Papadopoulos Claims Erdoğan-Hristodulidis Meeting Was "Substantial"

Papadopoulos responded to criticisms from former Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, who had described the meeting between Erdoğan and Christodoulides at the European Political Community summit in Budapest as meaningless. In his statement to Fileleftheros and other newspapers, Papadopoulos insisted that the conversation was "substantial" and not empty.

Papadopoulos emphasized that "for the first time since 1963, a Turkish President has had a conversation with a Cypriot head of state, even if it was just over coffee." He further noted that Cyprus wishes to engage in direct negotiations with Turkey within the framework agreed upon in the Crans Montana talks to resolve the Cyprus issue.

He also criticized Turkey for refusing to engage in dialogue with the "legitimate government of the Republic of Cyprus" and rejected Samaras's allegations of an "unfair solution preparation behind the scenes."

Papadopoulos concluded by stating that the improvement in relations between Turkey and Greece has created an opportunity for progress on the Cyprus issue under the United Nations framework. He emphasized that the Cypriot government is working intensively to link Turkey's EU accession process with the Cyprus issue within the UN-led process.