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Cyprus' Minister of Foreign Affairs holds contacts with his counterparts

12/07/2021 21:15

Cyprus` Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, held contacts with the Foreign Ministers of France, Egypt and India, on the sidelines of the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels.

Specifically, according to a diplomatic source, it was "particularly important for Cyprus to organize the working breakfast for the EU Foreign Ministers, with the Egyptian Foreign Minister as a guest". According to the same source, the latter praised  the role of Cyprus in the region, while he referred to his interventions in the destabilizing role of Turkey.

As the source stated, "in the meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of France (as France holds the Presidency of the Security Council this month) there was coordination in relation to actions that the country will take before 20/7, and in case they don`t have the required effect on Erdogan`s visit, on how we will move within the EU and the UN."

Finally, the same source said that the Minister of Foreign Affairs had a telephone conversationon the Cyprus issue and Famagusta, with his Indian counterpart whose country takes over the Presidency of the Security Council in August.


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.

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.

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.