Anastasiades’ policy will be judged by its result
Statement by Stefanos Stefanou, AKEL C.C. Spokesperson
AKEL C.C. Press Office, 29th May 2017, Nicosia
Yesterday, the President of the Republic questioned whether what AKEL is now supporting expresses its voters. However, previously the President of the Republic didn’t raise such questions. The only thing he was adamantly stating was that AKEL supports the negotiation procedure with great patriotism.
We will not refer to the President’s transformations and mutations. The President of the Republic should give a reply to the Vice-President of the ruling DISY party Sotiris Samson who, last week, was stating that now with the change in the President of the Republic’s policy that section of DISY voters dissatisfied up till now with the President’s policy on the Cyprus problem, are also satisfied.
What we want to declare is that AKEL is ready even now to support the negotiation. Besides, from the very first moment the procedural problem appeared, AKEL pointed out the need for the President of the Republic to handle the issue with flexibility so as to avoid a deadlock emerging, and even more importantly not for a deadlock to develop with responsibilities being apportioned on the Greek Cypriot side.
If only the President of the Republic could succeed in persuading for his positions. The measure, of course, of his policy’s success or failure will be judged by the result. However, since we, unlike the President of the Republic, are worried about arriving at a stalemate, we have urged and continue to urge the President of the Republic to work towards avoiding the impasse and to do everything on our part so that we can continue with the negotiations.
A deadlock on the Cyprus problem with a possible apportioning of responsibilities on the Greek Cypriot side will complicate the situation, making it more difficult especially in the period ahead which is very critical for Cyprus, given the fact that the Republic of Cyprus is planning to exercise its sovereign right for drilling in the area of our own Exclusive Economic Zone.
