Interview with the General Secretary of AKEL Stefanos Stefanou

 

24 October 2022, “Avgi” Greek daily newspaper

 

The General Secretary of the C.C. of AKEL Stefanos Stefanou spoke to the Sunday edition of “Avgi” about the tension with Turkey, the Cyprus problem, the link between the surveillance scandal in Greece and Cyprus, but also about the political challenges AKEL is facing ahead of the upcoming presidential elections.

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A: With the Cyprus problem in a complete deadlock and Greek-Turkish relations in constant tension, do you believe that we have reached the point where the permanent partition of Cyprus must be considered the most likely scenario?

 

SS – It is a fact that the prolonged deadlock – and indeed with Turkey having been relieved of any responsibilities – and the ongoing tension in Greek-Turkish relations form a situation that does not help the resumption of the efforts to resolve the Cyprus problem. Furthermore, as long as there is a stalemate on the Cyprus problem, we are moving closer and closer towards the permanent partition. All the more so when the occupying power Turkey is taking advantage of the deadlock to impose new fait accompli in the occupied areas, as it is doing in the case of the enclosed region of Famagusta.

 

We must also take into account the pessimism expressed by the UN Secretary General and the UN Security Council in general with regards the prospects for a solution of the Cyprus problem. Despite the difficult situation in which the Cyprus problem finds itself, the prospect of reaching a solution has not come to an end. However, in order to get out of the current impasse, it is imperative that the Greek Cypriot side takes specific and targeted initiatives that will help create momentum for the resumption of the negotiations from the point where they had remained at the Crans-Montana Conference on Cyprus in 2017.

 

In view of the upcoming presidential elections in Cyprus (February 2023) and Turkey (April 2023), it’s not expected that anything will happen right now. But it is one of the first issues the new President of the Republic will have to deal with. The independent candidate Andreas Mavroyiannis who AKEL is supporting expresses his readiness – immediately upon his election – to act immediately by taking initiatives to create momentum for the resumption of the negotiations from where they were interrupted on the basis of the agreed framework.

 

A: I must admit that AKEL’s choice to support the candidacy of Andreas Mavroyiannis made a particular impression in Greece, given that he was the chief negotiator on the Cyprus problem in the Anastasiades government. As AKEL, you have been severely critical of the government’s handling of the Cyprus problem. Do you consider that Mr. Mavroyiannis has acted positively in this area?

 

SS: The role of a negotiator is to facilitate the promotion and implementation of the policy of the President of the Republic of Cyprus. This was the case with all negotiators during the term of all the Presidents of the Republic. This was also the case with Andreas Mavroyiannis. All the more so since Andreas was assigned this task in his capacity as a diplomat of the Republic of Cyprus.

 

On the Cyprus problem it is always the President, not the negotiator, who is under judgement and the subject of evaluation. It is a fact that we have many disagreements with the policy pursued by the President, especially in recent years.

 

With Andreas Mavroyiannis, however, we agree on all the fundamentals regarding the Cyprus problem. We agree on the sought basis for a solution, which is none other than bicommunal, bizonal federation with political equality as outlined in relevant Resolutions of the UN. We agree that we must immediately seek to resume the negotiations from the point where they were suspended at Crans-Montana in 2017, preserving the entire body of work agreed at the negotiations and discussing on the basis of the Framework put forward by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

 

We also agree on how we will move to create momentum for the resumption of the negotiations by making use of the potential created by Cyprus’ natural gas and wider energy issues in our region.

 

A: Lately, Cyprus has for the first time been at the centre of international attention, not on the Cyprus problem, but on issues concerning corruption and interwoven interests/entanglement. How do you think you will deal with the issue if the candidate you support is elected to the Presidency, given that this is also a structural problem of states?

 

SS – Yes, it is a fact that in recent years Cyprus has been the focus of criticism both from the European Union and from a number of international organisations, as well as from the international mass media. The main subject of criticism is the “golden passports” scandal that the Right-wing government set up in Cyprus. The problem of interwoven interests/entanglement and corruption is indeed a structural problem of capitalism.

 

But this does not mean that we should accept the situation as it is or that there are no possibilities for a drastic response. For this to happen, the first thing that is needed is the demonstration of a corresponding political will on the part of the government. The current government in Cyprus is part of the problem and hence cannot solve it. For ten years it has been bypassing and violating laws, procedures and institutional frameworks. It is defiantly indifferent to the obvious conflict of interest of the President of the Republic and his Ministers regarding the “golden passport” programme.

 

Andreas Mavroyiannis, who is characterized by honesty and sincerity, will set into action the entire existing legal and institutional framework to crack down on interwoven interests/entanglement and corruption and, at the same time, he will further strengthen it by putting the emphasis on transparency and accountability. He has included specific proposals in its election manifesto towards this end.

 

A: Reports in the Greek and Cypriot press suggest there is a link between the wiretapping scandal in Greece and Cyprus. What is your own view?

 

SS – It is obvious that there is a connection. We are talking about the same companies, the same persons and the same activity. Many coincidences together cease to be coincidences.

 

On the issue of wiretapping and surveillance, there is also a strange – not to say suspicious – silence on the part of the Cypriot government, the ruling DISY party and its President, Averof Neophytou, who appears to have had a personal relationship with one of the Israeli former agents involved in this sinister network.

 

I would point out that it is through AKEL’s complaints that the scandal of the notorious black spy van from which thousands of citizens were being monitored was uncovered. In addition, I note that the company that owned the black spy van was convicted by a Cypriot court for its activity, but the Attorney General’s Office, which is the government’s legal adviser, did not request the conviction of its owners and they were allowed to leave Cyprus. All this and much more raises many suspicions.

 

A: Given the European sanctions imposed against Russia, do you see a contradictory policy being pursued? And I ask this question because the debate has been opened about sanctions on Turkey and there is a refusal by European governments, including the Greek government.

 

SS – The European Union, also on the issue of sanctions, confirms its double standards policy and stance on numerous issues. Turkey in the case of Russia doesn’t implement many of the sanctions that have been imposed, but the ruling circles in the EU are claiming that there is no issue at all, whereas in the case of Cyprus, things are even worse. Turkey is violating the sovereign rights of the Republic of Cyprus, a member state of the Union, and the EU restricts itself to applying some minor sanctions of trivial importance. With such attitudes and behaviour, the EU undermines its authority and its ability to play a role in international politics as a credible force that acts in line with international law and the Charter of the United Nations.

 

A: The polls are negative for Mavroyiannis and the two leading candidates come from the Right-wing. What is AKEL’s objective in the presidential elections?

 

SS – AKEL’s goal is the election of Andreas Mavroyiannis to the Presidency of the Republic of Cyprus in order to end the anti-social and damaging policies pursued by the right-wing DISY party government and to put Cyprus back on the track of development and progress.

 

I do not agree that the opinion polls are negative for Andreas Mavroyiannis. Far from it. The opinion polls show that A.Mavroyiannis is in roughly the same position as Averof Neophytou, at the moment when he announced his candidacy and started his campaign much later than both the DISY President and Nikos Christodoulides. And all the facts show that the candidacy of Andreas Mavroyiannis’ candidacy has already shown momentum and that there are very good prospects for him to pass to the second round and win the elections.

 

A: What is the role of a left-wing party today? How can a party, while maintaining the principles and values of the Left, reach out to wider audiences that are currently distanced from political processes?

 

SS – This issue was a key point of my intervention at the European Forum organised by the Party of the European Left and hosted by SYRIZA in Athens. The principles and values of the Left do not prevent us from reaching wider audiences. On the contrary! They impose on the Left the need to address society more broadly on the basis of policies that aim to confront the serious problems of survival that the capitalist system and neoliberal policies cause to the popular masses.

 

Our own experience in the 100-year course of AKEL has convinced us that being outward-looking as a party and as a movement, the unity of the Left itself, despite the diversity of its various currents, but also the fo9rging of cooperation based on principles with forces beyond its own spectrum are elements that make it a leading force. In other words, a force that can determine developments and seal small and big changes. To bring results and make life better for the people, the workers and the popular strata.

 

This is how AKEL acts and struggles and this is precisely why it is mass and powerful force both in Parliament and among the people!