A meeting with the President of the Republic to request that he resolve the crisis between Nikolas Papadopoulos and Makis Keravnos which the DIKO Parliamentary Spokesperson, Panikos Leonidou, will seek to arrange.
“When you’re involved in politics, unfortunately you have to don the uniform of a firefighter and a soldier every day,” he said while speaking on the Alpha Kalimera show.
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When asked if he would take on this role to arrange a meeting between Nikolas Papadopoulos and Nicos Christodoulides in order to resolve the issue concerning Finance Minister Makis Keravnos, he replied:
“Each of us who is a member of the Democratic Party—given the current relations with the President of the Republic and the government, as well as the program that is being implemented— must intervene when political issues arise to ensure calm and foster consensus.”
Read also: Nikolas called Christodoulides: He expressed dissatisfaction regarding Keravnos and presented a “list” of agreements that are not being implemented
He notes that the issue involving Makis Keravnos and Nikolas Papadopoulos does not concern personal matters. “Of course, okay, the situation has gotten a little out of hand, and especially the remarks made by my friend, Maki Keravnos, should have been avoided,” he adds.
“Nikolas Papadopoulos was mentioned again this morning; I was listening to him this morning, and also in conversations with him—especially on this topic—he has also raised three or four other issues concerning the Ministry of Finance’s conduct. Although various issues affecting large groups of our fellow citizens have been announced and agreed upon with the President of the Republic, they have not moved forward, with the result that we, as the Democratic Party and as politicians participating in the government, are left in a vulnerable position, because we, too, are calling for these things that citizens are demanding to be implemented, provided they are agreed upon andthey are announced.”
He also argues that the Ministry of Finance should be more generous.
Regarding whether he will ultimately take on the role of “firefighter,” he clarifies that what he said was that he will seek to meet with the President of the Republic when he returns from New York.
“I will ask him to invite both the Minister of Finance and the president of my party, with the specific aim of discussing, raise all the issues, and ensure that the dialogue and discussion are exhausted, and that the President of the Republic, regarding all these issues, to inform them personally of the President’s final position, and to make a final and irrevocable decision.”
When asked to clarify whether Mr. Keravnos’s resignation is being considered, he replied that he has not said anything of the sort nor is he implying it.
“There is no such issue on the part of the Democratic Party. What we are saying is that there must be a unified voice on the part of the government; the government is represented by the President of the Republic, and the President of the Republic must clarify all issues.”
When asked what they will do in 2028 following this dispute, he replied that they will not make a decision at this time. “The Democratic Party will not make its decisions based on these isolated incidents; everything in its own time,” he concluded.
