"Prime Minister" Ersan Saner today visited the area that corresponds to 3,5% of Varos, which is no longer a military zone.
Accompanied by the "Minister of Foreign Affairs" Thaksin Ertugrouloglou, the "Minister of Interior" Koutlou Evren and the "Mayor" of Famagusta Ismail Arter, he was briefed by the Commander of the Security Forces Zorlos Tapaloglou.
Saner said that the "cabinet" decided on July 12 the demilitarization of 3,5% of the closed Varos and described it as the "second stage of the opening of Varos".
He said that the total area of the closed Varos is 5 square kilometers and added that there are 496 properties or plots located within the department (3,5%) which will be reopened as part of the second phase of the initiative for Varos.
He claimed that the steps for Varosi are in accordance with the ECtHR and that 337 applications were pending in the Real Estate Commission (for the whole of Varosi). He added that 36 of these applications concerned properties within 3,5% of the area and that the committee would evaluate these applications.
He added that a survey on the condition of the buildings was conducted by the "university" of the Eastern Mediterranean, and added that in the coming days, together with the "mayor" of Famagusta, they will study with a committee that will be formed, how to evaluate the buildings. are about to collapse or that can not be repaired.
Akinci, Erhurman, Ozersay and Ozgit criticize Turkish policy on Varos
Former Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci, Turkish Republican Party leader Tufan Erhurman, People's Party leader Kudret Ozersay and Communist Party leader Cemal Ozgit have criticized the on the issue of Varosi, as broadcast by the Press and Information Office.
According to the Turkish media, Mr. Akinci stated that this effort is condemned, as it does not receive support from international organizations. "It is a policy far from all logic to drag Cyprus into a complete impasse," he said in a post, in which he also claimed that this development "provides the Greek Cypriot leader with an unwanted political comfort on the international stage."
Tufan Erhiurman stated that the Turkish Cypriots want to be part of international law and pointed out that after the statements of "tbk officials" and the Republic of Turkey regarding Varosi, came the statement of the Presidency of the UN Security Council. "We have been saying for years: Is it possible to open Varosi before a comprehensive federal solution based on bi-communal, bi-zonal and political equality is reached? If done correctly, it breaks the status quo and creates incentives for a complete solution. If not done properly, it will cause new problems on the international stage. In order to do so correctly, it must be accepted that one dimension of the issue of international law relates to the right to property in the context of ECtHR decisions and the second dimension relates to SA resolutions. "That is why the two steps must be taken together."
For his part, Mr Ozersay said his party's warnings last year had not been heeded.
"As important as it is for a policy to be correct and consistent on paper, it is equally important that it is done correctly and on time and that we explain it correctly to the world. For the last seven years, we have been supporting the policy of opening Varosi to its former inhabitants under Turkish Cypriot rule, and when we came to power, we took the first steps in this direction. This attitude has not changed today ", he said and added that they warned that if Varosi opens without the necessary preparations being made and without giving detailed explanations through diplomatic initiatives on the international stage, there will be problems. "It simply came to our notice then. One step was taken without the necessary preparations being made and without fully explaining to the world what we wanted to do. "The policy, that is, the opening of Varosi, was right, but it became an unfinished and unprepared start," he said in his post.
Finally, Mr. Ozgit said that the issue of opening the port of Famagusta and the illegal airport in occupied Tympos should be considered jointly. "For years, we have been emphasizing that if the opening of Varos is considered before a comprehensive solution, it should be done as a confidence-building measure, not as a separatist element, and should be evaluated in a package that will include the opening of the ports of Erzincan and of Famagusta ", he said. He also called on Tatar and Erdogan "to abandon all approaches that would jeopardize the historical existence of the Turkish Cypriots, their legal rights and demands and to act in accordance with the will of the Turkish Cypriot people and international law."
Source: KYPE