EU slams Turkish plans for Cyprus as 'unacceptable'

The European Union (EU) has blasted as “unacceptable" the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s “two-state” plan for the resolution of disputes over the divided island of Cyprus.

Josep Borrell, the EU foreign policy chief, voiced deep concern on Tuesday after Erdogan said peace talks can take place only between "the two states" on the Mediterranean island and Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar announced plans for reopening the abandoned Cypriot resort town of Varosha.

"The High Representative of the European Union expresses his deep concern over the announcements made by President Erdogan and Mr. Tatar on 20 July 2021, with respect to the fenced-off area of Varosha, which constitutes an unacceptable unilateral decision to change the status of Varosha," Borrell said in a statement.

"The EU once again underlines the need to avoid unilateral actions in breach of international law and renewed provocations, which could raise tensions on the island and compromise a return to talks on a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus issue," he added.

The EU foreign policy chief also expressed concern in a tweet, saying the Turkish plan for Cyprus “risks raising tensions on the island and compromising return to talks on a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus issue.”

The reaction came after Erdogan paid a visit to Varosha on Tuesday to mark the 47th anniversary of Turkey's 1974 invasion that split Cyprus, vowing that "life will restart" in the former resort.

Varosha, the playground of celebrities and dubbed a “jewel of the Mediterranean”, has been left a fenced off ghost town for the past decades after the invasion.

Turkey launched an operation on July 20, 1974 to presumably protect the island's Turkish Cypriot community following a Greek-backed military coup to annex Cyprus. Cyprus has since been divided into the Turkish Cypriot-controlled northern and the Greek Cypriot-controlled southern territories.

Greek Cypriots run the island's internationally recognized government, while Turkish Cypriots have a breakaway state in the north and claim the offshore resources there.

MG