What strikes me is the attempt to ignore Turkey’s activity and movements that are at the root of the crisis in the wider region, President Nicos Anastasiades said today, when he was called to comment on the criticism he received by the main opposition.
Speaking to the press after the inauguration of the new facilities in Petrolina, Vassiliko, the President of the Republic, to a question on whether he would be briefed on the meeting of the Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel with the President of Turkey Mr. Tayyip Erdogan, he replied that “We agreed (with Merkel) when we spoke on the phone the other day that she would be conveying, as she did, the messages. I look forward to the briefing in the coming days as soon as she returns”.
Called to comment on the main opposition speaking of doublespeak between the President and the Foreign Minister, President Anastasiades stressed that “we all speak the same language in the Government, whether it is expressed by the President or by the Ministers. And in this particular case, by the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
I was asked whether I expected tougher measures from the EU. And my answer was that, given the prevailing circumstances, I did not; not right now.
What this means is that, we have the issue of Libya in Syria; we have a bunch of issues, so at this moment we are at a stage of trying to defuse tensions.
And the question was a yes or no and to what extent.
Where is the discord in that?
The Government, acting through a single policy, achieved sanctions against individuals through targeted, specific measures.
What strikes me, however, is the attempt to ignore Turkey’s activity and movements that are at the root of the crisis in the wider region, but much more of the Cyprus issue, where their provocations are recorded on a daily basis. They are already in Block 8 and in a provocative manner of disregard towards international law they are conducting drilling operations. And instead of us condemning or focusing our attention on national dignity, we are concerned about whether there is any doublespeak between the President and his Ministers.
In any case, some may be seeking to divert. I don’t want to say anything more. But we should at last be concerned that it is only through unity (that we will be able to face the situation) and not by criticizing the Government instead of calling out those who are wholly responsible for what goes down not only on a regional level, but also internationally”. /ibna