For years the government ruling forces have been engaging in communication games instead pursuing foreign policy. In the face of the collapse of the illusions which they have cultivated all these years, Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides is now trying to distance himself from all they have been propagating for years.
For some years now, the Anastasiades-DISY government – assisted by the mass media aligned to it – cultivated the notion that the Trilateral Meetings and military cooperation with Israel, the US and other countries would protect and shield the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Republic of Cyprus from Turkish aggression. In fact they were saying that Cyprus has been transformed into the “geopolitical king of the Mediterranean”. Characteristically, only a year ago, the Foreign Minister from Crete, where the Cyprus, Greece, Egypt Trilateral meeting was taking place, declared that “we have nothing to worry about from Turkey’s actions or statements”. But today – in a dramatic way, for our country – it has been proved that the EEZ of the Republic of Cyprus has not been shielded and that Mr. Anastasiades and Christodoulides should have worried, assessed the dangers differently and acted promptly.
The government ruling forces cultivated the notion that the Cypriot government would succeed in imposing stricter EU measures against Turkey. Either because of ideological obsession or their inability to assess reality, they ignored the powerful geopolitical, commercial, economic and military interests that tie Turkey to powerful EU and Western states. But now, after repeated failures, even they themselves are lowering their own expectations.
Today a Cyprus-Greece-Egypt Trilateral meeting is being held. It’s good that such meetings take place and they should be used to deepen and strengthen relationships and cooperation between countries. We hope that reality and developments have now forced the government to end its disillusions and not claim what they have so far been claiming by cultivating illusions in society.
Statement by AKEL C.C. Spokesperson Stefanos Stefanou
Instead of pursuing a foreign policy the government engaged in communication games
AKEL C.C. Press Office, 8th October 2019, Nicosia
