Front Page Headlines
Democracy, will and freedom
Thousands of people protested Ankara’s interference in the north’s democracy and political will.
- UBP binds the country’s hands – There is neither a government nor a congress. The deadlock within the National Unity Party (UBP) could not be solved yesterday (Tuesday). Even though efforts to set up a new government did not yield any results, the task was not handed back. The party’s administration also failed to set a date for a congress. Efforts to reach an agreement with Sucuoğlu continued. “Saner wanted some time,” said Sucuoğlu. For his part, Saner said that the congress will be held before December 7 and that he will be running for the party’s leadership.
The uncertainty continues
The UBP’s acting leader Ersan Saner is working on the one hand to form a new government and trying to solve the congress crisis within his party. The UBP Central Executive Board (MYK) and the party’s assembly did not convene as announced yesterday (Tuesday). The party’s parliamentary group held a long meeting. Saner, after the meeting, said the parliamentary group discussed how the congress will be held. He added that the efforts to establish a government are underway.
- “Turkish Cypriots will not sit at the table just to negotiate” – Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu emphasized “Cyprus is Turkey’s national cause” and added “those who obstruct the path to a solution are well known. There is a problematic mindset on the island that does not accept the Turkish community as political equals.”
Political will belongs to the people
Thousands of people in the capital Nicosia protested the Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) interference in the Turkish Cypriot people’s political will. Thousands that attended the march chanted slogans such as: “Political will… no interference,” “Democracy for all,” “Freedom not submission,” “We do not want an appointed caretaker,” and “Unity, struggle, solidarity.” Nearly 3,500 people attended the ‘Democracy and Political Will’ march organised by the Democracy and Political Will Platform.
- UBP is in a mess – Things became more complicated at UBP when Nicosia MP Faiz Sucuoğlu said he was also a candidate. The party assembly could not convene and the date for a new congress has been postponed indefinitely.
Time to share (the ministries)
UBP-DP (Democratic Party) and YDP (Rebirth Party) have given the ‘Green Light’ for a coalition. It’s been reported that UBP General Secretary Ersan Saner, who was tasked with forming a new government, has now focused his energy on DP and YDP after CTP (Republican Turkish Party) and People’s Party (HP) both turned down UBP. Speaking to Diyalog, DP leader Fikri Ataoğlu said that they supported the idea of a three-party coalition. He said that Serdar Denktaş had not resigned from the party and that DP still had three MPs. Ataoğlu also said that he had received a promise of support from UBP MP Hüseyin Özgürgün who currently lives in Istanbul. The YDP leader Erhan Arıklı also gave the green light for a coalition with UBP and DP: Arıklı said that his party was ready to take on responsibility during the critical period the country was going through. He said that they will enter a coalition with UBP on the condition that early elections are held next year. “The government will receive a vote of confidence if we receive the support of a simple majority of 26 MPs,” he said.
- Attendance was high –The ‘Democracy and Political Will’ march was held last night (Tuesday) with the participation of Mustafa Akıncı.
Ankara, take your hands off
Nearly 5000 people who attended the ‘Democracy and Political Will’ march chanted in protest of Ankara. Protestors gathered at Dereboyu (Shakespeare Avenue) and marched towards İnönü Square, chanting, ‘Embassy take your hands off us,’ as they passed by the Turkish Embassy. Mustafa Akıncı also attended the march. While carrying a placard reading, ‘Political will… no interference,’ the protestors also chanted slogans such as ‘Freedom not submission,’ ‘Cyprus is secular and will remain so,’ and ‘Side-by-side against fascism.’
Main News
Borrell congratulates Tatar on his election victory
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Avrupa
Negotiations Process, EU Matters, Regional/International Relations
OVERVIEW
The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell called Turkish Cypriot President Ersin Tatar on Tuesday to congratulate him on his election victory.
According to a statement by the Office of the President, during the telephone call, Tatar pointed out the unfairness of the embargoes and isolations imposed on the Turkish Cypriot community.
“We expect that the EU, in line with its decisions adopted in 2004, will deliver its promises to the Turkish Cypriots and lift the isolations,” Tatar said.
Tatar also highlighted that he had been empowered by the Turkish Cypriot community to reach a two-state solution in Cyprus.
“I have been authorised by the people to work towards a solution based on sovereign equality and collaboration between the two states,” Tatar said.
Tatar concluded by expressing his desire to meet with Borrell face-to-face at a suitable time in the future.
On the other hand, Borrell announced his telephone conversation with Tatar on Twitter.
“Continuation of UN-led settlement talks is key; building on previous hard work, all efforts are needed on lasting solutions based on UNSC resolutions, creating the right environment for mutual trust in East Med,” Borrell tweeted.
Nami & Toros express hope for the future of Cyprob
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis
Negotiations Process, Energy, Regional/International Relations
OVERVIEW
Republican Turkish Party (CTP) MP and former Turkish Cypriot negotiator Özdil Nami on Tuesday said that the US president-elect Joe Biden had a good understanding of the Cyprus Problem.
He said the outcome of the US elections will benefit efforts aimed at reaching a comprehensive solution to the Cyprus problem.
Speaking to Kıbrıs TV, Nami said that Biden, compared to his predecessor Donald Trump, was well acquainted with the Cyprus issue.
He added that the Cyprus issue was an important dynamic in Turkish-Greek relations.
“Biden believes in NATO and he will do all he can to strengthen NATO. The importance of Cyprus in relations between Turkey and Greece is clear,” he added.
Nami expressed the view that Biden will knock on the Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar’s door when the time comes.
Meanwhile, CTP MP Fikri Toros on Tuesday advised Tatar to express his commitment to a bizonal, bicommunal federal (BBF) solution in Cyprus despite Ankara’s insistence that talks for a federal settlement are over.
Speaking on a TV programme, Toros argued that to abandon UN parameters meant the continuation of the current status quo on the island.
The CTP MP said that the discovery of hydrocarbons in the region, the licenses granted by the Greek Cypriot side to energy firms as well as the treaties it signed with neighbouring countries had further complicated matters on the island.
“These developments which excluded Turkish Cypriots and Turkey prompted Ankara to take reciprocal steps. Naturally, Turkey could neither remain silent nor passive,” he added.
Toros said that the agreements signed between Turkey and Libya dragged France and the EU into the long-standing maritime disputes between Turkey and Greece.
“The EU, disturbed by the heightening of tensions, is seeking to prevent a possible heated conflict. Germany, which currently holds the EU term presidency, has taken on an initiative and is planning a conference. The UN Secretary-General’s special envoy to Cyprus Jane Holl Lute is also embarking on a series of contacts with the sides… the date has yet to be set but work has begun,” he said.
Toros also expressed hope that Tatar will abandon the hardline stance he adopted during his election campaign.
He added that Turkish Cypriots have been waging a struggle for the past 60 years aimed at achieving political equality.
“To abandon a federal settlement based on political equality will only mean resuming the current status quo. That is why I hope Tatar will not insist on what he advocated during his election campaign and will express his commitment to UN parameters,” he said.
TCs will no longer negotiate just to negotiate, says Çavuşoğlu
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Avrupa
Negotiations Process, EU Matters, Regional/International Relations
OVERVIEW
The Turkish Cypriot people are no longer willing to sit at the table “just to negotiate,” Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavusoğlu said on Tuesday, indicating a tougher stance towards talks aimed at reaching a comprehensive solution on the island.
“They sent this message clearly in the last election,” said Çavuşoğlu during an address to the 12th Ambassadors Conference in Ankara.
Referring to ongoing tension with Greece and South Cyprus, Cavuşoğlu said that no plan in the Eastern Mediterranean had any chance of success without Turkey, as he reiterated the country’s determination to defend its rights and interests in the region.
“No one should expect Turkey to abandon its right to the resources [in the Eastern Mediterranean] and initiatives [in the region] excluding Turkey have no chance of success,” Cavusoğlu added.
He stressed that Cyprus was a national matter for Turkey and accused the Greek Cypriot side of preventing a solution to the island’s division.
“There is a problematic mentality on the Greek Cypriot side, which does not view the Turkish Cypriot community as its equal,” he said.
He accused the EU of supporting Cyprus’ efforts in the region to seize the island’s wealth and warned that Turkey would never allow such a thing.
“To date, they have not accepted political equality. Where there is no political equality there must be sovereign equality, and will be sovereign equality,” the Turkish foreign minister said.
Çavuşoğlu also recalled that Ankara had repeatedly called for dialogue and negotiations to overcome the problems in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean.
“We want to solve our problems with Greece through diplomacy. We have not closed our doors to dialogue without any preconditions,” Çavuşoğlu said.
He added that Ankara has presented Athens with tangible diplomatic initiatives such as exploratory talks, revenue sharing and a regional conference.
“Our proposals are not limited to Greece but to all the countries in the region,” Çavuşoğlu added.
“We are proposing to work and collaborate with all the actors for equitable sharing and peace in our fragile region,” Çavuşoğlu concluded.
KEY ACTORS
Çavuşoğlu (Turkey)
>> TCs are no longer willing to sit at the table just to negotiate.
>> TCs have given a clear message in the last election.
>> No one should expect Turkey to give up resources it has a right to in the East Med.
>> Any initiative seeking to exclude Turkey from East Med has “no chance of success.
>> Cyprus is a national matter for Turkey.
>> GC side’s mentality which rejects TCs’ political equality is problematic.
>> EU is biased in favour of GC side allowing it to seize island’s common wealth. Turkey will not allow this.
>> Where there is no political equality there must be sovereign equality.
>> Ankara has repeatedly called for dialogue & negotiations to overcome the problems in the East Med & the Aegean.
>> Ankara wants to solve problems with Greece through diplomacy & has not closed our doors to dialogue without any preconditions.
>> Turkey’s proposals are not limited to Greece but all the countries in the region.
>> Ankara proposes to work & collaborate with all the actors for equitable sharing & peace in the fragile region.
TCs hold mass rally to protest Ankara’s intervention
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Avrupa
Human Rights, Governance & Power Sharing
OVERVIEW
Thousands of Turkish Cypriots marched through the streets of north Nicosia on Tuesday evening to protest Ankara’s growing interference in the north’s democratic processes.
An estimated 3,000-6,000 people, in defiance of risks posed by Covid-19, gathered at the northern end of Nicosia’s Mehmet Akif Avenue (Shakespeare Avenue) as part of the event organised by the ‘Democracy and Political Will Platform’ demanding democracy to prevail.
The protest came just weeks after the election of Turkey-favoured hardliner Ersin Tatar as the new Turkish Cypriot leader, replacing pro-solution Mustafa Akıncı.
Matters were made worse when UBP last week called off the second round of its extraordinary congress to elect its new leader after candidates Faiz Sucuoğlu and Hasan Taçoy withdrew amid speculation of meddling by Ankara.
It is believed Sucuoğlu, favoured to win, was pressured into quitting the race after being ‘advised’ to do so by Ankara who favoured his opponent Hasan Taçoy.
Former Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akıncı also attended the march on Tuesday evening even though he has just undergone gallbladder removal surgery.
In a social media post, Akıncı said the Turkish Cypriot community will continue to fight for its freedom and its political will.
He said Nicosia witnessed a ‘spark’ on its streets, adding that Turkish Cypriots had demonstrated that they will continue to oppose any form of interference and will not submit to any anti-democratic impositions.
“We will defend our right to exist as a community that is independent and that can protect its political will, living on the island in peace,” Akıncı said.
He concluded by expressing his gratitude to the platform for organising the event.
“This struggle will continue until we have a social structure in which there is no talk of meddling,” Akıncı concluded.
The protestors who marched to İnönü Square, chanted slogans calling for democracy and for Ankara to take its hands off Turkish Cypriot democracy.
Some of the Placards and signs read “(Political) Will not Intervention”, “Freedom not Submission”, “Democracy for All” and “Cypriots have the final say in Cyprus.”
AKEL also issued a solidarity message with the Turkish Cypriots who marched for democracy.
“We salute the struggle staged by Turkish Cypriots in which the Cypriots will decide on their internal affairs in freedom and through democratic means without anyone interfering in a united island,” AKEL said and expressed its full solidarity with the Turkish Cypriots.
The event ended peacefully at İnönü Square following short speeches by activists and songs.
Turmoil within UBP continues as rivals clash
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Avrupa
Governance & Power Sharing
OVERVIEW
The commotion at UBP, which has been desperately trying to overcome internal disputes, elect a new party leader and form a new government at the same time continued on Tuesday.
Acting UBP leader Ersan Saner was forced to suspend talks aimed at forming a new government after Nicosia MP Faiz Sucuoğlu, in a surprising move, announced his intention to run once again for the party’s leadership.
Saner, despite having embarked on his mission to form the new government after receiving the assurances and support of all party MPs on running as the sole candidate in a new party congress, could not convince Sucuoğlu, to change his mind.
Sucuoğlu, speaking on Monday, implied that he had been pressured to withdraw from the race.
As backdoor meetings continued throughout the day, the party’s Central Executive Committee (MYK) announced that it had cancelled the Party Assembly meeting set to take place on Tuesday afternoon.
“We need more time,” Saner said as he spoke to the media. He refused to comment on why the party assembly meeting had been cancelled. According to information obtained by Yenidüzen, the party’s central committee (MYK) had tried but failed to reach a consensus over the dispute on whom the party’s next leader will be.
Later in the evening, Saner briefed the members of the media regarding the developments on the upcoming congress following his meeting with the party’s parliamentary group and lawyers.
He said according to the party’s lawyers and the party’s bylaws, the next congress must be held before December 7.
“18 of the 19 MPs all agreed that there would be a single candidate at the next congress,” Saner said implying that Sucuoğlu, who is also a member of said parliamentary group, refused to back down.
Saner also noted that he will run as a candidate in the next congress, but his candidacy does not mean anything until the date for the congress is announced.
Responding to criticism that UBP is neglecting the country’s problems as it is too preoccupied with its internal problems, the acting UBP leader said that this criticism did not reflect the truth as his efforts to form a new government were continuing unhindered.
“All MPs have agreed that I will be tasked to lead the efforts to form the next government. This is crystal clear,” Saner concluded.
Meanwhile, several dailies on Wednesday reported that an UBP-DP (Democratic Party) and YDP (Rebirth Party) coalition government was on its way after Saner was turned down by both the CTP and People’s Party (HP).
Speaking to Diyalog, DP leader Fikri Ataoğlu said that they supported the idea of a three-party coalition.
He said that Serdar Denktaş had not resigned from the party and that the DP still had three MPs.
Ataoğlu also said that he had received a promise of support from UBP MP Hüseyin Özgürgün who currently lives in Istanbul.
The YDP leader Erhan Arıklı also gave the green light for a coalition with the UBP and DP. Arıklı said that his party was ready to take on responsibility during this critical time the country was going through.
He said that they will enter a coalition with the UBP on the condition that early elections are held next year.
“The government will receive a vote of confidence if we receive a simple majority of the votes in parliament,” he said.
KTSO: “A government must swiftly be formed for the economy”
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Avrupa
Governance & Power Sharing, Economy
OVERVIEW
“We are in urgent need of a reconciliatory government to achieve economic stability and to ensure that the wheels of the economy turn,” Candan Avunduk, head of the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Industry (KTSO) said on Tuesday.
In a written statement, Avunduk added the last thing the Turkish Cypriots needed was to see a “ship without a set course and a captain.”
Avunduk argued that the Turkish Cypriot economy was already suffering as it was due to the pandemic.
“Primarily the tourism and the higher education sectors have suffered the most during the pandemic. There is hardly any demand from the market now. Many businesses are closing the year with serious losses,” Avunduk said.
He also noted that the economists project a ₺3.5bn (€350m) budget deficit by the end of the year.
“In this regard, we need to have a government established with a broad consensus and this government needs to quickly start working on addressing and finding solutions for the country’s problems,” he stressed.
Avunduk underlined preparing the 2021 state budget, implementing the necessary fiscal reforms and taking the necessary steps are of vital importance.
He called on the political parties with seats in the Turkish Cypriot parliament to put aside their political gains, ambitions and debates to form the government.
“The political parties must roll up their sleeves to form the government. After all, there are not that many options for a stable governmental model in the first place,” Avunduk concluded.
In the meantime, seven trade unions with members in the public sector on Tuesday slammed the Turkish Cypriot authorities for failing to address the growing problems of workers, especially those in the private sector.
In a joint statement, the unions highlighted the value of the Turkish Lira had seriously fallen since the minimum wage was last adjusted on February 1, 2020.
“The lives of the workers, which was already difficult, have become even more unbearable with the government’s incorrect policies adopted during the pandemic period, the sluggish economy and the uncontrollable loss value in the Turkish Lira,” the unions argued.
The unions further argued that state resources have been allocated for employers rather than employees, who are not even included in the state mechanisms such as the ‘Minimum Wage Commission’ to identify the minimum wage.
“The problems of the private sector workers are being disregarded just because they are not protected by a trade union… Even though there are not any legal obstacles, the Turkish Cypriot authorities have decided not to convene the ‘Minimum Wage Commission’ to identify the new amount to allow a decent life for the workers,” the unions concluded.
The Turkish Cypriot Customs officers’ union (GÜÇ-SEN), the Turkish Cypriot Teachers’ Union (KTÖS), Turkish Cypriot Press Workers’ Union (BASIN-SEN), the Turkish Cypriot Air traffic Controllers’ Union (HTKS), the Turkish Cypriot Tax Department Employees’ Union (VERGİ-SEN), The Turkish Cypriot Treasury Department Employees’ Union (HAZİNE-SEN) and the Turkish Cypriot Union for Equal Rights and Justice (HAK-SEN) all signed the joint statement.
In the meantime, the trade union representatives were angered after learning on Tuesday that the newly elected Turkish Cypriot President Ersin Tatar had purchased a brand-new Mercedes as his official vehicle.
The order for the ₺807,000 (€80,700) vehicle was issued on November 3 despite the economic and governmental crisis in the north.