Greece-Cyprus Electrical Interconnection Must Be Completed, Androulakis Says

The president of PASOK-KINAL, Nikos Androulakis, during a discussion he had tonight with representatives of Kasos, referred to Greek-Turkish relations and stressed that opportunities were lost. "We should have, after Putin's barbaric invasion of Ukraine, taken advantage of the opportunity to create rules of solidarity at all EU borders. We should have taken the lead. And it's not just the European army that is coming, but very late, it's not just the common armament programs, there is a key issue: did we negotiate the mountainous and insular nature of the country to have a special treatment? No. In every negotiation we must raise the special characteristics of the country," emphasized the president of PASOK-KINAL, among other things. He added that "some want Turkey on the Western axis. This cannot be done at our expense. Because the US and the EU want Turkey for their own interests, will they turn a blind eye when Turkey undermines international law? Rules are needed here," Mr. Androulakis said. He added that "in 2020 I had personally managed, in the file of arms trading from Europe to third countries, to include clauses concerning Turkey, which threatens Greece with war and illegally occupies half of Cyprus." Regarding the Greece-Cyprus electrical interconnection, Mr. Androulakis noted that it must be completed, accusing the Prime Minister of amateurish handling. "The Prime Minister advertised the cable as a project of vital strategic importance. It is. But do you start such a project with Cyprus without ensuring its completion? And especially, when its non-completion means that Erdogan's bullying prevailed? These are dangerous amateurisms, showing that some are more concerned with communication than working strategically to effectively defend our national interests. I cannot say that someone - from whichever party they come from - does not defend our national interests, but it's one thing to defend them communicatively and another effectively," he stressed. Regarding the course of the economy, the President of PASOK estimated that "as soon as the Recovery Fund ends, the economy will be put on ice." He argued that regional development is an immediate priority, highlighting the development model proposed by PASOK, and especially the need to connect tourism with the primary sector and manufacturing. "In islands like Kasos, which do not have over-tourism, we can have these forms of development, which require tax incentives, cheap transportation, low energy costs," he noted characteristically.