TRNC News Today 9^th March 2015

Foreign Minister Özdil Nami: “Our contacts in the Gulf countries were positive”

In his statement to Yenidüzen newspaper regarding his visits to the Gulf countries, Foreign Minister Özdil Nami expressed that his contacts were positive, underlining that relations with these countries can be improved, particularly in the economic field.

Nami stated that during his visits to Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar, important meetings were held related to topics such as the development of economic, social and cultural relations, the marketing of products produced in Northern Cyprus, ensuring the flow of tourism to Northern Cyprus and investing in Northern Cyprus.

Stating that “what was discussed will not remain up in the air”, Nami emphasized that he has conveyed all the information to the Council of Ministers and that the government will take the necessary steps along with business people and manufacturers.

On the other hand, Foreign Minister Özdil Nami made statements regarding the hydrocarbon exploration activities in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Cyprus issue during a program on NTV television channel. Minister Nami conveyed that the Greek Cypriot administration is of the view that it can act as it pleases regarding hydrocarbon exploration, but emphasized that the Turkish Cypriot side cannot accept this. Minister Nami stated “Even if the anticipated amount of resources is found, their exploitation and beneficial utilization by Cypriots is perhaps a 10-year long process. We are facing a mentality which is blocking the peace efforts and today’s settlement works due to a matter which may or may not yield results 10 years from now”.

Nami added “Large international organisations no longer have justification for keeping the Turkish Cypriots under isolation. There are resolutions which make calls on all countries to develop bilateral and multilateral relations with the Turkish Cypriots. We want these resolutions to be implemented. We have waited for 10 years and concrete steps have still not been taken. The only country which has been taking steps against the isolation is the Republic of Turkey. But it is high time new states are added to this list. We have particularly high expectations from the member states of the Organisation of Islamic Conference in this regard”.

In his statements, Minister Nami also referred to his visits abroad, stating that he met with the Secretary-General of the OIC in Jeddah, that he then visited Oman and later held contacts in Qatar. Nami indicated that during his contacts, he requested that the isolation imposed on the Turkish Cypriots be lifted.

Anastasiades threatened Koenig

Apathy between USA Ambassador in South Cyprus John Koenig and the leader of Greek Cypriot Administration Anastasiades is said to go a long way back.

The news of Kathimerini newspaper, which is published in South Cyprus, under the headline “Unknown incident between Anastasiades and Ambassador of USA” drew attention to the fact that the Greek side found some of Koenig’s behaviour hostile but the most striking thing was when the Vice President of USA Joe Biden was getting ready for a visit to South Cyprus about a year ago.

The following details were given by the newspaper:

Ambassador Koenig has showed indifference to Nicosia’s sensitivity to a series of subjects. For a moment Anastasiades turned to Koenig in front of others and threatened with declaring him the ‘persona non grata’ (Unwanted person).

Anastasiades has threatened Koenig by telling him “If you insist on your plans, I will leave Cyprus and Biden will only meet with Eroğlu. And you will be the only one to be blamed”.

Prince Charles wrote a letter regarding blackcaps

Prince of Wales Charles has written a letter to the leader of Greek Cypriot Administration Nicos Anastasiades, and complained about the slaughter of blackcaps by establishing traps at Dhekelia base area.

In his letter Charles wrote: “I’m writing on the occasion of killing the migrating birds at industrial scale, within the sovereign base area of Dhekelia. There is an impressive level of slaughter, I hope my letter can act as a catalyzer to change the situation.”

Daily Mail emphasized that the trap number at Dhekelia base increased 180 percent as of 2012 and spoke about “barbaric slaughter of migrating birds, poachers, serious and organized crimes within the British bases.”

Foreign Minister of Turkey Çavuşoğlu visited TRNC Stand

The Foreign Minister of Turkey Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu attended one of the greatest tourism fairs ITB in Berlin and also visited the TRNC Stand and the area where The Near East University is represented.

Çavuşoğlu visited the TRNC stand together with Turkish Ambassador to Berlin Hüseyin Avni Karslıoğlu and a committee and gained information about the country’s tourism from the TRNC Berlin Representative Ambassador Mustafa Kemal Gökeri, Undersecretary of Economy, Tourism, Culture, Youth and Sports Ministry Şahap Aşıkoğlu, and the General Manager of NEU Tourism Enterprises and member of the Board of Directors of the NEU Hospital Ahmet Savaşan.

It is stated that Near East University Hospital have signed agreements with NTL Travel, DMG Cyprus and Puzzle Travel about tourist health.

President of the GHTC (Global Healthcare Travel Council) Emin Çakmak who attended the fair also came together with Savaşan and exchanged views.

Bora: “We commemorate Paphos Resistance without forgetting the past and we look at the future with trust”

President of TMT (Turkish Fighters Association) Yılmaz Bora emphasized that they commemorate the 9th of March as the anniversary of Paphos Resistance in 1964 without forgetting the past and we look at the future with trust.

In his message on the occasion of the 51^st anniversary of Paphos resistance Bora stated that after 21 December 1963, the centre of Paphos and the Turkish villages in the region were the target of the Greek attacks.

Bora said: “We are commemorating the Paphos resistance and the martyrs who sacrificed their lives and the veterans who have passed away and the ones who are still alive with thanks and gratitude.”

The spirit of Makarios in Anastasiades

(Cyprus Mail, Loucas Charalambous)

I MUST admit I quite enjoy the foolish arguments used by our politicians and journalists when they attack the English, the Americans, the EU and officials of the UN. Given half an opportunity, they lash out against them, on the pretext that the above refuse to support our side, which is always in the right, and sit Turkey, which is always in the wrong, in the dock.

They are accused of following a hypocritical policy of double standards. The nonsensical comments made by President Anastasiades on his Moscow trip combined with the US and British reaction gave this bunch the excuse to bombard us with their anti-American and anti-West sloganeering.

This attitude explains how and why we are in the current mess. It is a sick mentality that is based on our political mythology of the last 50-plus years which maintains that for everything that has happened to this country the Turks and the West are to blame. We are completely blameless, the only ones without sin, but we are the envy of the whole world which has been constantly conspiring to destroy us.

While we are listening to all this rubbish from the AKEL, DIKO and EDEK leaderships as well as from the rest of our political scoundrels who remain stuck in the Makarios political culture, we accept it. But when we hear this coming from the mouths of Anastasiades and Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides, two men from DISY, the party set up some 40 years ago with the aim of fighting this sick political culture, destroying the myths, speaking honestly to people, modernising our primitive political attitudes, we can only despair.

Both told us that the behaviour of the Western countries was hypocritical and Pharisaic because they did not condemn Turkey for its ‘invasion’ of the Cypriot EEZ whereas they wanted to crush President Putin over the Ukraine. Both are outraged when they are told that the two cases are very different. But they are.

Our politicians, including Anastasiades and Kasoulides, pretend they do not know the Cyprus problem. Turkey does not recognise the Republic and that is the problem. Turkey’s position – much as we do not like it – is generally accepted by foreign countries and is along the following lines: The Greek Cypriots destroyed the partnership state of 1960, Turkish Cypriots have not been participating in it since 1964, they have set up on their own and therefore the Greek Cypriots represent only half of Cyprus; Greek Cypriots were not committed to a settlement that would lead to the establishment of a new partnership state, in contrast to the Turkish Cypriot who proved they were. For as long as this situation continues we will look after the rights of the Turkish Cypriots and will not allow the Greek Cypriots to usurp them.

This is the argument Turkey uses to justify its incursions into the Cypriot EEZ from which we want the Americans and the British to kick her out. It is also the reason we are told that the two cases are not the same. It is understandable that Turkey’s actions infuriate the Greek Cypriots who have been inculcated with the mythology about the “Turkish Cypriot rebellion”, the evil US, back-stabbing Britain, nasty NATO, the hypocritical EU and virtuous, principled Russia by our political demagogues.

Anastasiades and Kasoulides, after all these years, are emulating Makarios who thought he could play games in the ring in which the two world superpowers were sparring, with result that they crushed us. After all these years and with the benefit of hindsight, we have learnt nothing from these criminal mistakes.

Neither Anastasiades nor Kasoulides – not to mention the other political dwarfs – have understood what our problem is. They continue the demagoguery and the frivolous political games instead of concentrating on finding a solution to the problem and explaining to people why it is necessary and the risks of leaving it unsolved.

(Cyprus Mail, Loucas Charalambous)