"We are pragmatists, and we are interested in seeing progress on the Cyprus issue and in making substantial headway; one cannot help but view it positively that at least there is something concrete, and that is the opening of a path, said DISY President Annita Dimitriou.
When asked about yesterday’s announcements following the meeting between the two leaders and the Secretary-General’s personal envoy, Ms. Dimitriou said that the goal is to move forward, to resume negotiations from where they left off, thereby safeguarding the achievements made so far.
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“Cyprus must be part of geostrategic developments, part of the broader plan, and of course this depends on resolving the Cyprus issue. The Cyprus issue can serve as a catalyst for the security, stability, and prospects to which we are entitled,” she said.
The DISY President said that the goal is to achieve a positive development that will bring us closer to restarting negotiations, and that is why we are looking forward to the upcoming trilateral—and possibly pentilateral—meeting.
“This is what we expect, and we truly intend to move forward there—not based on what Turkey says, which amounts to legitimizing the invasion and occupation, but to proceed on the basis of the agreed-upon framework for a solution—a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality—so that we can finally achieve our goal,” she noted.
Ms. Dimitriou also said that we must accept as a given that the UN Secretary-General’s term is coming to an end, so time is of the essence and we must act intelligently, quickly, politically, and effectively, “without, of course, saying or claiming that it depends solely on our side, so that we can at least reach a stage where we’ll see positive developments.”
“And I, personally, am disappointed that we haven’t seen the progress we’d like, but we must not stray from our goal, and no matter what difficulties there may be, we must turn them into policy choices or work toward them so that we can achieve exactly the result we want,” she added.
The DISY President pointed out that given the current geostrategic developments and the discussions taking place at the European level, we believe these can serve as both the carrot and the stick to help break the deadlock, which only works to our detriment.
GSI
When asked how optimistic she is that the GSI project will be implemented, Ms. Dimitriou replied that her party’s position is that it must move forward because, not only for strategic but also from an energy perspective, it is the only plan or path that can truly lift the energy blockade of the Republic of Cyprus and provide prospects for us to address the issue of energy sufficiency andstrategy, which we absolutely need.
“We expected much greater determination on the part of the government. It troubles us that even now there is double-speak and ambiguity regarding a clear path forward. So we must understand that there is no other option, and this must be seen as an absolute necessity on the part of the state as well; to move forward, as we said last time in our press conference, at the pace dictated by the necessity and importance of the project—and not the other way around,” he stated.
Furthermore, the party’s press secretary, Onoufrios Koulla, said that if this project is not carried out, it will be a victory for Turkey and a defeat for Greece and Cyprus, and therefore we must play to win.
Source: CNA
