva to discuss something other than a federation as a result of the preconditions it set forth.
The leader of the main opposition Republican Turkish Party (CTP) Tufan Erhürman also criticized Tatar for his latest comments on RoC citizenship. In a social media post on Wednesday, Erhürman reminded Tatar that it was his personal right to apply and acquire RoC citizenship.
“If you intend to add a political meaning to your RoC citizenship, why did you apply for it in the first place? If there are not any political meanings in it, why are you trying to return your citizenship?” Erhürman asked.
He also reiterated that RoC citizenship was an individual right of every Turkish Cypriot and was not a favour granted by Nicos Anastasiades. “Moreover, it is Turkish Cypriots’ communal right to share sovereignty under a federal model based on political equality. It is also not a favour to be given by Anastasiades,” Erhürman stressed.
Saner: The CMP must launch initiatives for Cengiz Ratip
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Avrupa
Human Rights
OVERVIEW
Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Ersan Saner on Wednesday said that the Committee for Missing Persons in Cyprus (CMP) must launch an investigation to find Cengiz Ratip, a member of parliament of the Republic of Cyprus who went missing in 1964.
Speaking during a meeting with the Turkish Cypriot member of the CMP Hakkı Müftüzade, Saner said that it was important to shed light on the incident not only because it was unacceptable for an MP to disappear but also because it meant that the state failed to protect the rights of Turkish Cypriots even though parliamentarians enjoyed immunity.
“I want to hear from Mr Nicos Anastasiades what he will do about the missing MP Cengiz Ratip,” Saner said. For his part, Müftüzade said there had been several excavations carried out in the past however no remains were found.
He added that the CMP will launch initiatives once the situation in the crossings returns to normal. The Turkish Cypriot member also noted that the CMP currently has seven or eight ongoing excavations in teams made of Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot archaeologists and found the remains of six missing persons so far.
Saner and his team in isolation after journalist tests positive
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Avrupa
Internal Security
OVERVIEW
Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Ersan Saner and his team in a late-night development on Wednesday were placed in isolation after coming into contact with a Turkish Cypriot journalist, who tested positive for Covid-19.
According to information obtained by HaberKıbrıs reporters, PCR tests were carried out on Saner and his close protection team, press officer and his photographer while under quarantine. In a statement on social media, Saner said he has isolated himself.
“Even though I have had two doses of Covid-19 vaccines, and had frequent PCR tests, I comply with the recommendations made by the health professionals and isolate myself,” Saner said, adding that the necessary measures have been implemented for the smooth running of the daily operations.
It is reported that former Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat and Hürrem Tulga, coordinator of the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Artisans and Shopkeepers were also placed in quarantine due to being in contact with the same journalist.