AKEL denounces DISY renewed vows of loyalty to Euro-Atlanticism

Cyprus and its people have no interest whatsoever in joining a camp and in particular the West’s camp

Statement by AKEL C.C. Spokesperson Stefanos Stefanou

AKEL C.C. Press Office, 15 June 2018, Nicosia

The President of the ruling DISY party in his meeting with the US Ambassador yesterday felt the need to repeat the position that “we belong to the West”.

It’s been a long time since we’ve heard this position. The government and ruling forces began their presidency in 2013 by expressing this position, but they soon woke up to reality.

After just two years they themselves ended up declaring that they are “disappointed with their partners”, while they are still waiting from them for some substantial support to be expressed in the face of Turkey’s aggression in the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Republic of Cyprus. We, of course, weren’t at all surprised by this development, as we know very well, just like the overwhelming majority of the Cypriot people do too, what the stand of the West is – and NATO in particular – towards Cyprus and our struggles.

Today, DISY returns by making renewed vows of loyalty to Euro-Atlanticism. Evidently, the current US government of Donald Trump is even more sympathetic to them. Indeed just the day before yesterday the Anastasiades government took a shameful position for our country to satisfy Trump’s government and Israel by abstaining on the resolution of the UN General Assembly in which 120 nations of the world are calling for the establishment of a mechanism for the international protection of Palestinian civilians in Gaza.

The question of course is: which foreign policy serves the interests of Cyprus?

Cyprus and its people have no interest whatsoever in joining a camp and in particular the West’s camp. Cyprus’ interests are served by pursuing a multi-dimensional foreign policy based on the principles of peace and international law; by an international policy that promotes relations with all the states of the world and its presence in our neighborhood functioning as a bridge of peace and not as a military bridgehead and arena for carrying out NATO exercises.