Mayor of Famagusta Simos Ioannou, accompanied by Deputy Mayor Chrysanthos Zannetos, had a series of meetings in Washington and New York.

The mayor’s visit to Washington began with meetings with the four Greek-American Congress members Chris Pappas, Gus Bilirakis, Nicole Malliotakis and John Sarbanes, whom he informed about the situation in the Famagusta area.

He also held meetings with the Greek American and American Jewish Committee and had a working dinner with representatives of the State Department and a representative from the White House.

The Mayor and the Deputy Mayor then travelled to New York where they met with the UN department handling the Cyprus issue and the new Permanent Representative of Cyprus to the United Nations.

Speaking to Cypriots in New York, Ioannou said that the Famagusta Municipality represents the citizens of Famagusta who have been dispersed since 1974 throughout Cyprus and the world.

“Our purpose is twofold; To keep these people together so that we feel that we are Famagusta. To keep this social fabric of the city. The second purpose is to promote the issue of Famagusta around the world,” he noted.

“We are asking for the return of the fenced off area of the city, which is only 15% of the municipal boundaries because it is covered by Security Council resolutions 550 and 789, which explicitly say that this part must be returned to the legal residents before the Cyprus problem is resolved,” Ioannou stressed.

“Everyone recognises that we are right about the Famagusta issue and as they emphasize there is a clear violation of the status quo and that it is difficult to influence Erdogan,” he told CNA adding that “we must continue our efforts.”

Asked about the upcoming appointment of an envoy for the Cyprus problem by the UN Secretary General, Ioannou described it as “a positive development”.

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.

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. In his latest report to the Security Council, UN Secretary-General Guterres underlines the importance of adhering fully to UN resolutions, underscoring that the position of the United Nations on this matter “remains unchanged.”

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.