Varosha, Famagusta

Officials from Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) took an inspection tour to closed Varosha, an abandoned city in the northern part of the divided island of Cyprus, on Aug. 23.

The prospects for the scheduled 9 August meeting between Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish-Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci are hardly optimistic.

They come among heightened Turkish threats and blatant violations of international law and Ankara'as continued illegal drilling in Cyprus EEZ (exclusive economic zone).

The Turkish Cypriot government is speeding up efforts to turn Varosha, which has remained abandoned and uninhabited for 45 years, into a major tourist destination.

Turkish Cypriot Foreign Minister Kudret Özersay said his government started an inventory study of Varosha on July 25 to examine the possibility of reopening the ghost town. Before the split of Cyprus 45 years ago, Varosha was a popular destination for Hollywood stars and wealthy tourists.

The status of Varosha, a ghost town in the Turkish Cypriot-controlled Famagusta city, needs to be changed to break the status quo because no common vision appears for the near future, Turkish Cypriot Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Kudret Özersay has said.

The Turkish Cypriot government has decided to reopen Varosha, once a leading tourism destination for Hollywood stars but which later turned into a ghost town following the split of the island, after a 45-year seclusion.

The administration in the Turkish-occupied northern part of Cyprus decided on Tuesday to open Varosha, an abandoned southern quarter of the Cypriot city of Famagusta, for settlement, Turkish Daily Sabah reported.
Varosha was a famous tourist area with a population of about 39,000 who fled in 1974 when the Turkish army invaded the island. It has remained closed off ever since.

Turkish-Cypriot newspaper Yeni Duzen reported that access to a beach near the fenced-off town of Varosha is open only to Turkish nationals and Turkish-Cypriots showing identification.

According to the paper, Greek-Cypriots and foreign nationals are not allowed to enter.

A letter sent to President Nicos Anastasiades by UN chief Antonio Guterres confirms the international organization’s position that the Turkish-held fenced-off town of Varosha should open under UN-control.

And not under Turkish administration as it was widely speculated after the collapse of the UN-brokered Cyprus peace talks in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, in July.

Before the division of Cyprus in 1974, Varosha - a resort town in Famagusta - was booming. The coastline was reportedly a destination for film stars like Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.

It is now a ghost town. Its hotels, restaurants and high-rise structures looming over sandy beaches have been slowly decaying.