Former Disy president Averof Neophytou lambasted President Nikos Christodoulides over his handling of the Cyprus issue on Wednesday, arguing that the real concern was progress towards a settlement rather than whether the president would take a summer holiday.

In a social media post responding to comments made by Christodoulides during a television interview with Ant1, Neophytou said the president had misunderstood the point.

“You got the implication, Mr President, but you pretend not to understand,” he wrote.

“Not every issue is personal. The question is not whether you will take a holiday, but whether you will give the national issue indefinite leave.”

Christodoulides had earlier said that he would not be taking a holiday in August so he could concentrate on the Cyprus problem.

Neophytou said he would fully support any genuine effort to advance reunification talks, adding “we will become even better friends if you actually overcome the obstacle of a crossing point to open the way for a solution.”

“I repeat, if you go for the solution, I will be by your side. If not, you will have to reckon with history,” he said.

He further criticised the lack of progress on opening new crossing points, recalling that Christodoulides had committed in March 2025 to opening four.

“As of March 2025, you committed to opening four crossing points. If for a year and a half you have not agreed with the Turkish Cypriots to open even one, how many more decades will it take for the refugees to return to their properties and for the Cyprus problem to be resolved?” he asked.

The intervention comes after discussions over new crossing points remained deadlocked during UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ visit to Cyprus last week.

The opening of four new crossing points has formed part of an agreed package since the enlarged Cyprus meeting in Geneva last year, when both sides were asked to propose two locations each.

According to information obtained by the Cyprus Mail, the government proposed opening only two crossing points initially by pairing the Athienou to Aglandjia road with a crossing at Mia Milia, while leaving Louroujina for a later stage.

The north rejected the proposal, insisting that all four agreed crossing points should proceed together and arguing that “once the package is broken, there is no point in arguing about what is left.”