Greek opposition figures on Monday reacted with fury after the country’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis appointed as his Deputy Energy Minister Nikos Tsafos, who had previously referred to northern Cyprus as the “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus”.

Tsafos had made the reference in a tweet about maritime border disputes in 2020, when he was employed by United States-based thinktank the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

“The first maritime dispute is over areas that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus has licenced off the southern coast of Cyprus. This is not a maritime dispute – it’s a dispute over Cypriot sovereignty. But as a ‘territorial’ dispute, it’s an odd one,” he said at the time.

The tweet had first come to the public’s attention in 2023, a few months after he had first been employed by the Greek government as Mitsotakis’ chief energy adviser.

He made a statement about it at the time, writing “this was my mistake and error during a period when I was working as an analyst in the US and had no professional relationship with the Greek government” and confirming that he had deleted the original tweet.

However, opposition figures were less than convinced, with opposition party Syriza spokesman George Karameros leading the charge, criticising Tsafos’ 2023 statement and his “excuse” that he was not employed by the Greek government at the time.

“Serving the Greek government as a minister is not a professional relationship. We inform Mitsotakis that it is not a professional relationship to a point an energy deputy minister, the person who will negotiate at the table for exclusive economic zones with Israel and Cyprus and Turkey,” he began.

He added, “you cannot have written that the occupied territories are a Turkish republic and not apologised for it. Tsafos should apologise and immediately resign.

“It is not possible for Tsafos, who characterises the fact that he called the occupied territories the ‘Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus’ as a result of the fact he was not employed by the Greek government – an unthinkable phraseology. He should not remain in cabinet for even one minute!”

Cypriot MP Christos Orphanides, who belongs to Diko, called for Tsafos to be relieved of his duties, writing a letter to Mitsotakis which read, “as a Cypriot citizen, it bothers me. I denounce it and I consider what he said unacceptable”.

Tsafos then released a fresh statement on LinkedIn, saying, “the opposition attacked me by reinstating a post I made in 2020, which I had deleted, acknowledging my serious mistake”.

“I will not allow anyone to question my patriotism and my dedication to my homeland and Cyprus,” he added, saying that since returning to Greece from the US in 2022, “I have worked tirelessly to defend the interests of our country”.

Later on Monday, Greek government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said his government is “covered” by Tsafos’ latest statement.

“Tsafos acknowledged the mistake of that old post he wrote five or six years ago. He reiterated today that he had recognised it a long time ago, he reiterated that he serves the established Greek positions on Cyprus and serves the national and time-honoured Greek interests. Today, he responded clearly and categorically. There is no issue for Tsafos,” he said.

Newspaper Phileleftheros wrote on Monday evening that a Cypriot government source had said the government has “absolutely no issue” with Tsafos, and that “close and constructive cooperation had been developed” with him in his time as chief advisor, especially in relation to the Great Sea Interconnector.

“The time chosen to raise this specific issue does not serve the highest national goal which the Republic of Cyprus have jointly set, for which we are in Geneva,” the source added.