– So, Anita, were you or weren't you?
– Dionysios “screwed over” Chris
– He wanted a three-way deal, but came back empty-handed
– Pheidias was as reliable as Averof
Good morning, everyone. It’s been a heavy week, and I must admit that Averof Neophytou spectacularly disproved my assessment that he wouldn’t go it alone with his candidacy. Of course, we still have a long way to go, but he seems so determined that Pindarou has ordered an extra supply of sedatives to get through this period.
• The most interesting event of the week, however, was that dinner at a seafood tavern that Averoff revealed. And while there was such a fuss—with the dinner confirmed by the publisher and editor-in-chief of Politis, Chris Panagiotou and Dionysis Dionysiou— Anita is playing the “innocent little girl” who says she’ll speak up—she says—when the time comes. The question was clear: “Were you at the dinner?” The response “all in good time” is not the kind of answer one would expect from a politician who wants to become President of the Republic.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
• Especially when the day before, her “very close” colleague—according to Averof—confirmed her presence: “For nearly two years now, as editor-in-chief of *Politis*, I’ve been meeting with political leaders. We discuss the Cyprus issue, the economy, politics, and whatever else concerns the country. That’s what we did with the newspaper’s editor, D. Dionysiou, at the meeting we had with you (Averoff) and Anita Dimitriou.” After that, Anita was forced, following the Political Bureau meeting, to backtrack and say that she had, in fact, been present at the meeting.
• In any case, the editor-in-chief of *Politis*, Dionysis Dionysiou, “betrayed” his boss. While Chris claimed that they discussed trivial matters over dinner, Dionysiou, on a Politi radio show (not the one hosted by Katerina Iliadi), called him out: “Averof says I was asked to help Annita. But it’s true. He admitted it himself.” So it’s true? Averoff was ASKED to help Anita! How on earth does a businessman (and publisher) ASK a politician to help another politician within the same party? I imagine Ms. Anita Dimitriou could have handled this on her own, without any intermediaries. Here, however, Averof seems to be confirmed on the second part of the discussion as well. Because when you ASK for something, you have to offer something in return. That’s how deals are made at the market.
They did realize their blunder later, though. And while the first article in *Politis* used the word “ASKED,” in a second one, “ASKED” was replaced with “QUESTIONED.” Come on, guys, this is a total mess.
• Averof caused a frenzy on Pindarou Street. As soon as he dropped the bombshell, everyone rushed to expedite procedures and set tight deadlines for the nominations. In fact, I’ve heard that some of Annita’s associates started sending out forms for signatures BEFORE the dates were even announced. When they realized just how much of a blunder this was, they scrambled to collect them.
• Ultimately, based on the Political Bureau meeting and the views expressed there, even by Anita Dimitriou, it became clear that the announcement of the initial dates was nothing more than a panic move. However, panic moves are not characteristic of leadership that inspires public trust. Let everyone realize this, because Cyprus cannot afford to experiment with actions driven by strong personal ambitions.
• In the past, for Averof to give an interview, journalists had to go out of their way to get him to agree. Now, no matter which TV channel you turn on, you see him expounding—albeit somewhat melodramatically—on his positions. If nothing else, politicians need to realize that the tides of fortune turn, and during their time in power, they should be more accommodating.
• I’ve always said that Averof’s “support for the President if and when…” was part of the strategy he was following. He might have put it into practice if something truly serious had arisen regarding the Cyprus issue, but that did not appear to be on the horizon. Her trump card against future criticism was played by Pheidias. “It’s been 111 months since Crans-Montana, the last round of talks, and we haven’t seen any substantial progress on the Cyprus issue that would allow the talks to resume, and that speaks volumes.” As if Pheidias—who claimed to have no involvement in the Cyprus issue, which is why he sent Spanos to the National Council—would have sat around counting how many months have passed since Crans-Montana. Not to mention that he might not have even known what happened at Crans-Montana.
• But our President also returned from New York, and it was the first time he had such a hard time explaining things. That’s what happens when you constantly raise expectations just to make a splash. I’ll highlight just a few of his recent statements, in the hope that he’ll realize he needs to change course—both in terms of communication and substance:
– “There have been several developments regarding the Cyprus issue, and there will be news soon. In the coming days, we will hear more news that will demonstrate the momentum that exists regarding the Cyprus issue.” (July 15, 2026)
– “Preliminary work has begun, in collaboration with the United Nations (UN), at the technical level […] to ensure the success of an expanded conference.” (August 1, 2026)
– “Feverish preparations are continuing, so that during the week of the General Assembly, some results will emerge that will lead to the desired goal, which is the announcement of the resumption of negotiations.” (September 14, 2026)
– “Positive developments in the Cyprus issue cannot be ruled out… A positive development can be nothing other than an announcement regarding the resumption of talks from the point at which they were suspended in Crans-Montana, through an expanded conference.” (September 21, 2026)
I don’t know if, during all this time, the “Turkish intransigence” that we constantly invoke to justify the refutation of our occasional narratives did not exist.
• Ms. Olgin, however, did not go easy on us. She made it clear that the United Nations had not planned a trilateral meeting and that it was “proposed by the Greek Cypriot leader,” and that “the Secretary-General emphasized that it is urgent for the leaders to proceed with the implementation of the MoU as a sign of their willingness to move forward in a process toward a solution,” and that “the record of points of convergence will be made available to the parties WHEN negotiations begin.” This is a clear picture, free of spin.
• It’s child’s play. Christodoulides took two vice presidents of DIKO and made them ministers; Nikolas Papadopoulos also took three of Christodoulides’ former ministers and made them advisors. You took one thing from me, I took one thing from you. All sense of seriousness is gone for good. And so what if Nicolas took on those whom Christodoulides “dismissed” because—in his judgment—they weren’t performing, and he feels that this has strengthened his own position? Because, especially regarding Yiannis Panagiotou (former Minister of Labor) and Giorgos Papanastasiou (former Minister of Energy), there were many negative opinions expressed by various sectors of society.
• Then there’s Savia, who’s in tears at the prospect of AKEL returning to power. But, my dear, if AKEL returns to power, it won’t be through a coup but through the people’s vote. And you, as a liberal democrat, shouldn’t take offense at the people’s choices. Besides, the way things are going with AKEL, they might just manage on their own to spare you that bitter pill.
May we all have a good Sunday. Bolstered by the October 1st parade, we press on undeterred toward new victories. In any case, if this whole scene was set up this year, just imagine what’s in store for next year, when we’ll be three months away from the presidential election. Save your spot now…
