-DISAKEL and the President’s innermost thoughts
-The President’s videos during his vacation
-The Averof campaign and the tension within DISY
-Pheidias’s envoy in Athens
Good morning, everyone, and welcome back to the daily grind for those whose vacations are over. A routine that remains unchanged except for the weather, which swings from heat waves to thunderstorms and back again. Otherwise, the President didn’t take a vacation to resolve the Cyprus issue, Averof is voicing loud criticism but no self-criticism, and the parties are counting and recounting what they gained and lost from the cabinet reshuffle and appointments to semi-governmental organizations. Simply put, stability is our strength.
•As for the President’s intentions regarding the Cyprus issue, I have no doubt whatsoever. But the very fact that he thought to mention DISY—even while responding to another issue—revealed his innermost thoughts regarding our national issue. Because, Mr. President, the term “DISY” has been adopted by all those who have historically sought to criticize the similar positions of the two parties on the Cyprus issue. And, above all, by all those who oppose the solution of a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation. Whose side are you on, after all, Mr. President?
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
•In any case, ELAM, Koulias, and some in DIKO and EDEK (those who remained there) must have been very pleased to hear their own rhetoric coming from the President’s lips. And amid the haze of August, few were those who spotted the President’s slip of the tongue. Except that the video exists and “speaks” clearly.
•In the end, the only one who didn’t go on vacation was Averoff. Not because the President called for vigilance, but so he could devise his strategy ahead of the presidential election. And there he was, writing articles and posting on his personal channel, and doing podcasts for anyone who invited him. We said it early on: Averof has made the Cyprus issue his banner, he predicted rapid developments and declared himself a supporter of the President, and now he’s waiting for the right moment to take on Christodoulides because he didn’t capitalize on the situation properly. Whether and to what extent the Cyprus issue is a political asset at this stage will be revealed by the first upcoming polls.
•Some in DISY, however, are up in arms over Averof’s latest maneuvers. The more level-headed among them speak of the former president’s self-destructive course, but others want to declare war right here and now. Be patient, folks; this soap opera will have many more episodes before you reach the party’s internal candidate selection process. And I’m very afraid that things will get worse starting in 2023. And Christodoulides will be rubbing his hands together.
•All in all, I personally agree with Averof’s criticism of AKEL and DISY regarding their policy on the Cyprus issue. AKEL “cemented” the impasse (not the “YES” vote) in 2004, while DISY (through Anastasiades) made it permanent with its maneuvers at Mont Pelerin. But where has Averof been all these years? Let’s recall what he told the DISY Executive Committee a few days after the Mont Pelerin debacle: “It is our own hard work, President Nicos Anastasiades, that has made the 1960 guarantees, in the eyes of the international community, unthinkable as a means of providing security for a modern, united Cyprus. Know this. Be proud of this.” To make it clear that “the entire Democratic Rally stands unwaveringly alongside and in solidarity with President Anastasiades.” Now, what’s up (as you say), Averof?
•If it weren’t so tragic, the fairy tales spun for domestic consumption about the Cyprus issue would be funny. They almost convinced people that Guterres was coming to Cyprus for something really big. At the same time, the EU is preparing big gifts for Erdogan in exchange for a solution to the Cyprus issue. Guterres came, saw, and left; the EU went on vacation (despite our President’s stern warnings), and Erdoğan is making it abundantly clear that Europe isn’t among his priorities. Well, let’s see what fairy tale we’ll hear next to convince us that the President’s strategy is bearing fruit.
•But seriously now: Did the Foreign Ministry really launch an entire campaign to thwart the meeting the Turkish Cypriot negotiator wanted to have with foreign ambassadors in Cyprus? Now that’s what I call a strategy for resolving the Cyprus issue! And really, since our President is so confident in his European and international standing, why wasn’t the effort focused on having foreign diplomats present some principled positions to the Turkish Cypriot negotiator? That would be more effective if we’re all looking forward to the resumption of talks. But are we?
•Who at the Presidential Office had the brilliant idea to prepare summer-themed posts and videos highlighting our President’s close ties with foreign leaders? They started with Macron and the strategic partnership with France on the first day, followed by India and Modi the next, and, by all accounts, there’s more to come. This is probably what the President meant when he said he wouldn’t be taking a vacation. Indeed, he didn’t—not because of developments in the Cyprus issue, but to organize and mobilize his campaign staff. And he put his people to work through the month of August.
•Do you remember when we told you in early July that a journalist was preparing to move from Cyprus to Greece on a very important mission? Do you remember when we informed you that this important mission was none other than the establishment of Pheidias’s sister party there? We didn’t mention any names or hint at anything, but the journalist himself did so through videos on social media. This is Yiannis Selinopoulos, who is announcing in no uncertain terms the founding of the “Democracy 2.0” party. And then they tell us we don’t export culture…
•I’ll admit I’m somewhat unfamiliar with the subject, but the truth is that I’ve also lost track of the much-touted Cyprus-Greece electricity interconnection (GSI). What was once a “national project,” as Nikolas Papadopoulos described it, is now turning into a private venture, and no one knows if—or to what extent—it will benefit Cypriot consumers. We hope there are some safeguards in place, and, while we’re at it, we’d like to hear what Makis Keravnos has to say, as he has long opposed this particular venture.
Have a good Sunday, everyone. I hope you’ve recharged your batteries well because we’re heading into a very exhausting fall for those involved in or following political developments. What will be the dominant issue? What else but the 2028 presidential election.
