The statements of the President of the Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus, Nikos Hristodulidis, regarding the Cyprus problem became the subject of criticism in the Greek press. In his article published in Politis newspaper, Greek journalist Andreas Paraschos evaluated the special interview of TRNC President Tufan Erhürman and emphasized the contradictions between the Greek leadership's statements regarding the negotiation process and the developments on the field.
In his article titled "Who owes the truth", Paraschos stated that the messages Christodoulidis has given to the public regarding the Cyprus problem in the last year should be compared with the actual developments. Paraschos pointed out the mistakes of the policy followed by the Greek Cypriot leadership by saying, "In diplomacy, you can manage perceptions for a while, but you cannot negotiate with facts forever."
Stating that his meeting with Erhürman contained more details than the published statements, Paraschos said, "The meeting was more descriptive than what was reflected in the published answers. The evaluations expressed outside the interview were noticeably harsher."
Paraschos stated that he could not explain the evaluations in question due to journalistic ethics, and noted that even the statements made by TRNC President Erhürman to the public were enough to question the picture presented by the Greek leadership.
Upon President Erhürman's statement that he received the 19-article proposal document brought forward by Hristodulidis neither directly nor through the United Nations, Paraschos pointed out that the Greek Administration should clarify in what form and how the suggestions were conveyed. The Greek journalist stated that Erhürman's statements reveal the differences between the image that the Christodoulides administration is trying to create in the public opinion regarding the negotiation process and the developments.
Andreas Paraschos said, "These are sufficient to reveal the contradictions between the image Nicosia is trying to create and the realities of the negotiation process, regardless of how much we agree with their views."
Paraschos also evaluated the lack of progress in opening new crossing points, the lack of agreement on the negotiation methodology, and the failure of diplomatic contacts to produce concrete results.
Stating that it should be questioned to what extent the optimistic statements of the Greek Cypriot Administration coincide with the developments in the negotiation process, Paraschos stated that the difference between political discourses and concrete steps cannot be ignored.
Hristodulidis made a statement on the issue after Erhürman stated in an interview with the Greek newspaper Politis that he had not received the 19-article proposal document.
Speaking to journalists in Limassol, Hristodulidis stated that he never said that the 19 suggestions were presented in writing and stated that the suggestions were conveyed orally. The Greek leader claimed that Erhürman was aware of the content of the proposals.
Nikos Hristodulidis stated that the issue of closed Maraş was also brought to the agenda within the scope of 19 suggestions that have been on the agenda for weeks. Hristodulidis said that the issue of the closed Maraş region in Famagusta was discussed with United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York and was also included in the letter he sent to Guterres. However, the Greek leader did not provide information about the details of the proposal regarding Maraş.
