Allegations of 'Vegas of the Med' status rattle Cyprus talks

Competent sources that spoke to CNA on Tuesday described reports in a British daily as orchestrated ones, that attempt to undermine the efforts to return to the Cyprus talks.

It is recalled that British Daily Express has alleged that there are "plans to turn seaside ghost town (Varosha) into 'Vegas of the Med'" with huge investments while the daily also claims that a hotel there belongs to the royal British family.

Invited by CNA to comment, the same sources stressed that last year the British government had refuted the allegations, "which are being recycled once again", adding that "these are orchestrated reports that attempt to undermine the efforts to return to the dialogue for a solution to the Cyprus problem".

"They move in the direction of creating false impressions and additional problems instead of supporting the effort to end the impasse" they underlined.

Besides, the sources added, the competent authorities are always investigating every allegation, wherever they may come from.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Varosha, the fenced off section of the Turkish occupied town of Famagusta, is often described as a ‘ghost town’.

UN Security Council resolution 550 (1984) considers any attempts to settle any part of Varosha by people other than its inhabitants as inadmissible and calls for the transfer of this area to the administration of the UN. UN Security Council resolution 789 (1992) also urges that with a view to the implementation of resolution 550 (1984), the area at present under the control of the United Nations Peace-keeping Force in Cyprus be extended to include Varosha.

The Turkish Cypriot leadership announced in July 2021 a partial lifting of the military status in Varosha. A few months earlier, on October 8, 2020, the Turkish side opened part of the fenced area of Varosha, following an announcement made in Ankara on October 6. The UN Security Council called for the reversal of this course of action, while the UN Secretary General, in his latest report on his mission of good offices in Cyprus, reiterated his concern over developments in the fenced-off area, noting that the position of the UN on Varosha remains unchanged. The EU also expressed grave concern.