Nikos Stelgias
Developments regarding Varosha were moving full speed ahead on Tuesday after rumours regarding the reopening of the fenced-off town were confirmed. In statements, Tayyip Erdogan and Ersin Tatar said that on Thursday, the public will be able to visit the areas that will open.
Ersin Tatar said that “in 2019, we promised the opening of Varosha, and now we are taking the first step,” underlining that the coastal zone and Dimokratias Street will be opened to the public, who will be allowed to visit from Thursday onwards.
On his part, the Turkish President said that “I am well aware of the significance of the opening of Varosha for Turkish Cypriots. We are aware that some centers will be bothered. However, until today, it was always the Turkish Cypriots who have shown patience. Unfortunately, this patience was not mirrored. It is now understood that there is no room for a comprehensive solution. It is time to create a new road map on the new realities. Varosha belongs to the Turkish Cypriots.”
Erdogan: ‘Varosha is an area of the TRNC’
According to Anadolu Agency, during his joint press conference with Ersin Tatar, the Turkish President said the following:
“It is a fact that Varosha is an area of the TRNC. We hope that the entirety of Varosha will open for use. We are ready to give every kind of support to the authorities of the TRNC toward this end. The objections of the opponent are futile, as there is no possibility for complaints being filed due to the lack of private property [in the area]. As the TRNC grows, it becomes richer and stronger, the chain of sanctions imposed on it will gradually begin to break.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Tatar told his associates “I have a big surprise for you”, as was making his way to his meeting with the Turkish President, with rumours of a reopening of Varosha growing increasingly intense.
Turkish Cypriot media also referred to unconfirmed information regarding the mobilization of construction crews within the fenced-off city.
Erdogan, Tatar comment on natural gas
Tayyip Erdogan expressed certainty that Turkey will locate natural gas reserves in the eastern Mediterranean, stressing that Turkish Cypriots must definitely be represented at the forthcoming conference on the eastern Mediterranean. He added that the mentality of Greek Cypriots has not changed since 2004
Ersin Tatar said that the Turkish Cypriots have the right to drill and thanked the Turkish government for the resumption of the water supply from Anatolia to the occupied territories.
