I. Kasoulidis: Developments in the summer for the MOE – If the Cyprus issue is not resolved, they will find us in front of them – “Christodoulidis never crumpled”

I talk to those I need to talk to and I know they are taking place. From & # 8217; beyond that, I expect and hope that at some point they will receive a positive response. This proposal can not be so easily rejected, because the Turkish Cypriots are missing an important opportunity for their own progress and prosperity.

Negotiation package

Do you expect any mobility in the immediate future in relation to the MOE, Varosi versus the Press, etc?

I can not determine the period, but I hope this will happen in the summer. I started this endeavor, I hope it will end positively during my term. The ideas come from President Anastasiadis, who announced them to the UN Secretary-General in a letter sent to him last year, but in the meantime Mr Guterres has decided to convene a conference on a comprehensive solution, for & # 8217; this and these proposals were left on the sidelines. They are back now, with the intention of discussing this time. It's not a package take it or leave it, take it or discard it. It's a package that can be negotiated.

So do you expect developments in terms of MOEs, maybe in the summer?

Yes.

Do you expect mobility in the Cyprus issue before the '23 presidential elections?

I believe that the only realistic mobility will be on the MOE, and it can happen before the elections. After all, our elections are not the issue, the elections in Turkey next year are the issue.

Satisfied with Mitsotakis

This Has the issue been discussed by the Greek Prime Minister during his recent meeting with his American counterpart?

No, however, I think we should be completely satisfied with Mr Mitsotakis' visit to Washington. He mentioned the Cyprus issue to Biden and in two cases to Congress (Senate and House of Representatives) and you saw what happened – the members of Congress applauded and this is very important, because this House counts in the US government.

< p> Is Biden meeting?

Why do our Presidents have so long to meet with their American counterpart?

I made a report during my visit to Washington. Mr. Blingen (US Secretary of State) understands that such a meeting should be scheduled. Initially, President Biden's meetings were few – he had turned his attention more to US internal governance – now that he is focusing on foreign policy, he is preoccupied with Ukraine. We'll see. However, there is no particular reason why such a meeting has not yet taken place.

USA – Cyprus

Because it is written and said that Americans may be unhappy because of the & # 8230; Our special relations with Russia.

Right now, our relations with the United States are at the best level they have ever been. One of the main reasons is that Cyprus has stood as a credible partner next to the EU. And because of this mandatory policy that we have pursued, our relations with Russia have also changed drastically.

What does it mean? that our relations with the US are at their best?

We have taken small steps to address issues of stability and security in the region. Initially, it was our recognition as a strategic partner during the war against the Islamic State – the war on terror is not over, I was recently in Marrakesh for the Coalition's meeting against the Islamic State. And then we have done a lot of joint programs and participated in joint exercises, culminating in the CyCLOPS Center in Larnaca – which was done at US expense – and which is constantly organizing training seminars for not only the Army and Police, but also customs and other civil servants.

We chose a boat

What stage are our relations with Russia going through?

The Russians have included us in the unfriendly countries.

What does this mean for us?

First of & # 8217; all, it was our big exhibition in the service sector. We have not been so hurt now, because Mr. Putin, two years ago, decided to recall all Russian companies – not only from Cyprus, but also from other European countries – to return to Russia, and they did. Secondly, the fact that we have decided that as long as there is a war in Ukraine, we can not serve ships of the Russian fleet. And this was not part of the EU measures from the beginning, now it has been included that Russian-flagged ships can not approach EU ports. We have closed our airspace and this means a complete end to the arrivals of Russian tourists. Therefore, we have proved that we, as a credible partner of the EU, also participated in the sanctions against Russia with sacrifices. And this is important, because we no longer give the image of someone standing on two boats – it is easier to accuse us of having a heavier weight on the Russian boat.

Mega veto error

Until when were we considered an unreliable partner? Until recently. For example, the veto we imposed on sanctions against Belarus. It was a big mistake. I know the reasons why we did it – we were promised sanctions against Turkey, which they did not keep – but the impressions remained. And sit down and convince e.g. the Western press, those who see the big picture and not the details, that this was the reason and that we did not do it to serve the interests of Russia & # 8230;

Will this choice of the boat of the West cost us politically, in the Cyprus issue, due to the Russia-Turkey relations?

in the Security Council was for our sake and not for her sake. We will see. I believe, however, that Russia had its own reasons for taking that stance.

Sanctions & # 8211; Two objections

What are our objections regarding the new (f) European sanctions package against Russia?

First of all, let me say that our objections do not compare to the issues facing Hungary and secondarily Slovakia and other countries, which are heavily dependent on energy – they will have to spend billions of euros to upgrade their infrastructure. These are smaller issues of ours, which I believe can be overcome with a proper negotiation with the European Commission. Let me give just two examples that are the remaining ones – I have to admit that the EU sat down with us and tried, in negotiation with our delegation in Brussels, to correct many of the points that bothered us. The distance now is not great. The first issue concerns EU-flagged tankers, which will not be allowed to supply third countries with Russian oil and gas. This is not an effective measure, because within 24 hours they will lower the flag of Cyprus from these tankers and go, if not to Turkey, Liberia, Panama and elsewhere. This will be a blow to our shipping. As you know, the pillars that support our economy are tourism, services and shipping. Tourism has already been hit and now we have to find new markets – it is a good opportunity to do so, and to stop relying on specific countries and rest on easy solutions. Shipping has already suffered a blow and will be greater if tankers are included. EU Member States and the European Commission must study their economies carefully and the cumulative impact of the measures, because the Member State participating in the sanctions can no longer be affected more than Russia. The second objection we have has to do with the ban on providing services to Russians. There is a legal basis for Russian oligarchs and their companies, which are mentioned by name in the EU lists. But the ban should not be flat, that is, for all Russians. This can not stand legally, they can take us to the courts of Cyprus and they will have a basis to seek compensation, as they do all day in the EU taking it to the European Court. Therefore, this also needs to be corrected.

Your prediction for the Ukrainian?

First of all, let me say that I take my hat off to the bravery and heroism of the Ukrainian people. Beyond that, if Ukraine wants the war to last a long time, it could take too long and result in the continued undermining of Russia's military capabilities, which could likely benefit countries like the US and others. Ukraine must decide what it wants. The West supports it, equips it, does what it can.

If the Cyprus issue is not resolved, they will find us in front of them

Regarding his very recent statement that the conditions for a solution to the Cyprus problem are now ripe, Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulidis explained that “many can say that now that the Ukrainian issue is in progress and everyone's attention is on this no one will pay attention to Cyprus and its problem “, however,” because the invasion of Ukraine violated all the principles of the United Nations Charter, the Helsinki Final Act, Europe 's architectural security needs to be it is a serious undertaking, which will be in the center of diplomatic attention “. There is a school of thought, he continued, which argues that no attention will be paid to any other issue. “The other school of thought says that attention should be paid to the sources that cause problems, and it is these open issues that need to be addressed. I am of this second school of thought. The Cyprus issue is the main problem for us, but for many it is not a major issue at all. So if they do not want us to be an obstacle, tomorrow – the day after tomorrow, in the EU, which probably wants some change, something must be done. I believe that there will be a reshuffle – voices are heard even from France – to create an EU lobby, which some countries, such as Turkey, can enter. “Well, if they do not want to find us in front of them, it is in their interest for the Cyprus issue to be resolved,” the Cypriot Foreign Minister added, adding meaningfully: in peacekeeping missions, such as e.g. the mission against piracy in the Indian Ocean etc. In order for Turkey to be able to participate in all this, it needs the consent of Cyprus. “

We are thinking about NATO

Is it time for our application for NATO membership?

Listen up. We are studying in a small circle here at the ministry all the possibilities. There are no reasons why we should not do so, such as the fact that the main threat to us is not the same as in Finland and Sweden. Our threat comes from a NATO member state. We also know that Turkey will not allow us to take a single step in this direction and may be perceived by some as our own propaganda against Turkey. On the other hand, there is some evidence in favor of such a move, such as the fact that the number of non-NATO EU-27 member states will continue to decline – with Finland and Sweden, there will be 23 European countries within of the Alliance and very few non-members (Austria, Ireland, Malta, Cyprus). This creates problems and will create us as well. We have to offset all this – we are not in a hurry, there is no reason to be in a hurry – we propose what will happen to Finland and Sweden, and then we will see. And I believe that Turkey will not block the accession to NATO, neither of Finland nor of Sweden. He will try to extort money and in the end he will consent.

“Christodoulidis never crumpled himself”

“Lord have mercy! You say not to recognize them & # 8230; », was the spontaneous answer of Ioannis Kasoulidis, to the question if he had recognized excerpts from two of his speeches, in the text uttered by Nikos Christodoulidis, during the announcement of his candidacy.

< p> Did you recognize them first?

Before I could do it, social media was full of comments.

How did you write them? those speeches?

To tell you the whole truth. You know my relationship with Michalis Sophocles. Michalis Sophocles and I are like we are in each other's minds. We talked for hours, exchanged views for hours, and those thoughts of mine and my vision, which came from me, were recorded on paper by Michalis Sophocles – he wrote them and what he wrote is as if I were writing them. Mr. Flessas was a communication specialist in my team at the time. Probably he gave texts to Mr. Christodoulidis. But, neither Mr. Sophocles nor Mr. Flessas, were the ones who thought what I said, what I presented to the Cypriot people. And I can not accept that a plagiarism product is brushstrokes – here even if it were not a paintbrush, the extent of copying was huge. Well, how does a candidate present himself to the Cypriot people, in his first message, with the ideas and visions of another? It's like it's empty of content.

Doesn't that happen to politicians? That is, their collaborators to write speeches?

Maybe, but in important sermons like this, it should not happen. I made most of the speeches out of written form – I'm much better at speaking.

Averoff goes up

Alarm will go to these elections?

Unfortunately.

He has a good chance of losing them.

It is too early to draw conclusions. I saw the SIGMA poll on Thursday and I find it very encouraging. Mavrogiannis will not stay where he is today, that is, with Achilleas Dimitriadis receiving 8%. Mr. Mavrogiannis' percentages will increase, because in addition to the absurd voters, he also has some personal votes coming from the area of ​​the Right. Also, Averof Neophytou is going up.

Zero before the end

Yes, but Alarm can lose the elections with these percentages that Christodoulidis has today.

Never before the end say someone's happy. Look at my candidacy. Remember that I was always third and the Alarms had started discussing who they would vote for in the 2nd round, because I would stay & # 8217; outside; And I came first. Then, the party mechanisms, the multi-handedness, etc. played a role. No matter how dynamic my candidacy was, in the end she could not stand it, having three party mechanisms in front of her.

Catwalk effect

Why Christodoulidis so popular? What phenomenon is Nikos Christodoulidis?

I will repeat with parsimony that it is the phenomenon of the catwalk. A comparison is made between Christodoulidis and Averoff. Christodoulidis never crumpled himself. Do you know what Mr. Christodoulidis stands for? With him is the one who advocates the non-solution of the Cyprus problem and the one with the solution of the Cyprus problem – because no one knows exactly what he stands for. He must present his positions on the Cyprus issue and on socio-economic issues, his views on economic philosophy, for a thousand and two. Now everyone is accepted.

He was in government for nine years and you did not know, did not find out, who Christodoulidis is and what views he stands for?

His director of my office Dimitris Dimitriou, for example, I do not have him here to tell me what he stands for, but to tell you what I stand for – that is the difference.

Yes, but Christodoulidis was also four years Minister of Foreign Affairs.

E? Have you ever heard what he stands for? Have you come to any conclusions?

Damage

Says it remains Alarmed. How is it different from Averof Neophytou?

First of all, let us clarify that we have a candidate, it is Averof Neophytou, he has the mandate from the collective bodies. Now, Averof Neophytou is suffering from the deterioration of the expression of a clear policy, which is not & # 8217; need popular. And it happened many times. Both for the economy and in the effort to recover from the haircut etc. Averof Neophytou had a personal stamp, because he always managed to form the necessary majority for the various bills and the proposals of the law to pass through the Parliament. Moreover, in the last parliamentary elections, last year at such a time, when there were 14 parties that beat all the ruling party, Averof Neophytou managed to get DISY again as the first party and with a big difference from the second. Averof Neophytou is also credited for the election of Annita Dimitriou to the Presidency of the Parliament. He has made a great contribution to the important and serious things that have happened in our country.

Trust – Reliability

Are we changing times? The big parties are weakening, they seem to have a lot of damage.

Parties generally wear out, but people at the ballot box know where they can rely. The complaints are great, the trust in the parties is low, but the serious question that the voter should ask in the end is the credibility of each candidate. That is, where it can be based. And when we say support, we do not mean small issues, we talk about big issues, big problems, and I think it will be based on us.

In short, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ioannis Kasoulidis, said :

*** The only realistic mobility that can exist in the Cyprus issue “will be on the MOE, and it can also exist before the elections”

*** They are coming back now (the MOEs), with the intention of discussing this time. It's not a package take it or leave it, take it or discard it. It's a package that can be negotiated. “

***” At the moment, our relations with the United States are at the best level they have ever been. “One of the main reasons is that Cyprus has stood by the EU as a credible partner. And because of this mandatory policy, our relations with Russia have changed drastically.”

*** “The veto we had imposed on sanctions against Belarus was a big mistake [..] And sit down and convince us that we did not do it to serve the interests of Russia…”

*** “I will it remains to be seen whether the reason why Russia took this stance in the SA was for our sake and not for its sake. We will see. “But I believe that Russia had its own reasons for taking that stand.”

*** “We have proved that even with sacrifices we, as a credible partner of the EU, participated in the sanctions against Russia [..] We no longer give the image of someone standing on two boats”

* ** “I believe that there will be a reorganization – voices are heard even from France – to create an EU lobby, which some countries, such as Turkey, can enter. Well, if they do not want to find us in front of them, it is in their interest to resolve the Cyprus issue “

*** “We are studying in a small circle here in the ministry all the possibilities (for our membership in NATO) [..] We are not in a hurry, nor is there any reason to hurry”

*** “They seem to seek assimilation of the uninhabited city of Varosia, with the rest of the occupied areas, where there is a user and the owner “

*** ” The serious question that should be put the end to the vote is the credibility of each candidate, that is, that can be based on the big problems “

***” How a candidate presents himself to the Cypriot people, in his first message, with ideas and visions elsewhere; It is as if it is empty of content “

***” Do you know what Mr. Christodoulidis stands for? With him is the one who advocates the non-solution of the Cyprus problem and the one with the solution of the Cyprus problem – because you do not know exactly what he stands for “

****” Neither Mr. Sophocles nor Mr. Flessas , were the ones who thought what I said, what I presented to the Cypriot people. And I can not accept that a plagiarism product is a brushstroke – here it was not even a paintbrush, the extent of copying was huge “