Woe if Cyprus is seeking to play the role of an advanced outpost, either of the US or NATO

AKEL on US intentions for Cyprus, the public debt and EC report

Statements by the General Secretary of AKEL A. Kyprianou

27 March 2019, Cyprus News Agency

The General Secretary of AKEL Andros Kyprianou expressed his deep concern about several topical issues, and more specifically with regards the increase in public debt, the conclusions of the European Parliament’s Special Committee report on the government’s “golden visas” scheme and the intentions of the Americans with regards a possible lifting of the arms embargo on our country.

In his statements on the sidelines of a tour of Limassol, Mr. Kyprianou called on the Foreign Minister to brief AKEL on what had been discussed during the Foreign Minister’s visit to the United States and the references with regards the possibility of Cyprus being transformed into a regional centre for peace and security.

“As I understand that these discussions are being conducted outside the framework of the EU and I sincerely wonder with whom we are discussing this possibility with,” he said and noted that “we want Cyprus to become a bridge of peace and cooperation between Europe, the EU and the countries of the Middle East, North Africa, and so on, but also a bridge of cooperation between the countries of the wider region.”

Woe, the General Secretary of AKEL continued, if we were to seek to play the role of an “advanced outpost, either of the US or NATO,” and pointed out that “this will have very negative consequences for Cyprus, which is the reason why we want to be briefed more about this issue.”

He also wondered whether the government should be celebrating because it was mentioned that the US arms embargo will be lifted, but also wondered about “what we as the Republic of Cyprus are giving in exchange for the lifting of the embargo on the sale of arms?”

“Our problem is that we should be seeking how the solution of the Cyprus problem is achieved so that we can transform our country into a factor of stability, peace in the wider region, so that we can make use of our natural wealth and in cooperation with all the neighboring countries and the EU of which we are a member, to promote the interests of the Republic of Cyprus,” he said.

Referring to the public debt, Mr. Kyprianou voiced his Party’s deep concern about the 15% increase recorded from 2017 to 2018 “a fact which means we have burdened every Cypriot citizen, our children and our grandchildren, with many billions of Euro”.

“The public debt currently stands at over EUR 22 billion and everyone can comprehend how much and in what way we have shackled our future with this public debt, while the government was rejoicing about these things before,” he added.

As regards the report of the European Parliament’s special committee on the golden passports issue, he said that “they are once again sending out a message that we must take very seriously into account.”

“Everything when abused faces difficulties and problems, and restrictions might be imposed on Cyprus, which will represent a negative development for the Cyprus economy,” said Mr. Kyprianou. He recalled that “at least in two cases, people to whom the Cypriot passport had been granted, are facing serious charges in their country, one in Kenya and the other in Lebanon.

For that reason, the General Secretary of AKEL added, the government must ensure that there are strict controls and no abuse by anyone of this measure, “which for a period was perceived as a salvation for the Cyprus economy.”