Front Page Headlines
“40,000 workers, producers and shopkeepers are without work”
The Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Shopkeepers and Artisans’ demands are as follows: 1. Current resources are used to pay everyone equally without discrimination, 2. Exemption to be introduced for social security and provident fund payments for six months, 3. A 40 per cent discount for electricity bills under ₺2000 (approx. €285) and a ten per cent discount for bills higher for a period of six months, 4. Banks to postpone loan repayments for six months and removing interest charges and 5. Freezing all cheque and exchange transactions.
- 13 new cases in the north, nine in the south. Total figures: 67 in the south, 33 in the north and 100 across the whole island – 12 more German tourists in quarantine at the Salamis Hotel in Famagusta have tested positive. A Turkish Cypriot woman, the wife of a man being treated for coronavirus also tested positive. The wait for the results of a policeman who has also been tested continues.
- New election date October 11, Akıncı to remain in office for another six months – Parliament approved the motion with 41 votes in favour. The Rebirth Party (YDP) voted against it, demanding that the president hands over his authorities to parliament.
- 250 students arriving –250 students studying in the UK and who have yet to return to the island are being repatriated with two charter flights today (Friday) and tomorrow (Saturday).
- Two Covid-19 patients in the south recover – Two Covid-19 patients in quarantine discharged after recovering. Their tests came back negative.
- No curfew in the south – Greek Cypriot government spokesman Kyriakos Koushos said that there was no decision to impose a curfew but that the politicians would be evaluating such a possibility if such a suggestion came from experts.
Ceased print/Online only
Crisis on our doorstep
Everyone’s at home bringing both the public and the private sector to a halt. As a result of closure of businesses, people are now afraid of not being able to receive their salaries. Both the employers and the employees are gravely concerned. There is also uncertainty regarding public-sector employees. Both Turkey and South Cyprus have announced economic packages to mitigate an economic crisis triggered by the virus outbreak. All eyes turned on the TRNC government.
- Presidential elections postponed to 11 October.
- Turkish Cypriot students from the UK are coming back.
- Confirmed coronavirus cases rise to 33 in the TRNC and 67 in the south.
The virus is in circulation
Despite the measures adopted both in the northern and the southern parts of Cyprus, the number of cases grows by the day. In addition to those coming from abroad, the virus is also spreading to Cypriots who are in contact with those coming from abroad.
- The first round on 11 October – The parliament decided to postpone the presidential elections at an extraordinary session on Thursday with a majority of votes. Parliament also approved President Mustafa Akıncı to remain in his post until the election but the YDP voted against this because the motion did not include handing over the president’s authorities to parliament on the Cyprus issue.
- Kiss of life – Turkish Cypriot Association of Banks announced its measures to mitigate the negative economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the businesses that had to stop their operations.
We will not allow that to happen
Prime Minister Tatar said that savings in banks were safe and warned banks which charged high-interest rates on loans. Tatar who answered the questions of Diyalog TV’s Editor-in-Chief Reşat Akar said that those who were raising speculations about savings in banks were committing a crime. “I’m warning all of them,” he said. Tatar also said that repayment of loans had been postponed for three months and that charging high-interest rates were unacceptable. “I’ve spoken with the head of the Central Bank. He will be looking into the interest rates. We need to protect our citizens,” he said.
- Depressing – 13 new coronavirus cases in the north and nine in the south
- The love for your child – Families of students who arrived from the UK locked to the quarantine centre with bags of food to be delivered to their children.
- The first step was taken – 21 banks in the TRNC have announced they had postponed loan repayments for three months.
- Only YDP did not support the motion – Parliament approved the postponement of presidential elections to October 11 with a majority of votes.
- Fear and panic –People in South Cyprus rushed to the supermarkets.
- ‘It could be at any time’ – Greek Cypriot government spokesman Koushos mentioned the possibility of imposing a curfew.
- ‘Special loan’ for salaries – Loan repayments in South Cyprus are being frozen for nine months and electricity prices are being reduced by ten per cent.
Numbers reach 100 in Cyprus
13 new cases were confirmed in the north and nine in the south. According to the information given by the health ministry, 12 of them are German and one a Turkish Cypriot, the wife of a coronavirus patient.
- Akıncı donates discretionary fund – The Presidential Discretionary Fund, starting as of April will be used entirely in the fight against coronavirus.
- The election will be on October 11, 2020 – Akıncı to remain in office until October. Parliament approved the motion with a majority vote. The YDP voted against it.
- Entries closed – No one except for TRNC citizens will be allowed to enter the north. Entries have been shut to all foreign nationals including Turkey.
Main News
13 new coronavirus cases confirmed in the north
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs Postası, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Afrika
Internal Security, Governance and Power Sharing
OVERVIEW
Thirteen more cases of coronavirus were confirmed in the north on Thursday, 12 of them German and one Turkish Cypriot, the wife of an earlier confirmed case.
This brings the total to 33, 30 Germans and three Turkish Cypriots.
Another Turkish Cypriot, a police officer stationed at the Salamis Hotel in Famagusta where a hundred or so German tourists are being kept in isolation was also admitted to hospital on Thursday night after displaying coronavirus symptoms.
His test results were expected to be announced on Friday morning.
More than 200 people who arrived from abroad are also currently in quarantine as part of measures to curb the spread of coronavirus, it was reported on Thursday.
Republican Turkish Party (CTP) leader Tufan Erhürman earlier in the day had urged the government to get in touch with Ankara to obtain rapid Covid-19 testing kits.
“One of our biggest problems is that we have not been able to carry out as many tests as we need. Turkey has announced that it will start using rapid Covid-19 testing kits as of tomorrow. We need to get in touch with the Republic of Turkey as soon as possible and obtain rapid Covid-19 testing kits to increase the number of tests we carry out,” Erhürman said in a post on social media.
Hours before news of the new cases, Turkish Cypriot authorities announced its latest measure, restricting the entry of all foreign nationals into the north.
The move, announced by Turkish Cypriot Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Kudret Özersay said the ban did not include Turkish Cypriots but reminded that all arrivals would be placed in a central quarantine facility for 14 days.
Authorities in the north have been changing and updating entry rules since the first confirmed case of coronavirus in the north on March 10.
Previously a ban existed for citizens of 72 countries.
President Mustafa Akıncı, on Thursday, in a praised gesture, announced that he had given instructions to the finance ministry to transfer the entirety of the Presidential Discretionary Fund to the health ministry budget to be used for the fight against the spread of coronavirus.
“The fight we wage today against coronavirus comes before all other priorities and needs. It is with this understanding, that I have given written instructions to the Ministry of Finance, to transfer the entirety of the Presidential Discretionary Fund to the Ministry of Health starting as of April 2020, for nine months to be used in the fight against the coronavirus outbreak. We shall overcome these difficult days through solidarity,” Akıncı said.
In another development on Thursday, the Turkish Cypriot parliament approved a decision to postpone the presidential elections to 11 October 2020.
The motion was passed with 41 votes in favour and two against.
The Rebirth Party (YDP) voted against postponing the motion on grounds that it did not include handing over the president’s authorities, particularly on the Cyprus Problem, to the parliament.
A second round will be held a week later on 18 October 2020, if none of the candidates secures a simple majority of the votes in the first round.
Following deliberations, a consensus had been reached earlier on Tuesday between Akıncı, the government and leaders of the political parties with seats in parliament to postpone the elections due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The first group of Turkish Cypriots students studying in the UK will be arriving on Friday and Saturday, all dailies reported on Friday.
The 250 or so students will be flown to the north on two charter flights, Özersay announced on Thursday.
He said that all necessary arrangements had been made and expressed hope that everything will go smoothly.
Permits were acquired from both the British and Turkish authorities for the flights to take place.
The dailies also reported that some of the students have decided to remain in the UK.
Those who arrive on Friday and Saturday will be kept in quarantine for 14 days at hotels being monitored by state authorities.
Meanwhile, around 50 inmates at the central prison in north Nicosia were conditionally released on Thursday to lower the risk of coronavirus infection.
The inmates were brought before the court in groups to have their terms of detainment revised.
The prosecutor’s office had been examining case files of inmates over the past week, some pending trial, after detainees and convicts staged a hunger strike in protest of what they claimed were overcrowded and unhygienic conditions in the prison.
The prosecutor’s office said that all 50 individuals released were all TRNC citizens who had committed petty crimes and were awaiting trial.
It said several more could be released in the coming days.
TC authorities announce economic package on the way
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs Postası, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Afrika
Economy, Internal Security, Governance and Power Sharing
OVERVIEW
Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Ersin Tatar on Thursday announced that the government was preparing to announce an economic package to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on the Turkish Cypriot economy.
Speaking on Diyalog TV, Tatar said that the state’s revenues had dropped as a result of the outbreak which was why it was necessary to share what was at hand as fairly as possible.
“We have to draw a roadmap for the way forward,” he said.
Tatar said that the pressing issues as the moment were to lower energy costs and to be able to pay the salaries of the public service.
He expressed the view that the crisis would eventually subside by the summer because there were positive developments in China.
“Measures are also being taken in Europe and I believe everything will recover slowly. We need to refrain from populist action and act rationally. Whether it is the trade unions, the employers or other sector representatives, everyone I have met with is aware of the seriousness of the situation. I can see a spirit of solidarity rising,” he said.
Tatar also admitted that the north did not have the financial resources of the south which was why it had taken such a long time to announce economic measures.
He said that it was important that any decision to be taken needed to have the approval and consent of everyone.
“Everyone will be ready to contribute if they feel that the decisions taken are just and fair,” Tatar added.
He also repeated his call to the public to avoid going out as much as possible, expressing the view that people needed to be patient and that the next ten days or so will prove whether or not the measures in place have been effective in containing the spread of the virus.
Tatar added that they had requested financial and medical support from Turkey and that the support was promised.
Asked about whether or not the government was planning to slash salaries of public servants, Tatar said that no cuts were planned for salaries under a certain figure but higher salaries could be temporarily slashed to create extra revenue for the state.
“The steps we take over the next three months will also take the private sector into account,” he said.
Tatar also said that the measures in place until March 27 will most likely be extended according to the developments in Turkey and the south.
Commenting on the decision to postpone the presidential election, Tatar said that the Cyprus Problem was no longer on the world’s agenda due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“More importantly people would have stayed away from the polls if we were to hold the elections on April 26,” he said.
Tatar added that while the election was postponed until October, parliament will reassess the situation in June to decide whether the candidates can resume campaigning.
He said a decision had also been taken to allow Akıncı to remain in office until the election is held.
“According to our laws, the Speaker of Parliament can only serve as acting president for 45 days. That is why we decided to keep Mr Akıncı in office until the election,” he said.
Tatar also criticized Akıncı for his decision to channel all funds in the Presidential Discretionary Fund to the health ministry.
He said that the discretionary fund was, in any case, to be channelled o the health ministry.
“I don’t understand why he decided to take such action after all this time,” he said.
Tatar concluded by defending the government’s measures.
He said that those who criticized the government and its measures should take a look at other countries.
“Our priority has been to protect the health of our citizens. We may have pushed the economy into second place but we are working on that too,” he said.
Meanwhile on Thursday, Turkish Cypriot Economy and Energy Minister Hasan Taçoy said that the European Union (EU) could allocate funds to the Turkish Cypriot side.
Speaking on HaberKıbrıs web TV, Taçoy said the Turkish Cypriot side had launched the necessary initiatives to prevent the Greek Cypriot side from taking all the assistance being provided to the EU.
He argued that the international recognition of the Greek Cypriot side would help them bounce back from the negative economic impact the coronavirus pandemic might create.
“We do not want the Greek Cypriot side to take what is rightfully ours,” Taçoy stressed.
He noted that the TRNC was also in need of assistance and that the Turkish Cypriot authorities had asked for their share of the EU’s assistance.
“The EU has given a positive response initially. Our efforts are still underway and we are waiting for our efforts to yield its results,” Taçoy said.
He also noted that the retail prices of fuel oil will not be increased and that electricity prices will be lowered as part of the economic measures to mitigate the negative consequences of the coronavirus pandemic.
Meanwhile, representatives of the various economic sectors on Thursday all called on the government to take urgent economic measures to soften the effect of the coronavirus outbreak on the economy.
The Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Shopkeepers and Artisans on Thursday warned that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) faced a serious threat of going bankrupt if the government fails to introduce urgent economic measures.
Chamber representatives who met with Turkish Cypriot Labour and Social Security Minister Faiz Sucuoğlu said that 90 per cent of SMEs were currently non-active due to the measures in place to contain the coronavirus.
“40,000 workers and employers are currently not working,” they warned.
The chamber proposed that the government introduces five measures which include using available resources to pay everyone equally without discrimination, to exempt all SMEs from social security and provident fund payments for six months, to introduce a 40 per cent discount for electricity bills under ₺2000 (approx. €285) and a ten per cent discount for bills higher for a period of six months, to postpone loan repayments for six months and remove interest charges and to freeze all cheque and exchange transactions.
HÜR-İŞ (Turkish Cypriot Federation of Independent Workers’ Trade Unions) Deputy Chairman Ahmet Serdaroğlu also warned of the economic consequences the public will suffer following the coronavirus pandemic if the authorities don’t take urgent action.
Urging the authorities to consider reducing the retail prices of fuel oil and electricity, Serdaroğlu said the “government must also introduce price caps at supermarkets to prevent opportunists who are trying to make an exorbitant profit at such times of crisis.”
The Turkish Cypriot Businessmen’s Association (İŞAD) President Enver Mamülcü argued that the Social Security Department and Provident Funds Department should start paying salaries for those suffering economically.
He argued that both the employers and the employees will suffer greatly as a result of the closure of all businesses in the private sector.
The head of the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Industry (KTSO) Candan Avunduk argued that the government must swiftly announce an economic package to ensure no one is left without an income in the north.
He also urged the government to create a fund to be able to pay people who are left without an income.
Economy experts also echoed the calls made by the various sectors to the government, highlighting the urgency of introducing and implementing economic measures without further delay.
Speaking to Kıbrıs, economist Okan Veli Şafaklı argued that the Turkish Cypriot authorities were not implementing scientific or calculated economic measures to mitigate the negative effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
“There is a pandemic but there are no calculations on which sectors will be affected; the cost of medical expenses, financial resources…They are not working on any possible scenarios,” Şafaklı claimed.
He added that the authorities also failed to identify that many people will economically suffer due to the measures adopted.
Şafaklı suggested that the Turkish Cypriot authorities, without having to rely on any assistance from Turkey, needed to make its budgetary arrangements and to channel as much of its state funds, such as the discretionary fund, to the budget of the health ministry.
He also suggested increasing taxes on luxury consumables such as alcohol and cigarettes.
Economist Erdal Güryay also concurred with Şafaklı’s view that the authorities must implement swift economic measures.
“We have to consider economic measures together with the health measures because the two driving sectors – tourism and higher education – have been hit badly,” Güryay argued.
He urged the authorities must start working on economic packages together with Turkey without further delay.
In another development on Thursday, the Turkish Cypriot Association of Banks on Thursday announced a set of measures aimed at bringing relief to the economic burden of the cabinet’s measures on the public.
In a statement issued, the Association noted that 21 banks operating in the north have waived interest rates on overdraft accounts and have delayed loan repayments for three months.
KEY ACTORS
Tatar (UBP)
>> Government planning to announce an economic package soon.
>> Important to act rationally & sensibly as state revenues have dropped.
>> Pressing issues are lowering energy costs & paying public sector salaries.
>> Sector representatives are aware of the seriousness of the situation. A spirit of solidarity is prevailing.
>> Important that decisions have approval & consent of everyone for their successful implementation.
>> No plans to slash ordinary public salaries, some cuts could be introduced to higher earning public servants.
>> Measures in place until March 27 will most likely be extended according to the developments in Turkey & the south.
>> The Cyprob was no longer on the world’s agenda due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Taçoy (UBP)
>> The EU could allocate funds to the TC side.
>> The TC side had launched the necessary initiatives to prevent the GC side from taking all the aid provided by the EU.
>> The int’l recognition status of the GC side will help them overcome the economic strife caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
>> We do not want the GC side to take what is rightfully ours.
>> The EU has given a positive response initially.