A candidate for the presidency of Cyprus, chairman of the ruling Democratic Gathering Party (DISI), Averof Neofitou, proposed to apply for membership of the island in the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO). His words on Monday, July 4, leads the portal Politis.
As follows from the material, at the event on the occasion of the 46th anniversary of the founding of the party, Neofitou presented the election program “Plan for the next day”, consisting of 100 points. One of the points was just the application for the country’s entry into the alliance.
According to him, such a move is proposed as part of an “innovative approach to ensuring the security of Cyprus.”
“We remove the taboo and call for the involvement of European, Euro-Atlantic institutions and NATO. Let them enter the effective security equation of our country in such a way as to ensure the survival of Cypriot Hellenism, ”the publication quotes Neofitu.
He also stated that Cyprus should now “make it a priority to apply for NATO membership.”
In addition, Neofit was given a plan for the reorganization of the Cypriot state.
“We make up our minds and propose a constitutional review. With full respect for the balance imposed by the bicommunal character of the constitution. Today’s Cyprus cannot function within the structures of 1960,” the party leader said.
Also in his speech at the event, the presidential candidate outlined guidelines for the future of the country, in particular, digitalization, the transition to green energy sources, as well as equal rights and opportunities for all citizens of the country.
The presidential elections in Cyprus are to be held in February 2023.
Turkey, which does not recognize Cyprus as a sovereign state and does not recognize its membership in the European Union, can prevent the island’s membership in the alliance.
In turn, the Turkish Rodina party launched a large-scale campaign to withdraw the country from NATO. The action was supported by the townspeople, who approached the tables for signatures, installed on the city and district squares.
At the same time, on June 28, it became known that Turkey would support the invitation of Finland and Sweden to become NATO members. Finland and Sweden, which began and completed their NATO accession talks on July 4 and completed in one round, are expected to sign an accession protocol on July 5.
The process of ratifying the accession of the Scandinavian countries to NATO was launched in Germany on July 1, it was initiated by the Cabinet of Ministers of Germany. On the same day, Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto announced that a new iron curtain had emerged between Russia and Finland. He substantiated his opinion by the fact that “the architecture of European security has been destroyed” in connection with the start of a special military operation of the Russian Federation to protect Donbass.
Russia has a negative attitude towards the entry of Finland and Sweden into the alliance. Thus, Russian President Vladimir Putin, during the anniversary summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organization on May 16, noted that the expansion of the alliance is artificial. He stressed that this is being done in the interests of US foreign policy goals.
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