The President is demonizing and scaremongering deliberately misrepresenting AKEL’s positions

Reply to statements made by the President of the Republic

Statement by AKEL C.C. Spokesperson Stefanos Stephanou

AKEL C.C. Press Office, 19 January 2019, Nicosia

Either the President of the Republic does not read AKEL’s positions or he is deliberately misrepresenting them. Whatever the case, the essence is the following: In his effort to reply to AKEL’s criticism, the President has adopted the familiar rhetoric of demonization and scaremongering, which he himself was previously denouncing and rejecting.

AKEL is not going to stop boldly expressing its views, because for us the vindication of Cyprus and the safeguarding our people’s future is above any party and petty-political considerations.

Of course Turkey is responsible. The impasse that consolidates the partitionist fait accompli suits Turkey. However, how comes the UN Secretary-General and the international community praise Turkey for its stand at Crans Montana and apportion responsibilities solely on both leaders?

Turkey’s behaviour is indeed unacceptable. But what does the President mean when he asks if we hear the statements being made by the Turkish side? Is he perhaps implying that, as a result of these statements, it would be futile for us to seek a resumption of negotiations, a goal which the President declares he is be pursuing? Turkey’s positions will be judged at the negotiating table, and if they are the ones it proclaims, it will be the one who will be exposed in contrast to what is happening today.

We note that the President of the Republic diligently makes no reference to the agreed framework for negotiations. As long as the President not only avoids doing so, but also belatedly adopts the familiar rhetoric that he will not hand over a community, he will continue to enhance the impression that he is flirting with partitionist solutions.

AKEL remains consistent to a solution that liberates and reunites, abolishes the anachronistic system of guarantees and any intervention rights; a solution that provides for the withdrawal of the occupational troops, as the Gutierrez Framework provides for in any case.

AKEL remains consistent to the framework of Bi-Zonal, Bi-communal Federation in which all that we are seeking with regards the solution of the Cyprus problem can be achieved.

The President of the Republic is responsible for the handling of the Cyprus problem. He will be the one bearing the responsibility if he himself will ultimately go down in History as the President of partition, and not of the liberation and reunification of Cyprus and its people.