Government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis on Wednesday moved to stress that given that it is now believed that the weekend’s attack on a Turkish Cypriot man in Ayia Napa was carried out by a group of Swedish tourists, there was no racial or sectarian motive behind it.

“The only comment we have to make is that in none of the cases, and this has now become apparent from the arrests of those considered suspects, were there nationalist or other motives behind this attack, which we condemned and continue to condemn,” he said.

He added that “every form of violence is condemnable”, and that, in the Cypriot context, “the peaceful coexistence of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots has been proven in practice and no one should, through their statements or through insinuations, undermine this peaceful coexistence of Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot compatriots”.

“We have said many times that the Cyprus issue is a matter of invasion and occupation, and we have said that in this effort being undertaken by the United Nations Secretary-General [Antonio Guterres], especially during this period, public statements by all of us should be guided by how we can contribute to the climate which [Guterres] himself is attempting to create,” he said.

Forty-seven-year-old Ahmet Tan suffered a fractured skull and a brain haemorrhage after being attacked in Ayia Napa in the early hours of Sunday morning, with the news initially prompting fears that the attack may have been racially motivated.

Since then, four Swedish nationals have been arrested and remanded in custody. All four are expected to next appear in court on Tuesday next week.

Tan remains at the Nicosia general hospital, and was visited by Turkish Cypriot ‘health minister’ Hakan Dincyurek on Monday evening.

Dincyurek said that Tan had “undergone two consecutive brain surgeries” and remained in intensive care, while “his life was still in danger” at the time of the visit.