Varosha

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

The Cypriot government closely follows developments and the Turkish Cypriot side's actions with regard to the closed off area of Turkish occupied Famagusta, known as Varosha, a government source has told CNA, noting that representations have been made where they ought to be made.

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 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.

There are no plans to open up the fenced-off ghost town of Varosha, Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci has said adding that any such move would have to take place within the framework of the parameters set by the United Nations.

Following the collapse of United Nations-mediated Cyprus talks earlier this month, Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos on Thursday called on the international community to stop tolerating the presence of Turkish occupying troops in the island's north.

I was recently in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC) for one of the "Explore" tours that daily Hürriyet carried out with the Association of Turkish Travel Agents (TÜRSAB). It was my first visit to the island as a "tourist," though I have visited it many times over the years for work.