Alexis Tsipras appears as a defender of Cyprus issue, but memory returns with the Prespa Agreement, and the choices of his administration continue to haunt him.
Alexis Tsipras’s effort to present himself as the guardian of national rights in Cyprus raises legitimate questions and intense political concern. The former prime minister, during his visit to Nicosia, chose to make grand declarations regarding the Cyprus issue, the Turkish occupation, and the need to restart the talks. However, these statements can hardly be separated from the political past of a leader who for a large part of Greek society has been identified with the Prespa Agreement, a choice that continues to be viewed by many as a serious national concession. The contradiction between today’s rhetoric and yesterday’s political choices is now at the center of public discussion.
The visit to Cyprus served not only as a diplomatic initiative or as an international showcase for the Hellenic Police. It also highlighted the fundamental political problem facing Alexis Tsipras in his attempt to make a comeback: credibility. For as much as he attempts to present himself as the voice of a new national strategy, so much do the decisions from his term as prime minister and the reactions they provoked.
Belated Sensitivities Regarding the Cyprus Issue
From Nicosia, Alexis Tsipras advocated for the need to resolve the Cyprus issue on the basis of a bizonal, bicommunal federation, with the abolition of guarantees and the withdrawal of occupying forces. He even presented the link between the Cyprus issue and EU-Turkey relations as a key tool for exerting pressure on Ankara.
These are positions that Greece and the Republic of Cyprus have consistently supported over time. The question raised by his political opponents, however, is whether he possesses the political capital to present himself today as the authentic voice of national claims, when his time in office was marked by decisions that caused deep divisions within Greek society.
The Heavy Shadow of Prespa
For many citizens, any reference by Alexis Tsipras to issues of national policy is inevitably viewed through the lens of the Prespa Agreement. The agreement, signed in 2018, may have been presented by Tsipras himself as a diplomatic success, but a large segment of public opinion continues to view it as a concession that granted North Macedonia elements of identity and a name that Greece had disputed for decades.
It is precisely this political baggage that the former prime minister carries with him today. And because of this reason, any attempt to present himself as a defender of the Cyprus issue is met with backlash from those who believe that a politician accused—like few others—of making national concessions cannot speak of national red lines.
The Hellenic Police is seeking a patriotic narrative
It has not gone unnoticed that Alexis Tsipras’s new political initiative seeks to incorporate elements of foreign policy and geopolitical presence more prominently. References to Greek-Cypriot relations, regional developments, and the need to leverage international alliances are part of a broader effort to expand his political audience.
The problem, however, is that the construction of a new patriotic narrative clashes with the public’s memory. And political memory is hard to erase when it concerns decisions that defined an entire era.
The government is banking on the contradiction
In the government camp, they believe that Tsipras’s positions on the Cyprus issue highlight a deep political contradiction. On the one hand, he appears to speak of national responsibility, international law, and the defense of Hellenism. On the other hand, he remains the politician who continues to defend the Prespa Agreement as one of the top priorities of his administration.
This contradiction is expected to be exploited politically in the coming period, as the government attempts to portray Kyriakos Mitsotakis as the steadfast advocate of national strategy and Alexis Tsipras as a politician attempting to reinvent himself, without having provided convincing answers regarding his past choices.
Credibility remains the biggest obstacle
The main problem for Alexis Tsipras is not the formulation of positions on the Cyprus issue. It is the effort to convince people that he can articulate a new national strategy without being haunted by the shadows of his past choices.
The more the political debate returns to Prespes, the harder it becomes for him to present himself as the standard-bearer for national issues. And the more he attempts to build a profile as a leader who defends national rights, the more the contradiction between his current rhetoric and the political legacy he left behind as prime minister becomes apparent.
