A majority of European Parliament deputies on Thursday approved of a resolution condemning Turkey’s illegal activities in the closed-off Varosha coastal strip near the Turkish-occupied Cypriot city of Famagusta, warning that even the area's partial reopening "weakens prospects of a comprehensive solution to the Cyprus problem, exacerbating divisions and entrenching the permanent partition of the island."
The resolution calls on Turkey "to transfer Varosha to its lawful inhabitants under the temporary administration of the UN (in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 550/1984) and to refrain from any actions that alter the demographic balance on the island through a policy of illegal settlement."
A majority of MEPs underlined that a sustainable solution to reunify the island can only be found through dialogue, diplomacy and negotiations.
The resolution also called on the European Council to "maintain its unified position on Turkey’s illegal actions and impose tough sanctions in response."
On his part, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias later congratulated Vangelis Meimarakis, who heads up New Democracy's bloc of MEPs within the European People's Party (EPP) grouping, for joining Cypriot MEPs in promoting the resolution.
In a later post on his Twitter account, Meimarakis, a former ND president noted that "...for the first time, and by a wide majority, the European Parliament has approved the imposition of strict sanctions on Turkey, adopting an amendment tabled by Greek and Cypriot EPP representatives..."
