Front Page Headlines
Psychiatrist Mehmet Yağlı: ‘People are experiencing loneliness, insecurity about the future & despair’
“People would like to know that the state will take care of them or protect them if they fall ill or if they experience other problems. However unfortunately there is chaos in our country recently. When faced with problems people act like turtles, retracting their heads into their shells to protect themselves. However, this leads to loneliness, insecurity about the future and despair,” he said.
The tourism sector has no hopes from the winter
Tourism professionals, who could not get what they were hoping for from the summer season due to the pandemic, complain that the Tourism Ministry has no plans or projects for winter tourism.
Problems keeping piling up, but no solutions are being found
Citizens complain that confidence in the politicians continues to decrease and that they are experiencing problems in almost all areas.
- Calls on the rise – There were long queues again at the Metehan (Agios Dhometios) crossing point yesterday. Both Turkish Cypriots and pro-solution Greek Cypriots were calling on the leaders to open new crossing points.
- An accusation of betrayal – Greek Cypriot fascists attack AKEL which will take part in a peace march with Turkish Cypriot political parties.
How did they sacrifice this republic?
The 61st anniversary of the Republic of Cyprus (RoC) was celebrated on October 1, however, the celebrations were held only in the south. The Turkish Cypriots in the north other than a few were not even aware of the anniversary. The partnership between the two communities only lasted for three years. Following bloody clashes that started in December 1963, Turkish Cypriots abandoned the republic to the Greek Cypriots. Makarios’ dream for enosis was not realised but Rauf Denktaş’ dream for partition became real in 1974.
- Joint statement from 44 political parties – 44 political parties including the European Left have signed the petition on Maraş (Varosha) launched by New Cyprus Party (YKP), United Cyprus Party (BKP) and AKEL.
- Solution and reunification march in Derinya (Deryneia) – Many organisations and political parties from both sides of Cyprus will march for “solution and reunification” in Derinya (Deryneia) today.
Main News
Tatar: “special envoy couldn’t be appointed due to the GC side”
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Diyalog, Avrupa
Negotiations Process
OVERVIEW
The UN’s silence on the appointment of a new special envoy, as well as the outcome of the trilateral meeting among the UN Secretary-General (UNSG) Antonio Guterres, Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades and the Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar, had baffled many until Saturday when the UN SG’s spokesman Farhan Haq said “It was a conscious decision” not to issue a statement.
Haq has said that he did not expect at this stage anything as regards a press release on Cyprus that was expected to be issued, after the trilateral meeting. He went on to say that “When we don`t say something, it`s not that we`ve forgotten; it`s that a conscious decision is taken not to say something.”
Haq added: “To be honest, at this stage, I`m not expecting anything. When we don`t say something, it`s not that we`ve forgotten; it`s that a conscious decision is taken not to say something.” Nonetheless, Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar, taking the discussion to a different level, claimed that the Greek Cypriot side had backed down from an earlier agreement on the appointment of a special envoy or what he referred to as a ‘personal’ envoy.
In a statement issued from his office, Tatar said the Turkish Cypriot side and Ankara have objected to the appointment of a “special adviser” until a common ground between the two sides can be found but supported the idea of appointing a personal envoy.
“Ankara and the Turkish Cypriot side have supported the idea of appointing a new envoy to identify whether there is common ground between the two sides to launch the official round of negotiations on the island within a limited time frame,” Tatar said, stressing that they had advocated that the new appointee’s authority will not exceed those of the previous special envoy Jane Holl Lute’s.
Tatar also noted the Turkish Cypriot side had already approved the ‘draft statement on the appointment of the personal envoy’ presented to the sides by the Secretary-General.
“It is very unfortunate that the Greek Cypriot side has distorted what had happened after the trilateral meeting and backed down from the agreement,” Tatar said, reminding that the UN had expressed its determination to continue with the process after the five-plus-one meeting in Geneva even though the statement issued then had stated there is no common ground.
“It is necessary to appoint an envoy that was given the same mandate as that given to Lute, responsible directly towards the Secretary-General to continue with the efforts to find a common ground,” Tatar said, stressing the Turkish Cypriot side’s determination to continue with its vision based on the collaboration of the two sides, which have equal sovereignty and have equal international status.
On the other hand, according to Greek Cypriot daily Phileleftheros, Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades has asked for the new appointee to be a ‘special advisor’ decorated with authorities to launch the negotiations process instead of solely focusing on confidence-building measures and the bicommunal technical committees.
KEY ACTORS
Tatar
>> New special envoy should have the same mandate as Lute but no ‘special adviser’ should be appointed before common ground is found.
>> Unfortunate for GC to back down on agreement for the appointment of a special envoy.
Tatar lashes out at GC leader for remarks on October 1
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Diyalog, Avrupa
Negotiations Process
OVERVIEW
Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar on Saturday, just a day after issuing a written statement on the October 1, RoC Independence Day celebrations lashed out at the Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades for his remarks made at the main ceremony on Friday.
Arguing that Anastasiades distorted the facts in his address, Tatar said he “attacked Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot side with baseless accusations.” In a statement issued from his office, Tatar also said Anastasiades in his remarks attempted not only to conceal what the Greek Cypriots had done but was trying to deceive the international community.
He recalled the past atrocities committed against the Turkish Cypriots and said the Greek Cypriots are responsible and not Turkey or the Turkish Cypriot side. Tatar, refuting Anastasiades’ claims, also said the Turkish Cypriots were forced out of the partnership republic in 1963.
“Anastasiades is also insulting the Turkish Cypriots’ will by claiming that Turkey is planning on creating a protectorate in the north,” Tatar stressed, adding that the Turkish Cypriot people are in favour of establishing an agreement based on two separate and equal sovereign states.
“Our vision for a solution has been tabled in Geneva and there is no turning back from our position,” Tatar said adding that the Turkish Cypriot side could not accept a federal settlement as described by Anastasiades because this would only ensure the continuation of the Republic of Cyprus (RoC) without the continuation of the system of guarantees.
“We will neither accept becoming a minority in a Greek Cypriot controlled state nor will we give up our state, sovereignty or Turkey’s guarantees,” Tatar stressed, urging Anastasiades to accept the realities on the island and respond positively to Turkish Cypriot side’s calls for dialogue.
Meanwhile, Tatar on Friday reiterated his positions against the federal solution model. Speaking during a meeting entitled “Turkey-TRNC Economic Collaboration Opportunities,” Tatar said, “A federation means submission,” he told participants, pointing out that a federal settlement would spell the end of Turkish Cypriots and complete withdrawal of Turkey from the island.
KEY ACTORS
Tatar
>> GC leader distorted the facts, his speech was aimed at concealing what GCs had done against TCs & deceiving the international community.
>> Not possible for the TC side to accept a federal settlement that ensures the continuation of RoC & and an end to the system of guarantees.
Joint call from 106 organisations for the reunification march
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Diyalog, Avrupa
Negotiations Process
OVERVIEW
106 Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot civil society organisations (CSOs), political parties, trade unions and initiatives have called on the Cypriots to attend the reunification march organised by AKEL in Derinya (Deryneia) on Sunday, October 3.
In a joint statement issued on Saturday, the organisations emphasised the UN’s determination for the reunification of the island despite the disappointments in the processes as well as the Cypriots’ political will to reach a bicommunal, bizonal federal (BBF) settlement on the island.
“Cypriots both on the island and abroad demand from the leaders to overcome the negativities and resume the negotiations processes based on past convergences,” the statement read, adding that the civil society on both sides of the divide want the BBF to be in line with UN resolutions and within the Guterres Framework.
The organisations also demanded Turkey to cease its armament and postpone all activities in the Eastern Mediterranean that might escalate tensions as well as the establishment of a technical committee comprised of experts and representatives from the two communities on Maraş (Varosha). The committee will develop plans to return the fenced-off town under temporary UN administration to pre-1974 residents and will come up with practical steps on implementing the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, the joint statement read.
In another development, Turkish Cypriot daily Avrupa reports that the international petition launched as an initiative by New Cyprus Party (YKP), AKEL and United Cyprus Party (BKP) has so far been signed by 44 political parties including the European Left.
The petition calls for an end to Turkey’s 47-year-long occupation of Cyprus as well as declaring support for the Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots that demand and work towards a BBF solution based on the political equality of the two communities and in line with UN resolutions.
The petition also demands Turkey to cease all its unilateral actions that will change the status quo irreversibly in the fenced-off town of Maraş (Varosha) and to implement the UN Security Council resolutions 550 (1984) and 789 (1992). The petition also demands the negotiations process to resume from the point it had been left of in Crans Montana in 2017 to reach a BBF solution based on single citizenship, single sovereignty and single international personality, based on the Joint Declaration in 2014 and within the Guterres Framework dated June 30, 2017.
KEY ACTORS
TC/GC Organisations
>> Leaders should overcome the negativities & resume the negotiations processes based on past convergences.
>> Civil society on both sides of the divide want the BBF to be in line with UN resolutions & Guterres Framework.
>> Turkey should end armament & postpone all activities in the East Med.