Cyprus President Denounces Turkey's Illegal Move to Re-Open Varosha Resort

On Thursday, Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades denounced Turkey and Turkish Cypriots' move to partially reopen a beach resort abandoned by Greek Cypriots fleeing war in 1974.

In a statement, the president described that the decision by Turkey to extend part of the fence in the city as an illegal and constitute a clear violation of international law and UN Security Council resolutions.

Turkish Cypriot authorities on Wednesday opened up part of Varosha, marking the first time in decades that the area, a designated military zone, was accessed by members of the public.

On the other hand, Turkey’s foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu claimed that they are seeking equitable revenue sharing in the Eastern Mediterranean.

“What Turkish Cypriots are asking is very fair. Equitable revenue sharing. They made proposals in 2011, 2012, and 2019,”  Cavusoglu  said during the Bratislava Global Security Forum in Slovakia.

“We urge everybody to accept equitable sharing and delimitation. But unfortunately [we were] constantly refused,” he added.

The Turkish army has kept Varosha fenced off since its Greek Cypriot residents fled when it invaded northern Cyprus in 1974 in response to an Athens-engineered coup attempting to unite the island with Greece.

Turkey, the only country that recognises the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, has long planned to open Varosha, and the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, welcomed Tatar’s announcement.