Abandoned coastline in Northern Cyprus to reopen

Photos: AA

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The coastline of the abandoned town of Varosha (Maraş) in the Turkish Cypriot city of Famagusta (Gazimağusa) will reopen tomorrow (October 8), the prime minister of Northern Cyprus Ersin Tatar has announced.

The coastline of Varosha will be open for public use, Tatar said in a joint news conference with President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the capital Ankara.

Varosha is currently a ghost town where entry is forbidden, except for Turkish army personnel stationed in northern Cyprus.

"Varosha issue is a national cause above all political competitions and debates," Tatar said.

"It is a fact that Varosha is a Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus territory. We fully support the decision to make Varosha's coastline available to the public," Erdoğan said.

Turkey is also ready to support the Turkish Cypriot administration to fully open the town of Varosha, Erdoğan stressed.

"The objections of the opposing party have already been in vain, as there will be no victimization due to the absence of any private property [in Varosha]," Erdoğan said.

The TRNC had announced the opening of Varosha to tourists in 2019.

"Turkish Cypriots were ignored at EU summit"

"Turkish Cypriot people were again ignored at the latest EU summit. Turkey will not allow the continuation of this injustice," he said.

"As the TRNC grows, gets richer and stronger, the embargo chains imposed on it will begin to break one by one," Erdoğan said.

The president stressed that Turkey will continue its political, diplomatic, and military support to Northern Cyprus.

Erdoğan also said there are two dimensions of the Eastern Mediterranean issue.

"The first of which is the protection of the rights of Turkey's continental shelf, and the second is to guarantee the rights of Cyprus with respect to natural resources on the island and interests of the Turkish people." (EKN/VK)