Statements by Andreas Mavroyiannis:
The cancellation of the President’s meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov has done ”great damage
24 September 2022, ‘Astra’ radio
Presidential Candidate Andreas Mavroyiannis characterised the cancellation of the Anastasiades-Lavrov meeting as a very sad development.
Speaking on ‘Astra’ radio’s morning programme, A.Mavroyiannis said that the cancellation of the meeting did a great deal of damage and, as he noted, we should have clarified things within the EU long ago, given that Cyprus has a special relationship with Russia at the UN.
A.Mavroyiannis recalled that Moscow had been a staunch supporter of Cyprus’ positions in relation to the resolutions on the Cyprus problem and as he pointed out, Sergey Lavrov’s help to Cyprus was the best we could have had.
At the same time, Andreas Mavroyiannis said he was not satisfied with the President’s speech at the UN General Assembly.
He stressed that we at least had to convey a secure position as to where we stand exactly, in terms of the form of the solution of the Cyprus problem and the insistence to achieve it, but also as to how we will handle the issues arising from energy and developments in the region.
More broadly, A.Mavroyiannis said, we should have prepared the ground by giving some indication of our readiness to move forward.
What President Anastasiades said, without being wrong, did not convey, as he said, that very strong message, as he would have liked.
In addition, A.Mavroyiannis expressed his assessment that it is for the sake of maintaining contact with the Cyprus problem that the Secretary-General is giving the mandate for Ms. Di Carlo to come to Cyprus.
At the same time, commenting on the prolonged period of stagnation surrounding the Cyprus problem, he said that it is desperate to see the ground falling way under one’s feet and not being able to do anything.
