Government policies are turning our country into an aggressive launching pad, instead of a bridge of peace with the peoples of our region

Statement by AKEL-Left-New Forces Parliamentary Spokesperson Yiorgos Loucaides on Foreign Minister’s statements

AKEL C.C. Press Office, 1^st December 2019, Nicosia

The Foreign Minister, in his statements yesterday, chose to pose a non-existent question for himself to it in the way he considers best.

We would like to stress once again that no one questions the usefulness and necessity of bilateral and trilateral cooperation with states in our region. What the Anastasiades government – which included President Anastasiades himself and his relevant statements – was criticised for was the fact that they had cultivated illusions about military cooperation with states in our region, but also with other states such as France, the US and others and that these military partnerships, Cyprus could supposedly provide effective shielding and protection against Turkish provocations, illegal actions and adventurism.

Judging by the result, these assessments of the government ruling forces have been refuted, as their erroneous estimates that Turkey didn’t have the means, capabilities and cooperation to proceed to research drillings in the Cyprus Exclusive Economic Zone have also been refuted.

The government ruling forces are being criticised for all of these policies, as well as the fact that they had enthusiastically embraced the Menendez-Rubio bill, which in reality seeks to turn our country into a protectorate of the United States.

The Anastasiades government is being criticized for all these policies that in reality are turning our country into an aggressive launching pad, instead of a bridge of peace with the peoples of our region.