TCC Press Review 18 Nov 2021

Front Page Headlines

Yenidüzen

Installment payments double

Turkish Lira hits rock bottom, the lives of those who have debts in foreign currency become a nightmare. Those paying house loans: £50,000: ₺507,500 becomes ₺700,000 in a single day. Commercial loans: The difference in installments in the same year has reached ₺7,822 (€650).

  • He said this as well! – Prime Minister (Faiz Sucuoğu): “It is time to take advantage of the north’s non-recognition. The EU’s laws do not concern me that much.”
  • 306 new cases in the last 24 hours – A surge in coronavirus cases. The highest infection rate is between individuals aged 20 and 40 who haven’t been vaccinated.

Kıbrıs

Don’t be complacent

The daily coronavirus cases in the TRNC for the first time reached the 300-mark. 18,222 tests were carried out yesterday identifying 256 locally transmitted, 306 positive cases. The new record in the number of cases has caused concern among the public. Doctors warn people not to be complacent.

  • We will identify a road map for the economyPrime Minister Faiz Sucuoğlu, speaking to Kıbrıs, said a workshop on the economy will be held with the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce, Chamber of Industry, Building Contractors’ Association, Hoteliers’ Association, and with some tourism organisations and with academics from universities.

Havadis

The nightmare is back

The number of Covid-19 cases is on the rise. The experts are concerned with the positive cases exceeding the 200 mark.

  • 12 organisations will stage a protest – The Famagusta based civil society organisations (CSOs) will stage a protest of the attempts to convert the historical house ‘Şömineli Ev’ (House with a fireplace) into a café.
  • A new guide for the lawmakers – The LGBTI+ discrimination analysis report published.

Diyalog

People are starveling

The price of most consumer goods has gone up with the rise in the value of foreign currencies against the Turkish Lira (TL). As the TL continue to lose value the public are struggling to cope with the rising prices. Outraged citizens who expressed their anger said that a three per cent rise in the (value) of foreign currencies causes a 20 per cent rise in prices. “What kind of imbalance is this? The state must intervene,” they say.

  • Critical warning – According to warnings made by health experts, the highest infection rate is seen in the 20-40 age group.
  • They launched a strike – Taxi drivers banned from purchasing fuel from the north have shown a strong reaction.
  • Mafia-style –The body of a (Greek Cypriot) woman was stolen from her grave to scare her son involved in the large drug case to scare him.

Avrupa

The blacklist was raised in the TBMM

Republican People’s Party (CHP) MP Utku Çakırözer asked Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu about the list of Turkish Cypriots prohibited to enter Turkey during the budget discussions at the Turkish Parliament (TBMM). Çavuşoğlu in his response said, “Turkey exercises its sovereign rights on allowing or disallowing foreigners to enter the country.”

Main News

Faiz Sucuoğlu: “I’m not really interested in EU laws”

Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Avrupa
Economy, Governance and Power Sharing

OVERVIEW

Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Faiz Sucuoğlu on Thursday said that the time had come to use the non-recognition of the north to the advantage of Turkish Cypriots and developing their economy. In an interview with the Turkish Cypriot news agency TAK, Sucuoğlu repeated that his government’s priority will be to address the country’s economic problems, particularly after the January 23 elections.

The newly appointed Turkish Cypriot prime minister also expressed his disinterest in EU laws or harmonizing the north’s current legislation with the EU acquis communitaire. Sucuoğlu said that the north was not an EU state.

“Therefore, I can prepare my legislation to gain advantages. This is what I am after. There are countries like Singapore and Taiwan, that are not recognized but have significant revenues,” Sucuoğlu argued, adding that the north will be transformed into an investor-friendly place.

He promised to open ways for foreign investors in sectors like construction, tourism and others.

KEY ACTORS
Sucuoğlu (UBP)
>> The time has come to use north’s non-recognition for TCs’ advantage.
>> The north is not an EU country. The government is not interested in EU laws.
>> Goal will be to transform north into places such as Singapore or Taiwan.
>> Steps will be taken to open the path for foreign investors in sectors like construction, tourism & others.


Turkey acquires its fourth drillship for hydrocarbon exploration

Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Avrupa
Energy

OVERVIEW

Turkey has added its fourth drillship to its inventory for hydrocarbon exploration, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced on Wednesday.

Addressing ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) deputies in Ankara for the parliamentary group meeting, Erdoğan said: “Unlike other ships, this vessel is a seventh-generation ship equipped with the latest technology. There are five of these ships in the world, and we now own one of them.”

Erdoğan, noting that the new ship to be operated by the Turkish Petroleum (TPAO), can operate at a maximum depth of 3,665 meters (12,024 feet). “We have reached the capacity to operate beyond our borders,” Erdoğan added.

Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Dönmez also confirmed the news on his Twitter account on Wednesday. In a shared infographic on his Twitter account, he said the new 238-meter-long and 42-meter-wide ship weighs 68,000 gross tons and has a maximum drilling depth of 12,200 meters.

The vessel has a tower height of 104 meters and a crew capacity of 200. Turkish media outlets earlier claimed that the new ship is the “Cobalt Explorer,” which is being built by South Korean ship manufacturer Daewoo.

The vessel is expected to be deployed in the Black Sea, where significant gas reserves were found, reports said. Turkey currently operates in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea with three drillships, namely Fatih, Yavuz and Kanuni, and two seismic vessels named Oruç Reis and Barbaros Hayrettin Paşa.


Spat in Turkish parliament over blacklisted TCs

Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Avrupa
Governance and Power Sharing

OVERVIEW

Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) MP Utku Çakırözer on Wednesday raised the issue of Turkish Cypriots being blacklisted by the Turkish government. A list of two dozen Turkish Cypriots, mainly politicians known for their anti-Turkish stance is currently banned from entering Turkey on grounds they pose a ‘national security’ threat.

Çakırözer, who is a member of the Turkish Parliament’s foreign affairs commission, demanded an explanation from the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu during ongoing discussions on the foreign ministry’s budget.

The CHP MP demanded that Çavuşoğlu present convincing arguments and provide the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) with the exact number of individuals who are banned.

The Turkish Foreign Minister responding to Çakırözer’s questions said that each country reserved the right to prohibit the entry of foreign individuals it deemed as a threat in line with the principle of sovereignty. He however refrained from providing an exact number of those banned or providing the reasons for creating such a list.

Criticising Çavuşoğlu’s response, Çakırözer pointed out that the Turkish Cypriot dailies reported a list of 42 people, who are vocal critics.

“You, on one hand, want the TRNC to be an independent state but on the other hand interfere in their domestic matters,” Çakırözer stressed, adding that prohibiting Turkish Cypriot intellectuals, journalists, and politicians from entering Turkey contradicts with Ankara’s claims of wanting to protect the rights of the Turkish Cypriots.

“It is not possible to evade answering the questions by claiming it’s a sovereignty right,” Çakırözer said, demanding an explanation for “the unlawful treatment of the Turkish Cypriots.”


Teachers’ unions across the divide held a joint meeting


Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Avrupa
Human Rights

OVERVIEW

The teachers’ unions from across the divide held a meeting on Wednesday to discuss the problems experienced by the schools, teachers and the students during the pandemic as well as to exchange views on how to improve the working conditions of the teachers.

According to a statement issued on Thursday by the Turkish Cypriot Teachers’ Union (KTÖS), a delegation of Turkish Cypriot teachers paid a visit to the Greek Cypriots Primary School Teachers’ Union (POED).

“Education plays a very important role in bringing the two communities closer and to live in peace therefore the two trade unions must support the educationists in the two communities fully aware of their responsibilities,” the statement read, adding that the KTÖS and POED have also launched efforts in planning a series of activities such as carrying out bicommunal workshops, school visits, seminars as well as organizing various activities under different themes.


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