TCC Press Review 23 Mar 2021

Front Page Headlines

Yenidüzen

The last game

8-year-old Yahya Ergör who was accidentally killed on March 20 whilst playing with his father’s handgun was laid to rest yesterday. His father, a retired police officer, devastated by the death of his son could barely stand. Police took swabs from the boy’s fingers. He is believed to have accidentally shot himself at home while his parents were downstairs.

  • ‘Infection’ alarm among health workers: The virus is in the hospital –There have been reports of more and more health workers being infected. Ten nurses have tested positive for Covid-19 since March 17. Three doctors and 43 nurses have been isolated as contacts of positive cases.
  • The will belongs to the people –’ This Country Is Ours’ Platform’ protested the protocol signed with Turkey.

Kıbrıs

The nightmare returns

The governor of the Turkish Central Bank following his decision to increase interest rates was removed from duty four-and-a-half months after his appointment. As a result, the Turkish Lira started the week with sharp losses and the value of foreign currencies against the Lira skyrocketed. In our country, in which everything is pegged to foreign currencies, the devaluation of the Lira hit the people where it hurts the most.

  • Difficult to see all the MPs in the parliamentA quorum could not be reached in parliament yesterday, resulting in the postponement of the session to today. Kıbrıs looked at the attendance reports of the 49 MPs in the period from October 1, 2020, to January 31, 2021.

Havadis

We have become poorer in one day

The markets gave a harsh response to the removal of the Turkish Central Bank Governor Naci Ağbal from duty following his decision to increase interest rates. When the trading markets opened on Monday, the Turkish Lira eroded and the value of foreign currencies skyrocketed. The Lira lost approximately 17 per cent of its value in one day.

  • “No need for a new (presidential) palace” – Former President Mehmet Ali Talat, who spoke on a programme on Havadis web TV hosted by Öntaç Düzgün and Mehmet Moreket said that a project to expand the current presidential palace already existed but had been shelved.
  • No to integration! – “This Country is Ours’” Platform staged a protest against the protocol agreement signed with Turkey outside the parliament.
  • Lute working for Geneva – UN special envoy Jane Holl Lute continued with the preparations for the informal Cyprus conference to be held in Geneva from April 27 to 29, in Ankara.

Diyalog

Corona hits hard

It has emerged that 49,000 cases were heard by courts in 2019. This figure dropped to below 30,000 in 2020. The head of the Supreme Court Narin Ferdi Şefik said that delays were being experienced with family cases. She said 639 cases were pending since January 2021. She also said that there has been an increase in legal cases in the last two years.

  • My son where are you going?Tears poured at the funeral of 8-year-old boy Yahya who bid an early farewell to this life. 

Avrupa

TL Shock

1£:11.20₺ -1€:9.65₺ -1$:8.10₺. As if the impact of the coronavirus pandemic was not enough, the people have now been dealt a blow by the Turkish Lira. The Turkish lira seriously devaluated following the removal of the Central Bank governor from duty…The international markets turned upside down…British Pounds Sterling exceeded ₺11; Euro reached ₺10 and US Dollar increasing towards ₺9… Our community, which is already in great difficulty, will not be able to shoulder this burden…

  • Stop TurkeyTurkey’s decisions to withdraw from the Istanbul convention, its attempt to close the HDP (People’s Democratic Party) and disrespecting the ECHR (European Court of Human Rights) decisions are the limit. Amnesty International calls on Europe to stop Turkey.

Main News

Çavuşoğlu received Lute ahead of five-plus-one meeting

Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Avrupa
Negotiations Process

OVERVIEW

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu met with the UN special envoy Jane Holl Lute in Ankara on Monday ahead of next month’s five-plus-one meeting on the Cyprus issue. Çavuşoğlu announced the meeting on his Twitter account.

“Sustainable and realistic settlement for the benefit of all parties in Cyprus is the cooperation of two states based on sovereign equality,” Çavuşoğlu tweeted.

The informal five-plus-one meeting is set to be held on April 27-29 in Geneva and will bring the two sides on Cyprus and the three guarantor nations around the same table under the auspices of the UN.

KEY ACTORS
Çavuşoğlu (Turkey)
>> A sustainable & realistic solution lies in the cooperation of two states based on sovereign equality.


Not possible to normalize EU-Turkey relations unless Cyprob is solved

Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Avrupa
Negotiations Process

OVERVIEW

The Cyprus problem is a strong point of contention between Turkey and the EU in the Eastern Mediterranean the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policies, and Vice President of the European Commission Josep Borrell highlighted in his latest report on the future of EU-Turkey relations.

The report by Borrell which has been shared at Monday’s Foreign Affairs Council meeting will be presented to EU leaders at the upcoming summit on March 26 and 27 for the EU leaders to give the final decision. The said report among other issues has a dedicated paragraph on Cyprus as well.

“The absence of a settlement to the Cyprus issue is a serious obstacle to the normalisation of EU-Turkey relations,” Borrell said, adding that the bloc is committed to supporting the efforts to find a fair, comprehensive and functional settlement on the island in line with the relevant UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions.

“The negotiations that will take the two communities to an agreement is also necessary to de-escalate the tension in the Eastern Mediterranean,” he stressed.

EU leaders at the December 2020 summit asked Borrell to report on how to advance relations with Turkey. In this context, the report summarized economic and political relations between Turkey and the EU in recent years.

KEY ACTORS
Borell (EU)
>> Cyprob a strong point of disagreement between Turkey & EU.
>> Absence of a solution is a serious obstacle to normalising Turkey-EU relations.
>> EU is committed to a fair, comprehensive & functional solution in Cyprus based on UNSC resolutions.
>> Talks between two sides is needed for de-escalation of tensions in East Med.


Tatar: TC side ready to share water with the GCs

Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Avrupa
Negotiations Process

OVERVIEW

Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar on Monday said that the Turkish Cypriots were ready to share their water supplied from Turkey with Greek Cypriots in the event a just and lasting settlement was reached on the Cyprus Problem. He said that the water could be used for the benefit of the whole island but complained that the Turkish Cypriot side has not received a positive response to its proposals.

Tatar who was speaking during a visit to the Geçitköy (Panagra) Dam to mark the occasion of World Water Day, underlined the importance of the water pumped from Turkey for the north’s economic development.

He added that the soon-to-be completed construction of an irrigation tunnel that will supply water to the Güzelyurt (Morphou) plain for agricultural production was significant not only in terms of boosting production but also reducing dependency on underground water reserves.

Meanwhile, Tatar has launched a series of meetings with Turkish Cypriot political parties, starting with the National Unity Party (UBP) on Monday, to brief them ahead of the informal meeting set to take place in Geneva next month.

The UBP leader Ersan Saner and the party’s acting General Secretary Kenan Örgen attended the meeting. Tatar briefed the UBP on the Turkish Cypriot side’s position ahead of the five-plus-one meeting. The Turkish Cypriot leader will receive Republican Turkish Party (CTP) leader Tufan Erhürman and accompanying delegation at 5 pm on March 23.


Protocols signed with Turkey aims at tightening Ankara’s grip on the north


Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Avrupa
Negotiations Process, Economy

OVERVIEW

A group of around 300 Turkish Cypriots took to the streets on Monday to protest the Turkish Cypriot authorities over the signing of the latest economic protocol with Turkey that is aimed at handing over authority to Ankara.

The protest was organised by the “This Country Is Ours’ platform which is made up of a group of non-governmental organisations, political parties and trade unions in the north.

In a statement issued, the platform recalled that the first economic package with Turkey was signed in 1986, adding that Ankara wanted to identify and determine fiscal policies on behalf of the Turkish Cypriot community.

It said the protocols were aimed at replacing the social state with a liberal market economy whilst impeding the Turkish Cypriot community’s economic capabilities and production chain, making the north more dependent on Turkey. The platform added that this relationship based on dependency on Ankara has only worsened over the years.

“Those who emphasize sovereignty on the Cyprus problem do not see any problems in transferring rule over the north to Ankara with every protocol agreement signed to date,” the platform stressed, arguing that the agreements have no international legitimacy.

The platform also said it rejected the current regime in the north and said the economic future of Cypriots lie in production, fair sharing of resources and peace. “Our goal is to solve the Cyprus problem in line with international law and be integrated with the world and to govern ourselves,” the platform concluded.

The platform is made up of representatives of the Turkish Cypriot Teachers’ Union (KTÖS), the Turkish Cypriot Secondary School Teachers’ Union, (KTOEÖS), the Turkish Cypriot Public Servants’ Union (KTAMS), the Federation for Turkish Cypriot Trade Unions (TÜRK-SEN), the Federation for Revolutionary Workers’ Trade Unions, (DEV-İŞ), Turkish Cypriot Union for Cooperative Workers, (KOOP-SEN), Turkish Cypriot Customs officers’ union (GÜÇ-SEN), Turkish Cypriot Municipal Workers’ union (BES), Turkish Cypriot state employees’ union (ÇAĞ-SEN), Turkish Cypriot Doctors’ Union (TIP-İŞ), Turkish Cypriot Press Workers’ Union (BASIN-SEN), the Republican Turkish Party (CTP), the Social Democratic Party (TDP), the United Cyprus Party (BKP), the New Cyprus Party (YKP), Road to Independence (BY), the Communal Liberation Party (TKP).


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