Turkish Cypriot daily Afrika newspaper (28.04.15) reports that the worlds said by the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about the newly elected Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci could not be digested and accepted. “As soon as Akinci gave the necessary reply, everybody relaxed”, the paper notes and adds:
“However, the Erdogan-Akinci conflict has soon been turned into Arinc-Erdogan row in Turkey with Arinc’s interference. Arinc openly stated that Akinci was right and took place by his side. As you see, even though Akinci said that ‘with the telephone conversation we settled the matter amicably’, the swords have been drawn from the very first day”.
Turkish Cypriot daily Detay newspaper (28.04.15) refers to Erdogan’s congratulations message to Akinci and wonders whether this was congratulating or threatening. The paper reports that “the threatening congratulations message of the Turkish Republic’s President has stigmatized the country on the first day of the election of Mustafa Akinci as the TRNC’s 4th president” and “became the main issue on the agenda in the media of Turkey all day long”.
Turkish Cypriot daily Volkan newspaper (28.04.15) refers to the conflict under the banner front – page title “Motherland’s President Erdogan replied to Akinci who opposed to the ‘Motherland-daughter land’ expressions: ‘He must listen what comes out of his mouth’”.
Under the title “Erdogan must allocate time for understanding”, columnist Huseyin Ekmekci writes in Turkish Cypriot daily Havadis newspaper (28.04.15) that Erdogan has declared Akinci to be “submissive” even before the latter undertakes his duties. “He made his stance clear by saying ‘we do not support a peace regardless of how [this is]’”, notes Ekmekci adding:
“Has he congratulated or threatened [him]? We could not understand this. Erdogan, who in the internal war experienced in Turkey says that ‘we will overcome all obstacles in the way to peace’, passes to the same front as the nationalists when Cyprus is the issue. It is as if he was not the one who 12 years ago had said that ‘let us solve the problem through the Belgian model’. It is as if he was not the one who had asked a ‘yes’ in the Annan Plan. It is obvious that there is an ‘axis shift’ in Turkey’s Cyprus policy.
It is obvious that they misinform Erdogan on the issue of Mr Akinci and Cyprus. […]
Erdogan also thinks that Akinci is ‘supporter of the parallel [state]’.However, he should seek an answer to the question of ‘why Akinci won?’ Has Erdogan not realized how much these people have been offended when he only asked [Translator’s note: the former self-styled prime minister Irsen Kucuk] ‘how much your salary is’? What kind of a relation is wanted? Erdogan will reprehend, Erdogan will insult and those who do politics on behalf of the Turkish Cypriots will keep quiet for the sake of the one billion dollars which he annually gives? […]
In the end a crisis came yup yesterday. Even though it is said that it lasted for a short time, a very heavy word like a lead came out of Erdogan’s mouth. […]”