Speaking in occupied northern Cyprus, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan went on another tirade, this time claiming Greek Cypriots want to massacre Turks and describing the European Union and its leaders as "dishonest" and "liars".
"The Greek Cypriot side insists on maintaining its maximalist, insincere and spoiled approach that is disconnected from reality. They have no intention of changing their approach, questioning themselves, and making sincere efforts towards a just solution [on Cyprus]," he said on Tuesday from occupied northern Cyprus.
"Whatever intentions they had in the past, they approach the issue from the same point of view today. When you dig a little deeper, we can see that there are still those who yearn for the pre-1974 massacres. They are not honest.
"Here I am calling out to the European Union. They are all lies. There is no democracy in the European Union. The European Union was going to give its support to Northern Cyprus at the financial and administrative point. Did it? No it didn't. Why? Because their lives are based on lies. They are not honest.
"They [European Union leaders] called me the other day and they said, 'We heard that you are going to make a speech in Northern Cyprus on the 20th of this month, we hope there won't be any disturbing talks there.'
"Well we won't need your permission to make a speech.
"Now, as many Turkish enemies as there are today, they will also make a speech with [Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos] Mitsotakis in America, perhaps by video conference, that will respond to us."
#Turkey's President #Erdogan uses his visit to northern #Cyprus to bash on European Union leaders, brands them as dishonest and liars, claims Greek Cypriots want to massacre Turks. pic.twitter.com/JjQMvsCuQP
— Abdullah Bozkurt (@abdbozkurt) July 20, 2021
Erdoğan also announced the partial reopening of Famagusta during his announcements from the pseudo-state of occupied Northern Cyprus.
3.5% of Famagusta, which is a militarised area following the Turkish invasion of Northern Cyprus in 1974, is opening.
Erdoğan's announcement concerns a very small area of the occupied city, specifically Varosha, corresponding to a few houses.
The Security Council adopted a resolution in 1984 which said any attempts to settle any part of Varosha by people other than its original inhabitants is “inadmissible.”
It called “for the transfer of that area to the administration of the United Nations.”
A 1992 resolution reaffirmed the 1984 resolution and called for Varosha to be put under control of the U.N. peacekeeping force in Cyprus – but that has not happened.
READ MORE: Erdoğan announces partial “reopening” of occupied Famagusta.
