PRESS AND INFORMATION OFFICE
27/3/2019
Turkish Cypriot newspaper Yeni Düzen (27.03.19, http://www.yeniduzen.com/akinci-220-bin-mi-350-bin-mi-dogru-113553h.htm) reports that Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci has said that the population is a very important issue and that he does not want an argument to take place on this. In statements today Akinci noted that 3-3,5 years ago, the population had been discussed in the negotiations and he had asked the number of population from the then “interior” minister. Recalling that he had been informed that the number of population was 220,000, Akinci said that yesterday Aysegul Baybars, self-styled minister of interior, had announced that this number was 350,000. Akinci questioned the difference between these numbers. He noted:
“My statements are not words said for targeting the government and a ministry. I think that I have to share with the people just like I do during the meetings I hold both with the governments and the ministers. I am obliged to remind of what should be done for overcoming the lack of knowledge on this issue. The issue of population was also one of the chapters in the negotiations. The interior ministry gave us some data and we shared it at the table. The bearers of TRNC identity card, the number of citizens was 220,000. It had been conveyed to us that 190,000 of these were in the country and 30,000 abroad, 3-3,5 years ago. Today the interior minister says 350,000, yesterday at the assembly it was said 252,000, only for those who are in the country. The number of 350,000 was given as a total. If this number is correct, there are around 100,000 TRNC citizens who live abroad. First a questioning should be conducted on this issue. Has this number, which was 30,000 3,5 years ago, really reached 100,000 now? If the number which was 220,000 became 350,000, how this difference came up? […] Which was the correct one, the 220,000 or the 350,000? With the addition of the persons who are in the country with permit, it is said that the number is 374,000. The finance minister said 800,000. There is a difference more than 400,000. Do more than 400,000 persons live without a permit here? Our people are concerned from all these. […]
The day before yesterday, a crime was committed. They murdered one of our valuable brothers in the middle of the street. Some suspects are wanted. Even when you go to any coffee shop, people coming from third countries not from Turkey serve there now. Do not perceive this as racism, but this community should know who, how and how many people live here”.
Population in the occupied area of Cyprus reached 374,299, argues Baybars
Turkish Cypriot newspaper Yeni Düzen (26.03.19, http://www.yeniduzen.com/baybars-nufus-374-bin-299-113521h.htm) reports that Aysegul Baybars, self-styled minister of interior of the breakaway regime in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus, has said that, according to the “official” data of the “population registry”, the number of “TRNC citizens” today is 252,497 persons and that if the 121,802 persons having “valid permit” to stay in the occupied area are added to this number, the total number of population reaches 374,299.
Baybars made this statement yesterday at the “assembly” responding to criticism by Nazim Cavusoglu, “deputy” with the opposition National Unity Party (UBP). Cavusoglu said that each “government official” gave different information on the population issue, that the date of holding a population census was not known and that the “big brother” of the “government” [Translator’s note: He means self-styled minister of finance, Serdar Denktas] said that the population was 800,000. Cavusoglu further noted that 3,500 persons were granted “citizenship” during the period of the [current] “coalition government”.
Replying to Cavusoglu, Baybars gave a “definition” of “population” and argued the following: “Population is dynamic. Population is the people living on a certain date in a certain place with determined boundaries”.
She said that there was no policy regarding the population in the occupied area of Cyprus for 44 years, that the “population census” in 2011 showed the picture of population on that day and that during the ten years, which passed from 2009 until today, no one thought of registering the students. She also noted that the past “governments” and “interior ministers” were not counting the persons who were older than 60 years of age and were not keeping “registers” based on the address.
She also said the following: “Now we saw that a TRNC identity card number was given to persons who are born in the country but are not TRNC citizens. A TRNC identity card number was given to Greek Cypriots and Maronites. White identity card [Translator’s note: The ‘white identity card” gives its bearer “rights”, such as to live and work in the occupied area of Cyprus] with the TRNC identity card number was given to some persons”.
Furthermore, Baybars noted that the number of “licensed” students is 59,482.
Finally, she stated that 7,000 rural plots of land were allocated until today and that 4,000 of these plots had no infrastructure.
source:https://www.pio.gov.cy/en/επισκοπηση-τουρκοκυπριακου-και-τουρκικου-τυπου-αρθρο.html?id=303
