The Democratic Rally (DISY) has sharply criticised recent remarks by AKEL secretary-general Stefanos Stefanou on the Cyprus issue, security matters and the prospect of Cyprus joining NATO.
In a statement issued on Thursday, DISY accused AKEL of placing “ideological rigidities” and “dogmatic obsessions” above the national objective of reunifying Cyprus and ending the presence of Turkish troops through a viable and functional settlement.
The party said that, at a time of intense geopolitical developments and renewed international efforts on the Cyprus issue, AKEL was choosing to prioritise ideological concerns over what DISY described as the country's supreme national goal.
DISY argued that the Cyprus problem, security matters and any prospect of NATO membership should be evaluated solely on the basis of national interest and the security of the Republic of Cyprus and its citizens.
“The Democratic Rally believes that the resolution of the Cyprus issue, security matters and the prospect of NATO membership must be assessed exclusively with national interest in mind, the safeguarding of the Republic of Cyprus and its citizens, and not through ideological filters from another era,” the statement said.
The party added that Cyprus needs “strategy, realism and strong international alliances.”
“Ideological obsessions cannot serve as a compass for the future of our homeland,” it concluded.
The statement follows comments by Stefanou in which he said AKEL views NATO involvement in a Cyprus settlement as a red line.
