Gözde AKBEN
The decision of the Republican Assembly, the Tel-Sen strike, and the Sledgehammer operation in Turkey were discussed on Öğlen Ajansı, a program prepared and hosted by Cem Kar.
Tamay Soysan, President of Tel Sen, joined the program by phone and described developments at the Telecommunications Department. Soysan said: “As Tel-Sen, we had for a long time been working on the restructuring of the Telecommunications Department and on how conditions for competitiveness could be achieved within that restructuring. However, when we looked at the balance of income and expenditure in this restructuring, we found that the Telecommunications Department’s revenues had fallen compared with previous years, and that these revenues had also declined significantly as a result of licensing agreements made with GSM operators in previous periods, shrinking 18-fold. We shared this with the whole community. But since then, at the stage we have now reached, the Minister of Transport has been discussing a model in which services provided alongside new investments would be delivered by a state-owned company. As Tel-Sen, we are deeply concerned and troubled by this matter. Our employees are uneasy and unhappy. This is also reducing productivity. We are concerned about the future of the Telecommunications Department.”
““THE GREEKS HAVE VETOED 6 NEGOTIATION CHAPTERS” Commenting on developments in Turkey, Onur Öymen, Deputy Chair of the Republican People’s Party, said that the Greek Cypriots had vetoed six chapters in Turkey’s EU accession negotiations. Öymen said: “We know that some are using the Cyprus issue as a pretext in Turkey’s relations with the EU. In other words, neither the French nor the Germans nor anyone else is saying, ‘If the Cyprus issue is resolved, we will support Turkey’s membership.’ But the Cyprus issue is constantly being put forward as an obstacle. This has reached a point where it is obstructing Turkey-EU negotiations. According to what we most recently learned in Brussels, the Greek Cypriots have vetoed six of the Turkey-EU negotiation chapters and frozen six of them. The French had previously frozen five chapters. Eight chapters had already been frozen because of Cyprus. In other words, in practice, only four chapters in total remain for Turkey to negotiate. This means that the negotiations have effectively been suspended. There are certain conditions for those four chapters to be opened for negotiation. Turkey needs to pass certain laws. On the final day of this period, they managed to open one chapter. This course of events is creating a situation in which Turkey’s EU membership is being slowly left to die, and it is clear that the Greek Cypriots are taking a very negative stance.
It also shows that, unfortunately, the EU has fallen for the Greek Cypriots’ game and is acting in line with them. The latest resolution adopted by the EP includes provisions such as the immediate beginning of the withdrawal of Turkish troops and the return of Varosha to the Greek Cypriot side. What meaning would the negotiations have then? You are asking Turkey to take a unilateral step now, without knowing what outcome the negotiations will produce. These resolutions are not binding. But they could harm the talks and negotiations.”
“IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT THE DECISION WAS TAKEN UNANIMOUSLY” Commenting on the decision adopted by the TRNC Republican Assembly, Turgay Avcı, leader of the Freedom and Reform Party (ORP), said: “The decision taken in our assembly yesterday is a very important one. I wish we had been able to take this step on the 20th or 21st, but even so, it is extremely important that the decision was adopted unanimously.”