Cyprus’ security lies not in militarization, but in peace: Interview with Yiorgos Koukoumas

Interview with Yiorgos Koukoumas, member of the C.C. of AKEL and International Relations Bureau of AKEL on Turkish aggression, geostrategic choices and the recent NATO Summit

8th December 2019, “HARAVGI” newspaper

At the last NATO Summit, there were numerous disagreements, but also agreement on defining common threats. Do these developments affect Cyprus in any way?

These are extremely dangerous developments that are related to Trump’s decision to upgrade the nuclear arsenal of the US. In addition, for the first time, NATO has identified the People’s Republic of China as an “emerging threat”, while decisions were approved to drastically increase the military spending of the European states that are NATO members. We are talking about unprecedented sums of spending in the Alliance’s history, but of the world as well. It would therefore be great news for humanity if NATO was indeed “brain dead”, as Macron said, but unfortunately it isn’t. Quite the reverse is true as NATO is being strengthened which poses enormous dangers to peace in our region and throughout the world. That is something that must provoke concern for all the peoples of the world.

Furthermore, the fact that Turkey manages to be treated as a valuable ally and privileged interlocutor within NATO is in fact perceived by Erdogan as an encouragement of Turkey’ aggression, which is primarily expressed against its neighbours.

It was apparent at the NATO Summit that Turkey’s recent actions in the Eastern Mediterranean and in Syria had no consequences. How do you view these developments in relation to Cyprus?

It is very characteristic that the Secretary-General of the NATO Alliance when asked about Turkey’s provocative actions against Greece, on the occasion of the Memorandum signed with Libya, replied that NATO was not involved in them and wished the “two worthy allies” to resolve “some differences between”. It has been NATO’s policy for decades to equate Turkey’s aggression with Greece’s defence of its sovereign rights. The fact that that NATO isn’t taking any substantive measures about Turkey’s actions in Syria, nor is it disturbed by its provocative actions against Greece, also a NATO member, is a reply to all those forces and circles in Cyprus who believe that NATO could guarantee a solution of the Cyprus problem or even the security of Cyprus by its possible accession to the Atlantic Alliance.

In addition, these developments confirm the assessment that Turkey – at least at this stage – is not in a phase of total rupture with the West, but in a phase of redefining its position within the Western camp, with greater claims and demands. Turkey is not being pressured, but is negotiating with the West, NATO and even with the EU, all of which have very strong economic, commercial, political and military ties with Ankara. That is the reason why the idea certain forces and circles are propagating that we should abandon the priority of the solution to the Cyprus problem and pursue a “new strategy” that will supposedly force the Europeans and the West as a whole to incur costs on Turkey is not possible.

As that Turkey is aggressively asserting an upgraded role in the region, how can the Republic of Cyprus safeguard its security?

Cyprus’ security lies not in militarization, but in peace. And for Cyprus, peace means, first and foremost, a solution of the Cyprus problem, the liberation and reunification of Cyprus and its people. That is to say, it means a solution that will ensure that Turkey withdraws from Cyprus, and that we shall at long last be rid of Turkey’s troops, guarantees and intervention rights. That is precisely the reason why AKEL from the very beginning has insisted so strongly on the resumption of negotiations on the basis of the Guterres Framework, which resolves in a correct way the critical issues for our people. However, precious time was lost.

In recent years, theories have been promoted – not just by the Anastasiades government – that as a result of the forging of military cooperation with the US and Israel the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Republic of Cyprus would be shielded. In fact, we have heard the governing DISY party suggesting that Cyprus has become a “geopolitical master of the Mediterranean”. Indeed we recall the Foreign Minister’s statement made last year from Crete, where the trilateral meeting between Cyprus-Greece-Egypt took place, that “we have nothing to be worried about Turkey’s actions or statements” is typical of the scale of the illusions that have been cultivated. The measures approved by the EU against Turkey are important, but they do not correspond at all to the magnitude of Turkey’s illegal actions. Consequently, these theories have collapsed in the face of developments in the Cypriot Exclusive Economic Zone and the international community’s lukewarm reactions. It would be useful for an admission to be made and reality to be acknowledged.