Front Page Headlines
Debts are growing, the government is proposing new loans
The Council of Ministers proposed that shopkeepers and the real sector take out new loans to overcome the economic crisis due to the pandemic. No new announcement was made for private sector employees.
Economic deadlock
Prime Minister Ersan Saner announced new decisions following a six-hour-long Council of Ministers meeting. Despite expectations of a comprehensive economic support package, only austerity measures for the ministries and bank loans for the retailers were announced. Saner said the Finance Ministry needs to borrow ₺500m (€58.8m), giving the message that the government will be considering the slashing of salaries of civil servants if the treasury fails to collect sufficient revenues before the end of the month.
- University students starting to return – Education Minister Olgun Amcaoğlu said university students will be brought back to the country with additional flights from Istanbul starting today.
- Get vaccinated with whichever vaccine you find – After Sinovac and Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca vaccines are being delivered to our country. Experts, addressing people’s concerns about the vaccines, highlight that all are being used following necessary tests on safety and effectiveness. They call on the people to get vaccinated.
- 20 people have died of coronavirus to date in the TRNC.
Tensions escalate
Prime Minister Ersan Saner responded to Republican Turkish Party (CTP) leader Tufan Erhürman’s criticism, stating that a ‘destructive and unconstructive mentality is not needed.’ Erhürman, in response, described Saner’s approach as unfortunate.
- Failed to meet expectations – The Council of Ministers in its six-hour-long meeting with the economy being the only agenda item, decided on a ₺100m (€11.7m) loan scheme with an additional ₺20m (€2.3m) lease support loan and decided on a 10 per cent cut from the (state) budget. A cut from public sector salaries will depend on how much the finance ministry will be able to collect in revenues.
- CTP lost its patience over BRT – The main opposition CTP warned Bayrak’s administration over censoring the opposition. BRT Director Meryem Özkurt admitted it was a mistake and was now corrected.
‘We have the capacity’
(Health) Minister Ali Pilli said that up to 300,000 people will be vaccinated by April and that the country will be open for tourism. He said that they could vaccinate that many people. Pilli claimed that the TRNC has the capability of administering vaccines at 27 centres, including the Dr Burhan Nalbantoğlu State Hospital. He also said that they have good relations with local administrations.
- Celebratory mood – The ‘Green Passport’ agreement between South Cyprus and Israel raises hopes of Greek Cypriot tourism operators.
Planes full of students expected
The goal is to swiftly bring back 17,550 students, who will graduate this year, to the island. Education Minister Olgun Amcaoğlu announced extra flights are being arranged for university students to be brought back to the country… The students will still have to enter mandatory quarantine as part of measures adopted by the Higher Committee for Infectious Diseases.
- “It is a joint struggle” – Five NGOs condemned police brutality on the protestors in the south. Bağımsızlık Yolu (Road to Independence) also condemned the violence.
- Food aid parcels to be delivered to 10,000 people – The food aid parcels will be distributed through the ‘Food Bank,” established under the Social Services Department.
- Banks to give out loans to pay debts – Ersan Saner announced the banks will start accepting applications for a ₺100m (€11.7m) loan scheme with an additional ₺20m (€2.3m) lease support scheme for 1,000 micro businesses.
Main News
Akansoy says Tatar wants the status quo to continue
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Avrupa
Negotiations Process
OVERVIEW
The main opposition Republican Turkish Party (CTP) on Tuesday continued to grind away at the Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar, claiming that he did not want a solution but the continuation of the status quo.
Speaking to Turkish Diplomacy Reporters’ Association, CTP MP Asım Akansoy urged Tatar to swiftly abandon his anti-solution position, arguing that perpetuating uncertainty and dragging Turkish Cypriots into reckless adventures will have irreversible consequences for the Turkish Cypriot community.
He also pointed out that the international community and the UN Security Council (UNSC) have clearly stated that a bicommunal, bizonal federation (BBF) is the basis of a solution to be reached in Cyprus. “It means that there will either be a federal solution, or the current situation will continue,” Akansoy said.
The CTP MP also lashed out at those who branded pro-federation supporters as ‘traitors’, stating that this was unacceptable. He claimed that even Tatar is aware that a majority of Turkish Cypriots support a mutually acceptable comprehensive settlement on the island but that the Turkish Cypriot leader was attempting to destroy the negotiations process with his unfounded and baseless arguments.
Akansoy urged Tatar to swiftly abandon his current positions, adopting one in favour of a comprehensive settlement.
KEY ACTORS
Akansoy (CTP)
>> Tatar wants continuation of status quo even though his positions will harm the TCs.
>> Both UNSC & international community point out BBF is the basis of a solution in Cyprus.
>> Tatar destroying negotiations process & Maraş (Varosha) with baseless & unfounded arguments.
NGOs in north call for a common fight for democracy
Yenidüzen
Human Rights
OVERVIEW
A group of NGOs in the north issued a joint statement on Tuesday, condemning the excessive force used by police against dozens of protestors during a march organised on Saturday in the southern part of Nicosia against corruption and the poor management of the pandemic.
Our fight for human rights, democracy and rule of law is a joint struggle and will continue on both sides of the island, the statement read.
The five organisations, the Third Community Forum, Refugee Rights Association, Queer Cyprus Association, Civil Society Initiative and Human Rights Foundation, condemned the police for using excessive force even though freedom of assembly and the right to protest were safeguarded both by international treaties and the constitution of the Republic of Cyprus (RoC).
The NGOs said that police violence against citizens exercising their democratic rights is unacceptable and that an investigation into the matter must be launched without further delay.
Noting that the coronavirus pandemic cannot be used as a pretext to arbitrarily restrict rights and freedoms, the NGOs stressed they have been following the startling attacks on democratic rights on both sides of the island. “We can only survive these difficult days and stop the permanent division of the island by fighting together,” the statement read.
The Road to Independence (Bağımsızlık Yolu) also condemned the incident in the south.
The Turkish Cypriot organisation stressed freedom of thought and expression are the very core of democracy, expressing hope the “police violence should be a wake-up call for the post-modern Turkish Cypriot left which believes they will attain all democratic rights by becoming a part of the EU.”
Bağımsızlık Yolu argued that rights and freedoms are under attack by imperialists and urged all Cypriots to unite to wage a joint struggle against any attempts to prune basic rights.
Saner hits back at Erhürman, says CTP’s accusations are baseless
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Avrupa
Governance & Power Sharing
OVERVIEW
Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Ersan Saner hit back at CTP leader Tufan Erhürman on Tuesday for what he said were unfounded accusations made against his government during a press conference the previous day. He said it was unfortunate that CTP chose to adopt an unconstructive and destructive mentality during the pandemic rather than embracing an understanding of unity and solidarity.
Among other things, Erhürman on Monday accused the government of lacking economic vision as well as pursuing an unrealistic policy on the Cyprus Issue. In a written statement, Saner said that the accusations made could not be substantiated and were purely part of CTP’s strategy for the next elections.
He reminded that it was CTP that had turned down his party’s offer to form a coalition government using the Cyprus Issue as an excuse. “Twice, CTP ran away from its responsibility towards the public despite all our proposals made in good faith. CTP is resorting to cheap politics,” Saner added.
He also said it was unfair to criticize the three-party coalition which has only been in office for two months. Saner pointed out that the coalition succeeded in opening the pandemic hospital as well as acquiring 80,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccines.
Regarding the Cyprus Problem, the Turkish Cypriot prime minister criticized CTP for insisting on a federal settlement even though decades of talks aimed at achieving a bizonal, bicommunal federal (BBF) solution had failed. “It is wrong to insist on a policy which will not benefit the people,” he said.
Saner claimed that CTP’s insistence on a federal solution was because it perceived the dismissal of a federation as the basis of a solution as a direct threat to its political existence.
“No matter what CTP says or does, the conditions [on the island] have changed. Greece and the Greek Cypriot side’s goals are clear. There are two sovereign states in Cyprus. If there is a sincere desire to solve the Cyprus Problem, the two sides need to work for cooperation between the two states,” he said.
Saner also defended the moves on Maraş (Varosha), stating that the fenced-off city was being opened to allow those with rights before 1974 to benefit from their properties. “Of course, international law will be taken into account when doing this,” he added.
KEY ACTORS
Saner (UBP)
>> CTP’s insistence on a BBF is meaningless given decades of failed attempts.
>> CTP only insisting on a BBF because its dismissal would threaten its political existence.
>> Conditions have changed, two sides need to work for cooperation between two states.
Oruç Reis anchored off the coast of Demre
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis
Energy
OVERVIEW
The Turkish seismic vessel Oruç Reis has anchored off the coast of Demre, Antalya on January 29, for resupplies and refuelling, it was reported on Tuesday.
Oruç Reis has been carrying out its seismic research in the area since December 23, 2020, based on a Navtex (navigational telex) that ends on June 15, 2021. Two other vessels, the Ataman and Cengiz Khan, accompanying Oruç Reis during its activities have also anchored at the same point.
Oruç Reis conducts various geological, geophysical, hydrographic and oceanographic surveys, especially of the continental shelf, while also searching for natural resources.
In the meantime, it was reported last week that the Turkish Petroleum Company (TPAO) is close to procuring a new deep-water drilling vessel from the Norwegian rig company Dolphin Drilling. The acquisition would increase Turkey’s drilling fleet to four, adding to the existing fleet in the Black Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean.