President Nicos Anastasiades, announced on Friday to the representatives of the five permanent members of the Security Council the government’s intention to resort to the UN Security Council over Turkey’s threats.
President Anastasiades hosted a working lunch on Friday for the representatives of the permanent “5” in the presence of Foreign Minister Nicos Christodoulides, Government Spokesman Prodromos Prodromou, Negotiator and Permanent Representative to the UN, Andreas Mavroyiannis and other officials.
A well-informed source said the President informed his interlocutors on the latest developments on the Cyprus problem and the Secretary General’s determination for an agreement to be achieved on the terms of reference for the resumption of the talks.
The President also informed the representatives of the five permanent members of the SC on Turkish plans to settle the fenced-off area of Famagusta and announced the Republic’s intention to resort to the Security Council.
Views were exchanged on the issue as well as on the Cyprus developments.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37% of its territory. Turkey has ignored numerous UN resolutions calling for the withdrawal of the Turkish troops and respect of the integrity and sovereignty of the Republic of Cyprus. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The last round of negotiations, in the summer of 2017, at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.
Varosha is the fenced-off section of the Turkish occupied town of Famagusta, often described as ‘ghost town’. 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.
Efforts over the years for the legitimate citizens of Famagusta to return to the city have met with the refusal of the Turkish side, despite numerous decisions and resolutions by the UN, EU and other international institutions.
(Cyprus News Agency)
