Address of the Secretary General of the Central Committee of the Progressive Party of Working People, Stefanos Stefanou, at the protest march against the transformation of Cyprus into a war base

 

We are here today to demonstrate and to declare the simplest, most essential, most imperative demand for our country and our people.

• We are here because we want a Cyprus that belongs to its people. A Cyprus that does not belong to NATO or any other military coalition. That does not belong to foreign guardians, that does not belong to foreign armies. A Cyprus that belongs to its people and only to its people.
• We are here because we want a Cyprus that is a bridge of peace in the Eastern Mediterranean. Not a war base, not an espionage centre, not a training ground for war rehearsals against neighbouring states. The infrastructure, the ports, the airports, the land and the airspace of Cyprus are intended to serve Cyprus and not the Americans or the Israelis or any other third parties.
• We are here because we want our island to be freed from all foreign armies and not burdened by others. We are here because we cannot passively watch the President of the Republic declare that he is negotiating the permanent presence of American military forces in Cyprus. Really, who gave you such a right Mr. Christodoulides?

Friends,

The gradual transformation of the country into a base for NATO forces, which began with the previous DISY government and continues with the current one, not only does not bode well for our homeland, but it also poses enormous risks, especially with the tragic events taking place in our region. Just 380 kilometres from here, in Gaza, a war is raging, an absolute barbarity that shames human civilization. We firmly believe that the vast majority of the Cypriot people – wherever they may belong politically, whatever their views on the Middle East – have both the logic and the humanity to understand that nothing can justify the murder of tens of thousands of civilians by the Israeli war machine, nothing can justify the operation to annihilate an entire people from their land. That is why we demand a ceasefire, the implementation of the relevant UN resolutions and lasting peace. That is why we do not want the Cypriot government to cooperate or remain silent in the face of this crime, this genocide. We have posed this question, and we are posing it again: how many thousands of children would have to be murdered for the Christodoulides government and the other parties to be moved, and to utter a word of criticism for Netanyahu? They are not moved even now, when the International Criminal Court declared the Prime Minister of Israel a war criminal.

The vast majority of our people understand that the security of Cyprus and its inhabitants is at stake. That a generalized conflagration in the region will also affect Cyprus, which is literally next to the eye of the storm. That any involvement of Cyprus in military operations makes our country a target. That every foreign army on the island does not add security, but adds dangers and threats.

Mr. Christodoulides and his government refuse to answer the questions posed by AKEL and a large portion of citizens:

 

• What is the government’s view on the use of the British bases in support of Israel’s military operations? Is it at all possible that the government has no opinion, has no understanding of the risks created by the complicity of the British Bases.
• Did the government consent, as required by the Treaty of Establishment, for the Americans to use the British bases? Or are the transatlantic allies totally ignoring the government and the country? Are we ok with that?
• For how long will they keep promoting the lie that American forces are and will be permanently based here, supposedly only for humanitarian operations? The entire planet knows what NATO means by the term “humanitarian intervention”.
• And when will the government inform Parliament and the Cypriot people about the content of the military agreements with the United States and other NATO states?

 

Friends,

The government and the other political forces, apart from the Left, justify their stance in the name of the notorious “Western orientation of the country”, to which they now swear allegiance from morning to night. But what do they really mean by this new slogan? We ask and challenge them to answer what is hidden behind these slogans and ideologies:

• Do they mean that in the name of Western orientation, Cyprus should remain silent when wars and barbarities are committed by the West and their allies, such as in the Middle East? To remain silent when the International Criminal Court itself ruled that Netanyahu is committing a crime against humanity? And what about international law? What about the dignity and credibility of our country?
• What does “Western orientation” mean in cases where the West and the European Union do not have a unified position? Do they really mean that Cyprus will just be complacent and side with the most reactionary part of the West? Why, for example, does the government of Cyprus not side with states such as Spain, Belgium, and Ireland, that criticize Israel on the Middle East issue? Why does it not side with the positions of the UN and choose, along with the US, to be Netanyahu’s advocate?
• And what do they suggest that Cyprus should do when the West, or even a part of it, takes positions that are against the interests of Cyprus? Are they willing to undermine the interests of Cyprus itself, in order to please the current occupant of the White House?

 

Every reasonable person understands that the development of Cyprus’ relations with all the states of the region and the world, including the USA is one thing, and granting bases and turning the country into a NATO base and a permanent aircraft carrier is a completely different matter. It is one thing to build mutually beneficial relations with powerful states and another thing to turn Cyprus into their pawn and demand that it be tied to their chariot. After all, the infamous Menendez-Rubio law, which determined this course, did not promote Cyprus-US relations, but America’s geostrategic interests by ordering Cyprus to severe its relations with Russia and China, two permanent members of the UN Security Council that, by general admission, supported Cyprus in critical moments.

Every reasonable person knows and comprehends that Cyprus’s foreign policy must be based on international law, on principles and on the real interests of the country. Our country must seek to develop its international relations with as many states as possible. But it cannot do this by serving the interests of third parties or by severing traditional and historical relations with other states. The development of our foreign policy must, of course, promote the solution of the Cyprus problem. Because we must remember that the occupation and partition, were and still are, the first source of danger for our homeland and our people. Cyprus’ foreign policy must be based on these principles and not on illusions, not on playing dangerous games with the fire of militarization. Our foreign policy cannot be based on the illusion, which is being cultivated, that by serving third parties, Cyprus’s position on the international stage is supposedly being upgraded.

Friends,

This is the first time in many decades that a regional war in the Middle East is a possibility. And it is also the first time – in 80 years – that the nightmare of a world war, a nuclear war in fact, hangs over the heads of humanity again. This is a threat to all states, all nations, all people on the planet. None of us have the luxury to be indifferent. To ignore what is going on is not a choice.

This is why we are here. Because in such critical moments for the world and humanity, we must stand on the side of peace and not on the side of wars, invasions and imperialist interventions. We are pro peace, justice, the solidarity of peoples and the cooperation of states. Because Cyprus must also be on this side. And this means a homeland without foreign guardians, without foreign armies and foreign military bases. We are fighting for a free and independent homeland, a bridge of peace and not a base of death.

24.11.2024