The only hope to prevent the provocative actions of Turkey, which are expected to continue with the settlement of the entire enclosed city of Famagusta, is the resumption of talks for a solution to the Cyprus problem, the mayor of the occupied city Simos Ioannou told KYPE.
Mr. Ioannou expressed "indignation and anger for yesterday's action of Turkey which was expected, however we did not know exactly when it would be announced. "It is an action that certainly provides for the promotion of the ousted Turkish incumbent, Ersin Tatar, in the so-called presidential elections in the occupied territories."
He added that "it seems that the data in the so-called elections were not in favor of Mr. Tatar and they rushed to open the beach south of occupied Famagusta, near the dead zone and one and a half kilometers north. "The second reason for this move is to cause unrest and to bomb the efforts to resume talks on resolving the Cyprus issue," he said, noting that "the third and main reason is that these actions, which began in 1974, aim at the complete settlement of the whole of occupied Famagusta ".
Mr. Ioannou expressed the assessment that "in case the elected representative of Turkey is elected in the so-called elections of the occupiers, then such actions will certainly continue, they will proceed with the opening of a larger part of the beach, which will mean creation of infrastructure and facilities. "Surely Turkey will find the reason to move on."
To a relevant question, the Mayor answered that "the Municipality of Famagusta has taken all actions towards all forums that we can influence, ie meetings with the ambassadors of the five permanent members of the Security Council, the ambassadors of EU countries, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General in Cyprus, Elizabeth Spehar, the President of Greece, visit to Brussels and letters to the UN Secretary General. "We have done everything in our power to do so, but it seems that either Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan is very strong or the European Union is under pressure, and that is clear."
In another question, Simos Ioannou said that "if Turkey manages to elect Ersin Tatar in the occupied territories, then surely its further actions regarding Cyprus will be negative, they will not have a positive development. They will continue their program for the settlement of the entire enclosed city of Famagusta, they will try to cause discord, to invite the legal residents of the city to return to their homes under Turkish rule, which will be a deviation from the decisions of the Security Council. ».
He added that "the Security Council resolutions call for the return of the enclave of Famagusta, under the auspices of the United Nations, which we must also clarify and emphasize. "If Turkey had good intentions to resolve the Cyprus issue or as an act of goodwill, then they could open the beach under the auspices of the United Nations," he said, adding that "surely Ankara's intentions are clear."
The mayor of the occupied city also said that "the political position on the issue of Famagusta must be unanimous and at the same time each of us must push where and where he can. "The Turks say they have not violated either the political or property status of the region, that is, they are taking some steps to cover it," he said, stressing that "this action must stop and the region must return to its previous status quo until talks resume." for the resolution of the Cyprus problem ".
Asked whether there is a prospect of resumption of talks, Mr. Ioannou replied that "with the action taken by the Turks yesterday, the situation has become more difficult. "The non-resumption of talks either now or in the near future will certainly be a division and in such a case the whole of Famagusta will be lost."
After stating that "our only hope is the resumption of talks and the restoration of the position for the return of the enclosed area under the auspices of the United Nations" the Mayor noted that "the United Nations is the main factor that should have the first say. "The decision of the Security Council, which is expected to take place within days, must be clear to Turkey, not just asking for understanding, but efforts must be made so that no action is taken to undermine efforts to resume talks on resolving the Cyprus issue."
Simos Ioannou also said that "today at 3 pm we will have a meeting with Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulidis. "Tomorrow, Thursday, October 8, at five o'clock in the afternoon, there will be a protest event for the opening of the beach in Famagusta, which will take place at the Cultural Center of occupied Famagusta in Deryneia".
Source: KYPE