President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades informed his counterparts in the European Council about the latest illegal activities by Turkey in Varosha, and briefed them on the confidence building measures that have been proposed by the Greek Cypriot side, in a short intervention during the second day of the summit of the European Council in Brussels.
The intervention was initially scheduled for Monday but was moved to Tuesday since the discussion on the sixth package of sanctions took up the entirety of the day.
In a tweet, Anastasiades said that he briefed fellow EU leaders “about latest illegal actions by the Turkish occupying forces in Cyprus, inter alia, in the fenced-off area of Varosha.”
“Despite United Nations & European Union calls, Turkey continues to create new faits accomplis, inter alia, at the expense of prospects of resuming negotiations” he added.
The President also noted that he reiterated his proposal for CBMs “that can build trust & pave way for restarting meaningful talks, aimed at a viable solution, based on a BBF” a bizonal bicommunal federation. “EU assistance to this end remains crucial” the President also tweeted.
Anastasiades also said he expressed “full solidarity” with Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis “amid Ankara’s recent inflammatory rhetoric.”
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results.
Source: Cyprus News Agency