Written statement of DIKO Larnaka MP Christos Orfanidis
"There has been no reassignment of positions or change of attitude by the Democratic Party regarding discussions with Turkey and regarding natural gas", states in a written statement the deputy of DIKO Larnaka Christos Orfanidis on the occasion of the statement of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Constantinos Kobous in the context of an interview in the newspaper Politis who stated that the Republic of Cyprus is ready for a dialogue with Ankara on natural gas before the solution of the Cyprus problem.
"Officially", reports the DIKO MP, "no discussion took place in the Executive Office and the Parliamentary Group and the positions of the Democratic Party remain stable".
"There cannot", he adds, "be a discussion and an agreement as far as natural gas is concerned separately before the comprehensive agreement to resolve the Cyprus issue, Turkey does not compromise, Turkey knows that our side retreats from time to time because it knows that we are self-willed ».
"Any agreement", he continues, "for natural gas before the solution of the Cyprus problem will put Turkey in a privileged position and will be able to blackmail us and manipulate everyone in the region and especially us the Republic of Cyprus".
"Our attitude", he emphasizes, "like a good boy will never be rewarded, the one who is rewarded is the one who claims".
"Let me remind you of our earlier statements", he adds, "as a Democratic Party and by our President Mr. Nikolas Papadopoulos himself in January 2015 that he "does not discuss the issue of natural gas before the solution of the Cyprus issue" and in September 2016 answering to the then PtD Mr. Nikos Anastasiadis that "with his January 2015 proposal, he effectively made the sovereign right of the Republic of Cyprus to exploit its natural wealth, part of the Cypriot agenda, allowing the Turkish side to want to have a say in its energy planning of Democracy".
"In a recent interview, the Minister of Foreign Affairs", he argues, "mentioned that there could be such an agreement with Turkey before the solution of the Cyprus issue, the Minister "bitten" what Britain dreams of without second thoughts and without even realizing that it is with Turkey that wants to make such an agreement and consolidates it in the control of natural gas in the Eastern Mediterranean".
"The Minister of Foreign Affairs", he concludes, "has not realized how dangerous a country Turkey is and what a dangerous situation the Republic of Cyprus will find itself in, which when Turkey negotiates has fixed goals and these goals are only aimed at safeguarding its strategic positions and interests".