Tatar’s comments on Varosha an affront to all Cypriots

The contempt and callousness of the representative of the neo-sultan Erdogan in Cyprus, Ersin Tatar, have no limits. He makes his statement in front of the ruins of Varosha which should have been an embarrassment to any civilised person. This attitude is an affront to all Cypriots and the international community.

Turkey invaded Cyprus and carried out ethnic cleansing in order to establish a mono-religious-ethnic client state of Turkey. Turkey kept our two communities in total isolation for 30 years by laying minefields, erecting barbed wire, and stationing armed soldiers to keep the uninhabited town of Varosha hostage for 46 years. Without a trace of shame, Tatar said “After 46 years it’s time to open Varosha”.

Varosha should never have been forcefully declared a military zone by the Turkish army. Its citizens should not have had to experience the war crime of forceful expulsion and been forbidden to return to their homes for 46 years.

Last week, the US ambassador Judith Garber reaffirmed her country’s support, saying “UN Security Council resolutions on Famagusta must be respected”. The ambassador also supported the right of the Republic to exploit its natural resources.

The EU, France, Russia, Egypt, Austria, Germany, and a rather lukewarm Britain have also condemned Erdogan’s expansionists plans. How could the world community do otherwise when Erdogan presents a danger to peace?

Name and address withheld

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.