Anastasiades–DISY government has dismantled the planning that existed for the exploitation of the natural gas
Statement by Stefanos Stephanou, AKEL C.C. Spokesperson
AKEL C.C. Press Office, 21st September 2016, Nicosia
The Hydrocarbons Fund has still not been established and the governing DISY party has begun making promises about compensation from the Fund to groups of citizens.
DISY’s tactics are well known. It hands out promises and makes pledges in an attempt to play with society’s feelings in a misleading way, usurp votes in elections and then begin to break its pledges and promises. This is precisely what DISY and Mr. Anastasiades did in the 2013 Presidential Elections and their pledges became a joke.
The Hydrocarbon Fund will be able to operate, when and provided that the selling of the natural gas commences and sufficient capital has been accumulated in the Fund. We are very concerned about the Minister of Finance’s position in the House of Representatives that this will be done by the next but one government – that is to say after 2023 – is very optimistic. This is due to the fact that the Anastasiades – DISY government has dismantled the planning that existed for the exploitation of the natural gas and this has caused great delay with regards the issue of the search and exploitation of the Cypriot reserves.
As a result, instead of the government and ruling forces making promises, they should abandon the communication games they often play in the mass media and engage seriously with the natural gas issue. Time is flying by and according to renowned experts Cyprus is delaying, losing opportunities and lagging behind other countries in the region.
