MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th November, 2020) Cypriot Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides says he is concerned that there is a risk of Turkey annexing the north of Cyprus if no solution to the territorial dispute is found by 2023.
"Unfortunately, the occupied areas [of Cyprus], areas in northern Syria, areas in northern Iraq are all potential targets for [Turkish President] Mr. [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan and this is something that should trouble us and of course we are concerned," Christodoulides said during a Monday meeting at the House finance committee, as quoted by the Cyprus Mail newspaper.
Christodoulides said that Turkey continues its provocations in Cyprus "due to Erdogan's neo-Ottoman approach" in light of the 100-year anniversary since the establishment of the Republic of Turkey, which will be marked in 2023.
Following the 1974 military operation by Ankara to allegedly protect the Turkish Cypriot population, Cyprus has been essentially divided, with the Turkish part recognized solely by Turkey.
On Sunday, Erdogan visited the northern Cypriot fenced-off town of Varosha to mark the 37th anniversary of the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Varosha, a once-popular tourist destination, was transformed into a ghost town following the Turkish invasion. In October, Erdogan announced the town's reopening, saying he would go there for a "picnic."
United Nations Security Council resolutions 550 and 789 condemn all resettlement attempts in the area.
