Government sources deny attempt to 'doctor' prime minister's statement on Turkey, Cyprus

Gazzetta team 19 Νοεμβρίου 2015 - 18:50

Government sources on Thursday dismissed media reports of a belated attempt to "doctor" statements made by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in Ankara on Wednesday concerning Turkey's EU accession talks and Cyprus, stressing that a correction issued by the prime minister's press office was due to a mistake made during their transcription by the Greek embassy in Ankara.

The claims "bordered on the ridiculous," the sources said, emphasising that there was a common "national line" between Athens and Nicosia that was decided in close consultation with the Cyprus government.

The sources stressed that Tsipras, in reply to questions after his meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, had expressed the national position as decided in collaboration with Nicosia.

In this, the Greek prime minister had stressed Athens' support for Turkey's EU accession in principle, provided the necessary terms and conditions were fulfilled. He had also noted that Greece was not opposed to the opening of chapters in accession talks but stressed that these should not then be "closed easily and on the hoof" but only after all the requirements were met.

He also commented that "where there was a will to make steps, mutually on all sides, ways were found so that these steps are effective."

Those determined to discover "displeasure" in Nicosia over the prime minister's statements had only to read the official statement made by Cyprus government spokesman Nikos Christodoulides saying that there was no divergence between Tsipras' statements and Nicosia's line, the same sources noted.

In a statement on Thursday, Christodoulides noted that the Cyprus government was in constant contact with that of Greece and that "there was no issue of misinterpretation".

"The Greek prime minister spoke of opening chapters and said that if there is a will there can be progress on these chapters and any chapters. This is what we say as well, that it is up to Turkey for there to be will to make progress on these chapters," Christodoulides said.