We asked the President of the Republic to raise the issue of Famagusta to the President of France and the Chancellor of Germany, said the Mayor of Famagusta, Simos Ioannou, after the end of the meeting he had with the President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulidis, on Monday morning at the Presidential Mansion.
In his statements, the Mayor of Famagusta stated that he and the delegation of the Famagusta Municipal Council were informed about the contacts of President Christodoulidis in Brussels.
For its part, he said, the delegation of the Municipality of Famagusta informed the President of the Republic about its contacts in Brussels with the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsolas, its contacts with Ambassadors in Cyprus and its upcoming visit to Piraeus on April 3 for the exhibition of paintings that have come from occupied Famagusta. "We have exchanged views and will be in constant contact for anything related to Famagusta," he added.
Furthermore, Mr. Ioannou stated that he informed the President of the Republic about the upcoming visit of Dolores Montserrat, President of the European Parliament's Committee on Petitions, to Cyprus at the end of June, as well as of Hugo Sánchez, rapporteur for Turkey's accession to the EU He also noted that he will request a meeting with the new US Ambassador to Cyprus, adding that he has asked the President of the Republic, in the meetings he will have with the President of France and the Chancellor of Germany, to mention the issue of Famagusta.
"We have clarified that there is no issue of sandblasting. If the walled city, which is covered by the two resolutions of the United Nations Security Council, is lost, then not only the rest of the city of Famagusta will be lost, but also other cities," he stressed, adding that some should not talk about sandblasting. "We never asked for the closed city of Famagusta to be given back under the auspices of the United Nations and to close the Cyprus issue", continued the Mayor of Famagusta.
"However, at this moment, with the change of the status quo in the closed area of Famagusta, this means that we no longer have an issue to discuss the territorial and the Cypriot issue", underlined Mr. Ioannou, stressing that "it is the duty of all forces to support this effort so that the actions of Turkey and the so-called 'tdvk' stop soon".
Mr. Ioannou noted that "the only solution is to start the talks". He also mentioned that he was informed by President Christodoulidis about the efforts that have been made to get the EU more involved in this effort without downgrading the role of the United Nations. He expressed the hope that there will be positive results.
Asked about the information he has about the current situation of the closed area of Famagusta, Mr. Ioannou noted that some improvement works have been done at the end of Dimokratia Avenue and that some small shops have been opened for tourist purposes. He also mentioned that the repair of the Municipal Retail Market has recently started.
In addition, Mr. Ioannou expressed his desire to be in contact with the "mayor" of the Turkish Cypriot district of Famagusta to discuss some issues. "Any meeting that takes place will be positive for us," he concluded.
Source: KYPE