Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades will denunciate to the UN and the EU the latest provocation on the part of the Turkish occupying illegal regime which has granted a large parcel of land to the Turkish occupying forces in the island, Government Spokesperson Marios Pelekanos has said.
In a written statement on Friday, Pelekanos said that “following the pseudostate`s decision to grant an area of land in the occupied areas and in particular at the Apostle Andreas Cape to the occupying army, the President of the Republic Nicos Anastasiades will send a letter to the UN Secretary General, the Security Council members and EU leaders of state and government, to denunciate the new illegal and provocative action on the part of the occupying regime.”
The Government Spokesperson adds that during in the upcoming European Council, in Brussels, President Anastasiades will “extensively brief EU state and government leaders about all developments in the Cyprus issue and in particular what took place during the informal trilateral meeting he had with the UN SG and the Turkish Cypriot leader in New York and the delay observed in the appointment of a special envoy, Turkey`s new provocations in the Republic of Cyprus` EEZ and Turkey`s actions in the fenced – off city of Famagusta in violation of UN resolutions.”
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37% of its territory. Numerous UN backed talks to reunite the island have failed to yield results.
Turkish Cypriot leader, Ersin Tatar, announced in July 2021 a partial lifting of the military status in the fenced-off part of the Turkish occupied city of Famagusta, known as 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.
On October 13, 2021 new works illegally began in the fenced off city.
A UN Security Council resolution consider 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.