Cyprus Protests Opening of Ghost-Suburb’s Residential Area

Residents of Varosha or Famagusta, abandoned city, hold Cyprus and Greek flags during a protest against the Turkish President visiting the Turkish occupied part of the island at the north and the 47th anniversary against the Turkish invasion in the island, in Dherynia, Cyprus, on July 19, 2021. Petros Karadjias/AP Photo

PARALIMNI, Cyprus—The government of ethnically split Cyprus lodged formal protests with the United Nations and the European Union on Tuesday over a decision by Turkey and breakaway Turkish Cypriots to reopen a residential section of an abandoned, military-controlled suburb.

Calling the move a veiled bid to acquire more territory that could scuttle peace efforts, the government said the five permanent U.N. Security Council members would be informed about what President Nicos Anastasiades called a contravention of council resolutions prohibiting any change to the coastal area’s status and which call for the return of Varosha to its legal inhabitants.