“Is Cyprus a Bridge to Peace or Part of the Problem?” The Government Responds to the Opposition on the Conflict in the Middle East

In response to the opposition’s accusations of the deployment of foreign military forces and weapons on the island’s territory, the spokesman pointed out that the Cypriot authorities only provide humanitarian assistance.

Earlier, the opposition party AKEL demanded that the government of Nikos Christodoulides answer whether the increased use by the United States not only of bases but also of the country’s infrastructure at such a critical moment turns Cyprus into a bridge of peace, as the government claims, or makes it “part of the problem.”

The party stressed that the island’s government must put the interests of Cyprus “above the interests and orders of any third countries.”

The party pointed out that the explosive military atmosphere in the region poses deadly security risks to all countries and peoples of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East, and that the continued presence of US military forces on the island, whether in British bases or outside it, increases these risks and concerns.

The Cypriot government spokesman described the AKEL party’s position as irresponsible, and accused it of spreading “fake news.”

The spokesman said, “The entire international community recognizes and welcomes our country’s humanitarian role.”

Letimipiotis stressed that Cyprus remains “part of the solution, not part of the problem, and this is what the international community recognizes.”

Commenting on the government spokesman’s words published on social media, Harris Karamanos, a member of the Central Committee of the AKEL party, published statements about the arrival of foreign military personnel with a large amount of military equipment to the Cypriot port of Limassol to be later transferred to the Akrotiri bases.

According to him, the number of US military personnel at the base has increased significantly in recent times. By August 4, 150 US Marines were spotted at the training center in Paphos. On August 5, missile launchers were unloaded from US transport planes at Larnaca airport.

Source: Novosti