Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides is in Luxembourg for Monday’s meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council during which the ongoing illegal activity of Turkey in Varosha – the enclosed area of Famagusta – will also be discussed.
An official announcement also said Christodoulides will have the opportunity to brief his counterparts on the recent unlawful activities of Turkey in the EEZ of Cyprus.
Before the start of the Council`s session, Christodoulides will attend a working breakfast hosted by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece, Nikos Dendias.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Numerous UN-backed talks to reunite the island have failed to yield results.
UN Security Council resolution 550 (1984) considers any attempts to settle any part of Varosha by people other than its inhabitants as inadmissible and calls for the transfer of this area to the administration of the UN. Resolution 789 (1992) also urges that with a view to the implementation of resolution 550 (1984), the area at present under the control of the United Nations Peace-keeping Force in Cyprus be extended to include Varosha.
Turkish Cypriot leader, Ersin Tatar, announced in July 2021 a partial lifting of the military status in Varosha.
On October 8, 2020, the Turkish side opened part of the fenced area of Varosha, following an announcement made in Ankara on October 6. Both the UN Secretary-General and the EU expressed concern, while the UN Security Council called for the reversal of this course of action.