Front Page Headlines
This happened as well
President Ersin Tatar received his certificate of election on October 19. He hired people to the public service as “Prime Minister” on October 22. Tatar hired two people into the Office of the President, four people to the Department of Social Insurance, two to the Department of Revenues and Tax, two to the Department for Cooperatives, one person to the State Planning Organisation, one to the Department of Veterinary Services, one person to the Port Authority, one person to the Ministry of National Education and Culture, one person to the District Office and one to the Land Registry Office.
- No government, no congress! –The National Unity Party’s (UBP) process to form a new government has turned to chaos. Following a five-hour-long meeting, acting party leader Ersan Saner snuck out of the UBP building from the back door. The UBP failure to form a new government or to elect a new leader has led the crisis to grow.
The government is almost okay
Acting UBP leader Ersan Saner held a meeting with his team tasked with carrying out negotiations on forming a new government after the UBP parliamentary group held a five-hour-long meeting yesterday (Wednesday). Rebirth Party (YDP) leader Erhan Arıklı paid a surprise visit to the UBP headquarters. He pointed to a government formation with a cabinet made of technocrats and MPs.
- We are not acting against the UN resolutions in Maraş (Varosha) – President Ersin Tatar emphasized that many of the opportunities on Maraş (Varosha) had been missed due to Greek Cypriot side’s irreconcilable attitude in the negotiations processes for the past 46 years since 1974.
Chaos, not a government
The UBP parliamentary group’s five-hour long debate ended without a conclusion. The party’s top brass continued the discussions on forming a new government. The YDP leader Erhan Arıklı and Rauf Denktaş, head of the Nicosia District Office of the Democratic Party (DP) attended the meeting but failed to achieve any results.
- “The basis for conducting politics has shifted” – Leader of the Republican Turkish Party (CTP) Tufan Erhürman evaluated the latest developments, the interference during and after the elections and the government crisis.
Is there no solution?
The temporary suspension of issuing or renewing driving licenses is not only causing the state to lose revenues but is also creating problems for the public. The process to amend the legal statute for renewing driving licenses has caused serious problems and is costing the state ₺4m (€437,000) in revenues. What’s more is that hundreds of people have been unable to sit driving exams or renew their licenses. Owners of driving schools who spoke to Diyalog have warned that they are on the brink of bankruptcy. They said that business has dropped due to the pandemic itself but now the latest developments have made matters worse. “We are unable to pay rent or our expenses,” they added.
The lynch mob was also at the picnic
Those who threw stones at our newspaper are becoming more and more popular among Tayyip Erdoğan’s staff. They are arm-in-arm at every visit. Head of the “Ak Hataylılar” (Hatay) Association Mehmet İpek was among those who led the attack on our newspaper on January 22, 2018. He was imprisoned for six months but was then released early for ‘good behaviour.’ İpek has left the side of visiting Turkish officials. They were together again during the November 15 Maraş (Varosha) picnic… He posed for the cameras with Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and Devlet Bahçeli.
- Still imprisoned – His doctor from the Larnaca hospital called him yesterday (Wednesday) and said: “He needs to undergo dialysis at 3pm, otherwise he will die.” However, Erdal Eryener could not go because he was still in jail.
- 198 cases of coronavirus and one death in the south. 14 cases in the north.
Main News
Tatar receives German Ambassador Kremp
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Avrupa
Negotiations Process, Regional/International Relations
OVERVIEW
Turkish Cypriot President Ersin Tatar received the German Ambassador in Cyprus, Josef Kremp on Wednesday.
According to a statement issued by the Office of the President, Tatar conveyed the Turkish Cypriot side’s vision for a settlement in Cyprus based on sovereign equality to the German Ambassador.
Tatar also emphasized the importance of lifting the embargoes imposed on the Turkish Cypriot community.
“The EU, on one hand, must lift the unacceptable embargoes and on the other must deliver the promises it had made to the Turkish Cypriot community in the past,” Tatar stressed.
Tatar also asked for Germany’s assistance in ensuring fair treatment of the Turkish Cypriots in the international arena and in putting an end to the EU discrimination against the Turkish Cypriots.
He also underlined that it has not been possible to solve the Cyprus Problem due to the Greek Cypriot side’s irreconcilable attitude for the past 50 years
“It is necessary to open a new page to achieve progress in the Cyprus issue,” Tatar concluded.
For his part, German Ambassador Kremp expressed Germany’s readiness to assist the sides in reaching an agreement on the Cyprus issue.
Kremp also congratulated Tatar for his victory in the elections.
TDP leader Özyiğit receives AKEL MEP Kızılyürek
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis
Human Rights, EU Matters
OVERVIEW
Social Democratic Party (TDP) leader Cemal Özyiğit received Akel MEP Niyazi Kızılyürek on Wednesday.
In addition to evaluating the current developments in the north, Kızılyürek presented the TDP leader with a dossier entailing his work done at the European Parliament.
During the meeting, Kızılyürek noted that he has launched initiatives for the Turkish Cypriots to gain their rights in the EU, including efforts to broaden the scope of the Green Line Trade Regulation and for the recognition of Turkish as an official EU language.
He also asked for TDP to support his initiative.
For his part, Özyiğit said TDP had always supported and advocated for Turkish to be included in the list of official languages, noting that the party will support Kızılyürek’s petition on the issue.
“There are two communities living on the island of Cyprus. It would be an important development to include Turkish as an official language even if there is not a solution on the island,” Özyiğit concluded.
Konya mayor highlights work carried out in Maraş (Varosha)
Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog
Property, Territory, Regional/International Relations
OVERVIEW
Turkey’s Konya Metropolitan Municipality has donated to the Famagusta Municipality 600 bicycles to be used for recreational purposes in the newly-opened section of Maraş (Varosha), it was announced on Wednesday.
The Mayor of Konya who is also the head of the Turkish World Municipalities Union, İbrahim Altay, told Anadolu Agency that their donations to the Famagusta Municipality included a garbage truck, a cleaning truck and a water truck to be used for operations within Maraş (Varosha)
Altay also said that the Konya Municipality along with the Turkish Ministry for Environment and Urban Planning as well as TOKI (Turkish Housing Administration) had carried out the landscaping work along the route leading to the beachfront.
He said they had contributed to the asphalting of roads, repairing sidewalks, placing barriers before or boarding around dangerous buildings, opening kiosks, drawing up bicycle lanes and the construction of a children’s playground.
“Thank God we carried out our work successfully. Thanks to the will demonstrated by our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and TRNC President Ersin Tatar we were able to transform public spaces in Maraş (Varosha) into an area that can be used by everyone. We as a sister municipality shall continue to work closely with the Famagusta Municipality in the near future,” Altay added.