What the papers say

“WE ARE ruined.” This was the verdict of YeniDüzen’s Cenk Mutluyakalı, who commented of the government’s currency proposals that “the euro may be on the table, but what we have in the safe is TL, and that reality will not change easily”.

Writing this week, he pointed to opinions “that we should neither be patched on to the Republic of Cyprus nor become a province of Turkey”, but concluded that “we are much worse because we don’t know what we are”.

Addressing the TRNC’s economic situation, he said: “You cannot have your own monetary policy. You have no power over the TL.

“And can you switch to the euro? The euro is not something that anyone can help himself to. It has rules, discipline. You need the permission of the European Central Bank.

“Have we forgotten that certain data were demanded to see if our banks were compatible with the EU? We did not produce them.”

Mr Mutluyakalı continued: “There exists a state in the South. That went bust. The state in Turkey . . . is going bust as well.

“Economies need discipline, seriousness. But they have the chance to go bust and then come out of it. We are mere spectators.”

Recalling the financial crisis in the South several years ago, he commented: “Then Turkish EU minister Egemen Bağış told the Greek Cypriots that they could use TL if they wanted to.”

Mr Mutluyakalı urged people to be realistic.

“We will scream, no matter what measures are taken. If there is going to be normalisation it can only be achieved with a solution. A united Cyprus would create a new economy at the same time — a much more stable and safer economy.

“Then, of course, there will be a need for financial discipline, production, fair sharing.

“Whenever there is a crisis, though, we expect a miracle. When they say ‘measures’ we, in fact, expect ‘loot’ again and for someone else to pay for the damage.

“But a rabbit cannot be pulled out of the hat.”