Turkey’s plans to reopen Varosha ‘unacceptable provocation’ : Greek PM

Turkey’s plans to reopen the abandoned beach resort in Varosha are an “unacceptable provocation,” Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told French newspaper Le Figaro on Friday.

Greece had on Thursday called on Turkey to step back from reopening the resort in Northern Cyprus, warning that Athens and Nicosia stand ready to bring the issue before a European Union leaders meeting next week.

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Northern Cyprus reopened part of the beach of a resort that had been abandoned since the 1974 conflict on the divided island, Turkish state media said on Thursday.

Greek government spokesman Stelios Petsas said the reopening of an area in the abandoned town of Varosha to the public was incongruous with a decision at a European leaders meeting last week.

“Turkey has to take a step back,” Petsas said, adding that otherwise Greece and Cyprus will bring the issue before an EU summit scheduled for Oct. 15-16.