Famagusta Mayor, Simos Ioannou, has said that the Municipality will make representations against the decision of the Committee of Deputy Ministers of the Council of Europe to end the Council’s supervision process in the implementation of the ECHR Decision, regarding Titina Loizidou’s individual application against Turkey.
Ioannou noted that in this framework the Municipality is cooperating with member of the Cyprus delegation at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), MP Constantinos Efstathiou, and other officials, with a view to promote coordinated efforts against the decision by Cyprus.
In statements to the parliament on Tuesday, after attending a meeting of the parliamentary refugees committee, Ioannou said that this was a negative decision for Cyprus and that the Famagusta Municipality aims to help the efforts of the Cypriot side, with a view to revoke this decision, which he described as unjust. Moreover, he noted that this decision has given an alibi to Turkey for not complying with Court decisions.
He also said that he is is contact with MP Constantinos Efstathiou with view to prepare a letter on this matter, noting that Efstathiou will put this issue forward at PACE. Moreover he also noted that the Municipality is in contact with the Foreign Ministry, with a view to contribute to efforts of the Cypriot side.
“Our position is the same as the official position of the Republic of Cyprus, that the issue will not be solved by legal means, but by political means,” he added.
Ioannou also said that the Municipality has planned to hold contacts in Brussels, London and the US in the near future, and that an event will take place in Brussels, at the initiative of Cypriot MEPs on the issue of Famagusta.
He also noted that the Municipality will have meetings with Ambassadors of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, with the first one being that with the French Ambassador next week.
Loizidou, a Greek Cypriot applicant sought to enforce a 1996 ECHR judgment concerning the restitution and peaceful enjoyment of her property in Turkish-occupied Kyrenia, in the northern coast of Cyprus. Turkey attempted several times in the past to close the supervision of the case in Strasbourg, where the Committee of Ministers holds its sessions.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. The European Court of Human Rights sentenced Turkey in numerous cases, brought forward by Greek Cypriots, concerning the violation of their fundamental human rights, following the 1974 invasion.
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.
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.”
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.
Source: Cyprus News Agency