In remarks made on Wednesday, the President of the Direct Democracy Party, Fidias Panayiotou, criticized President of the Republic Nicos Christodoulides for the lack of progress on the Cyprus issue, noting at the same time that “our policies do not seem to be working.”
Mr. Panayiotou was speaking after a meeting of the National Council at the Presidential Palace.
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“Today I’m going to be a little harsh, along with the President of the Republic, on the Cyprus issue,” Mr. Panayiotou said, adding that “It has been 111 months since Crans-Montana, where the last talks took place, and we have seen no substantial progress on the Cyprus issue that would allow the talks to resume, and that speaks volumes.”
He referred to foreign policy, saying that “despite everything we say about foreign policy—that we are so successful in foreign policy—we have failed to achieve any substantial progress on the Cyprus issue.”
Therefore, the President of Direct Democracy noted, “perhaps foreign policy sounds successful but, in reality, is not yielding the results we would like to see on the Cyprus issue.”
Mr. Panayiotou said that during the National Council meeting, he raised the issue of the geostrategic risks present in the region. “Iran is growing stronger in the wake of these recent developments. We are facing instability in the region. Israel and Turkey could potentially become embroiled in a conflict in the future, and we must be very careful,” he said. He also added that he briefly discussed the potential risks posed by the GSI.
“We are not very pleased with the developments,” he noted.
He also mentioned that he wonders whether President Christodoulides, given that he was also Minister of Foreign Affairs, had any impact on the Cyprus issue. Because, he explained, “he has been in a position of power for nearly 10 years, during which time he could have achieved tangible results,” adding that “the career path he followed has yielded no substantial results.”
Regarding the suggestions he made, he said he believes that “these discussions should remain within the National Council.” “These are some of the things we discussed internally that I want to keep internal,” he said, noting that this is a promise he has made publicly.
Responding to a question, he acknowledged that “there is also the Turkey factor,” adding, however, that “it seems he may be the only president who has failed to bring the Cyprus issue to the negotiating table.” “Our policies aren’t working, as it seems,” he concluded.
