Reopening Varosha to gain ground after virus: Turkish Cypriot PM

The premier of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) announced on June 6 that work on the reopening of Varosha (Maraş) will gain momentum after the coronavirus pandemic is finished.

Prime Minister Ersin Tatar said in a statement there is a pause on the reopening of the abandoned town in the northern part of the divided island of Cyprus because of the deadly outbreak.

Varosha is currently a ghost town where entry is forbidden, except for Turkish army personnel stationed in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).

Abandoned after the passage of a 1984 U.N. Security Council resolution, Varosha's reopening was announced June 18 by Turkish Cypriot authorities.

Tatar said the presence of relations with Turkey based on mutual love and respect and taking joint action is vital for TRNC.

"It is of course possible for the TRNC to progress in the Eastern Mediterranean like Singapore and become a center of attraction," said Tatar, referring to Turkey's Vice President Fuat Oktay's comment on June 5 on Varosha and Cyprus.

Tatar noted TRNC will establish a commission of experts and bureaucrats in the prime ministry to support the process as TRNC's foreign ministry's works are going on at the same time.