PARIS (Reuters) – French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian expressed support for Cyprus on Wednesday, after a move by Turkish Cypriot authorities to partially reopen an abandoned town for potential resettlement, which had drawn a strong rebuke from rival Greek Cypriots.
Le Drian said he discussed the matter on July 20 with his Cypriot counterpart and would be raising the topic at the United Nations.
The town in question, Varosha, has been deserted since a 1974 war split the island. Greek Cypriots fear Turkey intends to appropriate it. Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades described the move as “illegal and unacceptable”.
(Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
