Foreign Ministry: Turkey's new announcements on Cyprus violate the UN Safety Council Treaties

The Greek Foreign Ministry issued a statement condemning the announcement by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to reopen a part of the besieged city of Varosha in occupied northern Cyprus and change its status in violation of UN Security Council resolutions.

"Greece strongly condemns today's announcement by the Turkish President for reopening a part of the enclosed city of Varosha.

"This declaration is a clear violation of UN Security Council Resolutions 550 (1984) and 789 (1992), as well as the European Council Conclusions, which call on Turkey to refrain from unilateral and provocative actions that destabilise the region.

"We emphasise the need to maintain the status of the besieged city of Varosha and call on Turkey to respect the relevant Security Council resolutions, such as 550 (1984), 789 (1992) and 1251 (1999).

Greece, in full coordination with the Republic of Cyprus, remains committed to resolving the Cyprus issue on the basis of a Bi-zonal Bicommunal Federation, as defined by relevant UN resolutions and is compatible with the principles of the European Union.

"Principles we call on the EU candidate country, Turkey, to respect."

It should be noted that earlier on Tuesday there was a telephone conversation between Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias and his Cypriot counterpart Nikos Christodoulidis.

Dendias expressed Greece's solidarity with the Cypriot people and the Cypriot government.

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