 |
| The TRNC President at this '100 Days' press conference on Tuesday 11 August. Photo: TRNC Presidency |
NEWS/TRNC
By John Oakes and İpek Özerim
With history breathing down his neck, the TRNC
President Akıncı clearly realises a change of tactic is needed if he is to
slice through the Gordian Knot of the Cyprus Problem.
His statement on July 2nd in Brussels,
repeated during his ‘100 Days in Office’ press conference in Lefkoşa on
Tuesday, 11th
August, that problems between the two communities could be solved "within
months ", shows optimism and an ability to deal with the circus the Talks
have now become. Indeed, he intends to talk to the UN General Secretary Ban Ki Moon
at the UN ringside next month.
But what tangible results have there been since
Mustafa Akıncı took office on 1st May 2015?
Spat with Erdoğan
over ‘mother-&-baby’ relations
Even before he had taken formally taken office,
the newly elected President was involved in a spat with the formidable Recep
Tayyip Erdoğan. Following his election victory on 26 April with 60% of the
second-round vote, Akıncı talked of two ‘brotherly states’ and creating a new
relationship with Turkey
based on more equal terms.
A furious Erdoğan lambasted Akıncı, maintaining
the relationship between Turkey
and the TRNC would remain that of a ‘mother and infant’. The term is regarded
as patronising by many Turkish Cypriots, who voiced their support for Akıncı.
The newly elected leader calmly stood his ground, telling Turkish reporters it
was time for the “TRNC baby to grow up”.
 |
| TRNC & Turkey's presidents disagreed over how to define the two countries' relations |
All tensions had eased by the time the TRNC President
made his first official visit to Ankara
where he met President Erdoğan on 6th May. Indeed, since then both Akıncı
and his Foreign Minister Emine Çolak have stressed that Turkey is committed to
a solution, which is being ‘helpfully quiet’ during the early stages of the resumed
talks.
Lifting visa
requirements for Cypriots at the checkpoints
 |
| Ledra Palace checkpoint |
Creating a positive atmosphere between the two
sides has been a priority for Akıncı and one of his first actions was to lift visa
restrictions for Cypriots at the Green Line checkpoints.
The visa procedure, in
place since the borders opened in April 2003, was a simply formality of TRNC
police checking ID documents and issuing a stamp on a separate piece of paper. Yet many Greek Cypriots had refused to cross because they saw the process as
tantamount to accepting the island’s division and the separate authority of the
TRNC.
Since this procedure was scrapped on 16th May, the number of
Greek Cypriots crossing has increased by 3,000 in July.
Building a future spirit
of co-operation
 |
| The two leaders enjoy Turkish coffee at the Büyük Han, 23 May 2015. Photo: TRNC Presidency |
On May 23rd, the TRNC President met his
Greek Cypriot counterpart, Nicos Anastasiades at the Ledra Street checkpoint
and the two leaders went on a walkabout of Old Nicosia. They strolled around
the streets on both sides of the divide meeting locals and shopkeepers, having
a coffee in the Büyük Han on the Turkish side, and a drink in a café-bar in the
South. The photo of the two
leaders happily chatting away over coffee became a global news story.
 |
Mobile phone & electricity networks
to be linked across Cyprus |
Concentrating on building a spirit of
co-operation, Akıncı and Anastasiades have made substantive progressive on
several other areas too. They’ve undertaken moves to open more border crossings,
and agreed to connect the north and south's electricity grids and mobile
networks, so the two systems can work seamlessly island-wide. There’s also to
be co-operation in the allocation of radio frequencies, so broadcasts can be
transmitted across Cyprus
without encountering interference.
Breakthrough on hellim/halloumi
PDO
In July, there was an important breakthrough on
the Hellim issue, brokered by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.
The Greek Cypriots had unilaterally applied for a PDO (Protected Designations
of Origin) for traditional Cypriot cheese, deliberately freezing out Turkish
Cypriot producers. The North had lobbied the EU vigorously not to progress with
the PDO application, claiming it would be unlawful for the EU to do so until
their concerns were addressed.
During his visit to Brussels at the end of June, Akıncı raised
the issue when he met with the heads of three major EU institutions, including Juncker
and European Parliament President Martin Schulz.
In a follow-up visit to Cyprus in mid-July, Junker announced that he had agreed a formula with the two Cypriot leaders that overcame the issues raised by Turkish Cypriots. The PDO, now in the final consultation phase, is set to include the Turkish north and also allow its producers to sell hellim in Europe by amending the existing Green Line Regulation.
 |
| Akgöl hellim from the TRNC, could be on sale in Europe in the next 6 months. Photo: KIBSO/Akgöl |
Empathising with Greek
Cypriot losses
There was Akıncı's brave admission that Greek Cypriots
had suffered as a result of Turkey's
1974 action: “We referred to it as a
peace operation but indeed this was a war. Some of us in Cyprus lost our
loved ones. Thousands of us had to go through the trauma of being displaced in
our own country.”
His statement came on the 41st
anniversary of Turkey’s
intervention – celebrated in the Turkish north as ‘Peace and Freedom Day’,
while across the border it is commemorated as a dark and tragic day in Cyprus’ history.
Televised as a pre-recorded message and again live
during the Peace and Freedom Day parade, the TRNC President’s speech called for
Cypriots to remember the events of both 15th and 20th
July and stressed his desire for the next generation to “share only friendship and peace.”
Optimism with the talks,
but precious little detail
The resumed talks have dominated media reports in
Cyprus,
with the two leaders meeting seven times since 15th May. There have been broad-brush
references to power-sharing and governance, a new land and property deal, the position
of Evkaf lands, and more (unspecified) Confidence Building Measures. But precious
little detail so far.
The new consensus seems to be to park contentious
topics such as territory, the guarantees, and oil and gas, to a later date when
such details can be solved amicably: "I
do not expect any problems to come up over oil during the negotiations,” the
President said at his press conference on Tuesday.
 |
UN Special Adviser on Cyprus Eide (centre) with two Cypriot
leaders Anastasiades & Akıncı as they resumed negotiations
on
15 May 2015. Photo: TRNC Presidency |
He also remarked on how Greek Cypriots have been
changing their mentality: “If we continue
with the same determination, then I believe a solution to the problem could be
found within months, not years”.
Pointing out that there will be a parliamentary
election in South Cyprus in May 2016, the
68-year-Turkish Cypriot leader added: “If
we do not succeed in achieving a serious development that will bring results by
May, things will drag on.”
The knack, as ever, will be to win over Greek
Cypriot hardliners without bargaining away too much and frightening the folks
back home. We watch with continued fascination as President Akıncı navigates
his way round the three declared pinnacles of his policy – liberty, equality
and security.
