PRESIDENT HITS BACK TO PROTESTERS BLAMING HIM WITH “NONCHALANCE” AND REMINDS THAT THEY WERE AGAINST AN UNCOMPROMISING SIDE

President of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Dervis Eroglu, hitting back at his critics accusing him with nonchalance, reminded that it was his team that produced all bridging proposals and that Greek Cypriots had a history of refusing all past proposals including 2004 peace plan.

President Eroglu, during a visit by the Association of Erenkoy Freedom Fighters, criticized the protestors from main opposition CTP who gathered outside the Presidential Palace and accused him with nonchalance.

The President partly blamed the Special Advisor of UN Secretary General on Cyprus Alexander Downer for inciting protests against him with visits to NGO’s and some political parties.

Recalling ex President Mehmet Ali Talat’s 2 year term as a negotiator at the talks Eroglu said, “They are trying to say that the previous negotiator had sorted everything and I came in and spoilt everything. When I came there were six chapters. None was tied”.

CTP’s ex president Talat and Greek Cypriot leading party AKEL’s and Greek Cypriot Administration leader who called each other companions had also failed to struck a deal in two years of negotiations Eroglu reminded, and said, “If you have your companion opposite you, you must bear in mind that still there is a mind that does not want a solution”.

Eroglu said CTP and AKEL had long been convening and producing solutions but in the two year of talks between Talat and Christofias none of the chapters was closed.

He reiterated that Turkish Cypriot was the side putting forth all proposals, citing proposals on the Governance and Power Sharing issues and Property that was turned down by the Greek Cypriot administration.

“On the issue of presidential election we put forth 2-3 proposals. We suggested to put it to public vote but got rejected. We said, the senate with equal number of senators should decide, they refused that too” he said.

COOPERATION ON THE ISSUE OF ENERGY

It was stated that Greece, Greek Cypriot side and Israel will sign a cooperation memorandum on the issue of energy.

During his press conference, Greece’s Minister of Environmental Energy and Climate Change, Yorgos Papakonstandinu announced that the agreement was related to the transfer of the natural gas explored or to be explored in the Eastern Mediterranean to Europe via Greece.

Moreover, Papakonstandinu said that this agreement to be signed between three countries will play an important role in being independent from the EU’s energy.

DP WANTS REFERENDUM

It was stated that Democrat Party (DP) realized a visit to the Republican Turkish Party-United Forces (CTP-BG) in order to make a proposal for realizing a referendum if an agreement is not reached. DP Leader Serdar Denktas indicated that Turkish Cypriot people should decide what to do in case of not reaching an agreement and this issue should be discussed starting from today.

In his speech, the Leader of the Republican Turkish Party-United Forces, Ozkan Yorgancıoğlu said that it is natural to submit the text to be prepared at the end of the negotiations to the referendum, but added that in case of not reaching a solution, as the Republican Turkish Party-United Forces, they do not find it suitable to realize a different referendum without seeing the UN report.

Moreover, stressing that whatever the result is Turkish Cypriot side should be the side who wants a solution in the island, Yorgancıoglu said that negotiation process should continue with a constructive attitude.

CHP DEPUTY LEADER LOGOGLU: ‘ STATEMENT OF BAGIS CAN NOT BE ACCEPTED’

The Deputy Leader of Turkey’s Main Opposition Party CHP, Faruk Logoglu said that the statement of Turkey’s EU Minister and the Main Negotiator Egemen Bagıs ‘TRNC can be annexed to Turkey’ can not be accepted.

‘The statement of Bagıs can not be accepted because first of all, it is a big violation of the rights of the Turkish Cypriot people. It is against the soul of the relations between Turkey and Turkish Cypriot people. This is the last example of the insulting attitude of AKP’ Logoglu added.

Moreover, expressing that the statement of Bagıs will give harm to Turkey’s accession process to EU, Logoglu stressed that it means AKP wants to put an end to the EU process.

Logoglu also underlined that Cyprus policy of CHP supports continuation of TRNC’s independency, respects for the demands and opinions of the Turkish Cypriot people and the solution of Cyprus problem on the base of inheritance of TRNC’s Late Founding President, Rauf Raif Denktas, on the base of equality.

BESPARMAK GROUP: “WE WANT TO BELIEVE THAT DOWNER AND BAN CAN NOT BE DECEIVED”

BeÅŸparmak Group indicated that they want to believe that UNSG Ban Ki Moon and his advisor Alexander Downer shall not be deceived or pressurized with intrigues.

In a written statement Besparmak Group recorded that behaviors of the Greek Cypriot side towards corruption of the UN authorities were being followed with worries in the Turkish Cypriot side and added: “therefore official and unofficial contacts of especially Downer with both sides are being evaluated with great emphasis. Within this context it is not possible to accept the call and expressions that last week Downer made in his contacts with some non-governmental organizations in North Cyprus with understanding. In fact the associations which have been motivated as a result have strongly criticized Downer. However we hope that the uttered worries shall be baseless.

SOUTH CYPRUS- FRANCE JOINT RESCUE EXERCISE
South Cyprus and France joined forces yesterday for a joint exercise in the south of the island, in the so-called exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and flight information region (FIR) of the Greek Cypriot Administration. According to the Greek Cypriot Simerini Newspaper, Greek Cypriot Defense Minister Demetris Eliades said ‘This is the first time an exercise of this breadth takes place and indeed with a Greek Cypriot helicopter landing on a French war vessel’.

5 MORE UNEMPLOYED FOR EVERY SINGLE HOUR

According to the Greek Cypriot Simerini Newspaper, Greek Cypriot Department of Statistics indicated a report and presented its data which underlined that the number of unemployed in the South Cyprus reached to 37.874 in February and the number was 772 less in January. It was also mentioned that in 21 working days of February 37 people lost their jobs for each day.

HRISTOFIAS IS LOOSING SUPPORTERS

According to the Greek Cypriot Simerini Newspaper, Greek Cypriot TV Channel made a survey and stated that every 6 of the 10 participants in the survey determine the Administration of Dimitris Hristofias and himself unsuccessful. 2000 participants participated in the survey and 60% of the participants also determined policies of Hristofias on Cyprus issue unsuccessful.