Front Page Headlines
“The wheels are not turning”
Business owners in Nicosia’s Industrial Zone complain of an ever-deepening economic crisis. The business owners say that the situation has worsened since the Covid-19 pandemic and that many workplaces have shut down. They complain that business has gone down by 50 to 60 per cent since the outbreak of the virus in the country.
- ‘Made in Turkey’ razors cheaper in the south despite the difference in the foreign exchange rate!
Interest is on mandatory third-party insurance
The economic crisis being experienced in the country has also hit insurance companies. The majority of people, whose purchasing power has dropped, prefers to only get the mandatory third-party insurance for their cars, which cost approximately ₺600 (€67). Car owners do not opt for the full insurance option. Ülker Fahri, head of the Association for Insurance and Reassurance companies, said 25 per cent of the full insurance policies have been cancelled in the past six months.
- Water at the Geçitköy (Panagra) dam has almost dried up – Farmers in the area are now prohibited from taking water from the dam until the pipeline supplying water to the dam is repaired and water starts to collect once again.
N/A
Foreign exchange rate deals the final blow
Thousands of students and hotel owners abandoned the country, flats for rent remain vacant and real-estate sales have hit rock-bottom. Realtors are also feeling the brunt of the economic effects of the pandemic. The country’s best-known realtors and contractors who spoke to Diyalog complain that the business is at an all-time low after thousands of university students have failed to return to the country. They say that real-estate sales have also plummeted, mainly because of the foreign exchange rates. As the value of the Turkish Lira continues to erode against foreign currency, people are unable to buy any property.
- Brilliant idea – Famous lawyer Achilleas Dimitriades proposed that the old Nicosia Airport should be transformed into a pandemic hospital to be used by the two communities
The Final Week
Unload the weight so that I can go and vote. (The front page is dedicated to a photograph of a donkey with the two baskets loaded on its back, one with a load of coronavirus and the other with foreign currencies.) Foreign currencies, coronavirus, bankruptcy, debts, court orders for the indebted, unemployment, taxes…And on top of that you are asking for votes. We are sorry but how do you expect us to go and vote with such a heavy burden on our backs?
- “I did not have the right not to run as a candidate” – Mustafa Akıncı said.
Main News
Akıncı: ‘We have to focus on the goal of a federal solution’
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Avrupa
Negotiations Process
OVERVIEW
“Chasing after unattainable goals such as a two-state solution or the creation of a confederation will only harm the Turkish Cypriots, which are already paying the price of the status quo on the island,” President Mustafa Akıncı said on Friday.
Speaking during a programme on Bayrak, Akıncı noted that some of the slogans and models proposed by other candidates as alternatives during their election campaign had been attempted in the past but failed, resulting in the launch of talks on a federation.
“Instead, we have to focus all our efforts towards finding a federal solution which will be established by the two equal constituent states in which the sovereignty will emanate from the two communities,” Akıncı stressed.
Referring to the latest debate in the north on ditching efforts for a federal solution during the an-informal five-party conference, Akıncı said demanding political recognition for the north and rejecting all notions of a federal settlement would spell disaster for the Turkish Cypriot’s unique and independent identity.
Such a scenario would only strengthen the perception that the north is the sub-administration of Turkey, he warned.
“It will be once clearer to all the parties during the five-party conference that federation is the only viable option,” Akıncı said, noting that Turkish Cypriots will never accept a unitary state nor the Greek Cypriots a two-state solution.
Akıncı said he is aware of the fact that the Turkish Cypriot community wants to protect its unique identity and wants to have control over its institutions while maintaining its democratic and secular structure.
Asked what has changed in the Greek Cypriot side to accept the federal solution, Akıncı argued that the Greek Cypriot community has begun to understand what the lack of solution means for the island.
“The Greek Cypriot community has realised the fact that if they are not going to reach an agreement on the hydrocarbons, they are not going to be able to obtain any revenues from it,” Akıncı argued.
Recalling the fluctuating positions in the Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades’ attitude leading to the Berlin trilateral, Akıncı said as a result of Berlin, the new process will focus on reaching a strategic agreement within UN parameters which will not be open-ended.
“The Greek Cypriot leader accepted these principles in Berlin. The old style of going around in circles is over. The period of long discussions is over,” Akıncı stressed.
Akıncı, responding to a question what if the new round of talks were to fail as well, expressing his determination to reach a solution and to never give up on solution-oriented politics whilst working on improving the quality of life in the north.
“We have to continue with our struggle to win back our rights which the Greek Cypriots had usurped since 1963,” Akıncı concluded.
KEY ACTORS
Akıncı
>> Chasing after unattainable goals such as a two-state solution & confederation will only harm the TCs.
>> TCs are already paying the price of the status quo on the island.
>> Alternative solution models have been attempted in the past but all efforts failed, resulting in a return to the federation model.
>> All our efforts must focus towards on finding a federal solution which will be established by the two equal constituent states in which the sovereignty will emanate from the two communities.
>> Abandoning a federal settlement & seeking political recognition will spell disaster for TC community’s unique & independent identity.
>> Such a move will onlystrengthen the perception that the north is a sub-administration of Turkey.
>> It will be clearer to all the parties during the 5+1 conference that a federal settlement is the only viable option.
>> TCs will never accept a unitary state & GCs will not accept a two-state solution model.
>> The TC community wants to protect its unique identity & wants to have control over its institutions while maintaining its democratic & secular structure.
>> The GC community has begun to understand what the absence of a solution means for the island.
>> The GC community has realised the fact that if they are not going to reach an agreement with the TCs on the hydrocarbons, they are not going to be able to obtain any revenues from it.
>> As a result of Berlin, the new process will focus on reaching a strategic agreement within UN parameters & will not be open-ended.
>> The GC leader accepted these principles in Berlin.
>> We have to continue with our struggle to win back our rights which the GCs had usurped since 1963.
Sanctions on Turkey will only strengthen its resolve on East Med, says Çavuşoğlu.
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Avrupa
EU Matters, Regional/International Relations, Energy
OVERVIEW
“Any sanctions imposed on Turkey would only result in strengthening our determination to protect the rights of the Turkish Cypriots and of Turkey,” Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said.
In an interview with the Italian daily La Stampa during his official visit to Rome, Çavuşoğlu added, “the EU will not dare to impose sanctions on Turkey.”
Çavuşoğlu underlined Ankara only protected its and Turkish Cypriots’ rights against maximalist claims on maritime boundaries in the Eastern Mediterranean.
“It is vital to normalise our relations with the EU but the only way to do so is to distinguish some EU members’ maximalist claims from the Turkey-EU relations,” Çavuşoğlu stressed.
Also responding to a question on Russia’s proposal to mediate between Turkey and the Greek Cypriot side, Çavuşoğlu did not reject the idea.
“Russia is our neighbour and is one of the important actors in our region. We will cooperate with it as much as possible and also maintain our position when needed”, he added.
“Russia can play the role of an intermediary well as long as it remains impartial between the two sides,” Çavuşoğlu concluded.
Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu visited Italy upon an invitation of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Luigi Di Maio of Italy to discuss the preparations of the Third Turkey-Italy Intergovernmental Summit.
KEY ACTORS
Çavuşoğlu
>> Any sanctions imposed on Turkey would only result in strengthening our determination to protect the rights of the TCs & of Turkey.
>> The EU will not dare to impose sanctions on Turkey.
>> Ankara is only protecting its & TCs’ rights against maximalist claims on maritime boundaries in the East Med.
>> Vital to normalise relations with the EU but the only way to do so is to distinguish some EU members’ maximalist claims from the Turkey-EU relations.
>> Russia & Turkey will cooperate with it as much as possible & also maintain our position when needed.
>> Russia can play the role of an intermediary well as long as it remains impartial between the two sides.