Turkey and the UN squabble over the status of Varosha, a symbolic city of the conflict in Cyprus

Published on : 07/23/2021 – 10:10 PM

Turkey rejected, on Friday July 23, the condemnation by the United Nations Security Council of its support for a partition of Cyprus and of its plans to reopen Varosha, a coastal town emptied of its original inhabitants, the Greek Cypriots .

“We reject the UN Security Council statement” concerning the planned reopening under Turkish Cypriot control of the resort town of Varosha “as well as the statements of various countries which are based on unjustified demands and incompatible with the realities on the island, “the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

He added that decades of efforts had failed to achieve federal status for the island of Cyprus due to “the intransigent attitude of the Greek-Cypriot administration”.

This Mediterranean island has been divided since 1974 between the Republic of Cyprus – a member of the European Union – which exercises its authority in the south, and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), self-proclaimed in 1983 and only recognized by Turkey.

Turkey defends the positions of Northern Cyprus

“A new process of negotiations for a just, lasting and viable settlement of the Cyprus question could only begin if equal sovereignty and equal international status were guaranteed to the Turkish-Cypriot people,” continued the Turkish ministry.

The United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted, on Friday, a declaration in favor of a settlement of the Cypriot conflict “based on a bicommunal and bi-zonal federation with political equality” and explicitly condemning Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his ” unilateral actions that go against its resolutions “.

The members of the Council “condemn the announcement made in Cyprus by the Turkish and Turkish Cypriot leaders on 20 July 2021 of the new reopening of part of the fenced area of ​​Varosha. The Security Council expresses its deep regret at these actions unilateral which go against its resolutions and its previous declarations “, we can still read in this approved text, obtained by AFP and which was to be officially approved during the day.

Varosha, symbol of a stuck conflict

The Council also calls for “the immediate withdrawal” of this measure and that “of all the changes made in Varosha since October 2020”. It “stresses the importance of full respect and implementation of its resolutions, including the transfer of Varosha under a UN administration.”

During a visit to Northern Cyprus on Tuesday, President Erdogan said “no progress in the negotiations (could) be made without accepting that there are two peoples and two states”. He had also announced the continued reopening of Varosha, a ghost town symbolizing the division of this island.

His positions were condemned on Wednesday by the United States, Greece, the UN, Russia and the European Union. Negotiations for a conflict resolution have been deadlocked since 2017.

With AFP