Resuming Akamas works a bad sign, Green Party says

Green Party leader Giorgos Perdikis said on Sunday the president’s announcement that roadworks at Akamas would resume was a disappointing and concerning development.

“We are greatly concerned, seeing as he announced the immediate resumption of works. How will the works resume without a serious and thorough study that will illustrate which of the catastrophic projects at Akamas must be demolished and how the philosophy of the road network in Akamas will change?”

Perdikis added that the immediate resumption of works announced by President Nikos Christodoulides on Saturday, implies not demolishing some of the destructive projects in Akamas and not changing the philosophy of the road network.

‘Christodoulides is doing nothing new’

He noted that the fact that the president “pledges allegiance” to the existing philosophy and principles of the Akamas National Forest “is a very bad sign.”

“Effectively, President Christodoulides in the case of Akamas is doing nothing innovative, nothing different and nothing new. He is simply following in the footsteps of the previous government. He is simply following the bad plans and bad decisions of the previous government, at least on the Akamas issue. And we are not at all in agreement with that,” Perdikis said.

Asked whether the party would be taking any steps towards the president, Perdikis said the party had met with Christodoulides a week ago and he had appeared to agree “that changing the planning of the road network at Akamas would be to the benefit to the community.

Protests not ruled out

At the very least, the president needs to clarify his statements as they way they were presented gives the party “many concerns and many reservations”, Perdikis underlined.

Asked whether the party will organise protests in the area, he said they will do what they can.

A few days earlier, Perdikis told the agriculture minister restarting works in Akamas would be a terrible mistake.