Turkey's commitment to European values questioned

Editor's note: Theo Sommer is a German newspaper editor and intellectual. He has been at Die Zeit since 1958, rising to Editor-in-Chief and Publisher. He is considered one of Germany's foremost authorities on international relations and strategic issues.  The opinions expressed in this commentary below are solely his.

There is No Place in the European Union for This Turkey

HAMBURG - For 10 years, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan built his reputation as a moderate, successful, even exemplary levelheaded Islamist democrat. During his leadership the economy flourished, domestic political stability settled in after a period of shaky coalitions, and the army was put on a leash. When the Arab Spring uprisings began, Turkey's democracy seemed like a shining beacon for the people taking to the streets in the Arab world's crisis crescent.

Those days are over. The economy is stuck in a deep crisis. Share prices and the Turkish lira have slumped. And the AKP, Erdogan's party, has been caught up in a serious corruption scandal. The accused include the sons of three AKP ministers and Erdogan's own son Bilal. Investigators have uncovered millions of dollars stuffed into shoe boxes, money transfers to Iran and construction permits in return for large bribes.

As the crisis has unfolded, Erdogan himself has become more and more autocratic, trying to sweep aside everything standing in his way. Last summer, his security forces launched a bloody crackdown on the protests in and around Gezi Park. Since mid-December, he has ruthlessly pursued all those who would drain the swamp of corruption. Hundreds of police officers, dozens of prosecutors and judges have been fired or transferred because they refused to halt their probes, which had reached the prime minister's inner circle. To put an end to corruption rumors circulating online, Erdogan's government recently blocked access to Twitter and YouTube in Turkey.

Meanwhile, a bitter feud between Erdogan and his ally-turned-rival Fethullah Gülen, has shaken Turkey's political scene. The prime minister rails against the imam, who lives in U.S. exile. He sees enemies and conspirators everywhere.

Turkey's municipal elections held in late March were ultimately about whether the country's awakening civil society or conservatism would prevail. The outcome -- 45 percent for the AKP, 38 percent for the opposition -- demonstrates that Erdogan's power base has not crumbled. Now it's completely up to him whether to run for the presidency in the summer or to disregard the term limits he himself instigated and seek a fourth term as premier.

For 30 years, I have advocated accepting Turkey into the European Union, once the country has fulfilled the Copenhagen Criteria: institutional stability as a guarantee of democracy, the rule of law, respect for human rights and minority rights, a functioning market economy, and finally the pledge to embrace the goals of the political, economic and monetary union.

If Erdogan continues as he has over the past two years, he will not fulfill these criteria. There is no place in the European Union for this Turkey.

The conduct of Turkey -- a NATO member -- in the Syria crisis is also worrying. A leaked audio recording that has gone viral online reveals Turkey's foreign minister, intelligence chief and deputy chief of staff discussing intervening militarily in Syria after staging a fake attack made to look as if it had been committed by Syrians.

The leaders in Ankara need to be clear that Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty requires NATO-wide action only if a member state is actually attacked. If the Turkish government feels like playing with fire on the sidelines of the Syrian civil war, it can do so without expecting NATO assistance. And Germany should promptly withdraw its Patriot missile batteries that are guarding Turkey's frontier with Syria.

This article appeared in The German Weekly on April 4, 2014.

10 Years BirdLife Cyprus ... Protecting Nature, Inspiring People

Cyprus is an important place for birds at a national, European and global level, mainly due to its geographical location. Situated on one of the key migratory corridors of Europe, it is estimated that during migration, around 150 million birds pass through Cyprus as they migrate between Europe, Africa and Eurasia. 

Having been identified as an Endemic Bird Area of World Importance by BirdLife International, BirdLife Cyprus is predominantly focusing on two campaigns at the moment.

BirdLife’s development officer states that “One of our main campaigns is against illegal bird trapping. For this we have a monitoring programme, where a person who goes out into the fields and basically counts how many nets and limesticks he can find. We use that data to lobby for enforcement and to raise awareness.”

“Our other campaign is for the protection of important bird areas in Cyprus, the Natura 2000 network. What we do is we recognise which areas in Cyprus are important for birds and lobby to get them protected. And we have managed to get most of them designated and protected by the Cyprus government.”

But aside this, BirdLife Cyprus also has other interests such as lobbying for a more sustainable common agriculture policy of the EU, organising educational programmes and raising awareness in schools, monitoring appropriate assessment procedures when developments are proposed in the Natura 2000 area and climate change adaptation to name a few.  They also campaign for the "Life Oroklini project" -- a restoration and protection of the Oroklini Lake.

One can assist Birdlife’s activities by reporting incidents of illegal bird trapping and should feel free to approach the association with injured birds or queries. 

BirdLife Cyprus also brings vultures to the island from Crete to strengthen the population.

BirdLife’s development officer states “there’s about ten vultures left in the wild in Cyprus.  Most birds in Cyprus are threatened to some degree mainly by habitat destruction, illegal hunting and trapping.  The raven is on the brink of extinction, maybe one or two are left. People don’t really see them anymore. We used to have the Imperial eagle in Cyprus which is now extinct.  Most of the birds in Cyprus are migratory, around 300 of them, and 40 species stay in Cyprus to breed. We have around 50 resident birds, two endemic species that only breed in Cyprus, the Cyprus wheatear and the Cyprus warbler, both small birds and four endemic sub species that are all forest birds, found in Troodos."

More informations about BirdLife Cyprus can be found on:

www.birdlifecyprus.org

Concern: Increasing number of Greek Cypriots selling property in occupied north

Cypriot President Anastasiades expressed concern about the increasing number of Greek Cypriots selling off property in the occupied north stating “They need to realise that, even if this is not their intention, they are creating negative conditions for freedom and reunification and weaken our negotiating position.”

He explained that we should not ignore the fact that the Greek Cypriot properties ‘compensated’ through the property commission in the north are transferred to the Turkish Government.

“It is natural that those who want a solution are those who were victims of the invasion,” he added.

But also those considering selling their properties due to their own financial difficulties are worsening the country’s situation by exposing it to more dangers. "They should think again.”

He also said that a solution to the Cyprus problem can be reached soon if only Turkey finally makes the right steps to demonstrate that it can abide by UN regulations and work towards their aspirations for entry into the EU. 

“It is time for Turkey and Turkish Cypriots to make convincing steps to show that they want and are able to implement UN resolutions and that they can also fulfill the requirements of EU membership.” 

Panagiotis Georgotas' Fight

Panagiotis Georgotas is a 4 1/2 year old boy from Corfu, Greece. A boy truly innocent and full of life now has been faced with the most tragic circumstances. For the past 20 months he is fighting with Neuroblastoma which is a very aggressive form of cancer.

In order to keep the hope of survival ... the Georgotas family are asking for help. It has been deemed necessary for the boy to come to the United State to seek the proper medical attention. He is being admitted to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. The Pankerkyraiko Association of America & Mathrakian Society of America have teamed up to help raise funds and awareness for Panagioti. 

Any donation will help Panagioti and his family to cover the medical costs. You may contact Kostas Notias at Alma Bank to make a direct transfer to Checking Account # 0120018780 Or you may send a check payable to “Pankerkyraikos Association FBO PANAGIOTIS GEORGOTAS” and send to 14-01 150th Street Whitestone, NY 11357 USA. 

More at the following Facebook pages below:

Ελπιδα για τον Πανουλη!!!!!!

Panagiotis Georgotas' Fight

Remarks by Spokesman following Anastasiades’ meeting with the US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State

An assessment of the course of the negotiations, the confidence building measures and the more active involvement of the European Union in the negotiation process for a solution to the Cyprus problem, were the issues discussed at today’s meeting between the President of the Republic, Mr Nicos Anastasiades, and the US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Mr Eric Rubin, at the Presidential Palace.

In his remarks to the press following the meeting, the Government Spokesman, Mr Christos Stylianides, said that the meeting had focused on three pillars. “The first one entailed the assessment of the course of the negotiations so far. The President of the Republic presented his views and assessment on the phase of the submission of the initial positions, the so-called screening, and there was an exchange of views on how to overcome some problems that have already been ascertained. 

Secondly, there was a systematic and thorough discussion on the issue of confidence building measures, which focused primarily on the issue of Famagusta.”

He added that the third issue discussed was the more active involvement of the EU in the process of the negotiations, the value and importance of this involvement and how much it could help so that the dialogue would become more productive and specific, mainly in relation to the compatibility or the lack of compatibility of the submitted proposals with the acquis communautaire.

The return of the fenced-off area of Famagusta as a confidence-building measure, was at the centre of the Tuesday meeting.

Anastasiades’ proposal for the immediate opening of the Turkish-held ghost town of Famagusta under the auspices of the EU and the UN to give a new momentum to the UN-brokered peace process which began on February 11.

But the Turkish side appears unwilling to return the occupied port town to its lawful Greek Cypriot inhabitants. 

Cyprus International Film Festival

The 12th Cyprus Film Days – International Film Festival is taking place at Rialto Theatre in Limassol and Zena Palace Cinema in Nicosia  until April 13.

This year the festival showcases a lineup of nine feature films in its competition programme, ‘Glocal Images’.

Organised by the Ministry of Education and Culture and Rialto Theatre, Film Days is an opportunity for Cypriot audiences to experience international independent cinematography and for Cypriot filmmakers to promote their work.

“The Festival’s aims are to contribute to the development, promotion and mobility of the art of filmmaking in Cyprus and its wider region; screen the work of filmmakers from across the world and to introduce their work to the audience of Cyprus; to serve as a hub for films from the three neighbouring continents of Cyprus,” said the festival’s organisers in an official statement.

An international jury will give awards to selected films from the ‘Glocal Images’ section.

All films from both sections will be screened in Cyprus for the first time, and will be presented in their original language with Greek and English subtitles.

For more information call 77777745 and 77772552 or visit www.cyprusfilmdays.com and http://www.rialto.com.cy

Demining Support From UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus

The UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) announced Friday that an agreement has been reached for the provision of demining support from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), in order to clear two areas in Cyprus, where mines may have inadvertently been displaced into the buffer zone through flooding.

New House bill calls for U.S. State Department report on Churches stolen by Turkey

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) has been joined by the panel’s Ranking Democrat Eliot Engel (D-NY), in introducing bipartisan religious freedom legislation (H.R.4347) that would require the Obama Administration to submit annual reports on the status of stolen Christian churches and properties in Turkey and occupied Cyprus.

In a statement issued upon introduction, Chairman Royce outlined the need for passage of H.R.4347.  ”This legislation holds Turkey accountable for its international obligations to protect and promote human rights, and it calls attention to Turkish leaders’ broken promises to return church properties to their rightful owners. 

Over decades, Christian church properties, particularly those belonging to the Armenian, Syriac, and Greek Orthodox communities have been either violently overtaken or illegally confiscated by Turkish authorities under various excuses.  These churches under Turkish control have been looted, converted to mosques, storehouses, casinos, vandalized and often irreparably damaged,” stated Chairman Royce. “Vulnerable religious minorities deserve more than just piecemeal returns of their stolen religious properties.  It is important that the United States continue to encourage Turkish leaders to uphold their commitments and return all remaining properties without further delay.  This bill will make promoting religious freedom and tolerance in Turkey a U.S. diplomatic priority.”

Ranking Democrat Engel concurred, noting, “The Republic of Turkey, and indeed all nations, have a responsibility to protect, restore, and return religious properties which have been unlawfully seized from their communities and rightful owners by state authorities.  Armenian, Syriac, and Greek Orthodox communities in Turkey have for many years been seeking the return of their confiscated properties.  The claims of these communities must be respected and addressed in a comprehensive and timely manner.  This legislation calls on the Republic of Turkey to meet its international obligations, and urges the United States to prioritize the return of unlawfully seized religious properties in order to begin to resolve the legitimate claims of these communities.”

H.R. 4347 builds on a measure (H.Res.306), spearheaded by Chairman Royce and then House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Democrat Howard Berman (D-CA), which was overwhelmingly adopted by the House of Representatives on December 13, 2011.  That resolution called upon the government of Turkey to honor its international obligations to return confiscated Christian church properties and to fully respect the rights of Christians to practice their faiths in freedom.

H.R.4347 specifically requires the Secretary of State to “submit to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate a report on the status and return of stolen, confiscated, or otherwise unreturned Christian churches, places of worship, and other properties in or from the Republic of Turkey and in the areas of northern Cyprus occupied by the Turkish military that shall contain the following:

•  A comprehensive listing of all the Christian churches, places of worship, and other properties, such as monasteries, schools, hospitals, monuments, relics, holy sites, and other religious properties, including movable properties, such as artwork, manuscripts, vestments, vessels, and other artifacts, in or from Turkey and in the territories of the Republic of Cyprus under military occupation by Turkey that are claimed as stolen, confiscated, or otherwise wrongfully removed from the ownership of their rightful Christian church owners.

•  Description of all engagement over the previous year on this issue by officials of the Department of State with representatives of the Republic of Turkey regarding the return to their rightful owners of all Christian churches, places of worship, and other properties, such as monasteries, schools, hospitals, monuments, relics, holy sites, and other religious properties, including movable properties, such as artwork, manuscripts, vestments, vessels, and other artifacts, both those located within Turkey’s borders and those under control of Turkish military forces in the occupied northern areas of Cyprus.”

The resolution goes on to urge that a summary of the report be included in the annual U.S. State Department Human Rights Report and International Religious Freedom Report.

Turks figured out that they invaded wrong geographic region of Cyprus

No hegemonic peace in Cyprus by Marios L. Evriviades

If NATO today trots out the principle of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty to condemn Russia, how come it doesn't condemn Turkey when it comes to the territorial integrity and sovereignty that Cyprus is equally entitled to? Professor Marios L. Evriviades revisits the Turkish plan and analyzes where it went wrong.

Almost forty years to the date, the Turks finally figured out that they had invaded the wrong geographic region of Cyprus. Cyprus’s power wealth, its hydrocarbons, have been found to be located in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) off its southern shores and not in its northern ones, where the NATO-trained and US-supplied Turkish army attacked massively in 1974. Since then and for decades the Turks persistently and stubbornly insisted that whatever the Cyprus problem, it was permanently solved in 1974. These days they are not so sure. And they have turned peace advocates. Or so it seems.

The double irony is that if one were to believe Ankara’s 1974 propaganda, namely that they were not “invading” but that they were merely launching a “peacekeeping operation” to secure the safety of their coreligionists, who were allegedly under threat of instant massacre by their blood thirsty compatriots, then it was the southern part that they should have attacked in the first place! For it was in the southern districts of Limassol and Paphos that the vast majority of the allegedly threatened 100,000 or so Turkish Cypriots lived. They did not live in the Kyrenia district and the Karpass or Morphou regions, that were the targets of the 1974 attack by Turkey.

In fact the autochthonous Greek Cypriot population in the presently Turkish-army occupied part of Cyprus numbered close to 200,000 souls. This is a figure that is twice as large as the total number of Turkish Cypriots who, prior the 1974 invasion, were intermingled with the Greek Cypriots throughout the island but, significantly, constituting nowhere a regional majority (except in a very few villages) . And in July 1974, when the Athens junta- organised coup occurred against the legitimate government of the Republic, they were hardly under any threat, lest one of massacre (“genocide” is Ankara’s favorite term).

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Αίσχος και αηδία: Ημίγυμνοι Τούρκοι μοντέλα ποζάρουν πάνω σε τάφους Ελληνοκυπρίων

(24HCOMCY) - Μέγιστη πρόκληση από τους Τούρκους. Ασελγούν στους τάφους Ελληνοκυπρίων στα κατεχόμενα.

Οι προκλήσεις των Τούρκων προς τον Κυπριακό Ελληνισμό συνεχίζονται. Αυτή την φορά όμως δεν σεβάστηκαν ούτε τους τάφους στα κατεχόμενα μέρη. Ημίγυμνα μοντέλα ποζάρουν επάνω στους τάφους κάνοντας έτσι το «θέαμα» θλιβερό.

Ασέβεια και περιφρόνηση των Ελληνοκυπρίων που είναι θαμμένοι στις κατεχόμενες περιοχές μας, στο βωμό της "τέχνης". 

Σε μια στιγμή μάλιστα που οι δύο κοινότητες προσπαθούν να βρουν λύση στο θέμα του Κυπριακού, οι Τούρκοι επέλεξαν να δείξουν τις πραγματικές τους ιδεολογίες και πεποιθήσεις έναντι των Ελληνοκυπρίων.

WOW: Turk Models Posing on Greek Cypriot Graves in Occupied Areas

(Non Stop Journal) - Τούρκοι μοντέλα ποζάρουν επάνω στους τάφους Ελληνοκυπρίων

Οι προκλήσεις των Τούρκων προς τον Κυπριακό Ελληνισμό συνεχίζονται. Αυτή την φορά όμως δεν σεβάστηκαν ούτε τους τάφους στα κατεχόμενα μέρη. Ημίγυμνα μοντέλα ποζάρουν επάνω στους τάφους κάνοντας έτσι το «θέαμα» θλιβερό.Οι συγκεκριμένες φωτογραφίες αν και τραβηγμένες από τον περασμένο Αύγουστο, βγήκαν στην φόρα χθες το βράδυ μέσω διάφορων κοινωνικών δικτυώσεις. Η πράξη αυτή, σίγουρα δεν τιμά ούτε τους δημιουργούς αυτής της φωτογράφισης αλλά ούτε και τα μοντέλα που πήραν μέρος.

Returning ghost town will be the key to a successful conclusion of peace negotiations

Foreign Minister Ioannis Kassoulides has said in an interview with our television station that the return of the fenced off city  Famagusta by Turkey will be the key to a successful conclusion of peace negotiations.

Kasoulides said that only something big in the form of confidence building would convince public opinion that Turkey had the will for a solution.
He also said that two or three more negotiating sessions are needed for the two sides to present a complete set of proposals on a solution and a long period of detailed negotiations will follow to bridge differences.

Kasoulides categorically stated that Turkey cannot prevent Cyprus from exploring and exploiting hydrocarbons in its marine exclusive economic zone.

He added that the discovery of hydrocarbons has a large bearing on Cypus' regional policy.

Kasoulides said that relations with Russia remain excellent despite the Ukraine crisis.

He added that he conveyed some important messages to EU chief of foreign affairs Catherine Ashton from his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, with whom he met recently in Moscow.

Bank governor disagreed with the 'bail-in' of Cyprus

Οutgoing governor of Cyprus' central bank Panicos Demetriades has said for the first time that he had disagreed with the IMF's assumptions on the island's 'bail-in'.

The "bail-in" occurred last March after IMF debt sustainability analysis determined the country could not afford debt exceeding 100 percent of its GDP.

Demetriades, who steps down in early April, said that in hindsight, data shows that the IMF could have used a higher benchmark of debt to GDP. Αnd this would have limited the bail-in.  Had lenders used a benchmark of 120 percent, an additional 3.6 billion euros could have been made available, restricting  the bail-in of depositors to one bank instead of two.

He also told Reuters in an interview that the IMF was "challenged" on the matter, but "never moved from their position".

This, he added, would have limited the shock to confidence and would have made it easier for Cyprus to recover.

The First Forcible Change in European Borders Since World War II... Uh...NYET!

Forgotten Cyprus

Take a look at the warped media, here, from the Financial Times describing the Crimean referendum as a "divorce at gunpoint".  Okay.  So it's not a "peaceful and consensual" referendum akin to the one that will happen in Scotland, it says.  Alright.  "Instead, it is a figleaf for a forced territorial annexation – the first on the European landmass since the end of the Second World War."  That media talking point quote is a little different from what was previously their go-to line which was this quote: "the first forcible change in European borders since World War Two".  

The media is spreading misinformation.  They are talking as if there was no Turkish invasion of Cyprus, no occupation, no alteration of the island's identity by importing Turkish settlers, and no ethnic-cleansing. Nooo, it was all a bad dream.  I feel like I'm in the Twilight Zone... Do di do doo, do di do doo ♪ 

Speaking of going to war on trumped up pre-text...Here's Johnny! Just a few days ago, Turkish officials planned false-flag attacks to create pretext for war with its middle eastern neighbor.  I'm shocked!  Really... Honestly.  I truly am!

Angelina... hello (tap, tap) is this thing on?! Testing, one two...Hey, Angelina Jolie, come to Cyprus and urge action against the use of sexual violence as a war weapon!  How was this acceptable behavior?!

It seems now the West is looking to wean itself from Russian natural gas and one possible place they are looking is Cyprus and the natural resources located off its southern shores.  Europe is speaking with one voice right now regarding the unity of Ukraine.  What are the chances we see that same unity once the "urgent" upcoming Cyprus settlement talks begin?  Let us see what kind of demands they expect from the victim THIS time around.

Somebody wake me up... What a nightmare!

Cypriot Banks Get A Rating Boost

Moody’s Investors Service has taken upgraded action on three Cypriot banks - Bank of Cyprus, Hellenic Bank and Russian Commercial Bank (RCB).

Τhe rating action comes in the wake of the recent affirmation of Cyprus’ Caa3 government bond rating and the corresponding outlook change to positive from stable.

For Bank of Cyprus, the island’s largest lender, Moody’s has changed the outlook to positive from negative and affirmed the bank’s Ca long-term deposit ratings. 

Moody’s has changed Hellenic Bank’s outlook to positive from negative and affirmed the bank’s Caa3 long-term deposit ratings.

As for RCB, Moody’s has changed the outlook to stable from negative and affirmed the bank’s Caa2 long-term deposit ratings. 

On the Bank of Cyprus, Moody’s notes the ratings “capture the high risk that the bank will be faced with additional capital needs stemming from future credit losses”.

“While Moody’s expects the sale of the bank’s non-core assets to support the bank’s regulatory capital levels (core Tier 1 equity stood at 10.2% as of December 2013), the rating agency believes that the weak domestic economic environment, high unemployment rates and on-going property price correction will lead to high problem loans and credit losses that will erode capital.”

It added that the bank’s funding profile remains vulnerable to fragile depositor confidence and the bank has limited excess liquidity buffers to withstand any further deposit outflows (cash and interbank balances stood at 8% of total assets as of December 2013).

The positive outlook on Bank of Cyprus Ca deposit ratings follows the change in outlook of Cyprus government debt ratings to positive, from stable, and captures a potentially higher capacity of the government to provide external support to the bank to meet any capital and liquidity in case of need.

For the Hellenic Bank, Moody’s notes that the weak domestic operating environment will also lead to high problem loans and credit losses.

However, it points out that the raising of Hellenic’s standalone BCA acknowledges that these risks are partly balanced by the bank’s improved capital position, following Hellenic’s successful capital raising exercise in November, executed without any state intervention.

Hellenic’s Tier 1 capital ratio stood at 13.1% as of December, which provides a buffer against high credit losses. 

Moody’s said Hellenic had a healthy liquidity profile, to counter any further deposit withdrawals, with no reliance on Central Bank funding.

Animal Shelter

Nicosia Dog Shelter is affiliated to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) and a member Society of the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA.) It cares for stray and abandoned dogs and puppies until they can be adopted by caring, responsible owners.

Call 22357005 (or 99868512 in an emergency or 99520511 for re-homing.)

Visit www.dogshelter.org.cy for more information.

Directions to Nicosia Dog Shelter:

The Shelter is in Makedonitissa/Engomi in Nicosia. You need to enter through the UN check point, opposite the University of Nicosia (formerly Intercollege) campus. Please call 99868512 to arrange with the guard to let you in. Visitors are welcome at the Shelter between 10am and 4pm daily, except Sundays. There are also charity shops linked to the charity.

FAREWELL

(Click on image to enlarge)

Defence Minister Tasos Mitsopoulos was laid to rest as thousands of mourners gathered to pay their final respects to an “honorable man and outstanding politician”.

Mr. Mitsopoulos passed away after suffering brain hemorrhage.

The minister was buried in his family grave along with his maternal grandfather Evangelos Mouskos and his mother.

Meanwhile, at around 13:40 pm television cameras were turned off in respect to the family’s wishes not to broadcast the burial.

The largest haul of looted church artefacts make a return to Cyprus

It has been a joyous few months as the largest haul of looted church icons, frescoes and mosaics make a return to Cyprus.

No monetary value can be placed on the return of the 173 items stolen from the Orthodox and Maronite Christian churches in the occupied areas some of which included fragments of a 1,500-year-old mosaic and 1,100 year-old frescoes — the oldest of their kind in Cyprus which traces its roots in Christianity to the 1st century.

A 1997 police raid uncovered the religious treasures in a Turkish art dealer's apartment in Munich, Germany.

More on this from the Cyprus Weekly:

Over 170 church icons, frescoes and mosaics, removed from museums and monasteries in occupied Cyprus after the Turkish invasion were handed over to the government by Germany, after a four-decade journey. 

It is the largest haul of looted church icons ever repatriated to Cyprus, comprised of 173 artworks of significant historical value that will now be hosted at the Byzantine Museum of the Archbishop Makarios III Foundation.

A special ceremony marked the return of the items stolen from 50 Orthodox and Maronite Christian churches in the occupied areas of Cyprus. 

The repatriation was achieved following years of legal wrangling with the Regional Court of Munich.

Speaking at the ceremony, German Ambassador in Cyprus, Gabriela Guellil welcomed the return of the icons “in what is probably the largest and most important case of repatriation of Cypriot artefacts in recent history".

“The return of the 173 religious artefacts underlines both the excellent bilateral relations between Germany and Cyprus and Germany’s commitment to honour her obligations under the respective UNESCO Convention from 1970,” said Gabriela Guellil.

She added that the German government is currently working on a new version of the German law for the protection of cultural objects which aims at speeding up the process of repatriation in the near future.

Communications Minister Tasos Mitsopoulos said the items are unique examples of ecclesiastical art of Cyprus and will be temporarily exhibited in the Byzantine Museum until they can be returned to their rightful place.

“These holy artefacts are an indispensable part of the cultural and religious life of Cyprus.”

He said that this case has brought to light the extent of the damage caused to the island’s cultural heritage during the invasion. 

“Frescoes and mosaics were violently and irrevocably damaged, with some icons cut in pieces in order for more of them to be sold at a higher price,” said Mitsopoulos. 

“We are hoping that soon we will be able to host in the museum the rest of the artefacts that are still in Munich.” 

He hoped that this case will help speed up the process for the return of other unlawfully removed cultural treasures found abroad.

UPDATED Cypriot Permanent Representative to UN denounced Turkey’s violations in Cyprus

NICOSIA - Cypriot Permanent Representative to the United Nations Nicos Emiliou denounced Turkey’s continuing violations in Cyprus that have been taking place ever since the 1974 Turkish invasion of the island.

"In the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus, basic human rights were brutally violated, together with the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of my country. Thirty-nine years later, the occupation of more than one third of Cyprus continues, and massive violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms persist," he said addressing the United Nations General Assembly’s 68th Session of the Third Committee.
He referred to the continued identification process of the remains of missing persons 39 years after the invasion.

"In Cyprus, the past is very much the present," he said, adding that today, Cyprus remains the country with the highest proportion of Internally Displaced Persons as a percentage of its population in the world.

Emilou noted Turkey’s decision to allow the Committee of Missing Persons access to a fenced zone in the occupied areas this year but called on the Turkish Government to fully address this humanitarian issue with urgency, by launching an effective investigation, both on the cases of people whose remains have been identified, as well as those whose fate is still unknown.

He also called Ankara to allow unrestricted access to all relevant information in its archives, as well as to all relevant areas, including military areas, in Cyprus and in Turkey itself.

The Cypriot Representative also referred the living conditions of enclaved persons in the occupied part of Cyprus. "Despite some improvements in recent years, which we recognise and welcome, Greek and Maronite Cypriots living in the occupied areas are still subjected to harassment, restrictions to their movement, denial of access to adequate medical care and curtailment of their freedom of worship, adding that "we are especially alarmed by continuing violations of their property rights, as safeguarded by Article 17 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, including the right to bequeath property to their descendants."

Emiliou furthermore denounced the systematic violations of the right to education of enclaved students, as well as the widespread destruction and looting of religious and cultural heritage in the occupied part of Cyprus is not only a crime against Cyprus, but one against humanity.
"The desecration of religious and historical sites, which began as soon as Turkish troops landed in Cyprus in July 1974, continues today. Around 550 churches and Christian monuments, along with numerous cemeteries, have been desecrated, pillaged, destroyed, converted into mosques, army barracks or worse, or even demolished," he went on to say.

Emilou however, noted that not all is bleak welcoming two recent positive developments in the broader field of religious freedom.

He referred to a senior Muslim cleric who held a service at Hala Sultan Mosque near the city of Larnaca while at the same time, Bishop Christoforos of Karpasia, who had been prevented for the past 18 months from visiting his diocese in the occupied part, was allowed to visit his enclaved flock and the monastery of Apostolos Andreas in north-eastern Cyprus.

Emiliou announced that a restoration project through the bi-communal Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage will begin in the coming months for Monastery of Apostolos Andreas, one of the most important religious sites on the island, which has been left to decay since the Turkish invasion of 1974.

"Such developments, small as they may be, are proof of the powerful yearn of the Cypriot people for peaceful coexistence and give all Cypriots, hope for a reunited future," Emiliou went on to say.

At the backdrop of renewed efforts to launch a new UN-led initiative for the solution of the Cyprus problem, Emiliou underlined that for the effort to reunify Cyprus to succeed, these violations must cease at once.

"We call on Turkey to end the occupation, recall its troops and apply and respect the resolutions and recommendations of all relevant UN and other international bodies, thus restoring peace and security and the human rights and dignity of all the people of Cyprus. This is of vital importance, not just for Cyprus, but also for the credibility and moral standing of this Organisation," he concluded.

The icon of the Presentation of Christ

The icon of the Presentation of Christ, which was most probably stolen after the Turkish invasion from the Turkish occupied monastery of Saint Panteleimon in the village of Myrtou, will be repatriated very soon.

According to a press release, the icon was found by the Representation of the Church of Cyprus in Brussels being auctioned at Kaupp in Salzburg, Germany. The Church discretely managed to repossess the icon on October 5.

The icon was painted in 1787 and is attributed to hagiographer Leontios of the school of hagiography of the monastery of Saint Heracledios in the village of Politico.

Bishop of Neapolis, Porphyrios, who is the Church`s Represetantive in Brussels, has already received the icon, which will be repatriated in December and presented to Metropolitan Bishop of Kyrenia, Chrysostomos, in whose province the monastery of Saint Panteleimon belongs. 

MEPs set to dig deeper into Troika's Cyprus deal

Pressure to reveal how the Cyprus financial plans were hatched would continue, the chair of Parliament's economic and monetary affairs committee, said on Tuesday when she closed a debate with Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem that left various MEPs less than fully satisfied on the quality of the answers provided.

Responding to critical questioning, Mr Dijsselbloem defended the plan as the "best possible outcome" and said a rethink of Eurogroup decision-making was not realistically on the cards.

Mr Dijsselbloem and the Eurogroup as a whole came in for criticism from all political groups. The centre-right MEP Jean-Paul Gauzès (FR) said that the Eurogroup was responsible for having caused huge collateral damage to the trust in the EU as a result of its poor communication.

Sven Giegold (Greens, DE) slammed Mr Dijsselbloem's responses as being "unacceptable" since they did not provide the details needed to understand how the "bad outcome was reached". He also asked for a full written explanation to be provided. Udo Bullman (S&D, DE) said that the Eurogroup needed more parliamentary control at European level since it had come "very close to causing a bank run with the first plan for Cyprus".

Mr Dijsselbloem defended the intergovernmental structure of the Eurogroup saying that this was what the current political context would realistically allow. He also contested the view of many MEPs that the plan for Cyprus was a bad outcome. 

He assured MEPs that lessons had been learnt and that the EU was in a better position to face new challenges now that it had new instruments and a stronger Commission to enforce discipline.

Reacting to Mr Dijsselbloem's replies, Sylvie Goulard (ALDE, FR) said that he was "the most optimistic undertaker". She asked him to deliver an agenda to avoid another Cyprus situation and to end the nationalistic decision-making of the Eurogroup.

Asked by Jurgen Klute (GUE/NGL, DE) whether Cyprus should not be compensated because part of its crisis was a result of the write downs of Greek debt, Mr Dijsselbloem said that there was no case for this since Cypriot banks had chosen to invest in Greek banks and when they did this it was already a risky strategy. 

Committee chair Sharon Bowles (ALDE, UK) said it was not fair to place all the blame on the island's banks since they were acting on promises that there would be no write downs and also at the instigation of various European political actors.

On a more general level, Mr Dijsselbloem refused to enter into the debate on whether austerity had run its course when asked this by Dirk Jan eppink (ECR, BE). He simply replied that everyone should take responsibility for what was agreed and deliver on their promises.

The hearing, organised to shed more light on the processes which led to the financial plan for Cyprus, will continue on Wednesday morning when committee MEPs will hear testimony from Commissioner Olli Rehn and ECB Executive Board member Jorg Asmussen.

(European Parliament / Economic and monetary affairs / 07-05-2013 / 18:16)

REF. : 20130507IPR08062

Full Interview with Cypriot Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides - BBC HARDtalk

Cyprus is enduring the agonies of a financial and economic meltdown. But here's the really bad news for the Cypriot people - according to international economists their darkest days have yet to come. The island's economy is about to shrink dramatically, overseas investors are fleeing and the current Government is struggling to come up with a survival strategy. Who and what will save Cyprus?

ABOUT IOANNIS KASOULIDES 

Ioannis Kasoulides (Greek: Ιωάννης Κασουλίδης; born 10 August 1948 in Nicosia, Cyprus) is the Foreign Minister of Cyprus.  He studied medicine at the University of Lyon in France.  He is a member of the Conservative Democratic Rally (DISY) party in Cyprus.  Ioannis Kasoulides ran for President in the Cypriot presidential election of 2008. He won the first round, but lost in the second to Dimitris Christofias.

European Parliament calls for the withdrawal of occupation troops from Cyprus

The European Parliament has urged Turkey to withdraw its troops from Cyprus, return the fenced-off city of Famagusta to its legal owners, end the flow of illegal settlers in the occupied part of Cyprus and implement the Ankara Protocol.

In a resolution on the 2012 progress report on Turkey, members of the European Parliament expressed once again their strong support for the reunification of Cyprus, based on a fair and viable settlement for both communities.

The resolution was adopted on Thursday by the European Parliament plenary session by 451 votes in favour, 105 against and 45 abstentions.

The resolution underlined the urgent need for an agreement between the two communities on how to proceed with substantive settlement negotiations, so that the negotiating process, under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General, can soon regain momentum.

Furthermore it urged Turkey to begin withdrawing its forces its troops from Cyprus and to transfer the sealed-off area of Famagusta to the UN in accordance with UNSC Resolution 550 (1984).

MEPs called on Turkey to refrain, in accordance with the principles of international law, from any new settlement of Turkish citizens in Cyprus, as this would continue to change the demographic balance and reduce the allegiance of its citizens on the island to a future common state based on its common past;

They deplored Turkey’s refusal to fulfill its obligation of full, non-discriminatory implementation of the Additional Protocol to the EC-Turkey Association Agreement towards all Member States and recalls that this refusal continues to have a profound effect on the negotiation process.

MEPs expressed their regret hat Turkey had "missed an important opportunity to start a process of engagement and normalisation of relations with Cyprus" during the Cypriot Presidency of the Council.

The resolution stressed that progress towards the normalisation of Turkey’s relations with the Republic of Cyprus is urgently needed in order to give new momentum to the EU-Turkey accession negotiations.

The resolution also called on the Government of Turkey to sign and ratify the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) without further delay and recalled the full legitimacy of the Republic of Cyprus’s Exclusive Economic Zone, in accordance with UNCLOS.

A pro-Turkish lobby failed to include amendments in the resolution aiming at giving to Turkish Cypriots the status of observers at the European Parliament and opening direct trade between the Turkish-occupied area of Cyprus and the EU.

(KYPE)

German MEP rails at his country's 'hypocrisy' over economic crisis

(theguardian) - German MEP rails at his country's 'hypocrisy' over economic crisis

"Look at the money-laundering that is taking place in Germany," he said. "It is well proved that up to €60bn is laundered in Germany every year. How can a country like Germany then accuse a small country like Cyprus of being nothing else than a criminal money-washing system and at the same time execute a whole economy within a fortnight just to send a message to German voters [in September's general election]?" he asked. "It is unbelievable!" » Read full article here.

All Eyes on Cyprus

Guten Morgen, my fellow bloggers.  I am alive and well and practicing my German… Has anyone heard any news about Cyprus these past few weeks? ;)

We, here, in the money laundering island are doing well, thank you for asking… Reading some of the articles in the warped media make it sound like the Russian Mafiosos have swarmed Cyprus.

I can understand how people may think this is a true representation because some of our EU partners have claimed that Russian funds were deposited and invested in Cyprus via illicit means, but it appears those very same governments are now enthusiastically spreading their arms wide open and encouraging relocation of these so called “illicit” funds into their own economies…  Shock… Shock, I say!

On a bright side of things – if you can call it that – people around the globe now know where Cyprus is on a map… am I right?!  Individuals from jewelers who follow the spot price of gold,  to educators to investors to politicians, have all been focusing in the events taking place on this island these past few weeks…

There was a “running joke” that if Turkey were to make a dash for more land or gas deposits located in the south of the island, people around the globe wouldn't even know where Cyprus is located, let alone hear it on the news, but all of that has changed now…

Cyprus had banking issues; the market reacted.  Cyprus planning to sell its gold reserve; gold prices drop.  It clearly goes to show that Cyprus is part of the global economy, and going forward, Ankara should be fully aware of that.

Instead of threatening, it should be extending a hand of reconciliation… instead of sending and reinforcing troops to the northern part of the island, it should comply with international laws and obligations.  While we now have the global media’s attention on this island now looking for the mob bosses digging holes to secure their illegal money, maybe some in the warped media can now actually report some real news like the next time a Turkish war plane flies over the Republic of Cyprus.  Hey, it could happen…

It goes without saying, these past few weeks have been trying times for Cyprus, however with the media conversing on this island seeking blood, instead saw people waited in line at banks in a civilized manner and there were no towns burned down… For shame!  I guess the media came down here for a holiday which is a good thing because we need the money…  And yes, our world renowned hospitality still exists.

In short, Cypriots survived and hold their heads high after the Turkish invasion… and we can do it again.

Abschied!  That is, “goodbye” in German, my fellow bloggers… I know… it sounds a lot like Ape shit.  Ha!

US Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen: Time for Turkey to leave Cyprus in peace

(Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Florida Republican, is chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee)

Long-standing occupation amounts to annexation

(The Washington Times) - Since its invasion of Cyprus in 1974, Turkey has claimed that it was acting as a protector and guarantor of the island’s security. But a closer examination of its actions on Cyprus indicates motivations of a very different character. Turkey’s invasion resulted in hundreds of thousands of Greek Cypriot refugees, who have been unable to return to their homes for almost 40 years. The international community has repeatedly condemned the illegal military occupation of Cyprus by Turkish troops. The United Nations Security Council has passed 75 resolutions calling for Turkey to allow Greek Cypriots to return to their homes and to withdraw its troops from Cyprus. Yet Turkey continues its occupation.

More than 40,000 heavily armed Turkish soldiers are occupying the northern part of the country, with one Turkish soldier for every two Turkish-Cypriots. The presence of this overwhelming force cannot be justified by the claims that they are needed to prevent any renewal of violence. In fact, since the 2003 opening of the border between the two communities, more than 17 million intercommunal visits have occurred without conflict.

The result of this occupation by foreign troops is that many Cypriot neighborhoods in the occupied areas remain vacant or in a state of disrepair. One of the most tragic examples is the Varosha region of Famagusta. Once an important commercial and tourism center for the island, Varosha was fenced off following the invasion, and access has been prohibited for all except Turkish military forces. Over the years, this area has become a virtual ghost town.

The desolation of Cypriot properties and cultural sites is not restricted to Varosha but is a reality in all the areas under Turkish military occupation. In fact, an estimated 520 Greek Orthodox churches and chapels, and 17 monasteries in the occupied areas have been pillaged, vandalized or destroyed. Often these religious sites have been converted into stables, bars, nightclubs, casinos or hotels, leaving more than 15,000 religious artifacts unaccounted for. This widespread destruction of Cypriot historic, religious and cultural identity certainly does not seem like the behavior of a “protective guardian.”

Read full article here: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/jun/15/time-for-turkey-to-leave-cyprus-in-peace/#ixzz2yilWkCJv 

Follow us: @washtimes on Twitter

British MPs to Clean up Desecrated Churches in the Occupied Areas

A group of British MPs and volunteers is to take part in a two day clean- up session of desecrated churches and cemeteries in the occupied areas of Cyprus, Conservative MP and Chairman of the British All Party Parliamentary Group on Cyprus David Burrowes has announced. 

The proposed clean up session of a total of 18 churches and cemeteries is scheduled to take place between 9th and 13th May, cleaning days May 10 and May 11. The Cyprus Church will fund the initiative. A drive has already begun in London to recruit volunteers. 

The decision of the clean up session was taken following a visit by British MPs to the occupied areas where they witnessed the destruction of churches, cemeteries and other religious shrines. Cyprus was divided in 1974 when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. UN led talks have been underway with a view to reunite the island under a federal roof. 

The occupation regime in an effort to erase all Greek or Christian elements from the occupied areas has, from 1974 destroyed archeological sites, cemeteries and mainly churches. 

(source: cna) 

ECHR awards Greek Cypriots damages due to Turkish occupation

ECHR awards Greek Cypriots damages due to Turkish occupation

Turkey has been ordered to pay thousands of euro in damages to Greek Cypriots for violating their human right to peaceful enjoyment of their property in Cyprus’ northern Turkish occupied areas. 

The European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday delivered its judgment regarding the allegation by 13 Greek Cypriot applicants (Lordos and Others v. Turkey) that “the Turkish occupation of the northern part of Cyprus following the 1974 conflict had deprived them of their homes and properties”. 

In its judgment today, the Court awarded each of the applicants between EUR 100,000 and EUR 8,000,000 “for pecuniary and non-pecuniary damages and EUR 15,000 jointly to all applicants for costs and expenses”.

In its principal judgment, delivered on 2 November 2010, the Court held in particular that there had been a violation of Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 (protection of property) as concerns eight of the applicants and a violation of Article 8 (right to respect for private and family life) with regard to seven of the applicants.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third.

Turkey occupied 36,2 percent of the sovereign territory of the Republic and forcibly expelled about 180.000 Greek Cypriots from their homes. Another 20.000 Greek Cypriots, who had remained in the occupied areas, were also forced to eventually abandon their homes and seek refuge in the safety of the government controlled areas. Today, fewer than 500 enclaved Greek Cypriots remain in the occupied areas.

Turkey still deprives the displaced Greek Cypriots of their right to return to their homes and properties. This has given rise to appeals to the European Court of Human Rights, which has issued major decisions on Turkey’s violations of the European Convention.

Noble Energy’s Cyprus Drilling Beat Expectations, Politis Says

(Bloomberg) - The results of Noble Energy Inc. (NBL)’s exploratory drilling for oil and gas in Cyprus’s Block 12, which began in September, exceeded expectations, Politis reported today, without saying where it got the information.

The hydrocarbon reserves in Block 12 are comparable to those of Israel’s Leviathan site or larger, the Nicosia-based newspaper said on its website.

Cyprus before historic decisions for its future

(Famagusta Gazette) - Cyprus will have to take momentous decisions and take bold steps forward, which will potentially mark its course in history and reshape its strategic importance, Minister of Foreign Affairs Erato Kozakou Markoullis said in a speech titled “Cyprus in the Eastern Mediterranean: Strategic Location, Strategic opportunities” at the Director’s Forum of Woodrow Wilson Center.

Markoullis pointed out that developments in Cyprus will have an effect on its neighbourhood, since Cyprus is now in an unusual position of having greater say in its future, and being in a position to effect change.

“Indeed, a number of important factors appear to be coming together, and if this confluence, this convergence of interests is harnessed properly, the opportunities, for Cyprus, its partners and its neighbours can have enormously positive results”, she said.

Referring to the start of drilling operations by a Republic of Cyprus licensed US company, Noble Energy, within the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone, in search of natural gas deposits, she said that initial findings have already shown positive results ranging between 3-9 Tcf of natural gas and official estimates are expected by the end of the year.

As regards developments in the discovery of hydrocarbon reservoirs in Israel and Cyprus, she said that they are significant on a number of levels.

“The positive results of the drilling in Israel and the preliminary results in Cyprus prove beyond doubt that the geological surveys and estimates on the presence of large quantities of hydrocarbons in the Levant basin, but also in the area south of Cyprus, have merit”, she said. She added that from an economic point of view the significance is great, since it will imply greater interest by other international companies for the second round of bidding to gain licenses for exploratory drilling in other parts of the Cypriot EEZ, and will also serve as a catalyst for financial investments in Cyprus.

Secondly, she said that once natural gas and possibly also oil are found in quantities and in quality that justifies further investments, this will lead to job creation, something that will also involve directly the economies of Cyprus' neighbours.

Markoullis also said that the momentum that will be created by the sort of investment in infrastructure and financial structures for the servicing of the energy industry, will serve as a catalyst towards greater cooperation among neighbours.

“The possibility of joint exploitation between the countries of the Eastern Mediterranean and the launching of joint projects, particularly in areas where the natural gas or petroleum fields fall across the line separating EEZ, not only does exist, but we are promoting this cooperation through Framework Agreements we are currently negotiating with Israel, Egypt and Lebanon concerning the Joint Development and Exploitation of Cross Median Line Hydrocarbons Reservoirs”, she said, adding that this kind of cooperation could become an indispensable tool that has the potential to change the whole political and economic scene of the entire region.

The Cypriot Minister has also expressed the position that hydrocarbon resources in the Eastern Mediterranean will contribute towards greater energy security for Europe.

“As a member state of the EU we have a stake in its success. We believe that potential deposits of hydrocarbons in our Exclusive Economic Zone will benefit Europe, its economy, and by extension its international standing. Therefore, we look forward to cooperating closely with our European partners and linking them to our partners in our immediate neighbourhood, and possibly beyond, in establishing greater energy security, and by extension, broader economic security and stability”, she said.

Referring to bilateral agreements Cyprus has signed with Egypt, Lebanon and Israel for delineating of their Exclusive Economic Zones, she said that these agreements have introduced a new stabilizing dimension to the politics of the region.

The Foreign Minister pointed out that a Cyprus which is a member state of the European Union, a responsible actor within the international system, and which has good and constructive relations with its neighbours can serve as a catalyst for cooperation on the regional level and also offer the necessary platform for greater peace, stability and prosperity in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Referring to Turkey’s attitude and behaviour towards Cyprus, she said that the start of exploratory drilling in the Cypriot EEZ sparked a tirade of anger on the part of Turkish leaders, at the highest levels. Markoullis explained that the decisions and actions of the Republic of Cyprus to explore and exploit its natural resources within its EEZ are entirely legal falling within its sovereign rights as recognised by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, all EU member states and by all Permanent and Non-Permanent Members of the UN Security Council.

She referred to “blatant threats of violence and saber rattling which involved Turkish warships and aircraft, air and naval exercises in the sea south of Cyprus, and illegal seismic surveying and seabed mapping, carried out by ships on behalf of Turkey inside our EEZ in blatant violation of Cypriot sovereign rights”. She also mentioned the signing by Turkey of an agreement with its proxy in the occupied part of Cyprus, an agreement which seeks to create the semblance of legality in what cannot possibly be legal.

“But Turkey does not stop there. Its newfound confidence, based on real or imagined successes, its economic growth, and, I am sorry to say, the unbridled support it receives in some countries, has given rise to a neighbourhood bully”, she said.

Markoullis said that Turkey cares very little about the Turkish Cypriots and a great deal about its own selfish interests.

“It is even making claims for an imagined EEZ of its own which in some places borders on the EEZ of Egypt! It would be no exaggeration to say that Turkey is not just violating international law; it is following a conduct in international relations which belongs to another century, before international law was put in place to guide relations between states”, she said.

Reminding Cyprus’ support for Turkey’s European aspirations, she expressed her disappointment when seeing Turkey failing to progress along its European path.

“The negotiation process is not progressing; in fact it has remained frozen, because Turkey is failing to meet the European standards and its commitments to the European Union. It is failing because, like in international law, Turkey wants to dictate its own terms to the European Union”, she said.

“We are hopeful that the Turkey, which aspires to be recognised as a regional if not a global leader, will rise to the occasion. We are hopeful that the Turkish leadership will put aside polemics, diatribes, threats, and adopt a more mild and statesmanlike tone and attitude. We believe that there is room for Turkey to cooperate with its neighbours, out of genuine desire toward common ground and mutual benefit. To do that, Turkey must meet its obligations vis a vis the European Union. It must meet its obligations in terms of international law”, she said.

Referring to the UN-led direct talks for a solution in Cyprus, she said that after three years and 120 direct meetings between the two leaders, there is still no substantive progress on the most crucial issues of the executive powers in the governance chapter, as well as in the refugee, property, territory and citizenship chapters.

She explained that the main stumbling block has all along been the position maintained by the Turkish Cypriot side, fully supported by the Turkish Government, that the goal should not be a federation, in the form of one unbreakable federal state, with a single sovereignty, single international personality and single citizenship, as has been agreed and endorsed by the international community, but a confederal arrangement between two separate states with separate sovereignties.

“Despite the difficulties and obstacles on the way, we continue to persist in our efforts to reunify our country in the form of a bizonal, bicommunal federation”, she said.

She added that the developments from the hydrocarbon discoveries in Cyprus’ EEZ, the prospects for prosperity for all Cypriots once reunification is achieved appear tremendous and should work as a catalyst in the direction of moving forward the talks towards reaching an agreement. She expressed the hope that Turkey, which could significantly benefit from a likely cooperation with a reunited Cyprus in all sectors, but primarily in the energy field, will grasp the message of peace, stability and prosperity.

Hurriyet: Why the Turkish military bombed mosques in Cyprus

Article Below is From The Turkish Hurriyet Daily News
By MUSTAFA AKYOL Dated 9/28/2010 12:00:00 AM

We just learned that our officers bombed mosques in Cyprus to 'raise resistance' against 'enemies without.' We now wonder whether they used similar techniques also against 'enemies within'?

Last week, Sabri Yirmibeşoğlu, a retired Turkish general, said something that shocked the nation. During an interview by Habertürk, a popular news channel, he said that the Turkish military had bombed mosques in Cyprus in the past and put the blame on the Greeks. “Such attacks and sabotages on sacred values are done and portrayed as if the enemy did them,” he explained. “The purpose is to raise the resistance of the people.”

The 82-year-old Yirmibeşoğlu was probably not aware of the possible impact of this revelation, which he made just in passing, as if it were a trivial detail. But since then, the media has hotly debated what the bombed mosque story really is, and what it tells us about the amazing adventures of our military.

[HH]Manufacturing contempt

As Yıldıray Oğur, a columnist in daily Taraf, wrote, the operation the ex-general refers to is probably the bombings of the Bayraktar and Ömeriye mosques in Nicosia on the night of March 24, 1962. The incident, naturally, inflamed Cypriot Turks, who organized demonstrations against the Greeks of the island, who they thought were responsible. (Their “resistance,” in other words, was “raised.”)

A few weeks later, though, a local newspaper run by two Cypriot Turks, Ahmet Muzaffer Gürkan, 38, and Ayhan Hikmet, 35, wrote that the bombings had not been done by Greeks at all. And, lo and behold, these two men were both assassinated on that very same night, on April 23, 1962. (Perhaps we need another talkative ex-general to fully shed light on that part of the story.)

Now, all this, of course, is deeply troubling. It shows that the Turkish military intentionally increased tension between the Turks and Greeks of Cyprus, paving the way for more tragic events in the years to come and the partial occupation of the island by Turkey in 1974. Since then, as you would know, Cyprus has been one of the world’s unsolved problems.

To be sure, this should not mean that only the Turkish side was responsible for the intra-communal violence in Cyprus. The nationalists on the Greek side, organized under the infamous EOKA, or National Organization of Cypriot Fighters, were fanatic and violent, and they killed many innocent Turks. (Who knows, perhaps they had their little tricks to “raise resistance” on their side as well.)

Today, what matters more to me as a Turk is the bitter fact that our military has seen it legitimate to commit false flag terror operations to manipulate the psychology our people. This raises troubling questions:

- If they have done this in Cyprus, have they also done similar things at home?

- If they have bombed places to “raise resistance” against “enemies without,” have they also used similar techniques against “enemies within”?

I don’t want be paranoid. That’s why I often don’t agree with some of my liberal friends who see the fingerprints of the “deep state” in almost every political assassination and social turmoil in recent history. I rather believe that evil is “banal,” and horrible things can happen spontaneously without the need for a “master evildoer.”

But some episodes in our recent history are indeed too suspicious, and Gen. Yirmibeşoğlu’s revelation only makes them more so. Take the Ergenekon case. This controversial trial has many details, but two of its allegations are crucial: that the two terrorist acts in 2006, the bombing of ultra-secularist daily Cumhuriyet (which killed nobody) and the shooting of a secularist judge, were false flag operations to put the blame on “the Islamists.”

These two attacks certainly “raised resistance” among the country’s secular-minded masses against the Justice and Development Party, or AKP, government, which the Ergenekon folks clearly wanted to overthrow. So, if these two acts were “operations” of the type that Gen. Yirmibeşoğlu spoke about, than we should grant that they were successful ones. Otherwise, they were just extremely lucky coincidences. I now find the first option even more credible.

[HH]Internal affairs

Now, let me briefly touch upon something else: My column neighbor Burak Bekdil, with whom I often disagree, has written about me again. This time, he proposed a “sociological experiment” which he and I would join together to measure whether secular or religious Turks are more liberal-minded people — by going to their neighborhoods and saying things that will offend them.

But that proposal, as fun as it may be, misses my point. I did not say, “Religious Turks are more tolerant to insult than secular ones.” (And even if I did, Mr. Bekdil should have added an “insulting Atatürk” line to his experiment, to make it fair.)

I just argued that the link between secularism and political liberalism, which many Westerners take for granted, doesn’t exist in Turkey. Here, secularism rather goes hand in hand with nationalism, whereas liberal ideas are increasingly popular among religious conservatives. If Mr. Bekdil wants to test that hypothesis with an experiment, he just can try some of his ultra-secularist friends and simply ask, “Why do you loathe both the conservatives and the liberals so much?”

Benedict XVI is the first Pope to visit Cyprus

German Chancellor Merkel urges Turkey to open its ports to ships and planes from Cyprus

SELCAN HACAOGLU, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

March 29, 2010 10:10 a.m.

(Metronews.ca) - ANKARA, Turkey - German Chancellor Angela Merkel is stressing that Turkey should open its ports to ships and planes from Cyprus, which is a member of the European Union.

Turkey began EU membership talks in 2005 but some areas of negotiation are frozen because Turkey refuses to allow ships and planes from Cyprus to enter its ports and airspace.

Merkel has said Turkey should be given a "privileged partnership" that falls short of full EU membership. She said Monday that the matter of Cyprus "must be "addressed."

Turkey insists that what it calls an unofficial trade embargo on the breakaway Turkish Cypriot state be lifted.

Statements by the Foreign Minister on the Orams case

(PIO) - The Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr Markos Kyprianou, invited by the press to say how the Ministry of Foreign Affairs intends to utilize the British Court of Appeal decision in the case Apostolides v Orams, stated the following:

“The implementation and the execution of the decision is now a legal obligation and we will be following the developments closely. Of course, of exceptional importance to us are the broader consequences and the wider significance of this decision in conjunction with the important Judgement of the European Court, which was in essence adopted by the British Court as well. This decision points out certain legal facts that are very important.

First of all, it is applicable throughout Europe and it applies to all European citizens. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will become active - we have already been active since the decision of the European Court but now we will become more active, so that the significance of the decision, the illegality of purchasing immovable property and the existing risks for the buyers in illegally purchasing occupied property can be made known to all European citizens. Consequently it is a decision that binds all the member states and the citizens of the European Union and can be executed in the countries where they live.

Secondly, which is also very important, the combination of the European and British decision reaffirms that - irrespective of the occupation and the practical weakness of the state to exercise control on the occupied areas - the Laws and the Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus still apply. This is a message that must be sent, not only to the citizens, the private buyers, but also to the governments of all foreign states, especially the European ones, and all those carrying out business in the occupied areas; the reminder that anything they do must be done with respect for the Laws of the Republic of Cyprus, and of course this also applies for the European Commission which, through various regulations that have been adopted to strengthen the Turkish Cypriot community, is active in the occupied areas.
Thirdly, and this concerns of course the talks in Cyprus, the legitimacy of the positions presented by our side is reaffirmed concerning, not only who the legitimate owners of occupied properties are, but also who should have a say in the management and the fate of this right, who is of course the owner.

So, I totally disagree with the approach of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I do not believe that this decision will complicate the talks. On the contrary, it reaffirms the legitimacy of our proposals and I believe that this should be accepted also by the other side”.