AKEL criticizes the government’s handling of the Cyprus issue

Through a comprehensive criticism of Nikos Christodoulides, Stefanos Stefanou wants to make it clear to the electorate that AKEL is currently the opposition party of the government.

From Dromolaxia, the Secretary General of AKEL accused the President that his approach to the Cyprus issue has not yielded substantial results.

AKEL maintains a tough stance on both economic and immigration issues.

It is up to the President of the Republic to discuss our proposal for Cyprus, or to continue with the same approach he has followed since taking office, which has not yielded significant results so far, despite being in the second year of the government of Christodoulides. board, said AKEL Secretary General Stefanos Stefanou.

Speaking at the unveiling of the Dromolaxia statues of Christakis Panayiotou and Christos Georgiou, who fought during the 1974 Turkish invasion and whose remains were found during excavations for missing persons,

Stefanou noted that we refuse to compromise with the occupation, that we refuse to submit to the two-state solution, which will result in the loss of half of Cyprus.

He said that AKEL has submitted a specific comprehensive proposal “on how we can positively influence developments, how, as far as we can, we can create momentum for the resumption of negotiations from the point at which they were interrupted, while maintaining convergences and negotiate the basis of the Guterres Framework.”

He added that “it is up to the President to discuss our proposal and whether he will continue with the same approach he has taken since taking office. This approach has not yielded substantial results so far, despite being in the second year of Christodoulides’ administration. The developments are threatening and no communication trick can stop them. Only substantial policies and initiatives can do that.”

Stefanou said: “Today our homeland is at the most critical moment in its history. The Cyprus issue has been at a standstill since 2017; Ankara is exploiting the situation and continuing unhindered with its plans for settlement, Turkification of the occupied territories, assimilation of the Turkish Cypriot community and promotion of the unacceptable two-state solution.”

He said that “the Republic of Cyprus, faced with this critical situation, cannot remain indifferent. It cannot abandon efforts to reach a solution that will end the Turkish occupation and reunite our country and people, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, as provided for in the agreed framework for a solution. We must continually take initiatives aimed at breaking the deadlock, which will fully benefit the divisive plans. We cannot accept this. We cannot expose Cyprus to risks.”

Moreover, the Secretary General of AKEL stated in his statements that windfalls should be taxed, and not society. The previous government of Nicos Anastasiades of the Democratic Rally, he said, committed Cyprus to impose the so-called green taxes without any obligation, as the issue is still under discussion in the European Union and no final decision has yet been taken.

He also said that “for this reason, for the second time in a letter to the Minister of Finance, I request not to impose the so-called green taxes, given the ever-increasing fuel prices, taking into account the overall high costs affecting on households and businesses.”