The Greek Cypriots condemned Turkey’s backed move to transfer some abandoned towns to Turkish Cypriot control.

Cyprus has appealed to the UN Security Council to transfer part of an abandoned coastal town on a divided Mediterranean island to Turkish Cypriot control.

With the support of Turkey, the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), Announce On Tuesday, a small part of Varosha will be under civilian control and possible resettlement.

The Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar stated that his government will cancel about 3.5% of the town’s military status and allow beneficiaries to apply to the committee responsible for providing compensation or restoring property.

This move was made on the occasion of TRNC commemorating the 47th anniversary of the Turkish invasion that divided the island into two.

Varosha has been a Turkish military zone since its invasion in 1974 and is widely regarded as Ankara’s bargaining chip in any future peace agreements.

The latest developments in the region have triggered an angry response from the internationally recognized Greek Cypriot government of Cyprus, as well as unanimous opposition from the European Union and other Western powers of which Cyprus is a member.

On Wednesday, Cyprus Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides called the decision “clearly contrary to the UN Security Council resolution”.

“This…will have a negative impact on the ongoing efforts to restart negotiations,” Christolides said after meeting with Greek Foreign Minister Nicos Dendias.

Turkish Cypriots according to the two-state plan

In August 1974, an estimated 17,000 Greek Cypriots living in Varosha fled the Turkish army.

Since then, it has been empty, with a creepy pile of abandoned high-rise hotels and residences blocked by barbed wire and no-entry signs.

A UN resolution called for the area to be handed over to UN management.

The reuse of the area for the Turkish Cypriot civilian authorities effectively challenged the prevailing assumption that if Cyprus is resolved peacefully, Varosha will become one of the possible areas to be returned to Greek Cypriot control.

So far, peace efforts have repeatedly failed.

The Tatar and his ally Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that now only a two-State agreement can work.

“Now, the only requirement of the Turkish Cypriots in international negotiations is to recognize the status of a sovereign state,” Erdogan said the day after the two-day official visit to Cyprus.

“All other offers have expired.”

The peace talks are deadlocked

The UN Security Council is expected to discuss the Cyprus issue on Wednesday afternoon and discuss its “good offices” mission on the island at a previously scheduled meeting.

The focus of the failed peace negotiations in Cyprus so far has been to unify the island under the umbrella of the Federation.

According to the terms of the 2004 UN Unified Blueprint, Varosha is one of the areas that will return to its inhabitants under Greek Cypriot administration.

The plan detailed unification under a complex power-sharing agreement, but was rejected by the Greek Cypriots in the referendum.

The Greek Cypriots rejected a two-State agreement that would grant sovereignty to the separated Turkish Cypriots recognized only by Ankara.

The EU also ruled out a two-state agreement.

In April, the United Nations Failed to bridge differences Regarding the resumption of peace talks, the talks broke down during a heated debate in 2017.