I want to deliver to our children an honest state, a green and united Cyprus, said Achilleas Demetriades, submitting his candidacy for the presidency of the Republic this morning at the “Filoxenia” Conference Center in Nicosia, where was accompanied by family members and supporters, including a little dog Sky.
Demetriades said that “this independent candidacy wants to give a voice to citizens who do not feel that the system expresses their views”, adding that “we need credibility. Those who led Cyprus to its current tragic position are part of the problem. They cannot be part of the solution,” he noted.
Dimitriades thanked “Titina Loizidou for nominating me. Erato Kozakou Markoulis, Alekos Modinos, Stavros Zenios, Popi Avraam and all the other friends and active citizens who support me”.
He said that “the future of Cyprus cannot be partition. We can prevent it. The European Union is the shield.” “Energy and the EU-Turkish relationship are the keys to unlocking the solution process”, said Demetriades. He added that “we must put an end to the corruption that exposes the country and offends us. With a real criminal investigation of the scandal of the golden passports. With separation of the responsibilities of the Attorney General. With control and transparency in the appointments of independent officials and with effective co-operation”.
“I want to serve my country. I don’t want it to serve me. I want to curb corruption that is everywhere. I want to give perspective to young people. I want one Cyprus and a green Cyprus. And I believe that it is in our interest to solve the Cyprus Problem and our first concern is an honest state in which all citizens can excel with equality,” he said.
Asked if he trusts the Attorney General and the Assistant Attorney General, Dimitriades stated that “the problem with the Attorney General is both institutional and with the specific persons. The institutional has to do with the need to separate his responsibilities to his legal advisor state and responsible for criminal prosecutions. That’s the general point.”
Titina Loizidou, known for her victory in the European Court of Human Rights against Turkey, who proposed the candidacy of Demetriades, said in her statement that “with Achilleas we are connected over a course of more than thirty years and judicial struggles, both at the legal level and in the political since my case touches political parameters”.
Former Foreign Minister Erato Kozakou Markoullis, said that “I am here because for me the Cyprus issue is above all in the programme of every candidate but also for the future of our country. I completely agree with the positions of Achilleas Demetriades regarding the Cyprus issue”.
Source: Cyprus News Agency