Referring to the preparations taking place in the Greek Cypriot side to award former Greek Cypriot leader, Glafcos Clerides, a medal for his services in EOKA, following a similar award being awarded to current Greek Cypriot leader, Tassos Papadopoulos, President Denktas said the claim that "EOKA had fought for independence" as a lie.

President Denktas said: "If EOKA had fought for independence, the organization would have also included Turkish Cypriots. EOKA was a racist organization and it wasn't struggling for independence. It was directed by the Church and was struggling to annex Cyprus to Greece and because the Turkish Cypriots were against Enosis they were targeted by EOKA". He added that important lessons should be learnt from such activities, which aim to honour EOKA for its efforts in line with the Akritas Plan to unite the island with Greece through bloodshed.

The Turkish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Abdullah Gul, who is currently in London on a four-day working trip, stressed that Turkey had engaged in intensive efforts to achieve a Cyprus settlement.

Pointing out that the Turkish side had carried out all its responsibilities in this direction, Minister Gul said under the guidance of the Greek Cypriot leadership, the Greek Cypriot people had surprisingly voted 'no' to the Annan Plan. He said despite this, the Turkish Cypriot side's isolation was still continuing and the Greek Cypriot side, in spite of it's negative effects to the settlement process, was being rewarded.