Government authorities are investigating reports based on which a Turkish businessman opened the reservations for 2025 in hotels in the fenced off area of Turkish occupied Varosha announcing that he bought four hotels, 86 apartments and 20 acres of land in the closed area of Famagusta. A source said that the competent government authorities are fully investigating the issue and are double checking the information, adding that the matter is serious and complex because it has both financial and legal aspects. The source recalled that this is not the first time that this issue has arisen, recalling last April's reports that the authorities investigated, according to which a Turkish Cypriot businessman bought three hotels from their Greek Cypriot owners, in the enclosed city of Varosha in order to reopen them. The same source stressed the need for the implementation of UNSC resolutions 550 and 789 for Famagusta, underlying that the only way to deal with the issue is by reaching a solution of the Cyprus problem. Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. 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