Cyprus a bridge of Peace, not an aggressive launching pad for foreign armies!
Written Statement by Yiorgos Loucaides, Parliamentary Representative of AKEL-Left-New Forces following the debate in the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign and European Affairs
AKEL C.C. Press Office, 9th November 2017, Nicosia
- The decision of the Anastasiades government to lead Cyprus “to the core of European Defense and Security” – and indeed even into PESCO (Permanent Structured Cooperation) only generates concern and raises questions. We consider that this military “upgrading”, in addition to burdening the taxpayers, is not in line with the objective of a demilitarized Cyprus.
On the contrary, the militarization of Cyprus and the increase in the presence and use of its territory by foreign military forces, is turning Cyprus into an aggressive bridgehead against friendly peoples of the region.
Cyprus is much more useful to all – to its people and to the EU and the peoples of the region – as a bridge of peace and co-operation in the region, rather than as an aggressive launching pad of war or a training ground for foreign armies. In addition, this development harbours only dangers for the Cypriot people.
- The recent (but not only) electoral processes in EU Member-States point to a tendency reflecting the growth of extreme right-wing parties and forces. The rhetoric of these forces is largely based on positions against refugees and immigrants. They are demanding closed borders and a fortress Europe. These parties and forces are cultivating xenophobic syndromes in their society and exploiting the neoliberal policies of austerity and of the gradual dismantling of the welfare state that have driven large sections of the EU’s population to poverty and marginalization.
No one must remain indifferent in the face of these dangerous developments. The EU’s policies, both with regards the economic integration to the detriment of the smallest and the poorest, as well as its foreign policy which is aligned and identifies with NATO, has brought only the escalation of conflicts, the destruction of countries and an unprecedented humanitarian crisis as in Syria, Iraq and Libya. Millions of people have been uprooted and thousands of people – children too – are continue to lose their lives at the EU’s maritime frontiers, rapidly becoming a fortress. The resolution of conflicts must be done based on International Law and the respect for states and the peoples, through diplomatic and political means, and with aid for growth, rather than the looting of the resources of these countries.
- The relations of the Republic of Cyprus with Israel have led to the intense military co-operation and militarization of their relations. Search and rescue exercises are one thing (and indeed they are required by the Law of the Sea and the delimitation agreements of the Exclusive Economic Zone), but the military exercises of Israeli commandos on the territory of the Republic of Cyprus, (in the Troodos mountain range areas that resemble the territories of southern Lebanon), is something completely different. The recent exercise in northern Israel with the participation of Special Forces from the Cyprus National Guard (and which their men have been trapped for days in Israel) is of great concern. Israel remains an occupying power, and the Palestinian people for 50 years have been living under occupation, growing colonization and imprisonment.
Cyprus cannot be driven to this dangerous path. This policy alienates Cyprus from the peoples of the region and its ability to develop mutually beneficial economic, commercial and political relations with all the states of our region, especially in a period of serious developments.
