BY CUNEYT ULSEVER
HURRIYET- Probably the best definition of the Turkish government’s Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) policy is the famous Janissaries’ ‘two steps forward, one step back.’ During last weekend’s Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly meeting in Cyprus with other columnists and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the question I heard the most was this: ‘Why did the government send ministers to the island one week before the general elections?’ I tried to tell them that probably the visit had been previously planned, but then they asked, ‘What will they discuss with a government which has only a week left in office?’
The reasons for this visit include various issues, including the payment of a first tranche of a loan totaling $160 million and laying an undersea electricity cable between Turkey and the TRNC. Ankara recently paid 1.12 million euros in compensation to Titina Loizidou, a Greek Cypriot citizen, and this action demonstrated its stance on the TRNC. This way it sent an open message to the world and to TRNC voters. First of all, it could have paid the compensation (which has been due since 1996) after the elections. As the payment means its acceptance of grounds for compensation, the government broke with 30 years of Cyprus policies and accepted the European thesis in spite of its burdensome conditions. In addition, it not only paid the compensation, but also promised the entire world that it would solve the Cyprus problem next year. The government knows very well that this payment is a precedent for similar cases in the future. It made the payment despite knowing this. The TRNC should understand this message the right way.