ANKARA (Reuters) -The Turkish Cypriots are almost ready to begin reopening the town of Varosi, , a former resort area fenced off and abandoned in no-man’s land since a 1974 Turkish invasion that split the Island.
The move is likely to anger Greek Cypriots, 39,000 of whom once lived in Vatosi before fleeing advancing Turkish forces 46 years ago, and stoke tensions between the two sides.
Varosi, a southern suburb of the city of Famagusta, has been a ghost town since the invasion, following a brief Greek-inspired coup, that partitioned the eastern Mediterranean island along ceasefire lines into Turkish and Greek Cypriot sides.
The former holiday resort has been off limits to all but the Turkish military since 1974.
Varosi has become a bargaining chip in the decades-long dispute between Greek and Turkish Cypriots. Ringed by a fence extending into the sea, the town is overrun by cacti and debris.
In February, Turkish and Turkish Cypriot officials visited Varosi, marking one of the most concrete steps by either side towards reviving the ghost town.
The island’s Greek Cypriots live mainly in the south, a republic that is in the European Union. Several peacemaking efforts have made no significant progress and the discovery of offshore energy resources has complicated the picture further.
