Did Christodoulides and Fidan hold talks in Paris?
Conflicting reports have emerged from Paris over whether talks took place between Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on the sidelines of Bastille Day celebrations.
According to government sources cited by the Cyprus Mail, the two men met and exchanged a few words, although the content of their conversation has not yet been disclosed.
At the same time, the newspaper Phileleftheros reported that the Cyprus issue and European Union-Turkey relations were discussed during their brief contact.
Turkish diplomatic sources dispute meeting claims
However, Turkish diplomatic sources have presented a different version of events. According to Turkish media reports, Christodoulides approached Fidan in front of cameras and attempted to speak with him.
The same sources claimed this was not the first time such an incident had occurred, saying similar approaches had been made at previous international gatherings.
They further alleged that the President of the Republic of Cyprus attempted to raise issues on his agenda, but that the Turkish Foreign Minister made clear he did not wish to engage in a conversation.
Turkish diplomatic sources concluded that “under no circumstances did a diplomatic meeting take place”, effectively disputing reports that substantive Christodoulides-Fidan talks occurred between the two officials.
Photos show the two officials in conversation
Nevertheless, photographs circulating online from Tuesday show Christodoulides and Fidan apparently engaged in conversation.
So far, there has been no official announcement from either Nicosia or Ankara clarifying the content or nature of the contact, with the two sides presenting differing accounts of what took place in Paris.
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