Turkish plan to reopen Cyprus ghost town strains rapprochement with Egypt

Egypt slams the Turkish plan to reopen the town of Varosha in the eastern part of the island of Cyprus, at a time when talks to normalize ties between the two countries have stalled.
A view of deserted buildings in the tourist area of Varosha, in the fenced-off area of Famagusta, in the Turkish-occupied north of the divided eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus, Nov. 02,2013.
A view of deserted buildings in the tourist area of Varosha, in the fenced-off area of Famagusta, in the Turkish-occupied north of the divided eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus, Nov. 02,2013. - Yiannis Kourtoglou/AFP via Getty Images
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Mohamed Saied
@MohamedSaiedF

The Turkish plan to reopen the town of Varosha, located on the eastern side of Cyprus and whose indigenous Greek Cypriot people left it nearly half a century ago, triggered criticism in Egypt.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a July 21 statement that the Turkish move is a violation of the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions.

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