TRNC News Today 16^th October 2015

Turkish President Erdoğan to attend the opening ceremony of “The project of the Century”

The opening ceremony of the Water Supply Project is going to be held on Saturday with the participation of the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The opening ceremony of the project which is considered to be the first in the world will be held at Çamlıbel Treatment Facility. The project which will provide water to the TRNC with the suspended pipeline system cost about 1 billion 600 million Turkish Liras.

The TRNC Water Supply Project which started on 7 March 2011 with the construction of Alaköprü Dam on the Anamur Dragon Creek is comprised of a 106 km long pipeline system which has a length of 23 km in Turkey, 80 km sea transition of which 66.5 km is suspended pipeline and 3 km. in the TRNC and aims to transfer water to be deposited in the Alaköprü Dam in Turkey to the Geçitköy Dam built in the TRNC.

Within the framework of the project, the opening ceremony will be held firstly in Turkey and then in the TRNC.

“There is no other community which stayed out of the solution and the EU with ‘no’ vote of another community”

President Mustafa Akıncı stated: “I don’t know any other community in the world which although it said ‘yes’ to the solution and the EU membership it stayed out of the solution and the EU with the ‘no’ vote of another community.”

Akıncı gave the opening lecture entitled “The Latest Developments in the Cyprus Negotiations” at the ceremony of 2015-2016 Academic Year organized in the Troia Culture Centre of Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University.

In his speech, Akıncı mentioned the terrorist attacks in Ankara and he said that “if Ankara cries, Lefkoşa cries too. If the Republic of Turkey is mourning, TRNC is mourning as well. I share your grief.”

Akıncı explained that many documents were prepared on the issue of negotiations and a referendum was held on the island and he continued:

“65% of the Turkish Cypriots voted ‘yes’ in the referendum this means that they said ‘yes’ to the solution and the EU membership. However 75% of the Greek Cypriots voted ‘no’. Even though the Greek Cypriots said ‘no’ they became an EU member state, and the Turkish Cypriots stayed out of the EU.”

Burcu: “The claim that territory is being discussed is not true”

Presidential Spokesperson Barış Burcu explained that the news published in a Greek newspaper claiming that the territory issue is being discussed in the Cyprus negotiations is not true.

Greek Cypriot daily Fileleftheros newspaper reported in news under the headline “Formula Through the Territory – Return of More Territory in Order to Make the Turkish Cypriots Majority in Their own State”, that after the leader of the Greek Cypriot Administration Nikos Anastasiades had dinner with President Mustafa Akıncı on Monday, he talked about a formula to solve the property issue substantially “through territory”.

Siber is attending the meeting of Crans Montana Forum

Speaker of the Assembly Sibel Siber is attending the meeting of the Crans Montana Forum as a guest.

The issue of migration which affected especially the Middle East and Europe recently in terms of humanitarian, social, security and economic issues and also the global threat terrorism are being discussed at the forum which will be held in Geneva.

The US report emphasized efforts to promote religious freedom

The efforts of the religious leaders on improving the religious freedom, mutual respect, and participation and tolerance issues in Cyprus were emphasized in the 2014 International Religious Freedom Report (IRFR).

In the report it is indicated that the access and restoration of the religious places were taken as a base on the religious freedom in Cyprus.

According to the report, American Embassy employees discussed with the Turkish Cypriots the issue of accessing the religious places under the administration of the Turkish Cypriots and making religious ceremonies without limitation at such places.

9th Executive Committee Meeting of INTERPA was held in the TRNC

International Association of Police Academies (INTERPA) was held in TRNC between the dates 12-13 October 2015.

Executive Committee Meeting of INTERPA which is aimed at ensuring coordination and cooperation between the police educational institutions was hosted by the Police School Directorate.

It is stated that the President of INTERPA, President of the Police Academy in Turkey, Vice Presidents of the INTERPA, President of the Sudan Police Academy, President of the Malaysian Police Academy, President of the Police Academy in Saudi Arabia and INTERPA Executive Board Members from Brazil and Kazakhstan attended the meeting.

Invitation to leaders from Stelios Foundation

The founder of “Stelios Charity Foundation” (Stelios Philanthropic Foundation), Greek Cypriot businessman Stelios Hacıyoannu, is distributing prizes to the partnerships created by the Turkish and Greek Cypriots for developing bi-communal cooperation in the field of business each year. It was announced that the prize ceremony will be held on 26th October and the leaders are also invited to the ceremony this year.

The Greek Cypriot newspaper Politis wrote that 30 partnerships created by the Turkish and the Greek Cypriots will be awarded 10 thousand Euros per partnership by the Stelios Foundation. According to the press bulletin, Stelios Hacıyoannu also invited President Mustafa Akıncı and the Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Anastasiades to the ceremony which will be held on Monday, October 26th.

“Sharing” conflict between Israel and South Cyprus

A disagreement between Israel and South Cyprus over the development of the Aphrodite gas reservoir on the 12th parcel is delaying the joint benefit agreement, which is designed to create equal sharing of hydrocarbon gas reservoirs by the two countries.

According to news of the Greek Cypriot daily Simerini, based on the Israel economy newspaper “Globes”, the joint benefit agreement cannot be made between the two countries because of the technical difficulties for 5 years.