“Those who try to discover alleged divisions among government officials are wasting their time,” said government spokesman and Deputy Prime Minister Pavlos Marinakis, in response to new provocative statements by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who called on the prime minister to put Nikos Dendias in his place.

“The Prime Minister clearly reiterated the national positions: We do not accept fait accompli, our pursuit is to have a Cypriot Republic with one sovereignty, one international personality and one nationality in a Bi-zonal Bicommunal Federation, in a single state, without a foreign occupying army, without anachronistic guarantees,” Marinakis said in a statement. “It is obvious that these views are shared and expressed, as a whole, by all members of the Greek Government,” he said.

According to Marinakis, “the fact that we are discussing with Turkey does not mean that we agree and much less that we are retreating. On the contrary. And that any threat to Cyprus becomes a threat to the whole EU.”

In detail the announcement of Pavlos Marinakis

Yesterday evening in Nicosia, at a moving event to mark the 50th anniversary of the coup in Cyprus and the Turkish invasion and occupation, Kyriakos Mitsotakis was, as the President of the Republic of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides pointed out, the first Greek Prime Minister to be present on the day of the black anniversary.

The Prime Minister clearly reiterated the national positions: We do not accept any fait accompli, our aim is to have a Republic of Cyprus with one sovereignty, one international personality and one nationality in a Bi-zonal Bicommunal Federation, in a single State, without a foreign occupying army, without anachronistic guarantees. The fact that we are talking with Turkey does not mean that we agree, much less that we are giving in. On the contrary. And that any threat to Cyprus becomes a threat to the whole EU.

It is obvious that these views are shared and expressed, as a whole, by all members of the Greek Government. Those who try to discover alleged divisions among government officials are wasting their time.