DISY President Averof Neophytou's visit to the fenced area of Varosha was criticized by the head of the CEC, Oghuzhan Hasipoglou, saying that the town no longer needs to be turned into a "tool of politics".
According to the Press and Information Office, the T/C press refers to a written statement by Mr. Hashipoglu in which he also criticized Averof Neophytou's call to the T/C side to unite the island and his statements that "if Varosha is lost, Cyprus will be lost", and that he visited the region to see the destruction in his homeland "not for elections".
"Now is the time to develop this area economically and touristically. If we had not shown this will, many Greek Cypriots and foreign tourists, including Neophytos, would not be able to visit this area. They owe us a debt of gratitude and they also owe an apology to their own citizens."
However, he argued that the visit of a Greek Cypriot politician to Varosha is an important moment to see that it is no longer a ghost town.
Hashipoglu added that the fenced area had become a symbol of the status quo in negotiations for decades and argued that they should thank "the TRNC state", as he referred to the pseudo-state, for destroying it.
He also argued that unless the JCC and Ersin Tatar show will and promote a new concept of politics, Varosha will continue to be the subject of negotiations.
Stressing that the Republic of Turkey fully supports this new concept of politics, Hashipoglu said that "the statements of the Vice President, Fuat Oktay on the issue of Varosha should be taken into account."
"These beautiful beaches are overflowing with people from both north and south, and those who claim to be owners should seek their rights through the real estate commission."
Electricity, drainage, roads and all infrastructure are currently being renewed with the significant contributions of the Republic of Turkey, he added, noting that this area, "which is the territory of the TRNC" as he called the pseudo-state, is beginning to be fully prepared for the benefit of the whole island.
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