Meeting with the general secretary of AKEL Stefano Stefanou had the president of SYRIZA, Alexis Tsipras, who is visiting Cyprus. As part of their meeting, the two men made statements to the press representatives.

The president of SYRIZA, Mr. Tsipras he stated specifically: “It is my pleasure to be in Cyprus and especially with an old friend who connects us and common struggles but above all today the secretary of AKEL, a historical party, a point of reference for the region. And I think that I am coming to a period that is after a crucial electoral contest, so the first thing I want to do is to congratulate, because despite the fact that the candidate supported by AKEL did not manage to win in the end in the second election, nevertheless the result was a major surprise that primarily proves one thing. That the ballot box is the one that proves the real correlations and not the opinion polls. Secondly, it proves that AKEL, as a party that for many years has steadfastly fought for the interests of the Cypriot people but also with positions that have to do with the defense of social justice, makes wise choices. But the problems are really big. The new government and the new President are called upon to face important challenges, just like all of us. We are in a period of great geopolitical instability. Possibly, many are talking about a new cold war situation ahead of us with the war in Ukraine coming to a close. And of course with always open the challenges concerning the Greek-Turkish disputes and also Cyprus. You know very well that we have fought battles both from government positions and today as a party of the official opposition in Greece to promote the prospect of a fair and sustainable solution to the Cyprus problem within the framework of the bi-zonal bi-communal federation. We will continue to fight these battles for the good of the Cypriot people, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, who deserve another perspective for their lives after so many years. I also want to say that there is a momentum at this time that also concerns Greek-Turkish relations. The deadly earthquake and this great disaster in Turkey changes the climate, I believe, among the peoples in any case, because the peoples are not the ones who have to separate. However, a perspective is being formed to change the agenda of the debate on the resolution of the Greek-Turkish disputes on the basis of international law. With clear red lines but with a prospect of resolving the disputes at the Hague court on the basis of international law but also of resuming talks on the Cyprus issue from where we left them in Crans Montana on the basis of the Guterres framework, I think we should all try in this direction and of course to try every day in the small and big struggles for justice, for the mitigation of inequalities, because let’s not forget, this is the role of the progressive forces, this is the role of the Left”.

On the other hand, the g.c. of AKEL, Mr. Stefanou said: “I have the pleasure to welcome my friend Alexis together with his colleagues in Cyprus. It is always a pleasure to have such a meeting that gives us the possibility to always have a creative and friendly dialogue on the various issues of mutual interest but also on issues that interest the Left in our region, in our countries, in Europe and in the world. It is a fact that this period is full of developments, of problems, of impasses, to which the Left is called upon to give convincing answers by declaring itself present in the small and large struggles of our peoples for a better world for a better society, for there to be peace in the our long-suffering region, for there to be cooperation between countries and peoples. We are a few days after the completion of the election procedures in Cyprus, we have a new President, we are also waiting for the new government. We have a new President but the problems and impasses are there which we have to face. What is certain, my dear friend Alexis, is that AKEL, as an opposition party, will continue with assertiveness, with responsibility, with patriotism to give the good fight for the good of our country and our people. I hope that SYRIZA’s matches in Greece will be effective and we will certainly have the opportunity to discuss it closely, noting the close cooperation that has existed between AKEL and SYRIZA for years.”

Earlier, Mr. Tsipras had successive meetings with the candidate in the last elections for the Presidency of the Republic of Cyprus and diplomat, Andreas Mavroyiannis and with the President of EDEK Marino Sizopoulos. During the meeting he had with Mr. Mavroyiannis in a central Nicosia hotel, Mr. Tsipras congratulated him on his pre-election campaign and they discussed regional developments. While in the meeting with Mr. Sizopoulos, Mr. Tsipras emphasized the joy and great honor of being in Cyprus, because, as he said, “the Municipality of Lefkara chose me to be the Greek politician who will honor a great international and national personality, a great socialist” referring to the memorial event for Vasos Lyssaridis. Mr. Sizopoulos, for his part, emphasized that the acceptance of the invitation is particularly honorable, but also the fact of the meeting with Al. Tsipras. “I consider it very important precisely because it is a continuation of a timeless relationship and friendship that we have both on a personal and party level,” he said.

It is noted that A. Tsipras will hold a series of meetings in Cyprus with the newly elected President of the Republic of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulidis, while in the afternoon he will attend a memorial event for Vasos Lyssaridis and then a dinner organized by the mayor of Lefkaros Sofokles Sofokleous.