It is imperative for Turkey to undertake responsible actions and contribute in concrete terms to an environment conducive to a swift resumption of the Cyprus settlement talks, an EU official said on Friday. Replying on behalf of European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, to a letter by professor Andreas Orphanides, a Greek Cypriot refugee with property in the Turkish-occupied part of Cyprus, Katarzyna Marzec, the Commission’s Turkey Acting Head of Unit, also said that the bloc continues to be guided by the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions regarding Varosha “which must be respected in full.”
 
Brussels also expects from Turkish authorities to follow-up on the legally binding rulings by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), Marzec added.
 
The EU official was replying to a letter by professor Orphanides, dated July 22, 2021, who wrote to von der Leyen to complain about the fact that EU candidate member Turkey “has failed to meet the Copenhagen criteria” and is “not executing the final judgments of the European Court of Human Rights.”
 
Orphanides is among the applicants of the “Xenides-Arestis” group of cases, who turned to the ECHR in relation to their property rights and obtained judgments against Turkey, who is occupying the northern part of Cyprus since 1974. Orphanides, who has yet to receive damages awarded by the Court back in 2010, asks for the immediate restoration of possession of his home and property in Turkish-occupied Lapithos, in the northern part of Cyprus.
 
He also requests that “the European Commission requires that Turkey fully complies with and implements the European Convention of Human Rights, as prescribed by the Copenhagen criteria, and executes immediately” the European Court’s judgements.
 
Replying to Orphanides’ letter, Marzec says the European Commission shares his concerns “about Turkey’s failure to continue credible reforms in line with the Copenhagen criteria for accession.”
 
“The EU Leaders have stressed that the rule of law and fundamental rights in Turkey remain a key concern. Many Turkey’s actions run counter to Turkey’s obligations to respect its international commitments in this respect.  As a long-standing member of the Council of Europe, we also expect the Turkish authorities, including the Turkish judiciary, to follow-up, as a matter of urgency on the legally binding rulings by the European Court of Human Rights” the EU official stresses.
 
Regarding the Cyprus issue, Marzec notes that the EU’s position is unchanged as confirmed by the European Council of 24-25 June 2021. “The EU remains fully committed to the comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem based on a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation with political equality, in accordance with the relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions and the principles on which the EU is founded” she goes on.
 
Regarding Varosha, the EU official says that the announcements made by Turkey’s President Erdoğan and the Turkish Cypriot leader on July 20, 2021, constitute an “unacceptable unilateral decision to change its status.”
 
She refers to the High Representative’s statement and declaration on the issue, and notes that the EU welcomed the Statement made by the President of the UN Security Council on behalf of the Council, on July 23, 2021, and in particular the Security Council’s condemnation and expression of deep regret about the unilateral actions in Varosha that run contrary to the Security Council’s previous resolutions and statements.

“The EU equally called for the immediate reversal of these actions and the reversal of all steps taken on Varosha since October 2020” Marzec notes. She concludes by saying that the Commission will continue to closely monitor developments in this regard and assess the situation in its annual report on Turkey.
 
Turkey invaded Cyprus on July 20, 1974. Numerous UN backed talks to reunite the island have failed to yield results.

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.

Turkish Cypriot leader, Ersin Tatar, announced in July 2021 a partial lifting of the military status in 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.