OPPOSITION DISY should stop using the question of foreign investment as a “pre-election football”, Commerce Minister Antonis Paschalides said yesterday, referring to criticism of the proposed Qatari hotel project opposite the Hilton in Nicosia.
Quoting the Cypriot equivalent of the saying “to look a gift-horse in the mouth”, Paschalides added: “It’s the first time we’ve seen a situation where our strenuous efforts as a government to attract investment to Cyprus are paying off despite the economic crisis, and we get criticised for doing it.”
Paschalides was responding to strong words from DISY’s vice president Averoff Neophytou on Tuesday, when he accused the government of “continuing to operate without transparency, sidestepping procedures and negotiating millions of euros worth of contracts behind closed doors”.
Neophytou said Cypriot investors were being discriminated against by being given fewer incentives than foreigners. He had levelled his accusations against the government despite assurances from Finance Minister Charilaos Stavrakis that no official agreement had been finalised with the Qataris at this stage, that there will be full transparency and all legal procedures will be followed.
Yesterday, DISY leader Nicos Anastassiades backed Neophytou’s statements, saying he had nothing against attracting investment, wherever it may come from. However, “the same incentives should be offered to Cypriot businessmen, and similarly large investments should be made with full transparency so as not to create misinterpretations, misunderstandings and misleading pictures through lack of transparency”, he added.
Responding to the criticism, Paschalides said that the fact that the Qatari government, as well as business figures and large companies from other countries, had shown serious interest in investing in Cyprus is “the best possible proof and confirmation that Cyprus, with the infrastructure and businessmen it has, offers security and prospects.”
At the same time, he said, nobody is stopping Cypriot businessmen and investors from participating. The areas under discussion were there, but Cypriot businessmen did not show any interest, so “where have they been all these years?”
“I realise that we are in a pre-election period, but I think certain things should not be used as political footballs”, Paschalides said, adding: “issues such as investment and the economy are too serious to be used as a pre-election football.”
The Minister then gave his personal opinion that army camps, ministry offices and other such buildings could be located in very different places compared to where they are today.
“We should finally stop the hypocrisy and be honest. A ministry doesn’t need to be on Makarios Avenue”, he said. “When there is prime building land on Makarios Avenue, you value it accordingly.”
