MEPs have been urged to back a campaign aimed at highlighting a “humanitarian crisis” in the Cypriot city of Famagusta.
A delegation of Greek Cypriots were in parliament on Thursday to lobby for support from parliament for their case.
They say that since 1974, the city has been ‘illegally’ occupied by Turkish troops and now resembles a ‘ghost town.’
Cypriot centre-right MEP Panayiotis Demetriou appeared at a news conference with the Mayor of Famagusta, Alexis Galanos, in a bid to highlight the issue.
Demetriou said the town should be returned, without delay, to its ‘lawful’ inhabitants - his fellow Greek Cypriots who left the city after Turkey invaded the north in 1974.
“It is effectively a ghost town. No-one lives there apart from the Turkish military who have occupied it for all this time,” he said.
Galanos said, “We are in Brussels to make people aware of what is going on in Famagusta and put pressure on the international community, including the EU, to support our case.
“People cannot continue to hide this problem under the carpet.”
Both agreed that the issue was “closely linked” to Turkish ambitions of joining the EU.
“If this problem can be resolved then it may go some way to resolving the whole Cypriot problem,” said Galanos.
“But one thing is sure – this issue can no longer be ignored.”
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