Front Page Headlines
“While chances of non-vaccinated individuals being admitted into ICU is 70 per cent, the risk drops to five per cent when you’re vaccinated”
Member of the Scientific Advisory Board Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiologist Dr Nesil Bayraktar spoke to Yenidüzen. “If only ten of 150 patients are being admitted into the hospital this means that the vaccines are working. Only one in ten of those admitted into hospital fall ill enough to receive treatment in ICU. For those refusing or refraining from getting vaccinated, I want to say that getting Covid-19 is worse than any side-effect you might experience from getting vaccinated,” Dr Bayraktar tells the public.
We could become a mustard exporting country
The need for alternative products with high added value has come to the spotlight after the economy came to a grinding halt due to the pandemic. Entrepreneurs and experts draw attention to the economic value of the ‘Lapsana’ (Nipplewort) plant, the seeds of which are the main ingredient for mustard production. The plant which we take for granted essentially grows everywhere during the winter months.
No success
Citizens who evaluate the past 47 years since the (Turkish) Peace Operation point out that problems are on the rise due to the neverending political instability in the country.
- ‘Those vaccinated should come’ –Elena Tsagrinou who represented the Greek Cypriots in the Eurovision contest will be giving free concerts to encourage younger people to get vaccinated.
- This is how the people think –Prime Minister Ersan Saner who argued that it was wrong for the Republican Turkish Party (CTP) and Social Democratic Party (TDP) to boycott Erdoğan’s speech in parliament made the following claim.
Erdoğan sent 15 trucks
The trucks came ahead of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s arrival. It was a busy day at the customs due to the 15 trucks sent to Cyprus ahead of Erdoğan’s visit. Police received a tip that undocumented migrants were hiding in the trucks but the claim turned out to be fake after a thorough search was carried out. Nonetheless, the contents in the trucks were not announced.
- Turkish Embassy provokes – It is reported that the Turkish Embassy in provoking certain circles against the Social Democratic Party (TDP) and the Republican Turkish Party (CTP) following their decision not to attend the special parliamentary session.
- Protest outside the Turkish Embassy – Revolutionary Community Union will protest the 47th anniversary of occupation at 6 pm today outside the Turkish Embassy building.
Main News
Tatar: GC side’s sole interlocutor is the TC side
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Diyalog, Avrupa
Negotiations Process
OVERVIEW
Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar on Saturday slammed the Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades for his recent remarks directed at Turkey, which bypassed the Turkish Cypriot side. “Above all, the Greek Cypriot side’s interlocutor on the island is the Turkish Cypriot side and not Turkey,” Tatar said.
In a statement issued from his office on Saturday, Tatar argued that the Greek Cypriot side’s attempts to enter into a dialogue with Turkey directly is nothing but a reflection of its mindset that perceives the Turkish Cypriots as a minority and is the very reason why the Cyprus Problem remains unresolved.
Greek Cypriot leader Anastasiades on Friday had said there was common ground to resume talks based on UNSC resolutions and the EU acquis. He added that he will not accept any prerequisites put forward by Turkey to launch an official round of talks to reach a settlement in Cyprus. Anastasiades also said the minorities could not rule over the majority but pointed out that this does not refer to political equality.
“A solution in Cyprus can only be found if the sides respect each other’s vested and inherent rights,” Tatar stressed, adding through official negotiations following accepting those rights. He added that the Turkish Cypriot side will not refrain from taking steps to protects its sovereignty and equal rights as long as the Greek Cypriot side continues to claim sovereignty over the whole island.
Tatar also accused the Greek Cypriot leader of trying to deceive the international community by claiming that common ground existed for the resumption of talks. He recalled that the UN Secretary-General (UNSG) Antonio Guterres had announced at the end of the five-plus one conference in Geneva that the sides had failed to achieve the common ground needed to launch an official round of talks.
Tatar additionally refuted Anastasiades’ claims that the Turkish Cypriot side’s demands for sovereign equality and equal international status are not prerequisites but they are equal inherent rights. “The Turkish Cypriot side has every right the Greek Cypriot side claims to have and that includes the right to an independent and sovereign state,” Tatar stressed.
Tatar argued that the only prerequisite imposed in the Cyprus talks process is the title of ‘The Republic of Cyprus’ (RoC) which is occupied and usurped by the Greek Cypriots. “The RoC which is devoid of all legal, political and effective basis, is the biggest obstacle before the negotiations,” Tatar stressed, adding that the Turkish Cypriot side can’t accept this precondition.
KEY ACTORS
Tatar
>> GC side’s only interlocutor is the TC side, not Turkey.
>> A solution in Cyprus can be found if the sides respect each other’s vested & inherent rights.
>> TC side will not refrain from taking steps to protect its rights as long as the GC side continues to claim sovereignty over the whole island.
>> No common ground to resume talks as Anastasiades claims.
The Platform of Unions declare support to CTP & TDP
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Diyalog, Avrupa
Governance & Power Sharing
OVERVIEW
The platform of Unions saluted the decision taken by the Republic Turkish Party (CTP) and the Social Democratic Party (TDP) not to attend the special parliamentary session which Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will address on Tuesday as part of events marking the 47th anniversary of Turkey’s military operation on the island.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the platform pointed out that Ankara was interfering in the north’s domestic affairs and democracy. “The appropriate response to the ruling elite in Turkey and to their collaborators, which dealt a blow to Turkish Cypriots’ demands for federation, in the north came from the CTP and the TDP,” the platform said, adding that it supported the two parties till the end.
The platform also argued that the Turkish Embassy in provoking certain circles in the north against the CTP and the TDP. “We urge these circles to respect the decision given by the two parties and not to overstep their limit,” the platform concluded.
Both CTP and TDP announced they would not be attending the session in protest of Ankara’s ignorance of opposition parties in the north. The opposition Peoples’ Party (HP) on the other hand announced that it would be attending the session out of courtesy to both Erdoğan and state etiquette.
The nationalist circles in the north have directed their verbal attacks on the CTP and the TDP since they announced their decisions.
Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Ersan Saner criticized both the CTP and TDP for their decision to boycott the parliamentary session. Speaking during a visit to Cihangir (Epicho) on Saturday, Saner argued that the majority of Turkish Cypriots found the CTP’s and TDP’s stance wrong.
He said that the Turkish Cypriot community owed its freedom and security to Turkey and its support in all fields.
Arıklı vows to overcome sports embargoes
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Diyalog, Avrupa
Human Rights
OVERVIEW
Kyrgyzstan’s national basketball team arrived at the Ercan (Tymbou) airport on Saturday to play two friendly matches with the Turkish Cypriot national basketball team.
Speaking at a press conference organised at the airport upon the arrival of the Kyrgyz team, Deputy Economy and Energy Minister Erhan Arıklı pointed out the importance of the basketball match to be played, stressing that “This is a historical development.”
“We will be able to break the sports embargoes imposed on the TRNC with the help of Kyrgyzstan,” Arıklı argued, adding that there will be more sports activities in such regard.
Also speaking during the event, Orhun Mevlit, head of the Turkish Cypriot Basketball Federation, said the match will be a positive step towards enabling Turkish Cypriot athletes to take part in international competitions.
Kyrgyzstan’s national basketball team had played friendlies in the north in 2006 as well.