In uncharted waters, the Government is moving on the issue of Famagusta. The move of the Turkish side to call on the refugees to start the process that will allow them to recover their property and return to their homes in the enclosed area of Famagusta, creates embarrassment on the Greek Cypriot side. No one knows what is best to do. And although the Government may recommend to the people of Varos not to be seduced by the Turkish sirens, on the other hand it puts the necessary… queue that it is everyone's right to manage their property as they wish.
However, the people of Varosi, tired and disappointed by the long-standing and with their hopes of disappearing for a solution to the Cyprus problem, rush en masse to submit an application to the Real Estate Committee of the occupiers, thus obeying the persuasions of several lawyers. Among the latter is Achilles Demitriadis, who is a fanatical supporter of the effort to recover property in Varosi even under Turkish Cypriot rule. Indicative of the trend that prevails among the refugees is a publication of “Kathimerini”, which among other things reveals that already 300 beneficiaries have submitted applications to the Committee of the Occupied Territories.
The article also mentions the following:
“The new move of the Turkish Cypriot side for the return of property to Greek Cypriots does not violate the essence of the relevant UN decisions on the enclosed Varosia. On the contrary, the decisions of the ECtHR impose it and is the reason for the establishment of the Real Estate Commission (EAP), which according to law 67-2005 provides the Commission with three solutions: Compensation, exchange and return “. This interpretation is given to “K”, the right hand of Ersin Tatar, Oguzhan Hasipoglou, “MP” of the National Unity Party, referring to the opening of Varos. He even claims that “we would not want this move to negatively affect the negotiations”.
Based on the information that more than 300 Varosians have submitted applications to the Commission and are ready to return, Mr. Hasipoglou adds: “We ask the Greek Cypriots to submit applications to the EAP and tell us what they want.” At the same time, he reveals that “the people of Varosi can submit an application to the Commission not only for real estate, but also for movable property, such as e.g. valuable documents in bank safes and vehicles “. He concludes that the essence of the UN resolutions on Varosi concerns the return of property even without reaching a comprehensive solution.
