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With the mid-2019 date for the Greek elections getting closer, stakeholders are clinging on to power for as long as they can until a new administration takes over or the Syriza-Anel coalition remains in office.
This means Cyprus will continue to be dragged into this political tug-of-war, either as a scapegoat for others’ incompetence or simply to divert media (and voter) attention away from the real issues.
Just as in Cyprus, the East Med natural gas pipeline is on everyone’s agenda in the “motherland”, with all and sundry having an opinion to share. The grand project, that is still subject to conclusive finds from ongoing explorations for natural resources in the area.
It is also hostage to Turkey’s expansive ambitions and military tactics in the East Med and the Aegean, as the “national defence” and patriotic cards are fair game when it comes to drumming up popular support.
That is why the “patriotic” card was played when the Bishop of Kykkos decided to sue the Greek government after Athens reneged on its promise to build a new embassy in Engomi, the land having been bought at a “privileged” price.
At the time, Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias was flabbergasted that a Cypriot lawyer would dare to challenge the Tsipras administration for not doing its work properly.
Athens had remained undecided on the said property and initially thought of offloading it onto the market and pocketing the difference, in the name of benefiting the Greek taxpayer, a deal that never went through simply because that is not the way things are done in Cyprus.
All ended well when the Greek diplomat appeared in court, gave some explanations and the Bishop dropped the case, with plans for the new embassy now seemingly underway.
The rift has now shifted to another level as regards the electricity interconnector project from Cyprus to Crete, with the state-controlled transmission operator ADMIE, supported by the Syriza-leaning media, trying to hijack part of the project.
All sorts of arguments were raised in Athens for why the project should remain wholly in Greek hands, but none touched upon the fundamental issues of transparency and compatibility of technical specifications throughout the system, something that could not happen if ADMIE has its way.
This all culminated this week with Syriza’s firebrand MEP Stelios Kouloglou raising questions in the European Parliament about the identity of the Cypriot company involved and alleging hidden interests, forgetting to mention that the Greek company itself is 24%-owned by Chinese investors, an outcome that has not gone down well with the rest of the European Union.
Cyprus politicians ought to be more vigilant to defend the interests of Cypriot businesses, be they in Greece, Russia, the Arabian Gulf or elsewhere, just as leaders or high-profile personalities of other countries do.
We should not fall victim to the patriotic argument when it comes to defending Cypriot interests over Greek interests.
