Criticism of Qatar trip ‘petty and short-sighted’ says Christofias
PRESIDENT Demetris Christofias yesterday dismissed criticism of his Qatar trip as petty and short-sighted, saying Cyprus only stood to benefit from closer relations with the oil-rich emirate.
His outburst came on the second day of an official visit to the Arab Gulf nation. Back home, opposition DISY in particular insinuated that the visit boiled down to making money for an inner circle of people within the government camp.
An angered Christofias said he could not help but comment on the criticism, which focused on himself and on the First Lady.
“Normally I am a very calm person. But when it comes to my wife I draw the line,” the President said in comments at a construction site owned by a Cypriot company in Doha.
“The visit does not involve any personal gain…its only purpose is to reap benefits for Cyprus, both political and financial,” he added.
“In any case, if you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear.”
Christofias’ itinerary yesterday included a visit to The Pearl, a multi-billion dollar man-made island under construction off the coast of Doha, and interviews with leading Qatari newspapers and the Al Jazeera television network, before returning to the island late last night.
For his part, Commerce Minister Antonis Paschalides said Qatar was interested in investing in Cyprus’ energy sector, but added that talks were still at a very early stage. One item discussed was the possibility of Cyprus becoming a transit hub for natural gas.
Finance Minister Charilaos Stavrakis, part of the Cypriot mission to Qatar, said negotiations for the construction of massive hotel complex in the centre of the capital were going “extremely well.”
“We are very satisfied with the progress in negotiations,” Stavrakis told newsmen shortly after meeting with his Qatari counterpart.
The government is seeking investors to develop the land plot opposite the Hilton hotel, on which an army camp currently lies. The scheme has drawn flak from opposition politicians claiming that foreigners are being given an unfair advantage over Cypriot businessmen.
A Qatari delegation would be coming to the island sometime in early June to close the deal, Stavrakis said.
The project would create thousands of jobs both from the actual construction and operation of the hotel, he added.
The minister said it was in Cyprus’ best interest to boost ties with Qatar, a “regional economic power with growing political influence.”
Back home, detractors remained blasé about the visit.
DISY’s no.2 Averoff Neophytou accused the government of dealing “behind closed doors.”
“Certainly [foreign investments] are welcome, but the procedures must be transparent. Town planning incentives should apply to all interested parties.”
His sentiments were shared by Andreas Pittas, head of the Employers and Industrialists Federation, who also called for a level playing field, urging the government to publish town planning criteria in the area in question as soon as possible.
“Just because [local] investors have not publicly expressed an interest, this does not mean they are not interested.”
The criticism drew a knee-jerk reaction from AKEL, who rushed to the President’s defence. Party spokesman Stavros Evagorou called the visit to Qatar a “landmark” in relations between the two nations. Cyprus needed an ally such as Qatar, with influence in the Islamic Conference and due to its friendly relations with the Turkish leadership, he said.
