The United Nations Security Council has issued a presidential statement on Friday (23 July) disapproving of Turkey's plan to reopen the abandoned Varosha resort in Cyprus. The self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and Turkey aim to reopen the resort to habitation after 47 years. All 15 members of the Security Council condemned the plan the statement said. They are demanding immediate revocation of the decision.
The Varosha district of the city of Famagusta was once the heart of a popular luxury seaside resort. In 1974, the island was split in two and the Turkish military hermetically sealed off the resort near Famagusta. It followed a Greek Cypriot military coup d'état in 1974, which provoked the occupation of the northern part of Cyprus by Turkish forces.
Repeated attempts to resolve the Cyprus issue through negotiations have failed.
