Meeting of the President Mr. Averof Neophytou with the professor and advisor to the Presidents of the Republic on the Cyprus issue, Mr. Costas Apostolidis.
The President of the Democratic Alarm was received today at the offices of the Democratic Alarm, accompanied by his associates, the professor and advisor to the Presidents of the Republic on the Cyprus issue, Mr. Costas Apostolidis. After the meeting, the President of the Democratic Alarm stressed the following:
“Today I had the opportunity to talk about the Cyprus issue with a deep knowledge of the Cyprus issue, not only the economic aspects but also aspects related to property and issues related to constitutional aspects. He was none other than Costas Apostolidis who was an advisor to almost all the Presidents of the Republic who dealt with the Cyprus issue. After the meeting I come out more informed about some aspects that you need to have the knowledge of a technocrat and Costas Apostolidis was never a politician but a technocrat who offered his services on issues he was invited to advise or submit studies or opinions. As for the Cyprus issue, we also discussed some things that create three great fears in society and that cultivate these fears either because some people believe them or cultivate them in order to be able to defend their own positions. Their positions are respected regardless of where their motivations come from.
What are the three fears that have been cultivating in the society for decades, that with the solution of the Cyprus problem your daily life will change, with the solution of the Cyprus problem we are in danger of becoming Turks and thirdly, with the solution of the Cyprus problem we will overcome. These are the three great fears that have been cultivated for decades in Cypriot society.
Regarding everyday life, I explained in my last interventions that the daily life of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots should not change with the solution of the Cyprus problem. There should be almost complete autonomy in the constituent states, ensuring that the daily lives of both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots will not change.
Secondly, there is the danger that with the solution we will become Turks. I will just say it, yes there is a danger that we will become Turks if the Cyprus issue is not resolved.
The third, that with the solution we will be financially ruined that we will conquer. I will say simple things, understandable. The value of the Greek Cypriot property in the occupied territories may be in the order of more than 8 and 10 billion euros. Today's estimates may be more and I will not go into that, I put a number of about 10 billion. Today, unfortunately, hundreds of thousands of homeowners, refugees and non-refugees, have zero value. They can not go to a bank to mortgage their property because unfortunately the value is not recognized. At the same time, others are building Turkish Cypriot properties in the free zones, but also those that are for exploitation or cultivation by refugees, have no value as private property. So some billion value of Turkish Cypriot property in the free zones does not add this value to the refugees's assets.
Second, they believe that if the Cyprus issue is resolved, real estate values will fall. If the Cyprus issue is resolved, the values of real estate will increase in the current occupied areas as well as in the whole of Cyprus. Let neither the Paphites nor the people of Limassol worry that with the solution of the Cyprus problem the values will fall. With the solution of the Cyprus problem to remove the political instability and to have a Cyprus united in a united Europe, everything will go up and the values of real estate in the whole of Cyprus. Thirdly, we talked about how important the land development sector is in the Cypriot economy. To build apartment buildings or towers of five, ten or twenty and we said and it was a reality, thousands of workers worked and many specialties were employed. I just want to imagine the reconstruction of Famagusta begin. There are many billions that will go into the economy, many times more than any development this place has experienced since 1974. And if we will need anything and I firmly believe in the solution of the Cyprus problem, it is that we will find a way to keep the reins of the economy. momentum and the dynamics that the growth of the economy will take, we will talk in the medium term after the solution in economic growth rates that will be in double digits that we have not experienced in the last decades neither Cyprus nor any European country. I want to thank again dear Kostas for the very useful meeting and I promise that we will continue the contacts because we need the minds and knowledge of people like Kostas “.
On his part, Mr. Costas Apostolidis stated the following:
“I see that studies are not always done to make solutions for the Cypriot and the world. As Averoff said, the solution will help everyone, not just refugees, everyone. Both the Turkish Cypriots and the Greek Cypriots. For the element of the value of the land of the refugees in the occupied, there are data of the cadastre since 1974, we have the values, all the properties. It is relatively easy if I work 2-3 days to present the data, what is their value. This is easy to do. The evidence is there. That's what I'm saying. If we do studies and have the data we find solutions. On the issue of the influx of Turkish speakers in Cyprus. First of all, the decisions of the United Nations include how to determine citizenship. And it is not easy to be flooded with Turkish speakers with the solution, now it is more difficult that we have no control over things. So these problems have already been partially resolved by the United Nations in the decisions of the United Nations Council. So if we can and I think that is the goal of everyone right now, to negotiate a solution based on the decisions of the United Nations and the European Union that does not accept two states, then we can have a solution that can work well and we all have avail. But we have to do the work we need to do, find the solutions, do the studies and explain to the world why we will not go bankrupt. Because the potential for growth will be so great from the solution. Cyprus, all together is much more beautiful than the part we control as Greek Cypriots. If we are all together it is paradise and we must understand that. We have to work together, we have to understand each other's problem, we have to help the refugees get their property. It is something that is not written often, there is no information, everyone thinks it will cost a lot because data were once published on what the cost will be. You should not see costs, you should see what the profit will be and the profit will be very big “.
It is noted that, according to information, in the coming days Averof Neophytou will have a meeting with Costas Christofidis of the New Wave Movement and the former member of the negotiating team of Poly Polyviou.
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