Borrell reiterates criticism of Turkey over Varosha

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has reiterated criticism of Turkey's decision to reopen part of the beachfront of Varosha, a resort abandoned since Turkey invaded Cyprus in 1974.

Responding to a letter by leftist deputies at the European Parliament on the initiative of Turkish Cypriot MEP Niyazi Kizilyurek (elected in 2019 on the ticket of Cyprus' communist-rooted AKEL party), Borrell called upon Turkey to reverse its unilateral action, stressing that the move was in contravention of UN resolutions on the ethnically-split island.

The EU's top diplomat also reiterated the bloc's readiness to undertake an active role in UN-brokered negotiations to reunite the island.

A steady and secure environment in the Eastern Mediterranean and the development of mutually-beneficial relations between players in the region is to the benefit of the EU's strategic interest,...