The Greek Foreign Affairs Ministry condemned Tuesday’s announcement by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that he would reopen part of Varosha, the shutdown suburb of Famagusta.
The ministry said the decision changes the status of the closed-off uninhabited area, in violation of related UN Security Council resolutions.
“Greece condemns in the strongest way possible today’s announcement of the Turkish president to reopen part of the enclosed city of Varosha,” it said, naming specifically the UN Security Council resolutions 550 (1984), 789 (1992), and 1251 (1999) and conclusions of the European Council “that call on Turkey to avoid unilateral and provocative actions that destabilize the region.”
The Foreign Ministry further said that “Greece, in full coordination with the Cyprus Republic, remains committed to the resolution of the Cyprus issue on the basis of a bizonal, bicommunal federation, as relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council define and in agreement with the principles of the European Union – authorities that we call on Turkey, a candidate for EU accession, to respect.”
FM Dendias expresses support to FM Christodoulides
Greek Foreign Affairs Minister Nikos Dendias expressed Greece’s solidarity to the people and government of Cyprus in a phone call to his Cyprus counterpart Nikos Christodoulides on Tuesday.
According to a Greek ministry tweet, they discussed the close coordination of the two countries to deal with Turkish provocative behavior.
FM Dendias briefs US State Dept official on Varosha
Foreign Affairs Minister Nikos Dendias briefed US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland on Turkey’s illegal actions in Varosha, in a phone call on Tuesday, the minister wrote on Twitter.
They also discussed the Greece-US Strategic Dialogue and issues regarding the Western Balkans, Libya, Syria, India, and China, Dendias added.
Source: ANA-MPA
