"This is a calculated attempt to shift the blame away from the Christofias government in connection with the deadly explosion in Mari," the Deputy Minister of Migration—and son of Captain Andreas Ioannidis, who lost his life on July 11, 2011—has spoken out.
In a post on social media, Mr. Nicolas Ioannides emphasizes that “as relatives of the victims, we are closely monitoring these unethical actions and will issue further statements.”
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
He also notes that the majority of citizens remember those responsible very well, while reminding the “rest”—as he adds—of the findings of the Polyvios Report.
Ioannidis’s post in its entirety:
Recently, there has been a systematic effort by certain circles to shift the blame away from the Christofias government regarding the deadly explosion in Mari, as well as to “sanctify” Kostas Papakostas. As relatives of the victims, we are closely monitoring these unethical actions and will issue further statements.
Of course, we know that the majority of our fellow citizens remember those responsible very well. To the rest, I remind you of the relevant findings in the Polyviou report (pages 610–611):
“The Minister of Defense bears very serious responsibilities (institutional and personal)[…] Furthermore, the Minister of Foreign Affairs bears very serious responsibilities (institutional and personal) […]
The primary responsibility, however, lies with the President of the Republic, who heads the State and the Government. The President had overall command as well as sovereign authority regarding the matter in question. The President bears the greatest responsibility for the incompetence, negligence, and inaction that were displayed. He therefore bears the greatest responsibility for what happened […]
It was the President’s decisions and policies that led to the cargo’s prolonged stay in Cyprus, under unacceptable storage conditions […]
The crux of the matter is that the President of the Republic, in the case under consideration, failed to ensure—or even to take basic measures—for the safety of the citizens of the Republic of Cyprus, and particularly of soldiers and firefighters […]
[I] hold the President of the Republic personally and most seriously responsible for this tragic incident and its consequences.”
