Averof Neofytou says he will run for president if New York talks make no progress

New York, United States. Former Disy leader Averof Neofytou said on Wednesday that he would stand for president again if talks on the Cyprus problem in New York this weekend produce no positive movement. If they deliver a positive result, he said, everyone should support the effort.

Talks and political criticism

Speaking on Omega and referring to himself in the third person, Neofytou said: “If, God forbid, the weekend is bleak, a dead end, and nothing moves, Averof will be a candidate.”

His remarks came ahead of President Nikos Christodoulides’ address to the United Nations General Assembly, which is to focus on efforts to resume Cyprus problem negotiations and the Greek Cypriot side’s stated “political will” to pursue them. Christodoulides is due to meet UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday.

Neofytou criticised Disy and Akel, the island’s two traditional pro-settlement forces, accusing them of setting the Cyprus problem aside because of the political cost of pursuing a solution. He said history would hold Akel responsible for rejecting the American-British-Canadian plan in 1978 and the Annan Plan in 2004. He also accused Disy of having “buried” the Ghali set of ideas and bearing chief responsibility for the collapse of the Crans-Montana talks in 2017.

Mavroyiannis weighs a candidacy

Fellow potential candidate Andreas Mavroyiannis also appeared on the programme. He said last week that unofficial polls reaching him placed him first in the next presidential race, though he intends to wait until the end of the year before deciding whether to run.

Mavroyiannis described the findings as “food for thought” and said they suggested “daily support” was building around his name. He said he would make a decision after discussions with associates and supporters of his previous campaign.