United Nations, 23 July 2021
Cyprus welcomes the statement just made by the President of the Security Council on Varosha.
We thank the Council for responding swiftly and robustly to the disconcerting developments in Cyprus on the 20th of July, in line not only with the call of my government, but also the serious concerns that have been widely expressed by several countries and by the members of the Council in their meeting on 21 July 2021.
What is now crucial is to see compliance with the resolutions and decisions of the Council on Varosha before the violations we now experience escalate further.
At the same time, all actions already undertaken to alter the status of Varosha, in contravention of the very clear provisions of these SC resolutions, need to be reversed without delay.
The seriousness of the developments in Varosha since October 2020 cannot be overstated, nor their impact on peace in Cyprus.
The Cyprus government is committed to the reunification of the island as a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation, with political equality as set out in the relevant UNSCRs.
We rely on the active support of the international community to ensure that alternative schemes, which are not intended to serve the best interests of Cypriots, are not imposed through the creation of facts on the ground, like the ones we are witnessing in Varosha, or through the refusal to negotiate reunification in the Cyprus peace process.
My government will continue to monitor developments closely and we are certain that the United Nations will do likewise.