THE STORM created over Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan’s reaction to a mass Turkish Cypriot rally continued yesterday with politicians and columnists rounding on the unapologetic Turkish leader.
According to yesterday’s Hurriyet Daily news, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) in Turkey, Devlet Bahceli, accused Erdogan of showing his “true intentions” after flying into a rage and insulting “our Cypriot brothers and sisters”.
Bahceli condemned Erdogan’s suggestion that Turkish Cypriots receive handouts.
“Whether he likes them or not, all of our Cypriot brothers and sisters are important to us. northern Cyprus will continue its existence as an inseparable part of Turkey, and all the aid they receive rightfully belongs to them like their mothers’ milk. Politicians will never have enough power to question that,” said the MHP chief.
During his parliamentary group meeting yesterday, Erdogan maintained that the banners unfurled against Turkey at the anti-austerity march in north Nicosia last month were impolite and damaging to the interests of Turkish Cypriots while furthering the Greek Cypriot cause.
“We have made the necessary warnings to the northern Cyprus administration. No one can take advantage of northern Cyprus or use the struggles for their own small accounts,” Erdogan was quoted saying in Hurriyet.
“In an international platform, the rights of northern Cyprus have never been as focused on as during this period of time,” he said, adding, “Cyprus is our national case, and we will never give up on it. As much as we struggle for a solution, we will also be sensitive to protecting northern Cyprus’ benefits.”
“Those within northern Cyprus who aid the plots of the Greek Cypriots instead of thinking of the Turkish Cypriots will have to face us,” said Erdogan.
The Turkish PM lost his cool last Friday following a mass rally held in north Nicosia on January 28, in which around 10,000 Turkish Cypriots protested against the Ankara-inspired austerity package for the north.
Erdogan pulled no punches, saying that the banners and flag of the Cyprus Republic held during the march were “insulting to Turkey”. He highlighted that on the one hand, the protestors wanted Ankara to leave them alone, while on the other were asking for more money.
Stepping away from the usual line followed by the Turkish Foreign Ministry, Erdogan said Turkey shed blood for northern Cyprus and had strategic interests on the island.
According to one translation of a Turkish press report, Erdogan said: “They are telling Turkey to get out and leave. Who do you think you are? I have martyrs, I have war veterans, and we spilled our blood there. We are there strategically, just like Greece is. They (Turkish Cypriots) have no right to hold such a demonstration.”
Further highlighting the lop-sided relationship between Ankara and the Turkish Cypriots, Erdogan reportedly urged Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu to prosecute those at the demo holding “insulting” banners and flags.
Meanwhile, Turkish Cypriot newspaper Kibris Postasi reported on the contents of the meeting between Erdogan and former Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat on Monday.
It is believed Talat is acting as the mediator between Ankara and Eroglu, who is seen by Ankara as not reacting forcefully enough to anti-Turkey protests, in an effort to calm tensions. There were even uncorroborated reports of Turkey planning early elections in the north.
A columnist for Turkish Cypriot paper Havadis called on Erdogan to do two things: take back the “insulting” use of the word “servants” to describe Turkish Cypriots, and immediately deny that he said Turkey had strategic interests in Cyprus as this makes Turkey look like an occupation army
