US condemns Turkish plans to ‘open’ part of Varosia, Cyprus

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, “condemned” yesterday, Tuesday, the announcement made by the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for the partial opening of the abandoned coastal city of Varosia.

The US considers “the decision to let the Turkish Cypriots take control of areas in Varosia, which is not in line with previous UN decisions, unacceptable and incompatible with their previous commitments to resume talks” to resolve the Cyprus issue, the US Secretary of State stressed.

“We urge the decision to be revoked,” Blinken said.

Blinken’s statement comes following the Turkish President’s provocative visit on the divided island where he joined the Turkish-Cypriot administration of the occupied north to ‘celebrate’ the 47th anniversary of the 1974 invasion  by Turkey.

Yesterday, the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement condemning the Turkish provocations which it said were in clear violation of international law:

“Greece condemns in the strongest terms today’s announcement by the turkish side on the declassification of part of the fenced-off area of Varosha.

“This announcement is a blatant violation of the Resolutions 550 (1984) AND 789 (1992) of the UN Security Council, as well as of the Conclusions of the European Council, which call on Turkey to refrain from unilateral and provocative actions that destabilize the region.

“We strongly emphasize the need to maintain the status of the fenced-off area of Varosha and we call on Turkey to respect the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council, such as resolutions 550 (1984), 789 (1992) and 1251 (1999).

“Greece, in full coordination with the Republic of Cyprus, remains committed to a resolution of the Cyprus issue on the basis of a Bi-communal, Bi-zonal Federation, as defined in the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council and compatible with the principles of the European Union. We call on Turkey, a candidate country for EU accession, to respect these principles.” the statement read.