Varosha, a southern suburb of the city of Famagusta, has been a ghost town since the illegal invasion that partitioned the eastern Mediterranean island along ceasefire lines into an occupied
The move will anger Greek Cypriots, 39,000 of whom once lived in Varosha before fleeing advancing
Ersin Tatar said "Varosha lies within TRNC territory," he said, referring to the unrecognized
In early August, TRNC authorities said the opening could happen in October, when the elections in the north are due to take place, having been delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Famagusta Mayor Simos Ioannou said on Thursday that reunification talks need to start as soon as possible to avert the colonisation of Varosha.
"After the election of the
Greek Cypriots today live mainly in the south of the island, a republic that is in the European Union
...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing...
and recognised by every country in the world except
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... Recognised only by Turkey, the TRNC is considered by the United Nations
...where theory meets practice and practice loses...
to be part of the Republic of Cyprus.
The
Since Turkey illegally invaded northern Cyprus, tens of thousands of
Talks on unification between the two sides in recent years have made no significant progress, and tensions have been rising in the region due to Turkey’s attempts to steal hydrocarbon exploration rights off the coast of the island.