The Democratic Alarm and the Democratic Party launched a joint attack against Finance Minister Makis Keravnos, with the Cyprus-Greece electricity interconnection project-Greece via the Great Sea Interconnector undersea cable.
The reason? Maki Keravnos’s estimates before the Parliamentary Energy Committee that the final cost of the project is expected to be significantly higher than the €1.9 billion which is the current estimate of the capital cost. At the same meeting, he noted that the project’s financial viability and final cost remain open questions.
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READ ALSO: Makis VS Nikolas: A fierce clash involving references to obsessions, absurdities, and lessons in political responsibility
DISY: Unacceptable tone and disparaging remarks
In a written statement, DISY states that it “clearly supports DIKO’s position on the GSI and the need for the government to finally provide specific and convincing answers.”
“The Finance Minister’s unacceptable tone and disparaging remarks lower the level of political discourse but, above all, diminish the significance of the project itself. It is inconceivable that a project which the government itself characterizes as being of strategic and national importance should at the same time be accompanied by contradictory positions, vacillation, and a lack of clear political will.”
Pindrarou notes that “Cyprus cannot, through misguided actions, distance itself from Greece.”
“The electricity interconnection project, which can free our homeland from energy isolation, must serve as a bridge for cooperation and strategic convergence between Cyprus and Greece, and not as a cause of political estrangement. Furthermore, the project must serve as the foundation for electricity interconnections with the EU, Israel, and other neighboring countries. Cyprus can become a regional energy hub with broader geostrategic value. A unified energy market will enhance competition for the benefit of consumers.”
“All of this,” he concludes, “cannot be ignored by the government, which must speak clearly, stop the double-talk, and take responsibility for its decisions.”
DIKO: Why doesn’t he resign?
Earlier, DIKO launched a scathing attack against Keravnos in a written statement, expressing regret “at the disparaging manner in which the Minister of Finance referred to Cyprus’s political parties, and in particular, to DIKO and its president.”
“Remarks such as ‘the absurdities of politics,’ ‘these are our politicians in Cyprus,’ and references to ‘obsessions’ lower the standard of politics and political discourse. First and foremost, we must remind Mr. Keravnos that the fact he is celebrating today the upgrade of the Cypriot economy to an ‘A’ rating this is due, among other things, to the responsibility of the Democratic Party. The Democratic Party supported, at political cost, the economic policy that led to the recovery and credit rating upgrades of the Cypriot economy. The Democratic Party does not take lessons in political responsibility from anyone.
As for GSI, the simple question posed to Mr. Keravnos is this: if he considers this project detrimental to the interests of the Republic of Cyprus, then why doesn’t he resign? Either the project will be disastrous for Cyprus, in which case, if he truly believes that, he must resign; or the project is beneficial for our country, in which case he has no need to resign. No one has ever called for Mr. Keravnos’s resignation, as he himself claimed. What certainly cannot continue are statements of the “one thing one way, another way” variety. For it is the height of absurdity for a minister of the Republic of Cyprus to claim that we should not fulfill our obligations toward Greece and the Greek people, especially when Greek consumers have already begun paying the GSI on their bills.
Finally, we assure the Minister of Finance that there is no personal animosity toward him. DIKO’s stance stems from the need to reduce the cost of electricity. On the contrary, the Minister of Finance himself must clarify why he is so relentlessly fighting GSI, a project that, if implemented, will clash with the interests of the monopolies and oligopolies that want to keep the cost of electricity sky-high.”
Keravnos: “The Absurdities of Politics”
As a guest on ANT1’s show “Mera Mesimeri,” Makis Keravnos was asked to comment on Nikolaos Papadopoulos’s statement regarding why the Minister of Finance is not resigning, to which he replied “I think we should be discussing serious issues here, not the absurdities of politics.”
“I belong to the same party as Nikolas Papadopoulos; I don’t know if he acknowledges that I’m a member. His statement didn’t bother me because I always deal with serious issues that concern the citizens of this country and the future of our country.”
When asked if he was considering resigning, the Minister of Finance questioned why he should even consider that possibility and stated that he neither follows nor pays attention to anyone’s statements. When asked to comment on his relationship with Nikolaos Papadopoulos, he noted that he has nothing against him and that “I don’t know what’s going on with Mr. Papadopoulos and his obsessions.”
