In a memorandum to the President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, the liquid fuel station owners, who protested on Tuesday, initially closing the Agios Dometios roadblock for a few minutes and then moving to the Presidential, requested an intensification of fuel controls at the roadblocks.
Raising the question of their sustainability, the Gas Stationers of the Pancyprian Association of Liquid Fuel Gas Stationers protested on Tuesday about the “unfair competition”, as they describe it, from the lower fuel prices in the occupied territories.
The President of the Association, Savvas Prokopiou, told KYPE that they are protesting the abuse of the green line regulation and the “smuggling” of fuel.
He added that as an Association they disagree with the Minister of Energy’s statements that people can supply their vehicles from the occupied territories, but not for commercial activity. “We completely disagree with the statements of the Minister of Energy, he cannot say so easily that people can go to the occupied territories to put fuel”, he said.
He noted that smuggling causes unfair competition to them as well as to many companies whose main output is fuel.
He noted that the director of the Customs told the Association that people cannot put in fuel from the occupied areas, except in cases where a wrong assessment is made and it is necessary to put in fuel. “We said that we don’t have a problem with one out of 200 if needed,” he said.
He also added that the legislation that has existed for almost a year, according to which there must be control of fuel from the occupied territories, is not being implemented.
Mr. Prokopiou also mentioned that the customs detects illegalities, but “unfortunately they remain secret and are not made public. We demanded that the illegalities and fines and punishments be made public, to set an example, and I hope that soon a statement will be made about it and it will be put into practice,” he said.
Calling the barricades an “unchecked vine”, he said there was a major sustainability problem and called for immediate solutions with intensified controls and exemplary punishments.
In his statements at the Agios Dometio roadblock, Mr. Prokopiou thanked the more than 100 gas station owners – as he said – who attended the protest event. “This says a lot, it says how difficult a situation we are in,” he said.
“Everything stems from the large price difference that exists in the occupied territories with our gas stations and we are not responsible for that,” he noted, stating that the issue of price is the responsibility of the state and the importing companies.
“We want this difference to be reduced so that it is not a challenge for our fellow citizen to move to the occupied territories just for this reason,” he added.
Asked about it, he replied that the gas stations located near the roadblocks have a turnover loss of 35-40%. Answering whether they will ask for support for the loss of revenue, he said that they have submitted to the Minister proposals that do not only concern the financial part, but the controls and even a modification of the regulation of the green line to be more specific on some issues.
Regarding whether those who commit illegal acts will be named, he said that it is not their responsibility, but they want illegal acts and fines to be brought to light in order to be a deterrent.
Mr. Prokopiou noted that the important thing is the implementation of the measures announced for more controls, while he concluded that if they do not find a response, they intend to escalate their measures, after the relevant decisions of the competent bodies.
In the protest, which was attended by gas station owners from all over Cyprus, there was a brief stop at the roadblock of Ag. Dometiou and ended up at the Presidential Palace, where a memorandum was delivered to the High Government Representative, Doxa Komodromou, on behalf of the President of the Republic.
In the memorandum they submitted to the Presidency, the gas station owners state that “the purchase of fuel from occupied properties for commercial use is expressly prohibited by the Green Line Regulation, as is abusive exploitation by citizens of the Republic of Cyprus”.
He then states that “if immediate, drastic and effective measures are not taken by the State and the State, the declining and destructive course of gas stations in the free areas will continue”, while he notes that today’s mobilization is the beginning of “a decisive and dynamic response”. .
After the delivery of the memorandum, Mr. Prokopiou noted that the President is familiar with the matter. “We want to state publicly that he will take up the issue personally and provide solutions immediately”, he said, adding that “I hope, after promises by Mrs Komodromou, that in the next few days we will get some answers from the Ministries about what will happen next”. and “we will act accordingly”, he concluded.
