Fileleftheros: Holguín Repeatedly Conveys Turkish Positions to Christodoulides

The newspaper also alleged that Holguín has been relaying messages to Christodoulides about Turkey’s concerns over the Republic of Cyprus’ cooperation with countries such as France, Greece and Israel, while supporting Erhürman’s contacts in New York.

In a commentary published under the headlines “Turkey and Erhürman’s Strange Demands” and “Holguín’s Role – Wants the Republic of Cyprus to Spread a Carpet of Doubt,” Fileleftheros claimed, citing “a source well-informed about what is being discussed in the Cyprus problem,” that Turkey and Erhürman were systematically demanding that the Republic of Cyprus refrain from acting as an independent state.

The newspaper argued that the demands of Turkey and Erhürman disregarded the “sovereign rights of the Republic of Cyprus.”

It further claimed that Holguín “raises the Turks’ grievances” during every meeting with Christodoulides and did so again during their meeting in New York.

According to the newspaper, Holguín told Christodoulides that Turkey was unhappy with the Republic of Cyprus’ cooperation with France, Greece, Israel and other countries. Christodoulides, the newspaper reported, responded that “these are our sovereign rights and are not open to discussion.”

Fileleftheros also alleged that Erhürman, together with Turkey, sought to establish contacts in New York with countries over which Turkey could exert influence, and claimed that Erhürman attempted to hold these meetings under the UN umbrella in order to place himself on an equal footing with Christodoulides.

The newspaper claimed that the Republic of Cyprus’ Permanent Representative to the UN subsequently sent a letter to the permanent representatives of the countries concerned, reminding them of relevant UN resolutions, after which Erhürman’s meetings were cancelled.

The newspaper noted that Erhürman also referred to the issue in remarks following his return from New York, while citing sources as saying that the Greek Cypriot administration would not allow Erhürman to conduct contacts as freely as he wished.

Fileleftheros further claimed that Holguín was supporting Erhürman through her statements and tactics, alleging that she had even found “excuses” for his refusal to attend a trilateral meeting in New York.

The newspaper commented that although Holguín had said the trilateral meeting was proposed by Christodoulides, she had allegedly ignored the UN Secretary-General’s positive view of the meeting.

It also claimed that Holguín’s position on the “convergences document” was aligned with Erhürman’s, and that by raising confidence-building measures (CBMs), she was contributing to what the newspaper described as Erhürman’s “effort to slow down” the process.