Mousiouttas and Orphanides refute Papadopoulos’ attacks on government

Labour Minister Marinos Mousiouttas, and Diko MP Christos Orphanides, sharply criticised Diko party president Nicholas Papadopoulos on Monday for his recent statements against the government, describing them as tactical manoeuvres and “political gimmicks”.

The remarks follow Papadopoulos’ comments on the geostrategic interconnection (GSI) project and the party’s cooperation with the government.

Mousiouttas taking to the dais on CyBc’s morning radio programme, dismissed Papadopoulos’ criticisms as “survival games” to gain political advantage due to polls showing Diko and other centrist parties performing weakly.

He said the approach mirrors past attempts to highlight corruption that failed quickly and added that it is unlikely to achieve the desired results.

“If there was interest in uniting the centre, it would happen after the presidential or European elections, not six months before,” he said.

Orphanides, in a written statement, accused Papadopoulos of “backstabbing” and disregarding party protocol.

He argued that his actions ignored agreements and commitments previously made, including the 2022 party conference mandate.

“Politics requires courage and boldness. It is not acceptable to seek a way out while ignoring the party and its voters,” Orphanides said.

He also criticised Papadopoulos for focusing on tactical disputes rather than geostrategic priorities, such as the electrical interconnection project with Greece.

Papadopoulos recently expressed regret over the cooperation between Diko and the government, stating that the party does not provide a “blank check” and will object where it believes mistakes are being made.

He warned that delays and contradictions in handling the GSI project could threaten Cyprus’ energy security and geopolitical position.

The project, he said, is key to ending the energy blockade and integrating Cyprus into the European energy network.

Failure, he added, would be the country’s worst geopolitical setback since the S300 missile deployments.

He also reiterated that cooperation with Disy remains essential, recalling past collaborations that integrated Cyprus into the euro, and steered the country out of the prior financial crisis.

Papadopoulos argued that centre-right unity is the best defence against extremism and populism in the next parliament.

The dispute follows a budget debate in parliament, during which Papadopoulos criticised the handling of a €25 million allocation for the electrical interconnection, originally committed by the state to Greece in 2023.

Diko and Disy votes were crucial in approving the fund, and the party remains dissatisfied with Finance Minister Makis Keravnos’ handling of the issue.