Turmoil in DIKO After Nikolas' Statements on GSI

Strong reactions have erupted within DIKO following Nikolas Papadopoulos' statements regarding cooperation with the Presidential Office, focusing on the dispute over the GSI (EuroAsia Interconnector).

Larnaca MP, Christos Orfanides, expressed the view that the party leader is seeking an alibi to withdraw from the government. Christos Orfanides stated: "Tacticism is not beneficial when you say you have been in government for three years, it means you are defining policy."

From the Government's side, the Minister of Labour, Marinos Mousiouttas, considered it a survival game by Nikolas Papadopoulos. Mr. Mousiouttas stated: "I believe it is a survival game... to gain points."

DIPA issued a statement, expressing questions regarding Nikolas Papadopoulos' insistence on the hasty commitment of the Republic of Cyprus to the GSI project. "We wonder whether the vice president of DIKO, Mr. Michalis Damianos, as the new Minister of Energy, is fully aligned with the positions of the Government or whether he serves party plans of the Democratic Party," the statement said.

Nikolas Papadopoulos, speaking on the Alpha Information show, identified contradictions in the Presidential Office regarding the GSI, reiterating that the relationship with the Presidential Office is not the desired one and there is room for improvement. "We have not given a blank check to the President of the Republic. Where we disagree, we will say it and express it," he stressed.