.
The ‘unfortunate’ Menendez amendment to the much-hailed proposal to lift the American arms embargo on Cyprus, may have been a blessing in disguise, as the Republic may not necessarily be forced “to take sides” as has been widely misinterpreted, but in effect, to show its true loyalty to the U.S. and allies in the region.
The comment by President Anastasiades about the last-minute amendment being unfortunate in that it breached the Republic’s sovereignty by imposing an additional clause that Cyprus should continue reforms in anti-money laundering regulations and also continue to deny access to its ports to Russian military vessels, was clearly aimed at calming concerns in Moscow.
However, ‘unfortunate’ comments about a violation of our sovereignty were equally aimed at Russia some months back when the government spokesperson in Moscow made similar declarations, totally disregarding its “friend” Cyprus.
The fact is that the US Senate is miffed by Ankara’s whining and moaning about buying Russian S-400 missiles, several summers after Turkey downed a Russian jet fighter over Syria in an incident that nearly boiled over.
US Senators wanted to send a clear message to President Erdogan, on whose shoulders lies the heavy burden of needing to take sides – America or Russia.
Tiny Cyprus is just a pawn in the regional geopolitical chessboard, and we must accept that. The fact that the American arms embargo is to be lifted does not mean that we will buy a squadron of the F-35 fighters, either.
In fact, we should wake up and smell the coffee, seeing what is happening in the region, and try to manoeuvre our way into the game, with the little political weapons that we may possess.
Egypt is fast becoming the Middle East superpower that Turkey has desperately tried to prevent. Israel, on the other hand, while appearing to have a falling-out with Ankara over a plethora of issues, is cuddling up to Turkey’s satellite state, Azerbaijan, every way it can.
Cyprus has rightly launched a series of trilateral and other pacts with several neighbours, but these should not be limited to just words and declarations.
We have a huge potential to elevate our role in the region and worldwide if we combine the proper use of energy resources with smart(er) politics.
Already, Cyprus is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to shipping, but beyond these two, we have yet to carve out a clear strategy that will determine the island as an important centre on a number of platforms.
Our economy is not that big to get us a seat at the top table, but we could easily become a small dealer among the big players if we play our cards right.
For years, Cyprus has been trampled on by America and Russia, and their respective allies, with little noise being made on our part because the excuse has been to secure the support of the P5 members of the Security Council. As if that has made any difference.
Perhaps, it’s time for a change in tactics and appear to be more loyal to one or another superpower, as long as the respect is mutual, and we get something substantial in return.
Moaning and groaning about UN Resolutions, violations and whatnot, simply have no meaning, unless we have a Big Brother looking over our shoulder.
With this in mind, perhaps, we should take the initiative and choose sides.
