FIRST IMPRESSIONS
OFGREEK CYPRUS
BY SEMIH IDIZ
(MILLIYET)
Speaking at a meeting of his party in
Istanbul over the weekend, Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan commented
on this week’s Nevruz celebrations,
saying that he hoped these spring advent
celebrations would be held in peace.
“There are some circles who want to
exploit this peaceful atmosphere, but
we’ll never allow this,” said Erdogan.
He stressed that parties in power always
face criticisms, adding, however, that
such criticisms should be in accordance
with the nation’s common values.
“Criticisms of governments are
requirements of democracy,” said
Erdogan. The premier touted the
government’s steps taken in such fields
as justice, education, health, and
security, adding that these were the
most successful steps in the history of
the Turkish Republic. Later, Erdogan
attended the opening ceremony of an
oncology institute. /Turkiye/
Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc
yesterday attended the General Assembly
of the Turkish Confederation of
Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON).
Addressing the gathering, Arinc said
that politicians should build the
nation’s morale, not foster
hopelessness. “We see the successes of
our businessmen abroad,” added Arinc. He
further praised TUSKON, which brings
together 120 associations and 9,000
entrepreneurs and holds activities in 76
provinces in Turkey. Addressing the
gathering, CHP Istanbul Deputy Sukru
Elekdag commented on the high current
account deficit. Great Union Party (BBP)
leader Muhsin Yazicioglu said that the
risks of globalization shouldn’t be
disregarded. Also addressing the
gathering, opposition True Path Party
(DYP) leader Mehmet Agar criticized the
government, saying that it hasn’t done
what it should to fight corruption and
poverty. /Turkiye/
Nevruz celebrations which started calmly
on Sunday turned into altercations
between police and demonstrators in
Turkey’s two metropolises, and dozens of
demonstrators were detained. Some
stone-throwing demonstrators clashed
with police in Izmir and Istanbul, but
there were no injuries or deaths. The
clashes erupted as demonstrators
carrying signs and chanting slogans
supporting imprisoned terrorist
Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) leader
Abdullah Ocalan in the Zeytinburnu
district of Istanbul threw stones at the
police. Several armored personnel
carriers were deployed around the
meeting area, anticipating further
violence. Nevruz celebrations dominated
the news in Turkey over the weekend,
although they were originally scheduled
for Tuesday. They started in Semdinli,
Hakkari on Saturday with a bonfire
symbolizing the arrival of spring. /The
New Anatolian/
Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu
yesterday toured flood-stricken areas of
Edirne in the wake of Bulgaria opening
its floodgates. Aksu said that whatever
is required to repair the flood damage
in Edirne and Ipsala will be done. “A
total of 1.25 million YTL has been
allocated to the region,” he added. “Our
government will immediately do what is
required for this situation.” /Star/
Opposition Nationalist Movement Party
(MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli said over
the weekend that separatist provocations
had gained a new kind of boldness and
that expectations over realizing their
treacherous ambitions had risen. Bahceli
released a statement because of Nevruz
celebrations over the weekend which
said, “[Prime Minister Recep Tayyip]
Erdogan and his government opened up
Turkish identity for discussion and
vindicated terrorism and political
separatism as an ethnic problem which
aims to harm Turkey’s existsence, thus
laying the groundwork for the separatist
provocations. Recent news show that
Nevruz celebrations will be turned into
a show of muscle and a practice run for
revolt which aims to challenge the state
under the posters of the Imrali murderer
[terrorist PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan].
Semdinli, the focus of the recent
provocations, seems to be the center of
these street demonstrations.” /Hurriyet/
Speaking at a meeting with some
syndicate chairmen and representatives
of newspapers in Kocaeli organized by
his party, opposition Motherland Party
(ANAVATAN) leader Erkan Mumcu that he
didn’t believe that the former party
leader Mesut Yilmaz, who is currently
being heard at the Supreme Court, would
return to politics after he is cleared.
Mumcu said that there’s not such a
speculation about that within party
ranks. /Star/
Interior ministers of eight southeast
European countries have agreed to pool
their efforts to prevent acts of
terrorism in the region. Interior
Minister Abdulkadir Aksu said that the
ministers also agreed to hold regular
meetings and set the next such round of
talks for October in Turkey. A joint
declaration by eight ministers and a
representative of Montenegro meeting in
Bulgaria’s coastal town of Varna stated
that Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Macedonia,
Romania and Turkey had expressed their
readiness not to permit any terrorist
acts and to oppose organized crime and
corruption. /Turkish Daily News/
Energy Minister Hilmi Guler yesterday
signed an agreement in principle with
Egyptian Oil Minister Sameh Fahmy and
related ministers of Jordan, Syria,
Lebanon, and Romania to found a company
for a pipeline to transfer Egyptian
natural gas to Europe through Turkey.
Speaking afterwards, Guler said that
Turkey was an energy corridor, adding
that it didn’t transfer gas from not
only from Egypt, but also from Russia,
Azerbaijan, and Iran. /Turkiye/
Turkish Union of Chambers and
Commodities Exchanges (TOBB) Chairman
Rifat Hisarciklioglu yesterday handed
out awards to the chairmen of chambers
of industry and commerce of four
provinces named best investment
provinces. Addressing the gathering,
Hisarciklioglu said that there were only
72,000 production facilities in Turkey
and that half of these facilities were
in the three big provinces. Stressing
that about 10 million people would
migrate from rural areas to big cities
in the years to come, Hisarciklioglu
said that 7% sustainable growth should
be achieved in order not to face serious
social and economic problems. “We need
to improve our atmosphere of peace,” he
added. /Turkiye/
Columnist Semih Idiz comments on his
impressions of Greek Cyprus. A summary
of his column is as follows:
“I was recently in Greek Cyprus for a
journalists’ symposium organized by the
US Embassy there. I’ve been to Northern
Cyprus, but this was my first time in
the south. It’s always said that the
south is better developed and richer
than the north. However, when I was
touring the streets of Lefkosa
(Nicosia), I saw that this wealth is a
bit exaggerated. Of course, it’s not a
poor place, but it’s not Monaco, either.
Actually, I saw something which will be
missed by Turkish Cypriots if their
isolation is removed and they’re treated
fairly. Then, I asked myself if this is
the real reason for the Greek Cypriots’
blocking a solution. Turkish Cypriots
whom I talked to and who are in touch
with the south told me that
well-intentioned Greek Cypriots consider
them a ‘minority in need of protection’
and that malevolent Greek Cypriots see
them as ‘second-class citizens.’ It must
be very unsettling for this mentality,
which considers people on the ‘other
side’ this way, to know that they will
get the level of ‘this side’ once given
a reasonable chance. The second
impression that I had is about the Greek
Cypriots’ great interest in Turkey,
although they consider us ‘invaders.’ It
seems that as long as steps on the
humanitarian level promoting
normalization rise, we will see more
Greek Cypriots visiting Turkey.
I got a third impression from the
conversation that I had with Greek
Cypriots, that is that European Union
membership has started to change Greek
Cyprus. People say that as the acquis
communautaire starts to take hold here,
Greek Cypriots will have to give up
their old habits. Some people find it
negative, because they think that this
EU membership, which they’ve seen as a
tool to be used against Turkey, will
weaken the Greek Cypriot identity over
time. In other words, it’s understood
that Greek Cypriots are afraid of being
melted and lost in a big pot, just like
Turks. In addition, I was very pleased
with something about huge, illustrated
billboards which were placed on the
border. I was pleased that they were
beginning to rot. I asked a Greek
Cypriot journalist if they wouldn’t be
taken down. He told me that a crazy
person put them there and that nobody
touches them as if they’re holy. He
added, ‘However, as you see, time is
solving the problem naturally.’ Then I
asked him if it will be the end of those
who block a solution to the Cyprus
issue. We laughed and went towards Ledra
Palas in the buffer zone.”
