Deutsche Welle – Cyprus on Stylianidis becoming Minister

The Cypriot president was informed yesterday about the imminent ministerial appointment of Mr. Stylianidis by the Greek Prime Minister himself. According to statements by the government spokesman, the Cypriot President during the telephone conversation he had with Kyriakos Mitsotakis noted that the issue is the sole responsibility of him and the Greek government. The Greek Prime Minister also informed the President of DISY Averof Neophytou, as Christos Stylianidis comes from the party of the Cypriot right, although he keeps his distance from both the party and the Anastasiadis government.

No more scenarios for the presidency?

The appointment of Christos Stylianidis as a minister also rekindled the debate on the upcoming presidential elections in Cyprus, as the name of the new Minister of the Mitsotakis Government was involved in all the analyses regarding the upcoming election battle of 2023. According to the scenarios, the former European Commissioner who could gather the support of the parties that are in favor of a federal solution to the Cyprus problem. However, the new data created by the participation of Mr. Stylianidis in a government of the “right”, make it unlikely that he would get the support for his possible candidacy from AKEL, the party of the Cyprus Left.

The third Cypriot minister

On the occasion of the appointment of Christos Stylianidis as Minister, Cypriot media look back to the past, noting that the new Minister of Civil Protection of Greece is the third Cypriot to assume a position in the Greek Government. The first was the father of the journalist-writer Elena Akrita, Loukis Akritas, who served as Deputy Minister of Press and Information in the Government of Liberation of Georgios Papandreou. The second Cypriot to serve in the Greek government was Giannos Kranidiotis, who took over as Deputy Foreign Minister in 1997, and as Deputy Foreign Minister two years later, a position he held until his death on September 14, 1999.