Front Page Headlines
“They’re telling us to pay off debts by borrowing”
The leader of the Republican Turkish Party (CTP) Tufan Erhürman along with all the party’s MPs and general secretary harshly criticized the government at a press conference. CTP leader Erhürman said the government was telling people who were already struggling to pay off earlier loans taken with low interest to pay their remaining debts by borrowing more money and with higher interest.
- Covid wandering around in households – The contact tracing team’s Covid-19 surveillance report for January 1-February 12 has been published. Accordingly, housewives are on top of the list of those who have been infected, followed by students and pensioners. Hotel and casino workers rank fourth followed by the unemployed and pre-schoolers.
- They claimed the virus had come from the south. Only one case was detected – The Covid-19 surveillance report revealed that the claims that the virus had spread to the north from the south were a lie. It emerged that the virus was detected in only one individual who works in the south.
9,200 people apply for food aid
Labour and Social Security Minister Koral Çağman said 2,000 of the 10,000 food aid parcels prepared for people struggling with the pandemic will be distributed today. Çağman said his ministry acquired the list of needy people in collaboration with local administrations and mukhtars. He said that students and individuals with expired residence permits were added to the lists. Çağman also said as long as the pandemic continues, the food assistance will be delivered to those in need. He also said there was a ‘food bank’ set up at the Social Services Department, which was not operational when he assumed office.
- The virus spread among housewives the most – The Covid-19 Contact Tracing (epidemiological) surveillance report, prepared by the Prime Ministry, has been published.
- The state is trying to free itself from its responsibilities – Some of the businesses resumed their food delivery and online sale services however the General Coordinator for KTEZO (Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Shopkeepers and Artisans) Hürrem Tulga said the initiative will have a small contribution to businesses financially.
- Random testing welcomed – Health Ministry carried out random testing yesterday at locations such as pharmacies and supermarkets where people are allowed to visit.
- 12 locally transmitted, 28 new cases – The number of cases in the TRNC following a long period has started to drop.
Federation does not disappear just by rejecting it
In a press conference yesterday, main opposition CTP leader Tufan Erhürman underlined his party’s position in response to the latest statements made by President Ersin Tatar and Turkish officials on the Cyprus Problem. Erhürman said an overall assessment of Tatar’s and Ankara’s statements that a federal model is dead reveals that what has been ultimately abandoned is not a federation but a comprehensive settlement in Cyprus. “It would be wrong to assume that winning an election with 52 per cent means Turkish Cypriots no longer possess the political will for a solution. Furthermore, no one can claim that the election, held under speculations of interference, was a referendum on the solution model of the Cyprus problem. We see a return to the old policy that ‘a non-solution is the solution’. This is something that we have always objected to. No one benefits from the status quo therefore we maintain our position in favour of a comprehensive settlement,” he said.
- “We will not give up on our sovereign equality” – President Ersin Tatar said the Greek Cypriot side has stepped up its provocations as preparations for the 5+1 summit continue.
- 179 housewives infected – The Covid-19 Contact tracing team’s (epidemiological) surveillance report, which outlined the occupational breakdown of locally infected cases, identified that the highest affected group were housewives, independent from the sectors their husbands are working in.
- Protect the people and the businesses – Economic organisations platform (EOP) warned the government to fulfil its responsibilities.
Come on TRNC you too will succeed
Israeli citizens will be allowed to enter South Cyprus as of April 1 without the need for PCR tests or quarantine by presenting vaccine cards. The Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades who met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a one-day visit to Israel returned to the island happy after reaching agreement on important deals. According to Israel’s Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, South Cyprus is a popular holiday destination for Israelis and that more than 300,000 tourists have visited the island despite the pandemic. Economic experts who spoke to Diyalog highlighted the urgent need for speeding up vaccinations in the TRNC to be able to lift the quarantine requirement for visiting tourists.
Erdoğan wants to become president here too
Turkey has decided that the TRNC switch to a presidential system. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan who replaced Mustafa Akıncı, with Ersin Tatar, seen by the public as his “appointed administrator,” is preparing to make his next move… A phased plan has been prepared within the framework of the latest protocols signed with the TRNC… Part of the plan is to introduce the presidential system in the TRNC, similar to the one in Turkey. Ankara is promising to transfer ₺2.5bn (€294.2m) to the TRNC this year… The funds will be used for structural reforms, transportation, energy and infrastructure… The transportation network will be renewed by 2030 with the construction of dual carriageways everywhere and the completion of 322km of rural roads.
- 113 positive cases of coronavirus and one death in the south, 28 new cases in the north…
Main News
Erhürman: Tatar & Ankara abandoning goal of comprehensive solution
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog
Negotiations Process
OVERVIEW
Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar on Monday continued his crusade in favour of a two-state solution in Cyprus based on sovereign equality, while drawing fire from the main opposition party for reverting to the policy goal of a ‘non-solution’.
“The Turkish Cypriots will never make any concessions from their sovereignty, Turkey’s guarantees and their political equality,” Tatar said in a statement responding to the latest statements made by Greek Cypriot negotiator Andreas Mavroyiannis.
Referring to Mavroyiannis’s remarks that the Turkish Cypriot side’s demand for sovereign equality will spell the end of the ‘country’, Tatar argued that the Greek Cypriot negotiator’s comments proved that the Greek Cypriot side’s ultimate goal was to transform Turkish Cypriots into a minority.
He said the views of the Greek Cypriot leadership rendered the Turkish Cypriot side’s demand for a two-state solution all the more important. “Our sovereign equality and Turkey’s guarantees are our red lines,” he said.
Tatar furthermore claimed the Greek Cypriots had no intention of sharing wealth or power with Turkish Cypriots, thus making it impossible for Turkish Cypriots to accept any settlement which would force them to be absorbed into a state dominated by Greek Cypriots.
He repeated his argument that the international community is now discussing the possibility of a two-state solution on the island. “Despite the Greek Cypriot side’s provocations, we will continue to work towards our goal of a two-state solution,” Tatar concluded.
Meanwhile, the leader of the main opposition Republican Turkish Party (CTP) leader Tufan Erhürman reiterated his party’s position that a bicommunal, bizonal federal (BBF) is the only feasible and realistic solution on the island, arguing that Tatar was essentially not abandoning the federation model but a settlement altogether.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Erhürman warned that it was wrong to assume that Turkish Cypriots had abandoned their political will for a solution by looking at the results of the latest presidential elections in the north. He reminded that Tatar had only received 52 per cent of the votes and therefore could not speak on behalf of the entire Turkish Cypriot community.
The CTP leader pointed out that the Turkish Cypriot leadership has returned to the former policy of a ‘non-solution being a solution’, arguing that what Tatar and Ankara were rejecting was not a federal solution but a comprehensive settlement as a whole.
Erhürman added that a federation as the basis of a solution did not just disappear because Tatar and Ankara claimed it was no more. He said that despite all these efforts, CTP will continue to advocate and work for a BBF in Cyprus.
KEY ACTORS
Tatar
>> GC leadership’s remarks justify TC side’s demands for a two-state solution.
>> Sovereign equality, the continuation of Turkey’s guarantees & two-state solution are TCs’ red lines.
Erhürman (CTP)
>> CTP supports a BBF. This is the only feasible & realistic solution model.
>> Tatar’s election with 52% should not be perceived as TCs abandoning their will for a BBF.
>> What Tatar & Ankara are rejecting is not a federal solution but a comprehensive settlement in Cyprus.
Turkish daily claims new road map for north initiated
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Avrupa
Economy
OVERVIEW
Rumours of a plan to instate a presidential system in the north resurfaced on Monday following a news piece in the Turkish daily Sabah.
According to the article picked up by Turkish Cypriot dailies, Ankara has initiated a five-stage plan it has prepared for the north which includes switching to a presidential system similar to that in Turkey and completely reopening the fenced-off town of Maraş (Varosha) for tourism.
The Turkish daily states that Ankara has allocated ₺2.5bn (€294.2m) to the north within the scope of the 2021 economic protocol, which mainly is to be spent on structural reforms, upgrading the north’s energy and transportation infrastructure, increasing agricultural production and modernizing the service sector for economic development.
The paper says that the 5-stage plan was put into motion following a visit to the north by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan last November and more recently by his vice president Fuat Oktay who signed four important deals with Turkish Cypriot officials on digital transformation, e-governance, higher education, infrastructure and local administrations.
The plan, explained by the Turkish daily, includes promoting the ‘TRNC’s’ historic, cultural and natural wealth as well as carrying out work to mitigate the negative effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. The masterplan for north’s highway network will be revised with new dual carriageways being built. An additional 332km of rural roads will be renewed or will undergo maintenance. The article reminded that Turkey had built a total of 602km of roads in the north over the years, 181km of which are motorways.
On energy, the paper said that Ankara aims to work on projects which will reduce energy costs and electricity prices, including the setting up of two mobile power plants which will allow for the maintenance and repairs on the north’s main Teknecik power plant.
Sabah claims work on switching to a presidential system will also be launched in the meantime along with intense diplomatic efforts for the political recognition of the north.
Coalition comes under fire from private sector over the economy
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog
Economy
OVERVIEW
The National Unity Party (UBP)-Rebirth Party (YDP)-Democratic Party (DP) coalition government continued to come under fire from the private sector on Monday given the worsening economic situation in the north due to the lockdown.
Apart from the ₺1,500 (€175) support payment for private sector employees and minor contributions to social insurance premiums deposited by employers, nothing substantial has been announced so far.
The announcement from the Turkish Cypriot Labour Ministry on Monday that overdue support payments dating back to December 2020 had been deposited to employers’ bank accounts did not help quell the outrage of the private sector.
The Economic Organisations Platform (EOP) delivered an ultimatum to the government on Monday, calling on it to fulfil its responsibilities and duties to the country. The platform which slammed the coalition for remaining callous to the problems of the private sector presented a list of 11 demands which include ensuring the speedy delivery of vaccines to the north to complete vaccinations by the end of April.
The EOP also asked the government to postpone the financial obligations of businesses without any interest or penalty; to restructure existing bank loans of businesses until the end of the pandemic, and to cease all sequestration orders until further notice. Demands for the creation of a crisis management desk and the allocation of state funds to finance struggling establishments was also put forward by the platform.
Candan Avunduk, head of the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce made a similar warning on the economy on Monday, claiming that the private sector was on the verge of bankruptcy. Avunduk also argued that the government must stop ignoring the problems as this would lead to the collapse of the entire economy.
Meanwhile, Turkish Cypriots employed in the south announced they will be organising themselves under EMEK-İŞ trade union, which operates under the Turkish Cypriot Revolutionary Workers’ Unions Federation (DEV-İŞ).
The Republican Turkish Party (CTP) also slammed the government on Monday over what it said was a lack of economic vision. Speaking during a press conference organised to highlight the growing political and economic crisis in the country, CTP leader Tufan Erhürman announced his party was setting up its own crisis desk due to the government’s poor management of the pandemic and the economy.
He pointed out that the so-called support schemes announced by the government were aimed at deflecting the criticism directed against it. “What the government is essentially proposing is for people who were already struggling to pay off their debts from the first lockdown in March to borrow more money and restructure their debts with higher interest. This is absolutely unacceptable,” he said.
Erhürman warned that the impact of the economic decisions taken today will continue for years to come.
Pilli optimistic that north is winning the fight against Covid-19
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog
Internal Security
OVERVIEW
Turkish Cypriot Health Minister Ali Pilli on Monday expressed confidence that up to 100,000 people will be vaccinated by the end of February. He said that his ministry was working towards achieving that goal.
Speaking during a programme on Bayrak, Pilli pointed out that the number of coronavirus cases has dropped significantly as a result of the lockdown measures implemented. He noted it will be possible to contain the spread of the virus as long as people strictly adhere to the face mask, social distancing and hygiene rules, despite a warning by experts that another surge could be experienced in March.
Pilli said that they were still waiting for the 75,000 rapid tests to be delivered by the EU and that the ministry in the meantime will continue to carry out at least 5,000 PCR tests per day.
Commenting on the vaccination drive, Pilli said the vaccinations were moving along as planned with 50,000 vaccinations administered so far. He also said they were expecting the delivery of a new batch of Pfizer BioNTech vaccines from the EU later this week.
In the meantime, a health ministry report on the occupational breakdown of Covid-19 cases from January 1 to February 12 published on Monday revealed that the highest rate of infections was among housewives with a total of 179 cases.
According to the ministry’s Covid-19 contact tracing team (epidemiological) surveillance report, primary and secondary school students rank second with 159 positive cases followed by pensioners with 100 cases. Other occupational groups where case numbers were high were hotel and casino workers and the unemployed. Infections in other occupation groups were significantly lower compared to the top five.
The report also proved false Turkish Cypriot authorities’ claims that Turkish Cypriots working in the south had contributed to the surge in cases in the north. According to the report, only one individual working in the south had tested positive for Covid-19.
Both Pilli and Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar had defended the restrictions introduced for Turkish Cypriots on crossing points, claiming that the decisions had been adopted due to a significant number of cases detected among people crossing to the south daily.
The results sparked a debate on social media, as many accused the government of using the pandemic as an excuse to pursue its political agenda. Turkish Cypriots, workers, students and ordinary citizens have been unable to cross over to the south for daily visits without having to enter quarantine on their return since late November last year