With the organization of today’s initiative/discussion on “Energy resources and Cyprus – Challenges and Prospects”, AKEL is aiming to make its own contribution to the debate surrounding energy issues, to further illuminate the aspects of energy planning in our country and to put forth its own proposals, ideas and vision.

For AKEL, the chapter on energy and energy planning is a major challenge and bet for our country’s present and future, both for the Cyprus problem and economy. We strongly believe that natural gas and hydrocarbons can and must act as an incentive and as a catalyst for the solution to the Cyprus problem.

Today, Turkey is proceeding to a new illegal drilling in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the Republic of Cyprus. The EU and the international community are either keeping silent or restricting themselves to issuing declarations. The EU’s measures against Turkey remain mere empty talk. Nothing has been implemented.

Not only did the Trilateral and Four-party meetings not shield the EEZ, but neither can they provide solutions to the fundamental issues, as it has been demonstrated. One such issue is the question of an agreement on joint exploitation with Israel. If the two governments don’t come to an agreement because of the fault of Israel, then all the big talk about the supposed shielding of the EEZ by tripartite agreements and talk about the alliance with Israel will collapse like a house of cards.

Hydrocarbons instead of acting as a catalyst for the solution of the Cyprus problem are tending to develop into a powder fuse in the region.

The identification of hydrocarbons in the Cypriot EEZ in 2011 created a new given situation for our country. It opened a window of hope for our country and people, both for making use of our country’s natural wealth to the benefit of all Cypriots, as well as for the cause of the Cyprus problem itself, given that the country’s energy prospects must and can become a catalyst for the solution and reunification, not a pretext for abandoning the solution of the Cyprus problem.

The current government of DISY-Anastasiades has viewed the hydrocarbons issue more as a tool for engaging in communication games to serve domestic consumption purposes/expediencies, rather than as a tool to improve Cyprus’ geostrategic position for the promotion of the solution of the Cyprus problem and our country’s economic development.

Cyprus has every reason to seek regional cooperation with all the states of the region and to promote peace and mutual respect, the respect for International Law and the exploitation of natural wealth for the benefit of the peoples of the region. This is very far from the perceptions systematically being cultivated by the Anastasiades government that the trilateral and military cooperations forged can shield the Cypriot EEZ. The reality is quite different.

Turkey in particular is exploiting the absence of negotiations on the Cyprus problem and being relieved of responsibility by the international community, provocatively escalating its aggressive actions and creating new illegal fait accompli.

That is precisely why we must make use of multilateral cooperations both in the direction of solving the Cyprus problem, but also in the direction of peace and cooperation in the Eastern Mediterranean region.

We will continue to act with responsibility and above all patriotic realism! Without harboring any illusions, wishful thinking and political deceptions! Precisely because we believe that Cyprus’ energy issues, as well as our energy plans must first and foremost serve our sought goal, namely the solution of the Cyprus problem, peace, security and stability!