Cyprus-Forum.com

[Omer Seyhan]

This article dates back to February but I think it is still relevant for today. Cyprus is crucial to Nato interests that I believe the US is yprus' fourth unofficial guarantor power. As we negotiate a settlement and one that inevitably will involve the need to collect signitures from the greater powers, will Christofias accept Nato?

He may hate it, but Christofias has to accept NATO
(archive article - Friday, February 20, 2009)
PRESIDENT Christofias’ irrational hatred of NATO is well-documented. As recently as a few months ago, during a visit to Moscow, he declared that Cyprus would ‘never’ join the Alliance, jokingly referring to himself as the “red sheep of the EU”. Before becoming president he regularly attacked the Alliance, routinely blaming it for most of the world’s ills.

During the Cold War, Akel was fanatically on the side of the communist bloc and it was no secret that the party was the recipient of funds as well as instructions from the Kremlin. All Akel’s top brass were educated in Warsaw Pact countries and to this day remain devoted to the communist faith. Christofias, a graduate of a Soviet university for communist party ideologues, has never forgiven the West for winning the Cold War.

Although he has no intention of turning Cyprus into a one-party state or of imposing a command economy, he still subscribes to a Marxist world-view and obdurately refuses to discard the anti-NATO baggage he has been carrying all his life. This is why he recoils at the very idea of Cyprus joining the Alliance.

At present he will not even consider joining the Partnership for Peace, which he dismisses as a “waiting room for NATO membership”. All the political parties, apart from Akel, support joining the Partnership, but the government, so far, has been resisting their calls, without offering any convincing argument. The fact is even Russia is a member of the Partnership for Peace and there is no possibility of it joining NATO in the foreseeable future.

The government cannot cite a single rational argument for opposing membership, apart from the spokesman’s rather pitiful assertion that it was not part of Christofias’ election programme. The opening of an embassy in Cuba was not in his election programme either but this did not stop him from pursuing it once he became president. His opposition can only be attributed to his long-held anti-NATO dogmatism. The president needs to come to terms with the fact that Cyprus, as an EU member-state belongs to the Western world in which NATO plays a key role.

Yesterday the European Parliament adopted a report recognising the important role of NATO in the security architecture of the European Union. The report “takes the view that the future collective defence of the EU should as far as possible be organised in co-operation with NATO”. The resolution passed by the European Parliament encouraged Cyprus “to review its political position on its membership of the Partnership for Peace”.

Will Christofias keep Cyprus out of the collective defence planning of the European Union, because it would be organised in co-operation with the hated NATO? The president should put aside his anti-Western prejudices, swallow his pride and apply for membership of the Partnership for Peace. Whether he likes it or not, EU membership means closer links to NATO.


Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2009

[runaway]

Crucial question is will Türkiye accept southern cyprus greek administration to NATO? No way.

[paliometoxo]

the turks also tried to stop unifycyp to extend another 6 months.. look how far they got...

[runaway]

the turks also tried to stop unifycyp to extend another 6 months.. look how far they got...

Turks also blocked NATO-EU relations. Look how far they've given up: NONE

[Get Real!]

Crucial question is will Türkiye accept southern cyprus greek administration to NATO? No way.

What the hell would Cyprus be doing in NATO?

[insan]

Crucial question is will Türkiye accept southern cyprus greek administration to NATO? No way.

What the hell would Cyprus be doing in NATO?

Asslick the big boys of NATO for the interests of the Big Boys of Cyprus; no need to mention that those big boys of Cyprus r all considered as protectors of Cypriot Hellenism.