Burcu: “Allegations that the agreements will be announced jointly on 27 May are not true”
Regarding the news in the Greek Cypriot media that the leaders will jointly announce the agreements made up to today at the meeting on 27 May, Presidential Spokesperson Barış Burcu said, “There is not such a decision taken by the leaders.”
In his written statement, Burcu mentioned that some news on the issues of security and guarantees also took place in the Turkish Cypriot media referring to the news on the Greek Cypriot press. Burcu also said, “As we always say, the chapters of security and guarantees will be discussed at the latest phase of the talks at a round table meeting where all the interested parties will attend.
Regarding the existence of a compromise and joint understanding on a “Joint Army”, Burcu said : “This is not true and this is one of the issues which will be discussed when the time comes.”
Özgürgün: “The common aim of the Turkish Cypriot people is to take part within the EU family”
In his message in respect of May 9 Europe Day, Prime Minister Hüseyin Özgürgün expressed: “The common aim of the Turkish Cypriot people is to take part within the EU family and also the EU integration process cannot be completed without the Turkish Cypriot people and Turkey.”
On the other hand, Özgürgün stated that the legitimate demands and the EU harmonization studies of the Turkish Cypriot people, who were punished by way of isolation and embargos, were continuing decisively.
Harmancı attended the ICLEI Conference in Spain
Lefkoşa Turkish Municipality (LTB) Mayor Mehmet Harmancı attended the 8th European Conference on Sustainable Cities and Towns which was organized by Sustainable Cities Association (ICLEI) in Bilbao, Spain. LTB is also a member of this Association.
Nearly a thousand mayors, vice presidents and senior representatives from 200 cities and 43 different countries attended the conference. LTB Mayor Harmancı also signed the unanimously accepted Basque Declaration at the conference.
Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot students meet at workshop
Approximately 160 Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot students at various ages met at a workshop within the framework of bi-communal peace culture training project.
The workshop was financed by the European Union and conducted jointly by POST Research Institute and Historical Dialogue (POST RI) and Research Union (AHDR) on 7 May 2016 in the buffer zone.
It was stated that training was organized previously for the teachers of both sides within the framework of Peace Culture Training Project. It was also stated that Peace Culture Training has been given to around 400 students in different regions of Cyprus in the second stage of the training.
Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot students who attended the workshop were trained on the issues of human rights, social justice, racism, ethnocentrism, sustainable development, intercultural dialogue and reconciliation.
Panama Papers show more Greek Cypriot ties to Mossack Fonseca
The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) said that up to 1,061 individuals or companies in South Cyprus have acted as “officers” or “master clients” and are linked to up to 2,761 offshore companies.
The individuals and companies are based at up to 896 addresses in South Cyprus, the ICIJ said on its offshoreleaks.icij.org website on Monday where it published the remaining database containing information leaked from the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca, widely known as the Panama Papers.
Mossack Fonseca has allegedly helped companies, politicians, criminals and celebrities set up offshore companies to dodge taxes or launder money, the ICIJ said more than a month ago when it released thousands of financial records of world personalities. The main revelations concerned Russia’s president Vladimir Putin, Iceland’s Prime Minister Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson who subsequently resigned, Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko and the father of British premier David Cameron. Both Putin and Poroshenko were linked to South Cyprus.
The references to Greek Cypriot individuals, companies and addresses may most likely apply to a smaller number as stated above as the database includes duplications and names or addresses translated into English in several variants. In addition, “typos and misspellings are frequent in the original databases,” ICIJ said, adding that the data released on Monday, cover a period of around 30 years until 2010.
According to the ICIJ glossary, officers and master clients are persons or companies playing a role in an offshore company or acting as an intermediary or a go-between to help set up such a company. Names of lawyers, economists, accountants, law firms, accounting companies are all listed. They include the name of Andreas Georghadjis & Co, the law firm of the estranged husband of Central Bank of Cyprus Chrystalla Georghadji. The leaked files offer no further details explaining why the law firm was included.
Lawyer Andreas Georghadji was unavailable for a comment.
Governments across the world have begun investigating possible financial wrongdoing by the rich and powerful after the leak of more than 11.5 million documents from Mossack Fonseca.
The papers have revealed financial arrangements of prominent figures, including friends of Russian President Vladimir Putin, relatives of the prime ministers of Britain and Pakistan and of China’s President Xi Jinping, and the president of Ukraine.
Source: TRNC Public Information Office –
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