Cyprus Foreign Affairs Minister Nikos Christodoulides will brief on Monday his European counterparts on the latest developments in the Cyprus problem, especially about the fenced off part of the Turkish occupied city of Famagusta, known as Varosha, in view of Turkish President Tayyip Ergodan’s expected illegal visit in the occupied areas of the island on July 20.

Christodoulides, travels to Brussels on Sunday evening, to participate in Foreign Affairs Council of the European Union that takes place tomorrow there on Monday, a Foreign Affairs Ministry press release says.
 
“In the course of the Council`s session, the Foreign Ministers of the EU Member States will be briefed under the current affairs item of the agenda by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, on the situation in Afghanistan following the latest developments, as well as on the next steps in addressing the situation in Lebanon,” the press release reads.

Under the same item, it adds, “FM Christodoulides will brief his counterparts on the latest developments in relation to the Cyprus problem, with particular emphasis on the issue of the fenced area of ​​Varosha, in view of the Turkish President`s illegal visit to the occupied part of Cyprus announced for July 20th.”
 
Furthermore, the Foreign Ministers will “exchange views on the geopolitical implications of the use of digital technologies, as well as on the progress made in the development of the EU`s Strategic Compass, with a view to further strengthening the Union`s role as a credible actor on the international scene when it comes to security.”
 
During the working lunch, the Ministers will have the opportunity to exchange views with the Alternate Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel, Yair Lapid, on issues pertaining to the EU`s relations with the country, on regional issues of common interest, as well as on the Middle East peace process, the press release continues.
 
It further notes that before the Council gets under way, Minister Christodoulides will host a working breakfast for his EU counterparts, with the participation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt, Sameh Shoukry, during which EU-Egypt relations are expected to be discussed, as well as a series of regional and international issues of common interest.
 
On the sidelines of the Council, the Minister of Foreign Affairs is expected to hold a series of contacts, including separate meetings with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of France, Jean-Yves Le Drian, and with the European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, Olivér Várhelyi, with whom he is due to  discuss issues of common interest, respectively, it concludes.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Varosha, the fenced off section of the Turkish occupied town of Famagusta, is often described as a ‘ghost town’.
 
UN Security Council resolution 550 (1984) considers any attempts to settle any part of Varosha by people other than its inhabitants as inadmissible and calls for the transfer of this area to the administration of the UN. UN Security Council resolution 789 (1992) also urges that with a view to the implementation of resolution 550 (1984), the area at present under the control of the United Nations Peace-keeping Force in Cyprus be extended to include Varosha. On October 8, 2020, the Turkish side opened part of the fenced area of Varosha, following an announcement made in Ankara on October 6. Both the UN Secretary-General and the EU expressed concern, while the UN Security Council called for the reversal of this course of action.