Regrettably for the country, there is no end to Mr. Anastasiades’ contradictions

 

Statement by Aristos Damianou, AKEL Political Bureau member

5 September 2021, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia

Mr. Anastasiades’ political behaviour on the Cyprus problem has always been unpredictable. Particularly after the collapse of the Crans Montana conference on Cyprus, together with passive contemplation of developments, the President got into the logic of submitting so-called “new ideas”, flirted with a two state solution and abandoned important convergences that were recorded. He is now officially talking about a return to the unitary state and the 1960 Constitution. This is an unfeasible and dangerous position.

Along with the vortex of the President’s political contradictions and expediencies is the report published by “Kathimerini” newspaper that during the period when Mr. Anastasiades was putting forth the unprecedented idea of returning to a unitary state, he was simultaneously also sending a letter to the Secretary General of the UN stressing his readiness for a solution of a bizonal bicommunal federation. We ask ourselves, which Anastasiades should citizens believe and which Anastasiades should the international community – and especially the UN Secretary General – trust?

The situation on the Cyprus problem is critical. The danger of permanent partition is more than visible. In the face of these contradictions, Mr. Anastasiades, given Turkish intransigence as well, risks going down in history as the President during whose term of office partition was finalised. He should measure the magnitude of his political responsibilities before the goal of liberation and reunification of our country our people through a solution to the Cyprus problem becomes completely unattainable.