This is not a complicated story. The North Cyprus Government was formed, in effect, from a coalition of two parties – the election winners (CTP-UG) and the losers (UBP). Turkey has always favoured the right-wing UBP over the left-wing CTP. Turkey wanted the government to sign what is known as the Protocol for Economic and Financial Cooperation but the TRNC government wanted to negotiate provisions such as changes to the judiciary, the privatization of the electricity authority (KIB-TEK) and the granting of citizenship to thousands of settlers from Turkey. Because of this Turkey held up payment to the government which caused salaries not to be paid. The UBP withdrew from government saying that it was because of salary non-payment and said they would reform a government, sign the protocol, get the money and everything would be back to normal.
According to the north’s Afrika newspaper (31.03.16) because Turkey’s economic protocol has not been signed yet money is not available for the Ministry of Finance to pay salaries in full for March 2016. Those with monthly salaries higher than 4000 TL (£1000) will receive only 60% of their salary.
An American researcher believes he has found evidence of man-made structures beneath the sea between Cyprus and Syria which he is “absolutely convinced” are the ruins of Atlantis. This includes a “walled hillside” about a mile beneath the sea 50 miles off the south-east coast of Cyprus.
I’m not sure how much ‘pie in the sky’ this article is but according to the north’s Yeni Duzen newspaper (29.03.16) the TRNC’s Tourism Minister, Faiz Sucuoglu, has announced that for a limited time in order to attract more tourists to the north, the government will give tourists arriving at Larnaca airport, who are crossing to the north, 15 Euros per person as an incentive.
Turkey is being reported as reducing and withdrawing troops from the north in order to reinforce its units in the fight against the Kurdish PKK. Afrika newspaper has said:
There is some confusion being spread about whether having a TRNC stamp in your passport means you cannot visit Greece. This is as a result of two conflicting reports of a Turkish senior Interior Ministry public officer experiencing a problem visiting the Greek island of Chios on official business.
South Cyprus’ Permanent Representative to the UN, Nicholas Emiliou, objected to Turkey supplying water the the north in order to avoid drought there. He argued that Turkey aimed to take control of the north and to maintain its military occupation.
This is not a complicated story. The North Cyprus Government was formed, in effect, from a coalition of two parties – the election winners (CTP-UG) and the losers (UBP). Turkey has always favoured the right-wing UBP over the left-wing CTP. Turkey wanted the government to sign what is known as the Protocol for Economic and Financial Cooperation but the TRNC government wanted to negotiate provisions such as changes to the judiciary, the privatization of the electricity authority (KIB-TEK) and the granting of citizenship to thousands of settlers from Turkey. Because of this Turkey held up payment to the government which caused salaries not to be paid. The UBP withdrew from government saying that it was because of salary non-payment and said they would reform a government, sign the protocol, get the money and everything would be back to normal.
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