Across the Divide News and Language Services

The Famagusta Initiative and the Famagusta Our Town organization are to hold a demonstration demanding the opening of the Famagusta Dherynia crossing point. The two groups held a press conference on Tuesday ath the House for Cooperation in the buffer zone to make a call to people from both sides of the divide to participate in the demonstration on Saturday 31 st March at 10 am at the Dherynia crossing point. Speaking on behalf of the Famagusta Initiative, Dr. Okan Da ğlı resembled Famagusta with a body that has been cut in half with one side of being lifeless. “This is something that we cannot approve of nor accept” he continued. Dr. Dağlı while putting forward the demand for the immediate opening of the crossing point called for “the opening of all roads and crossing points which will unite us”. Speaking on behalf of the Famagusta Our Town Organisation, Pavlos Iakovou said that their aim is to create “a homeland in which people will be able to feel that they a...

Photo from Turkish Cypriot daily Yeni Duzen By Kyriacos Kiliaris News Across the Divide Kudret Ozersay, the head of Turkish Cypriot foreign affairs office, has said that “the previous government’s decision to impose duty on the humanitarian aid the sent to Greek Cypriots and Maronites living in the north was wrong and is to be adjusted. Speaking to Turkish Cypriot daily newspaper Yeni Duzen, Ozersay, although did not go into details, said that the 4-party coalition is working towards making the previous administration’s decision more rational and to correspond to the current situation. Weekly deliveries of basic items to cover household needs sent by the government to around 300 people living in the Karpasia peninsula and the Maronite villages of Kormakitis and Karpashia were interrupted last October after the then Turkish Cypriot ruling coalition announced they would tax the aid. Since then, the UN has only been delivering medical supplies that are exempt fr...

  Φωτογραφία απο την εφημερίδα Yenidüzen Γράφει ο Κυριάκος Κοιλιάρης Μετά από καθυστέρηση μερικών ημερών, η τουρκοκυπριακή αστυνομία προχώρησε σε σύλληψη έξι ατόμων σε σχέση με τα γεγονότα έξω από τα γραφεία της εφημερίδας Αφρίκα. Όπως μαθεύτηκε, ανάμεσα στους συλληφθέντες είναι και ο πρόεδρος του Συλλόγου των οπαδών του ΑΚΡ που ήρθαν από την περιοχή Χατάϋ στην Τουρκία, Μεχμέτ Ιπέκ. Ο Ιπέκ πιάστηκε από τις κάμερες καθώς έριχνε πέτρες στο κτίριο της εφημερίδας Αξιοσημείωτο είναι το ότι το ίδιο βράδυ ο Ιπέκ συμμετείχε στο κοκτέιλ πάρτι που διοργανώθηκε επί ευκαιρίας των εγκαινίων της βουλής, και πόζαρε μπροστά από τις κάμερες μαζί με τους βουλευτές του Κόμματος Εθνικής Ενότητας Ερσίν Ταταρ και Ολγκουν Αμτζαογλου. Με τις εικόνες του λιντσαρίσματος και των γεγονότων που διαδραματίστηκαν στη βουλή, που έχουν προκαλέσει την αγανάκτηση της κοινωνίας, είναι ακόμα φρέσκες, ο Τουρ...

Kyriacos Kiliaris News Across the Dıvıde Geçtiğimiz Perşembe günü adanın iki tarafından iki kayıp yakınları arasında Dayanışma Evi’nde duygusal bir buluşma gerçekleşti. 1974 olayları sırasında amcalarını kaybeden Hristoforos Frantzis ve Yusuf Alkım bir araya gelerek kayıp akrabalarının hikâyelerini anlattılar ve acılarını birbirleriyle paylaştılar. Hristoforos’un her iki tarafın da kayıplarıyla ilgili çektiği belgesel çekimleri çerçevesinde gerçekleşen buluşmayı sizin için izleyip iki kayıp amcanın hikâyelerini dinledik. Söze ilk giren Hristoforos oldu. “Amcam 1974 Ağustos ayının 14’ünde gerçekleşen istilanın ikinci safhasında Çatoz köyüne yakın bir yerde öldürülmüş” diyerek, ailesinin ne Kiriakos amcasından ne de onun ölüm koşullarından bahsettiğini vurguladı. Hristoforos’un bu olaydan sağ kurtulabilen birkaç askerden elde edebildiği bilgilere göre amcası Türk ordusunun adaya çıkmasını engellemek için gönderilen 300 Kıbrıslı Rum genç asker arasındaydı. Askerler yeters...

Γράφει ο Κυριάκος Κοιλιάρης News Across the Divide Μια συγκινητική συνάντηση δυο συγγενών αγνοουμένων απο τις δυο πλευρές του νησιού έλαβε χώρα την Πέμπτη στο Σπίτι της Συνεργασίας. Ο Χριστόφορος Φραντζης και ο Γιουσούφ Αλκιμ που έχασαν τους θείους τους κατά τη διάρκεια του πολέμου του 1974 βρέθηκαν στο πλαίσιο γυρισμάτων ενός ντοκιμαντέρ του Χριστόφορου σχετικά με τους αγνοούμενους των δυο πλευρών. Το News Across the Divide ήταν εκεί για να ακούσει και να μεταφέρει τις ιστορίες τους. Ξεκινώντας ο Χριστόφορος μας διηγήθηκε την ιστορία του θείου που σκοτώθηκε σε μάχες που στην δεύτερη φάση της εισβολής στις 14 Αυγούστου 1974 κοντά στο Τζάος. Ο ίδιος λέει πως η οικογένεια του δεν μιλάει πολύ για το θείο του τον Κυριάκο και το πως σκοτώθηκε. Από πληροφορίες που μπόρεσε να συλλέξει ο θείος του πήρε εντολή μαζί με ακόμη 300 στρατιώτες να αντιμετωπίσουν την απόβαση των Τούρκων. Οι πληροφορίες του λένε ότι στην ουσία οι Ελληνοκύπριοι στρατιώτες αφέθηκαν μόνοι τους να αντιμ...

Photo from Yeniduzen By Kyriacos Kiliaris School students and their families in the north of Cyprus are complaining that the kids' lives are in danger due to the bad conditions prevailing in the public school transportation system. As if the problems faced by the Turkish Cypriot public education were not enough, a Yeniduzen article along with photos making the rounds on social media accounts, reveal that students in the north are being transported under dangerous conditions. Also read Students left without a classroom in Kyrenia schools Photos of children squeezed in rows of the bus, while others are standing in the corridor have caused the reactions of many parents.    Adding to the above an expose by Turkish Cypriot newspaper Yeniduzen claims that a number of old buses which do not have seatbelt nor airconditioning are still being used for transporting school children from and to their schools. Mehmet Avci, the head of the Traffic Accident Pre...

By Kyriacos Kiliaris Turkish Cypriots are unsatisfied with the performance of the ruling coalition in the north and have given all its members a failing grade. An opinion poll conducted by the Center for Migration, Identity and Rights Studies in the north shows that Turkish Cypriots do not give any of the members a passing grade when asked “Which minister, and how much do you trust him/her? The opinion is conducted every three months and asks for the opinion of Turkish Cypriots on various matters concerning their community. According to relevant sector of the poll conducted in July 2017, Turkish Cypriots gave all members of the coalition a grade lower than 5 out of 10. Most trusted by the public is the head of the coalition and president of the National Unity Party (UBP) Huseyin Ozgurgun scoring just 4.16 out of 10. Ozgurgun is followed by three ministers who score just above 4. It's worth noting that the coalitions second in command, and head of the finance office Se...