AKEL General Secretary’s contacts in Brussels
The General Secretary of the C.C. of AKEL Andros Kyprianou began today in Brussels with the Cyprus problem and the state of the economy as the main focal point of his contacts. During the morning the GS of AKEL had successive meetings with Stefan Fule the European Commissioner for Enlargement, Peter Mertens the President of the Workers’ Party of Belgium (PVDA/PTB) and Gabi Zimmer, the President of the Group of the European United Left/Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL) in the European Parliament. In addition, the GS of AKEL visited the offices of the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Cyprus, where he had a meeting with the Permanent Representative.
Regarding the issues of economy, A. Kyprianou analysed developments with regards the Cyprus economy, stressing that it is characterized by the sharp increase in unemployment, the closing down of small businesses, cuts in salaries and pension, serious problems in the banking sector and uncertainty about the future.
The General Secretary of AKEL pointed out to his interlocutors that the Government, apart from the obligations arising from the Memorandum, is promoting issues that are aiming at imposing the complete deregulation of labour relations and promoting policies serving the interests of a small group of big business magnates. Regarding the issue of privatizations, the GS of AKEL A. Kyprianou reiterated that AKEL will fiercely oppose privatisations, both inside and outside the parliament. In addition, he stressed that if the issue is economic, there are alternative ways of addressing it.
Especially regarding the meeting with St. Fule the General Secretary of AKEL explained the current state of affairs in Cyprus and called for the intervention of the European Commission that should have the goal of promoting actions that will shape right the correct framework for a solution to the Cyprus problem. He denounced the Turkish intransigence and the insistence on not issuing a joint statement that would include a clear reference to a single sovereignty, a single international personality and a single citizenship.
In the afternoon, the General Secretary of the Central Committee of AKEL met with other officials of the European Parliament.
Tomorrow the GS of AKEL will meet with Martin Schulz, the President of the European Parliament and Heads or representatives of other Political Groups. He will also be a keynote speaker at an event co-organized by AKEL together with the GUE/NGL entitled “The Cyprus problem at the crossroads of development s”. In conclusion, he will attend and speak on the Cyprus problem in tomorrow’s session of the Group of the Left.
