TRNC News Today 29th August 2014

12th President of Turkey Erdoğan sworn in and started his office

Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been sworn in as Turkey’s 12th president at a ceremony in the Turkish Grand National Assembly and started his office yesterday.

On the other hand Erdoğan authorized Turkish Foreign Minister – Ahmet Davutoğlu to act for the Prime Ministry since this post has become vacant due to end of his TGNA membership.

Besides the Presidents of 15 countries and many local and foreign guests, TRNC President Derviş Eroğlu and his wife also attended the handover ceremony at which Erdoğan took the mission over from 11th President Abdullah Gül.

Political crisis in Greek-Russian relations

It has been indicated that the last book written by one of the advisors of the Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Anastasiades, journalist Makarios Drusiotis created political crisis in Greek-Russian relations. Greek Cypriot newspaper Simerini published the news under the headline ‘Cyprus-Russia relations are being tested’.

The newspaper wrote that in his book Makarios Drusiotis tried to lay a burden on the old Soviet Union related to the coup staged against the first and only President of the Republic of Cyprus Makarios III., and the following Turkish Peace Operation in July 1974. According to the newspaper, Russian Embassy in South Cyprus has made a long statement mentioning the disturbance about the content of the book entitled ‘Occupation and big powers’. At the end of the statement the content of the book was correlated with the character of the author. The newspaper indicated the following:

“Criticism and questions at the end of the statement of the Russian Embassy is as follows: Effort of the author to exculpate USA and NATO can be seen as conjectural logic because it reflects the current renewal of Cyprus’s foreign policy. The realities of the author are very clear and it does not concern us. The only thing which disturbing us is that the book is written by the private advisor of the Republic, not by an amateur author. Is this a coincidence?”

Anastasiades: “Views of Drusiotis are not binding me”

According to the newspaper Greek Cypriot Leader Anastasiades stated yesterday that the views of Drusiotis are not binding him.

Greek Cypriot Spokesman Nikos Hristodulidis said about the issue: “At the meeting he held with the Russian Ambassador in Nicosia, Anastasiades said that the views of any investigator are not binding him. The attitude of Anastasiades towards the policy of Russia is known as appreciation towards a friendly country. Therefore no one should correlate freely expressed views and thesis with the thesis of the Republic.”

Drusiotis: “Assault of a foreign country ambassador to the citizen of host country with humiliating statements is not right”

The newspaper pointed out that the author – Makarios Drusiotis also replied to the statement of Russian Embassy with a harsh statement.

Drusiotis said: “Assault of a foreign country ambassador to the citizen of host country with humiliating statements is not right.” Drusiotis indicated that there is not any link between the publishing of his book which is the result of an investigation started 5 years ago and the foreign policy of the Greek Cypriot administration.

According to the newspaper some political parties put forward their disturbance and worries due to this development through written statements.

Joint forum will be established

Work is being carried out for the establishment of a bi-communal ‘Dialog Forum’ by which a wide spectrum of both communities in Cyprus will be included in the peace process. Political parties, non-governmental organizations, unions and employer groups from both communities are trying to establish a wide base and interactive structure in order to support the peace process in Cyprus.

The forum which has the capacity to represent the widest spectrum of the community is evaluating the peace process as a whole and not restricted only to the negotiations.

The idea to establish such a structure in Cyprus evolved at the meeting in which nearly 60 high level Turkish and Greek Cypriot managers participated in 2013 in Malta.

UNDP supports the process technically, however does not take place in the decision making mechanism.

Thousands of Greek Cypriots protested the law of foreclosure sale

It has been indicated that thousands of Greek Cypriots protested the law of foreclosure sale in front of the Greek Presidential Palace yesterday.

Greek Cypriot newspaper Simerini wrote that at the protest which was supported by the unions and some other platforms the protesters gave a note to the Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Anastasiades saying that they are against the law.