The facts regarding the selection of a candidate for the presidential elections and AKEL's perspective on the grid of challenges facing Cyprus today, criticising the President of the Republic and the Government, was presented at an event in London on Sunday morning by the party's General Secretary Stefanos Stefanou.
He was addressing the delegates of the 13th Conference of the AKEL UK branch organised at the Cyprus Community Centre in the heart of the north London community.
"Cyprus needs a progressive change, which we can, must and are working to achieve in the presidential elections," Stefanou said. "The situation in Cyprus cannot go on any longer. Ten years of alarming governance, Cyprus has been filled with serious deadlocks in the Cyprus problem, in the economy and in society, everywhere," he continued.
He went on to say: "That is why we have set a goal in the presidential elections to win them with a progressive candidate who has a progressive programme to achieve progressive change.
"We have set as a primary goal, and that is what we are working for now, in these elections to find a common language and common ground with all those political forces that share with us the urgent need to achieve change in the country, with priority to the Democratic Party and the Ecologists, without saying that we are not seeking a dialogue with the other political forces of the opposition.
"We are not talking about this issue with those in power, who we want to remove from power, which they have been exploiting and exploiting for ten years, nor, of course, with the far-right ELAM, with which we never talk."
The AKEL General Secretary then told delegates that actions and efforts are being made to arrive at a candidate for the presidency, commenting that "good business is done without much noise". He added that "we are slowly reaching the decision stage, this discussion is not going to go on for a long time, because at some point either a yes or a no will have to come so that we too can move on."
If the first objective of a common progressive candidate is not achieved, Stefanos Stefanou added, then AKEL will continue its efforts by addressing society.
Referring to the Cyprus problem, he accused the President of the Republic of Cyprus of having made the Greek Cypriot side "unreliable" and estimated that Turkey has been "disowned" by the international actor, both for the failure in Crans-Montana and for the prolonged deadlock.
"So great are the interests at stake that important EU countries choose to get along with Turkey," he noted, accusing the government of belatedly acknowledging this fact.
"At the same time, the rulers by their own actions have managed to do the unthinkable, to undermine the ability of the Republic of Cyprus to demand from the EU the EU's effective and practical solidarity with Cyprus over Turkey's illegalities."
"At the same time, the rulers by their own actions have managed to do the unthinkable, to undermine the ability of the Republic of Cyprus to demand from the EU the EU's effective and practical solidarity with Cyprus over Turkey's illegalities. And when you are unreliable then you are not convincing, as the negotiator of the Greek Cypriot side appointed by Nicos Anastasiades has repeatedly said," he added.
He again accused the President that he has not accepted to discuss AKEL's proposal for a solution, a proposal that stresses the importance of hydrocarbons as a catalyst for progress and the need for continuous pressure on Turkey.
He also criticised President Anastasiades and the D.I.SY. for the fact that, as he commented, they have "reduced" the country to being considered by the international community as a "laundry for black money and a refuge for fraudsters", referring to the "golden passports" case. AKEL also noted the need to change Cyprus' economic and development model, while questioning the "neoliberal perception" of the market's ability to regulate everything.
Referring to the impact of the Russian-Ukrainian war on grain trading, fuel trading and energy, he stressed that in strategic sectors the state needs to be in control so that it does not become hostage to oligopolies and monopolies.
As for the accuracy that is also affecting Cyprus, Stefanou said that a targeted and timely policy is needed, which he has not seen from the rulers in Cyprus.
The 13th AKEL UK Conference is the first since 2017 due to a pandemic and prior factors. It was an opportunity for party members in Britain to learn about the actions of recent years, discuss the organisation and objectives of the branch, as well as address problems of the community.
Source: CNA
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