Turkey's Erdogan in Occupied Cyprus, Sets Up Provocative 'Fiesta' in Varosha

In yet another gesture of complete disregard for international law, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited on Sunday the occupied territories of Cyprus and the no man’s land area of Varosha in Famagusta.
Keeping the promise he gave in October to go and have a ‘picnic’ in Varosha, Erdogan landed at the illegal airport of Tymbou and visited the occupied part of Nicosia, the pseudo-state of the Turkish Cypriots to celebrate the 37th anniversary of the illegal declaration of the establishment of the so-called ”Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus,” an illegal entity not recognized by anyone in the world but Ankara.

The bad weather and the constant rain did not stop Erdogan and his entourage from visiting the beach area of Varosha.
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu went to Cyprus a day earlier, on Saturday, to prepare for the Turkish President to participate in the provocative celebrations of the occupied forces of the island.

The Republic of Cyprus issued a damning statement on Saturday, calling Erdogan’s visit an ”unprecedented provocation.”
The Cypriot press release noted that Erdogan’s visit constitutes ”an unprecedented provocation in full violation of the UN Security Council’s resolution 550 and 789.”
These actions, the Presidency added, ”undermine the UN Secretary-General’s efforts to convene an informal five-party conference and are not conducive to creating a favourable, positive climate for the resumption of talks for a solution to the Cyprus problem.”
The Presidency also noted that these actions provoke the feelings of the Cypriot people as a whole and those of Famagusta in particular.

Famagustans, kept away from their illegally occupied hometown for 46 years now, tell #Turkey President that #Famagusta is #NoPlaceForAPicnic.#ThisIsNotYourHomeland @RTErdogan

Watch their powerful video message, in full, from the link below:
📺 https://t.co/VuZefLUU64 pic.twitter.com/OvfVYRc2YP

— Cyprus MFA (@CyprusMFA) November 14, 2020

A few days earlier, hundreds of Turkish Cypriots protested against Erdogan’s visit. Demonstrators carried banners reading: “No picnic over others’ pain,” “Division means corruption,” and “Varosha and Cyprus belong to all Cypriots.”
A similar statement was issued by the Greek Foreign Ministry on Sunday as well.
”The Turkish President’s scheduled visit to occupied Varosha, accompanied by a government team, on the “anniversary” of the unilateral and illegal declaration of the Turkish Cypriot entity in occupied Cyprus, is an unprecedented provocation that is in direct violation of UN Security Council Resolutions 550 and 789 and the Conclusions of the European Council,” the Ministry stated, adding that ”Greece has repeatedly stressed that it is in favour of the resumption of negotiations under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General with a view to finding a comprehensive, just and viable solution to the Cyprus problem, based on the resolutions of the Security Council and the European Acquis. To achieve this goal, Greece is in ongoing coordination and in complete accord with the Cypriot government.”
(With information from CNA)