Day: May 20, 2022

The European Commission and the High Representative today reported on political and economic developments in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The 24th Annual Report to the European Parliament and the Council covers developments in 2021.

High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell, said: “The 24th Annual Report comes at a time when fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong have deteriorated further. We witness continued shrinking space for civil society and the erosion of what was previously a vibrant and pluralistic media landscape.”

The report highlights that, in 2021, the ‘one country, two systems’ principle in Hong Kong was further undermined by the implementation of the National Security Law (NSL). The year started with the mass arrest of 55 pro-democracy activists, including prominent political figures, in early January, and ended with the elections of a Legislative Council devoid of opposition on 19 December.

As of 31 December 2021, around 162 individuals including former pro-democracy activists, opposition lawmakers, journalists and academics have been arrested under the NSL and other related legislation. The pro-democracy activists prosecuted in relation to their involvement in the informal pro-democracy primary elections of 2020 have been charged with ‘conspiracy to commit subversion’. Only 14 have secured bail as of the end of 2021. Long pre-trial detentions, sometimes in solitary confinement, are also a major source of concern.

The NSL has had a chilling effect on Hong Kong’s civil society. More than 50 civil society organisations have disbanded out of fear of prosecution, with some activists citing threats to personal safety. The NSL’s extraterritorial provisions remained a source of concern. Around 30 activists located overseas were reportedly on a wanted list of the law enforcement agencies. Against the background of the ongoing political developments, emigration out of Hong Kong increased. Official figures of the Statistics Department released in August 2021 showed a net outflow of around 89 200 residents since mid-2020.

Media freedom also regressed in 2021. The independent newspaper Apple Daily closed in June; former Apple Daily executives and editors were charged with foreign collusion under the NSL. Police raided the newsroom of independent online outlet Stand News and arrested its employees for publishing ‘seditious materials’.

Freedom of assembly has been curtailed in light of the NSL and COVID-19 restrictions. Applications for public assemblies have been refused since July 2020. Public gatherings of more than four people have been banned since March 2020, including the June 4th vigil, organised by the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China for over 20 years.

On 30 March 2021, the National People’s Congress amended the annexes of the Basic Law to overhaul Hong Kong’s electoral system. This further weakened the already modest democratic elements of the electoral system and ensured that pro-establishment voices could control all levels of governance. The Legislative Council Election, originally scheduled for September 2020, took place on 19 December 2021. This was the first election since the imposition of the NSL and the implementation of sweeping changes in the electoral system. Only one ‘non pro-establishment’ lawmaker managed to get elected.

The Annual Report also highlights the substantial commercial links between the European Union and Hong Kong. As of June 2021, at least 1,614 EU companies were present in Hong Kong, and many of them were using Hong Kong as regional headquarters. Bilateral trade in goods reached €30.5 billion, an increase of 2.5% year-on-year compared to 2020. European Union exports of goods to Hong Kong amounted to €23.5 billion, while imports from Hong Kong totalled €7 billion, resulting in a surplus of €16.5 billion for the European Union. The European Union was Hong Kong’s third largest trading partner in goods in 2021, after Mainland China and Taiwan.

However, companies were impacted significantly by the COVID-19 restrictions and in particular long compulsory hotel quarantines.

Background

Since Hong Kong’s handover to the People’s Republic of China in 1997, the European Union and its Member States have closely followed political and economic developments in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region under the ‘one country, two systems’ principle.

In line with the commitment given to the European Parliament in 1997, the European Commission and the High Representative issue an annual report on political and economic developments in Hong Kong. This is the 24th report, covering developments in 2021.

The measures taken by the EU and Member States in response to the NSL in the Council Conclusions adopted in July 2020 remain in force. This package of measures includes:

a review of the asylum, migration, visa and residency policy, and of extradition agreements;

scrutiny and limitation of exports of sensitive equipment;

observation of trials; support for civil society;

the possibility of more scholarships and academic exchanges;

monitoring of the extraterritorial impact of the law; and

refraining from launching any new negotiations with Hong Kong.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Cyprus Labour and Social Insturance Minister, Zeta Emilianides, remains under sedation in the Intensive Care Unit of a specialized medical centre in Athens, having suffered a cerebral aneurysm.

In a new statement on Friday, the Ministry of Health said that the Minister of Labour’s state of health is constantly being assessed by the attending physicians.

An update will be issued in case of any new development, said the Ministry.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Today, the Commission is launching “Media Invest”, a new financing tool to boost Europe’s audiovisual industry. With funds coming from InvestEU and the Creative Europe MEDIA programme, Media Invest is expected to leverage €400 million of investments over a 7-year period. Executive Vice-President for A Europe Fit for the Digital Age, Margrethe Vestager said: “MediaInvest is a new investment tool designed to bridge the financial gap in the audiovisual sector. We need to stimulate more private investment to make our European media sector competitive at global level.” Commissioner for Internal Market, Thierry Breton, is today representing the Commission at the 75th edition of the Cannes Film Festival to meet industry leaders and professionals of the audiovisual sector. He will open the European Film Forum, and officialise the launch. He shared the following ahead of the opening: “Media Invest-which I am launching today with our partners from the European Investment Fund – will strengthen European audiovisual industry, frequently underfinanced and in need of equity. It will crowd in up to€400 million in private investment to foster European audio-visual production and distribution and help companies better exploit their intellectual property assets.” Media Invest is one of the 10 key actions of the Media and Audiovisual Action Plan presented in December 2020 to support the recovery and transformation of the media and audiovisual sector by combining investment with policy actions. You can find more information on ‘MediaInvest’ in this factsheet.

EU disburses €600 million in Macro-Financial Assistance to Ukraine

The European Commission, on behalf of the EU, has today disbursed €600 million in Macro-Financial Assistance (MFA) to Ukraine. Following Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion, this urgent financial support helps Ukraine address its acute financing gap related to its exceptional humanitarian and defence needs. The first instalment of €600 million from this emergency Macro-Financial Assistance operation was disbursed in two tranches on 11 and 18 March. The disbursement follows an assessment of the authorities’ progress with implementing the structural policy measures agreed in the Memorandum of Understanding. The Commission has concluded that the authorities, overall, have taken action towards the implementation of the agreed conditionality. However, the current war circumstances constitute an event of force majeure that impedes the effective completion of the structural policy measures. As an exceptional response to the acute financing needs of Ukraine, and since the conditionality cannot be achieved at this stage for reasons of force majeure, the Commission decided to proceed with the disbursement of the second tranche as a matter of urgency. Since the Russian aggression started, the EU has significantly stepped up its support, mobilising around €4.1 billion to support Ukraine’s overall economic, social and financial resilience. On 18 May, the Commission set out plans in a Communication for the EU’s immediate response to address Ukraine’s financing gap, as well as the longer-term reconstruction framework, envisaging to propose granting Ukraine in 2022 additional macro-financial assistance in the form of loans of up to €9 billion. A press release is available here.

The Commission supports EU farmers through rural development funds and steps up its monitoring of agricultural markets

Today, the Commission proposed an exceptional measure funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) to allow Member States to pay a one-off lump sum to farmers and agri-food businesses affected by significant increases in input costs. Once adopted by the co-legislators, this measure will allow Member States to decide to use available funds of up to 5% of their EAFRD budget for the years 2021-2022 for direct income support for farmers and SMEs active in processing, marketing or development of agricultural products. Member States are required to target this support to beneficiaries who are most affected by the current crisis and who are engaged in circular economy, nutrient management, efficient use of resources or environmental and climate friendly production methods. The Commission is also stepping up its monitoring of the main agricultural markets impacted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Following a decision published today, Member States will have to notify the Commission their monthly level of stocks of cereals, oilseeds, rice and certified seeds of these products held by relevant producers, wholesalers and operators. The Commission also launched today a dedicated dashboard presenting up-to-date, detailed statistics on prices, production, and trade of milling wheat, maize, barley, rapeseed, sunflower oil, and soya beans at EU and global level. This provides market operators a timely and accurate picture of the availability of essential commodities for food and feed. Today’s exceptional proposal follows the €500 million support package for EU farmers adopted on 23 March in the framework of the Communication on “safeguarding food security and reinforcing the resilience of food systems”. A press release and a factsheet are available online and more information are available here.

Hong Kong and Macao: EU publishes annual report on political and economic developments

The European Commission and the High Representative have today adopted their latest annual reports on political and economic developments in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and in the Macao Special Administrative Region during the year 2021. The annual report on political and economic developments in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region highlights that, in 2021, the ‘one country, two systems’ principle in Hong Kong was further undermined by the implementation of the National Security Law (NSL). The year started with the mass arrest of 55 pro-democracy activists, including prominent political figures, in early January, and ended with the elections of a Legislative Council devoid of opposition on 19 December. High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell, said: “The 24th Annual Report comes at a time when fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong have deteriorated further. We witness continued shrinking space for civil society and the erosion of what was previously a vibrant and pluralistic media landscape.” The European Union was Hong Kong’s third largest trading partner in goods in 2021, after Mainland China and Taiwan. The annual report on political and economic developments in the Macao Special Administrative Region highlights that the way in which the ‘one country, two systems’ principle was implemented undermined the political rights and fundamental freedoms of the people of Macao. The annual report refers in particular to the increasing challenges for Macao’s media to express a broad range of views, and the practice of more and more self-censorship. The Macao government has exercised stringent control on the spread of COVID-19 to ensure quarantine-free travel with Mainland China. The European Union remained Macao’s second-largest trading partner in goods after mainland China. The two full press releases are available online: Hong Kong and Macao.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

The European Commission and the High Representative have today reported on political and economic developments in the Macao Special Administrative Region, covering 2021.

The report highlights that, in 2021, the way in which the ‘one country, two systems’ principle was implemented undermined the political rights and fundamental freedoms of the people of Macao.

The annual report refers in particular to the increasing challenges for Macao’s media to express a broad range of views, and the practice of more and more self-censorship. The election of the Legislative Assembly of the Macao SAR which took place on 12 September had the lowest level since the handover in 1999. Before the election, for the first time, the authorities in Macao disqualified 21 candidates for not pledging allegiance to the SAR or supporting the Basic Law.

The report points out that fighting the pandemic and supporting the economy remained the government’s key priorities in 2021.

The Macao government has exercised stringent control on the spread of COVID-19 to ensure quarantine-free travel with Mainland China. The ongoing travel restrictions have continued to prevent officials from the EU Office to Hong Kong and Macao from visiting Macao. This has hindered the Office’s work and limited contacts with SAR government officials and others.

The European Union remained Macao’s second-largest trading partner in goods after Mainland China. This accounted for 29% of the SAR’s total trade in the first 10 months of 2021. The bilateral trade is dominated by the European Union – around 32% of Macao’s imports originated in the European Union.

The European Union remained, excluding offshore centres, Macao’s fourth-largest source of foreign investment in 2020 after Hong Kong, Mainland China and the US. According to Macanese statistics, the European Union accounted for 4.6% of the total foreign direct investment stock in 2020.

Background

Since the handover of Macao to China in 1999, the European Union and its Member States have been closely following political and economic developments in the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) under the ‘one country, two systems’ principle. The European Union adheres to its ‘one China’ policy and supports the ‘one country, two systems’ principle and its implementation in Macao.

This annual report on developments in Macao is issued in line with the commitment given to the European Parliament in 1997.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

tou pointed out that taking into account the negative geopolitical developments, inflation is expected to rise to around 6.8%, compared to 2.5% estimated in December 2021.

On the banking system, Herodotou said that the Cypriot banks continued deleveraging their balance sheets reducing their non-performing loans, noting that despite the deleveraging in 2021 the size of the island’s baking system increased due “to the increase of liquid assets as a result of the increase in deposits totaling around €51,5 billion in 2021, which is the highest level recorded after the 2013 crisis.”

However, Herodotou pointed out that the banks’ new challenge is associated with the management of risks from the climate change and the goal/agreement of states to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, recalling that the European Central Bank has issued guidelines in November 2020 setting out its expectations on how credit institutions should manage the risks of climate and environmental change on their balance sheets and their reputation.

He added that significant credit institutions will participate in 2022 in a stress test exercise carried out by the ECB on the risks arising from climate change.

Moreover, Herodotou said that even the less significant institutions (the banks supervised only by the CBC) should assess and implement the guidelines, taking into account the principle of proportionality.

The CBC, he added, has already requested the less significant credit institutions to carry out an assessment of their readiness to implement these guidelines.

“Therefore, the management of climate change risks is an additional challenge for credit institutions, on top of the already existing ones, such as the resolution of non-performing loans, the need to adjust their business models and the development and implementation of digitalization,” he said.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

A set of measures to offset the impact of the new global economic crisis due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine is to be submitted to the Council of Ministers next week for approval, Cyprus’ Government Spokesman, Marios Pelekanos, said on Friday, after a meeting at the Presidential Palace.

The spokesman said that, President Nicos Anastasiades, who chaired the meeting, gave instructions for intense consultations within the coming days, under the Finance Minister, for the discussion and preparation of a set of measures that will be submitted next week, on May 27, to the Cabinet for approval.

At the meeting, that was attended by the Ministers of Finance, Transport, who is standing in for the Labour Minister who is currently in hospital, Energy, Agriculture, the Deputy Minister of Social Welfare and the Presidents of the Fiscal Council and the Economy and Competitiveness Council, “the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the new global economic crisis, which result in growing inflationary pressures affecting particularly vulnerable groups, were discussed,” Pelekanos said.

Responding to questions, he said that during the meeting, all the proposals were analysed, so it will take some time for the Finance Ministry, in cooperation with all stakeholders, to go over the situation in depth and determine the limits within which the Ministry of Finance can move.

CNA has learned that many proposals were tabled and that there was a discussion both for horizontal and targeted measures. According to the same information, the Minister of Finance will estimate how the proposed measures affect the state, but also inflation, so that decisions can be made, which will be tabled to the Cabinet for approval.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Today, the European Commission proposed an exceptional measure funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) to allow Member States to pay a one-off lump sum to farmers and agri-food businesses affected by significant increases in input costs. Such increases in prices, notably for energy, fertiliser and animal feed, are disrupting the agricultural sector and rural communities, leading to liquidity and cash flow problems for farmers and small rural businesses active in processing, marketing or development of agricultural products. By directly addressing these cash-flow challenges, helping to keep them afloat, the support will address the market disturbances and thus contribute to global food security.

Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski said: “Farmers, with the support of the Common Agricultural Policy, continue to relentlessly prove their worth by producing food under difficult circumstances. After the COVID-19 pandemic, they are now being heavily hit by the consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. For some, survival is at stake. With this measure, the latest in a series deployed under the CAP, we support them so they can keep producing the food the world needs, care for their land and provide for their families.”

Once adopted by the co-legislators, this measure will allow Member States to decide to use available funds of up to 5% of their EAFRD budget for the years 2021-2022 for direct income support for farmers and SMEs active in processing, marketing or development of agricultural products. This represents a potential budget of €1.4 billion in the EU. Member States are required to target this support to beneficiaries who are most affected by the current crisis and who are engaged in circular economy, nutrient management, efficient use of resources or environmental and climate friendly production methods. Selected farmers and SMEs could receive up to €15,000 and €100,000 respectively. The payments should be made by 15 October 2023. To make use of that exceptional possibility, Member States will have to submit a modification to their rural development programme(s) introducing this new measure.

Today’s exceptional proposal follows the €500 million support package for EU farmers adopted on 23 March in the framework of the Communication on “safeguarding food security and reinforcing the resilience of food systems”. In these two measures, the Commission encourages Member States to support farmers engaged in sustainable practices.

In this context, the Commission is also stepping up its monitoring of the main agricultural markets impacted by the war. Following a decision published today, Member States will have to notify the Commission their monthly level of stocks of cereals, oilseeds, rice and certified seeds of these products held by relevant producers, wholesalers and operators. The European Commission has also launched a dedicated dashboard presenting up-to-date, detailed statistics on prices, production, and trade of milling wheat, maize, barley, rapeseed, sunflower oil, and soya beans at EU and global level. This provides market operators a timely and accurate picture of the availability of essential commodities for food and feed.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Ethics, moral values and society’s feedback that should be taken into account, along with scientific data, when deciding policies about public health were discussed in the inaugural event of Cyprus Epidemiology and Public Health Association (CyEPHA), titled ‘Public Health Risks and Moral Responsibility: the case of the coronavirus pandemic”.

Dr Jessica Nihlen Fahlquist, Associate Professor at the Centre for Research Ethics and Bioethics of the University of Uppsala was the key speaker of event, held during the European Public Health (EUPHA) Week, whose message was “Building resilient health systems”.

Dr Nihlen Fahlquist said that it was clear that there were ethical aspects to discuss during the pandemic. She noted that based on the same evidence, countries chose to follow different strategies to combat the pandemic. She put those risk-management strategies in three categories: the “laissez-faire” strategy, where only few, if any, measures were taken, the “herd immunity” strategy, where measures were left on a voluntary basis and the “aggressive” strategy, where governments followed stringent interventions, limiting civil rights. This shows, she said, that it’s not just about the scientific evidence, but different views on acceptable risk, ethics and moral responsibility also play a key role, when deciding how to act.

She went on to present three ethical theories: utilitarianism, where you maximize utility, considering the consequences, the deontological theory, which is based on complying with duties, regardless of consequences and virtue theory, where on acts as a virtuous person would.

Dr Nihlen Fahlquist suggested that the conventional risk management is based on utilitaranism, where risk-benefit analysis is used to make decisions on morally acceptable risk, including the notion that a risk to one person might be outweighed by a benefit to another.

She noted that in the vaccination debate there were some problematic views, but not all of them were unjustified. Some of people’s views were shaped based on the known versus the new risk, the natural versus artificial risks, voluntariness and control, cultural, social, political views. “We cannot make conclusions about ethical values directly from knowing what people think, but at least some of these are normatively justifiable”, she said.

The responsibility of the government was to take into account considerations, such as how to minimize the spread and fatalities, protecting the health care system, protecting the economy and the education system, preventing mental illness. In doing so, it wasn’t just about balancing risk-benefit, but also taking into account other values, such as trust, empathy, solidarity, responsibility, she said.

Both governments and individuals need to take action and responsibility, she noted. “Unless there are also behavioural changes among the individuals, long-term change is unlikely to occur, she said, adding that “we need to develop some character traits, such as solidarity, responsibility for other people”.

When asked, Dr Nihlen Fahlquist said that family, society and the system are responsible to set an example for children, in order for them to grow up to be empathetic, have solidarity. “Family and society can facilitate virtue”, she noted.

Also, during the discussion, she said that it is important for governments to be transparent. “We need ethical debate in society”. “It’s very important to be opened”, she added.

Receive feedback from society, include them in the decision making

During the panel discussion, in the second part of the event, the importance of including the society in the decision-making process was emphasized. Dr Andrie Panayiotou, Associate Professor at Cyprus University of Technology, answering how to avoid misinformation and disinformation during a crisis, said that ignorance was just one of the factors for the spread of misinformation.

“Knowledge is just one factor. Especially in health-related issues, it is important to emphasise for public to become part of a community that provides feedback, especially in society values”, she said. “Science shouldn’t dictate policy; it should inform it”, she noted, adding that “we need to become better in communicating risk and uncertainty and get feedback from society. Unless we are open about the risk and benefit, we are counter-productive and open the door on misinformation,” she concluded.

In her intervention, Dr Dinike Zeegers Paget, Executive Director of EUPHA, talking about a more resilient health system, said that it is important to innovate, check what worked in the past and what not, be attentive towards inequalities, learn from the evidence and how to present them. She especially emphasized that a well-trained work force is essential, since health care workers got a burnout and students stopped their health studies.

Dr Ourania Kolokotroni, Assistant Professor at Cyprus University of Technology, noted on the same subject that “we need to help people built a higher sense of solidarity and trust on what governments are doing. You need transparency and inclusiveness to do that. It wasn’t only about having the resources but also about respecting the fact that healthcare workers got a burnout. Cultivating trust needs transparency, inclusiveness and including people in decisions”.

Dr Georgios Nikolopoulos, Associate Professor at the University of Cyprus, and President of the Interim Board of the newly formed CyEPHA, said that it is important to educate people on the ethical parameters and to involve in the decision making the community affected.

Cyprus Epidemiology and Public Health Association is newly formed and already an official member of EUPHA. Dr Dineke Zeegers Paget, Executive Director of EUPHA greeted the event, congratulating the CyEPHA for their initiative.

Dr Georgios Nikolopoulos, President of CyEPHA said that an announcement will follow in the next few weeks for people interested to join the association.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Minister of Defence Charalambos Petrides expressed the readiness of the Republic of Cyprus to facilitate friends and allies in dealing with crisis situations, while providing safe shelter to civilians, as he welcomed the final phase of the multinational exercise “Argonaut”, held at the “Zenon” Search and Rescue Coordination Centre in Larnaca.

This year, he said, “we have 15 countries from the NEO Coordination Group that participated in the NEO phase of the Exercise, 8 countries that are taking part in the Search and Rescue phase, as well as the EU’s External Action Service and the UN. For the first time Egypt and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia participate in this year’s exercise with military means and a high-level observers’ delegation respectively”, adding that the exercise contributes immensely to the country’s preparedness and readiness to deal with severe crisis incidents and emergency situations within the area of the Eastern Mediterranean, with the implementation of the national plans “ESTIA” and “TEFKROS”.

Defence Minister also stressed that the Republic of Cyprus is willing and ready to assume this responsibility to secure the interests of our close partners and for the benefit of the international community. “Our infrastructures and facilities will always be at the disposal of our partners for providing assistance for humanitarian and crisis situations”, he noted.

The Chief of the National Guard, Lieutenant General Demokritos Zervakis, said that Exercise Argonaut is a multidimensional humanitarian exercise, whereas at the national Level it is dealing with the mass reception of evacuees from a crisis area in our neighborhood and internationally.

“We cooperate alongside with all our partners, with whom we form together the informal group of Non-Combatant evacuation operations, for a safe and timely evacuation of their citizens to a safe haven, the Republic of Cyprus”, he said.

He explained that, due to the complexity of the exercise, the planning teams put in six months of work for its preparation. He said that the vast majority of the procedures tested these days “dictated the smooth and effective cooperation of militaries and civilians” and mentioned that he noticed with great satisfaction that this cooperation was achieved as planned.”

The Commander of Joint Rescue Coordination Center, Lieutenant Commander Andreas Charalambides, presented the scenario of the exercise, “a naval accident within Cyprus SRR, which occurred during the evacuation operations from a crisis area towards a safe heaven, the Republic of Cyprus”. He added that the mass rescue operation procedures are defined in National Plan “TEFKROS” and are implemented and tested through the exercise.

Charalambides welcomed guest observers and expressed his gratitude to “all national and international officials and officers that participated, from the planning stage to the execution, in such a complicated exercise”, adding that 35 aeronautical assets and more than 700 personnel from 8 countries “will work together with a common mission to help in every possible way human lives in danger.”

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Following the recent illegal actions on part of the coastal front of the fenced area of Famagusta, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses strong concern about the escalating Turkish provocation.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says in a press release that it is undertaking all necessary démarches, both to the United Nations and to the European Union.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ioannis Kasoulides, will démarche on Monday the Head of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus, Colin Stewart.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37% of its territory. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.

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. 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.

Turkish Cypriot leader, Ersin Tatar, announced in July 2021 a partial lifting of the military status in Varosha. On October 8, 2020, the Turkish side opened part of the fenced area of Varosha, following an announcement made in Ankara on October 6. Both the UN Secretary-General and the EU expressed concern, while the UN Security Council called for the reversal of this course of action. In his latest report to the Security Council, UN Secretary-General Guterres underlines the importance of adhering fully to UN resolutions, underscoring that the position of the United Nations on this matter “remains unchanged.”

Source: Cyprus News Agency