The United Nations Security Council (UNSC), on Friday 23 July, condemned, with the unanimity of its 15 members, the 20 July announcement by Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar, of the reopening of part of the fenced-off area of the town of Varosha, in the northern part of the island of Cyprus.
The EU condemned the announcement on the same day (see EUROPE 12766/8).
In a Presidential statement, the UN Security Council underlined its “deep regret” over these “unilateral actions” that run counter to its previous resolutions and statements.
The statement therefore called for an immediate reversal of this course of actions and the reversal of all steps taken in relation to Varosha since October 2020. Last autumn, Mr Tatar opened the city’s coastal area to the public (see EUROPE 12576/23).
The UNSC stressed the need to avoid any unilateral action that is not in line with UN resolutions and that could increase tensions on the island and damage the prospects for a resolution of the conflict.
“Any attempt to settle any part of Varosha by people other than its inhabitants is inadmissible”, the Security Council warned. In its view, no action should be taken in relation to this city unless it is in line with the resolutions the UNSC has previously adopted.
Furthermore, on Monday 26 July, the European External Action Service was unable to confirm an extraordinary meeting of EU Foreign Ministers on the latest developments in Cyprus (see EUROPE 12767/19). (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)