Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman has accused the Greek Cypriot side of contacting foreign embassies in an effort to discourage diplomats from attending a meeting with his special representative, Mehmet Dana.
He said the Turkish Cypriot side had already been aware of the alleged calls, but that the issue entered the wider Greek Cypriot public discussion following a report by the Cyprus Mail.
Comparison with Greek Cypriot briefing
Speaking on Ada TV on Wednesday morning, Erhürman said Greek Cypriot negotiator Menelaos Menelaou had held a similar meeting with foreign diplomats in Cyprus around two weeks earlier, during which he outlined the Greek Cypriot side’s positions.
He said the Turkish Cypriot side wanted Dana to do the same by presenting its own perspective to foreign diplomats.
“Now I ask: the international community saw this, heard about it and received the telephone calls. Does this behaviour create or increase trust? Or is it behaviour that undermines trust, even to the extent that it already exists?” Erhürman said.
“I could shout about this and start an argument. I have no such intention. I am very calmly asking the following: does this increase trust, or does it destroy the trust that exists?”
Erhürman said both the United Nations and the European Union should examine what had happened.
It has not yet been announced whether Dana’s meeting with the foreign diplomats took place.
Source: CNA.
