TURKISH Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) has invited opposition DISY leader Nicos Anastassiades to Istanbul next month. The invitation will be discussed by the party’s central committee today, party spokesman Tassos Mitsopoulos said yesterday.
Commenting on the surprise invitation, Mitsopoulos said he did not know if a final decision would actually be made today but since the visit was to take place between February 2 and 12, the issue was in some ways urgent.
Anastassiades revealed that the AKP had invited a delegation from DISY to discuss the Turkish party’s co-operation and desire to join the European People’s Party. He said before any answer was given, the party would have to discuss the trip. It would also be discussed with President Tassos Papadopoulos in case there were implications for the Cyprus issue, he said.
“We are ready to help if the objective is reunification, not partition or two states,” he said.
The DISY leader has made it clear that the invitation is for meetings with AKP officials, and not with Erdogan per se.
He said that if there were any discussions on the Cyprus issue during the visit they would be in line with the decisions of the Cyprus government and the political leadership.
“It is our aim and intention to have a dialogue, communication and collaboration with the President,” Mitsopoulos reiterated yesterday, under fire from DIKO acting chairman Nicos Cleanthous.
Speaking after a meeting of DIKO’s central committee, Cleanthous questioned why Erdogan, instead of issuing an invitation to the President, had issued it to the DISY leader.
“Who is Anastassiades to go and speak on behalf of Cyprus?” he asked.
The DISY leader responded that any moves that might prove beneficial to Cyprus should not be condemned.
Other political parties, and the government, responded positively to the move. “I am sure DISY will examine all the pros and cons,” said Foreign Minister George Iacovou. “DISY has to decide its stance. We are not against meetings with Turkish organisations.”
Green party leader George Perdikis said the development was “interesting”. “We are waiting to see what DISY’s response will be,” he added.
ADIK leader Dinos Michaelides said the move was a positive one and could prove interesting, while EDEK leader Yiannakis Omirou said he saw nothing contradictory about such a meeting with AKP officials. “The proposal of Tayyip Erdogan concerns the submission of the application of his party to become a regular member of European People’s Party,” he said.
Asked about the particular time period of the invitation, given that Turkey is keen to resume Cyprus negotiations in the hope of achieving results before October, DISY spokesman Mitsopoulos said it was because the European party usually carries out its decision-making around spring time.
“It is well known that Erdogan’s party has deposited an official application in order become a full member the European Peoples Party,” he said.
