President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides received on Monday House President and President of the Democratic Rally (DISY), Annita Demetriou, with whom he discussed about the Cyprus issue and matters of internal governance. Demetriou said after the meeting that she had sent earlier a letter to her counterparts of EU member states and the Presidents of the European Peoples' Party, informing them about the developments regarding the fenced off area of Famagusta and urging them to defend justice and legality. The House President said she was informed about the actions and representations made by the Republic of Cyprus concerning the properties issue in the fenced off area of Famagusta. In addition, she said she informed the President about the Parliament's and her party's actions on the same matter. Demetriou said they both agree on the goal to resume the Cyprus talks, exploiting every opportunity not only for information purposes, but also for taking specific actions. She added that the President briefed her on the meetings he had recently and on the actions that are being prepared. "It is important to realize that we all have a responsibility both as political forces, but also as individuals, to serve the goal of restarting the negotiations. This is the purpose of our initiatives", she added. Concluding, Demetriou said that they also discussed about internal governance issues, such as law bills that will be tabled in Parliament. Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. 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. 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. The Turkish Cypriot leadership announced in July 2021 a partial lifting of the military status in Varosha. A few months earlier, on October 8, 2020, the Turkish side opened part of the fenced area of Varosha, following an announcement made in Ankara on October 6. The UN Security Council called for the reversal of this course of action, while the UN Secretary General, in his latest report on his mission of good offices in Cyprus, reiterated his concern over developments in the fenced-off area, noting that the position of the UN on Varosha remains unchanged. The EU also expressed grave concern.
Source: Cyprus News Agency