AKEL Secretary General Stefanos Stefanou and the President of the Democratic Party, Nikolas Papadopoulos, will have their first official four-a-four for the 2023 presidential elections tomorrow, Monday, February 28, 2022. The goal of this first meeting between them is the discussion about the prospects of cooperation and agreement between the two parties – but also other political formations of the opposition – in a joint program and candidate for '23. In recent weeks, the name of Markos Kyprianou has been added to the list of possible candidates for the Presidency of the Republic – by DIKO executives, but also by AKEL. Markos Kyprianou – son of the former President of the Republic of Cyprus Spyros Kyprianou – served as Commissioner for Economic Planning and Health Commissioner of the European Commission, Minister of Finance and Minister of Foreign Affairs, as well as MP in the Nicosia Electoral District, elected by DIKO. > Change
Asked about the goals of DIKO regarding the upcoming presidential elections, Mr. Kyprianou said, among other things, that it should be a change and that means cooperation with the opposition. In addition, in the interview he gave to “Politis”, Markos Kyprianou says that he is basically not interested in being the same candidate because he is no longer in active politics, but he would like to play a role in the pre-election effort of a candidate who would inspire him. p>
What should be the first goal of DIKO in this presidential election? Should the current rulers leave and change or should DIKO rule/co-govern?
I believe that the goal of DIKO should be change and of course not power for the sake of power. That's why it's important to work with forces that have the same goal, which in fact means opposition. It can not be an option to continue the current political situation simply with another person in charge. This would invalidate the policy and attitudes of DIKO and its executives, all these years.
In your opinion, how can DIKO achieve this goal? With a joint candidate with AKEL?
Of course, because the system is presidential, it is very important who will be the candidate. He must embrace the goals of the political forces that will support him and of the voters who want change. Also, the personal credibility of the candidate is essentially the basic guarantee that he will fulfill all the pre-election commitments after the elections. Since we are talking about the cooperation of the opposition, it is logical but also necessary for the parties that want to cooperate to gather around a common candidate and of course, with a detailed joint program of government. Thus, frictions in the future will be avoided. The common candidate and the political forces supporting him will have agreed on their priorities, but more importantly, the voters will know them to decide.
Apart from active politics b>
Are you interested in running in the 2023 presidential election?
Have you been spotted relatively recently?
It is a fact that friends and acquaintances, both from DIKO and AKEL, have asked me, urged, and even pressured me to take an interest in the presidential elections. My answer remains that this is neither my goal nor my ambition. And I do not feel I have to change this decision. And to be fair, because they sound different, the leaders of the two parties knew my position, so it was expected that they would not suggest it to me. In practice, since the summer of 2018, I have moved away from active politics. What has changed for me now is that I am ready, if there is a candidate who will inspire me and whom I will believe in, then to be actively involved in the election campaign, to support this effort. If not, then I'll just do my job as a voter.
Without exclusions
Could even a former DISY minister be a joint candidate for the AKEL-DIKO cooperation? For example, George Pamporidis?
Personally, I do not exclude anyone, as long as he meets the conditions I set above. That is, to embrace the need for a radical change in the political course of Cyprus and the way of governing and not the continuation of the current situation, to have confidence that it will meet the agreed goals and, of course, to have agreement on key policy issues, such as corruption at all levels, the economy and the basic framework for solving our national problem. Someone's political background does not bother me much. What interests me is whether it convinces me of the future.
The Secretary-General will determine where the talks will begin
Asked to say “what is the problem of the Cyprus problem today” and whether our national problem has changed, Markos Kyprianou replied that “unfortunately, the Cyprus problem has been forgotten as an international problem of invasion, occupation and violation of international law and has been limited to inter-communal dispute ». Turkey, he continued, despite being an occupying power, and there are heaps of resolutions and decisions of the United Nations and other international organizations that recognize this, is now presented as a mere observer. “In fact, the reports of the UN Secretary General himself put Turkey on the same fate as Greece, simply asking it to support the process of resolving the Cyprus issue. “Unfortunately, this way, Turkey is unharmed and any responsibility for deadlocks falls on the Cypriots – either Greek Cypriots or Turkish Cypriots or both,” he added.
With the right content
Do we have to rethink what solution we want? Is the Bi-Zonal Bicommunal Federation (IBR) applicable today?
I do not see why the solution we seek must change. The ICC is realistically the only solution that can bring about the reunification of the island and the guarantee of the rights, not only of the communities but also of each individual citizen. Of course, it is not the titles that matter but the content. And what DIKO supports, that is, DDO with the right content, describes the requested accurately. And I do not understand why some people make fun of it. Under the title of a federation can be hidden either a confederation, and consequently a covert division, or a truly united state. In the content is the whole point and we need to focus on that, not the labels. And it's up to us what content we are ready to accept. But, in fact, if we move away from this established and internationally accepted goal, we legitimize and pave the way for Turkey to push, and perhaps convince, for two states and division.
Από Κραν Μοντανά
What could be the way to overcome the current impasse in the efforts to resolve the Cyprus issue?
There is an urgent need to resume talks. Without dialogue there can be no solution. There is an agreed solution basis and based on this the UN Secretary General must invite the two sides to talks. And whoever refuses or asks to change the basis of the talks, to be denounced and to be held responsible. And to stop Turkey being in the General Secretary's position as a mere observer. As for the talks, the Secretary-General will determine where they will start. Most likely, even if one disagrees with what was agreed in Crans Montana, it is to start again from that stage, and it will be an opportunity to clarify each side that stands, instead of having different interpretations, who accepted and who suggested what.
Dangers from MOE
Could a Confidence-Building Measure (MOE), Varosi vs. Illegal Erjian, Save the Enclosed City?
Any MOEs need a lot of attention. There are always three risks involved. One is to consume disproportionately large political capital to reach an agreement on them, which could be devoted to trying to solve the essence of the problem. Second, the CUs should eventually lead to a quasi-solution and be a permanent alternative, instead of the intended goal of the overall solution. And the third, especially in the case of Cyprus, not only lead to the upgrading of the pseudo-state but also to the acceptance of almost state status. Of course, the developments for Famagusta are critical, so we are entering a dangerous give-and-take. He wants us to be careful not to lose everything in the end. Personally, I believe that Turkey has unfortunately made its plans for Famagusta, in the context of Erdogan's goal to increase Turkish territory – which in his mind includes the occupied territories – beyond the one left by Ataturk. If so, none of our proposals will change that goal. I wish I was wrong.
There are no exceptions in Ukrainian
As for Russia's attack on Ukraine, Markos Kyprianou recalled that “President Putin had long made it clear that he did not accept the European Security Council as it was established in the 1990s and basically NATO expansion to the east.” In fact, he notes, he accuses the West of taking advantage of the situation prevailing in Russia at the time. “And now, military operations are trying to overthrow these realities, at least for Ukraine, and drive it away from the West,” he added. How/who is the new world?
One of the consequences of the Ukrainian crisis, which may have been one of President Putin's goals, is that Russia is once again one of the key players on the international stage. In practice, in recent months, he has achieved this by setting his own international agenda. As a matter of fact, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, two poles prevailed, the United States on one side and China on the other. This is precisely the great challenge for Europe, to be able to acquire and play a role as a third superpower, corresponding to America and China. Russia is now achieving this militarily, but the big question is how well it can afford to isolate itself from US and EU trade and economic centers and their allies. China and the United States are not only military superpowers but also economic giants.
Implications
To what extent will developments in Ukraine;
Certainly we, like many other countries, will be affected by developments in Ukraine, especially the impact of sanctions against Russia. This also applies to other Member States of the European Union, depending on the extent and size of their economic and trade relations with Russia, their banks' exposure to Russian debt and their indirect effects on other issues, such as tourism. We will also be affected by the general economic effects, such as the further increase in the cost of energy production, which will of course adversely affect the pocket of each consumer. Given the interconnectedness of the European (as well as the Cypriot) economy with the Russian one, the more effective the economic sanctions against Russia, the greater the impact they will have on the countries of the European Union themselves. On the other hand, keep in mind that sanctions take time to pay off. By the time this is done, the war will be over. And it remains to be seen to what extent China will want and be able to help Russia overcome the effects of sanctions.
Politically? Politically, in addition to the general effects of the US-EU conflict (where we belong, of course) with a country as important to Cyprus as Russia, we must also watch how Turkey exploits this crisis. . On the one hand, it is a member of NATO, but it also has close relations with Russia. Turkish diplomacy usually manages to exploit international crises for its own benefit, of course, as it did in Syria.
Under international law
Who should we be with?
Cyprus must remain steadfast in its respect for international law. We must uphold the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states and, of course, the peaceful settlement of disputes. If we start making exceptions and discounts on matters of principle, due to financial or other interests, not only do we lose our credibility as a serious member state of the European Union, but we also undermine our own struggle.
