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‘Free zone a true mystery’
The Prime Minister during his contacts to Turkey expressed his wish to transform the TRNC into a free zone however there is no information or detail concerning this project which was also raised on numerous occasions in the past. Saner refrained from giving out any details of what he discussed with Turkish officials. Yenidüzen spoke with economic experts on what such a zone would entail. Experts who said such a project could provide positive results also warned that in the event of poor planning it could also result in serious financial problems.
- Two reservoirs dry up, rainfall below the average –The fact that the island has experienced drought winters or the last two years has depleted water reserves. Two reservoirs have completely dried up. The head of the Meteorology Department Raif İlker Burhan said that rainfall from October to December will be below average.
Kyrenia turning into a concrete jungle
The TRNC’s tourism capital Kyrenia is losing what little green it has left due to rapid urbanisation, risking its unique character. The Mayor of Kyrenia Nidai Güngördü said that they have limited the Kyrenia-Çatalköy (Agios Epiktitos) Construction Plan to five-story buildings and prevented the construction of student dormitories in surrounding villages. He said that the traffic jams, water shortages, parking problems and dwindling green zones were the result of overpopulation in midtown Kyrenia. Güngördü said they have tried to separate residential areas from commercial areas.
- Lute’s duty to be terminated –The UN Secretary-General’s Temporary Special Advisor Jane Holl Lute’s new job as CEO of one of the largest energy firms in the world, Shell, has disturbed the UN.
Caught off guard
“The fuel that caused the damage is not the same as the sample tested” Prime Ministry Inspection Board announced the test results for the fuel oil purchased for KIBTEK (Turkish Cypriot Electricity Authority) without a tendering process, came back clean. Economy Minister Erhan Arıklı demanded an apology. Chamber of Mechanical Engineers, however, claimed that “the fuel tested was not the sample taken from the fuel that caused the damage.”
- Imported engineers granted citizenship – Chamber of Civil Engineers announced the engineers and architects from Turkey for the presidential complex have been granted citizenship.
Full support
Prime Minister Ersan Saner who evaluated his meeting with the Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said that his idea for transforming the TRNC into a free zone received support from Turkish officials. Saner said he had held a fruitful meeting with Oktay and that he had received full support from Turkish officials for investors to arrive from Turkey.
Save Asya as well
An initiative has been launched in the north to persuade the Republic of Cyprus (RoC) government to help in the treatment of Asya who suffers from the same disease another child in the south suffered from. The General Secretary of the Turkish Cypriot Teachers’ Union (KTÖS) Şener Elcil has tried to contact officials in the south to reach out and help Asya. Elcil who wrote a letter to the Foreign Ministry received a response from the Foreign Minister Christodulides who said they were ready to do everything possible to help Asya.
Main News
Tatar to meet the UNSG on Saturday
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Avrupa
Negotiations Process
OVERVIEW
Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar will meet with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday. In a social media post on Tuesday, Tatar also noted that he has found the opportunity to briefly speak with Guterres during the inauguration ceremony for the Turkish House.
“I will meet with the Secretary-General face-to-face on Saturday first, and later at a trilateral lunch meeting with the Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades on Monday,” Tatar concluded.
In the meantime, Tatar during the inauguration ceremony for the Turkish House on Monday said the Turkish Cypriot delegation is in NY to explain its new vision for a solution in Cyprus. “We came here to explain our policy which is based on sovereign equality, equal international status and cooperation between two states in Cyprus” Tatar said.
He also said the Turkish Cypriot side’s position is clear and it is out of the question to change or retract it. “An agreement in Cyprus is possible if only Turkish Cypriot side’s sovereign equality and equal international status are accepted,” Tatar reiterating, adding that this is the realistic and sustainable model for the island.
Tatar also said it is not possible to reach the desired outcome with methods that had been tried and failed repeatedly.
KEY ACTORS
Tatar
>> TC side’s position in favour of a two-state solution is clear. There will be no change.
>> An agreement in Cyprus is only possible if the TC side’s sovereign equality & equal international status is accepted.
Özersay: Not possible to return to pre-1974 days
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Avrupa
Negotiations Process
OVERVIEW
People’s Party (HP) and former negotiator Kudret Özersay said on Tuesday said that it was out of the question to return to the 1960 constitutional order, something he added the Greek Cypriot leadership was fully aware of.
Speaking during a web TV programme, Özersay evaluated the Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades’ recent proposal dubbed as returning to the 1960 Republic.
“Coming up with a proposal knowing that it will be rejected can only be justified as a step taken to balance or to have a counter-proposal against the Turkish Cypriot side’s new position,” Özersay argued, adding that the Greek Cypriot side with its proposal is trying to adjust its position for possible negotiations in the future.
“Contrary to the Greek Cypriot side making its moves for future negotiations, the Turkish Cypriot side’s two-state solution position was not planned for future negotiations or to win more concessions from the Greek Cypriot side,” Özersay said.
Özersay claimed the Greek Cypriot leader had opened Pandora’s box when he said behind closed doors that he could consider the idea of discussing alternative solution models to that of a federation.
“Anastasiades told EU officials, Turkish Foreign Minister, the Archbishop and the Turkish Cypriot leader that he could discuss a two-state model,” Özersay said, adding that as a result of Anastasiades’ actions, the two-state model had opened up for discussion.
“The Turkish and the Turkish Cypriot leader’s alternative solution model was put forth because the Greek Cypriot side does not want to share governance or wealth,” he said and noted that the two-state model was not tabled to strengthen the Turkish Cypriot side’s hands in the negotiations process.
“It is vital for the Greek Cypriot side to comprehend this fact,” Özersay stressed, claiming that the Greek Cypriot leadership, in reality, has always desired a return to the 1960 Republic when engaging in negotiations, pretending to be discussing a federal settlement.
KEY ACTORS
Özersay (HP)
>> Out of the question to return to the 1960 constitutional order. GC leadership is fully aware of this.
>> This proposal is made to counter-balance the TC side’s proposal for a two-state solution.
>> Anastasiades is responsible for opening discussion on the two-state model.
>> TC side is insisting on a two-state solution model because the GC side is unwilling to share power & wealth.
>> TC side not pursuing a two-state solution to win concessions or strengthen its hand in the negotiations.
Sözen: A win-win for all is the only way to break the deadlock in the East Med
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Avrupa
Energy
OVERVIEW
Prof Ahmet Sözen on Monday said it is vital to push for a way that will ensure gains for all in the Eastern Mediterranean instead of a zero-sum game.
Speaking at an online conference entitled “Rediscovering the Mediterranean: Identity, Policies, Security,” Sözen said, currently one actor’s gain in the region was perceived as the other’s loss.
He said the strategies adopted by various competing actors in the region on maritime jurisdiction rights and sharing of hydrocarbon resources have turned into a multi-player chess game.
“The legal claims on maritime delineation that overlap with each other reveals how divided the legal basis is on the issue of hydrocarbon resources,” Sözen argued, adding that all the relevant actors must start talking to each other.
“The regional and international actors must come together at an informal international natural gas conference to launch the dialogue process otherwise the polarisation in the region will grow deeper,” Sözen warned.
Addressing the conference participants, Devrim Şahin, research assistant at the Cyrus Policy Centre of the Eastern Mediterranean University (CPC-EMU) touched on the necessary legislative improvements.
“There is a strong need for a legal framework that will meet with the pluralist demands and the security concerns of the global community,” Şahin stressed, adding that the legislative framework must also be more sensitive and comprehensive at the same time.
Şentop slams EU over East Med
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Avrupa
Regional/ International Relations
OVERVIEW
The Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly Mustafa Şentop on Tuesday criticized the EU for being inconsistent and unrealistic over its migration crisis, Islamophobia and Eastern Mediterranean crisis.
Speaking to reporters in Madrid, Spain Şentop said “It would be beneficial to leave the Eastern Mediterranean to the Eastern Mediterranean.” “Greece is not in the Eastern Mediterranean, France has nothing to do with it,” he said, adding that “Turkey will always protect and defend its rights within the international law.”
He also criticized the EU for shaping its relations with Turkey based on the “whims of Greece and the Greek Cypriots.” Şentop reiterated that Ankara has rejected the maritime boundary claims of Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration, stressing that the excessive claims violate the sovereign rights of both Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots.
KEY ACTORS
Şentop (Turkey)
>> EU inconsistent & unrealistic over its migration crisis, Islamophobia & East Med.
>> EU should keep its distance on East Med & not side with Greece or GCs.
Erdoğan & Guterres met in NY
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Avrupa
Regional/ International Relations
OVERVIEW
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Monday met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York, the Turkish Cypriot dailies report. According to a statement issued by the UN, Erdoğan and Guterres discussed the Cyprus issue in addition to developments in Syria, Libya, Afghanistan.
The meeting took place at the newly inaugurated Turkish House across the UN headquarters, attended by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Turkey’s Ambassador to UN Feridun Sinirlioğlu and Volkan Bozkır, the president of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA).
Guterres had attended the inauguration ceremony of the 36-story skyscraper.
Erdoğan also addressed the UNGA late on Wednesday evening, touching upon issues ranging from Syria, Afghanistan, Cyprus and the East Mediterranean.
He said that a just, lasting and viable solution to the Cyprus Issue could only be reached through realistic approaches, drawing attention to the unequal treatment of the Turkish Cypriot side.
“While the leader of one of the two communities which the UN recognizes as equals is allowed to address you here, the other is not allowed. This is not fair,” he said. Erdoğan said that the international community needed to recognize the Turkish Cypriot people.
He added that Ankara fully supported the Turkish Cypriot side’s vision for a solution and called on the international community to evaluate and assess the ideas of the Turkish Cypriots without prejudice.
On the issue of the Eastern Mediterranean, Erdoğan repeated his proposal for a regional conference with the participation of all actors to settle the issue through dialogue and cooperation.
KEY ACTORS
Erdoğan (Turkey)
>> Just, lasting & viable solution to Cyprob is only possible through realistic approaches.
>> The international community must recognize the existence of TC people.
>> Ankara fully supports the TC side’s vision & the international community should assess the TC side’s ideas without prejudice.
>> East Med issue should be dealt with via regional conference through dialogue & cooperation.
North’s balance of payments announced
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Avrupa
Economy
OVERVIEW
The Turkish Cypriot Department of Statistics on Tuesday announced that Turkish Cypriot exports increased by 29 per cent reaching $106,4m in 2020 and imports decreased by 17.4 per cent amounting to $1.32bn. The north’s exports were $82.5m in 2019.
The foreign trade deficit for the north in 2020 decreased by 19.9% to $1.21bn compared to $1.51bn in 2019. As a result, the export-import coverage ratio was measured at 8.1 per cent compared to 5.2 per cent in 2019.
The statistics office noted that the pandemic dealt a serious blow to the tourism sector, which is one of the driving forces behind the Turkish Cypriot economy. The tourism revenues, which are listed in the ‘Invisible transactions’ category, in 2020 dropped to $165.4m from $954.5m in 2019. This amounts to an 82.7 per cent drop.
The remaining ‘invisible transactions’ also dropped by 14.5 per cent from $782.3m to $668.5m. The higher education sector, which is regarded as the second driving force after tourism for the north, suffered a 36.1 per cent decrease in 2020 amounting to $384m compared to $601.2m in 2019.
In the meantime, a 47.7 per cent increase was recorded in Turkish financial assistance in 2020, amounting to $150.5m compared to $101.9m in 2019. As a result of the poor economic performance, the balance of current accounts revealed a $379.3m deficit in 2020 compared to a $221.3 surplus in 2019.
The statistics department data reveals the only increase was achieved in the foreign exchange reserves. The total foreign exchange reserves amounted to $290.3m in 2019, increasing to $591.9m in 2020.