“During the last 24 hours we are witnessing an orchestrated effort by the Al Jazeera network, which, after succeeding in obtaining confidential documents of the Republic of Cyprus, has launched an attack against our country through distortion of facts and through deception”, Interior Minister Nicos Nouris stressed in the light of a series of stories published by the foreign news network about the Cyprus Papers.
In his opening remarks at a press conference, Nouris said that “investigative journalism is one thing, which we respect, but propaganda which aims to harm the country politically and economically is a completely different thing”.
He also said that the Ministry of Interior has from the very beginning begun an investigation about all the information made public by Al Jazeera.
Nouris underlined that “at a time when Cyprus is under threat and gives a political struggle against Turkey`s expansionist plans, it is also threatened by targeted and organised demographic change with directed migration flows by news network Al Jazeera.
A network based in a country known for its pro-Turkish positions which recently supported the Turkish economy with 15 billion now attempting to harm the Republic of Cyprus with distorted and misleading information”.
The Minister told journalists that for the government it is clear that there is an effort to harm Cyprus before the important European Council Summit which will decide on issues like immigration and the granting of European citizenship.
He added that the government reserves its rights, and emphasised in the most categorical way that it does not intend to participate in this propaganda game which aims to undermine the state.
(CNA)
