Cyprus appealed to the U.N. Security Council over plans by Turkish Cypriot authorities to partially reopen an abandoned resort, as Turkey repeated its call for a two-state solution on the island despite international criticism.
The United Nations Security Council unanimously insisted on Friday that Turkey not go ahead with implementing its plans to reopen the coastal suburb of Varosha in Northern Cyprus.
Friday’s presidential statement by the Security Council, which all 15 members approved, insisted that “no actions should be carried out in relation to Varosha, that are not in accordance with its resolutions.”
The Security Council also expressed “its deep regret regarding those unilateral actions that run contrary to its previous resolutions and statement” and went on to call “for the immediate reversal of this course of action and the reversal of all steps taken on Varosha since October 2020.”
The move by the Turkish Cypriots triggered an angry reaction from Cyprus's internationally recognized Greek Cypriot government, and a chorus of disapproval from Western powers, led by the United States which called the move "unacceptable." Turkey has shrugged off the criticism.
The east Mediterranean island was split in a Turkish invasion in 1974 triggered by a Greek-inspired coup. Peace efforts have repeatedly failed.
An estimated 17,000 Greek Cypriot residents of Varosha fled the advance of Turkish troops in August 1974. It has remained empty ever since, sealed off with barbed wire and no-entry signs. U.N. resolutions have called for the area to be turned over to administration by the international body.
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