THE EU’s foreign policy chief on Tuesday blasted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s statements on reopening the Cypriot ghost town of Varosha made during a controversial visit to the divided Mediterranean island.
EU top diplomat Josep Borrell said plans announced by Erdogan and Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar to further open the former resort, abandoned since Ankara’s 1974 invasion of the island, “constitutes an unacceptable unilateral decision”.
“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,” Borrell said in a statement.
He added the bloc would monitor how a closed-door consultation on Cyprus goes at the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday and “decide on next steps accordingly”.
Erdogan vowed that “life will restart in Varosha” as he took
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