Italian MP and PACE rapporteur on Famagusta pays visit to Cyprus

Italian MP, Piero Fassino, on Sunday begins his official visit to the island as the rapporteur for the “Call for the return of Famagusta to its lawful residents” in the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).

Fassino will be in Cyprus on a working visit from June 5-8.

Fassino will be accompanied by the committee secretary, an announcement by the House of Representatives said.

During his visit to Cyprus, Fassino will be received by House speaker, Annita Demetriou, and is also expected to meet with representatives of the island’s political parties, the chairman of the House Committee on Foreign and European Affairs, Harris Georgiades, the Cypriot delegation to PACE, as well as with the foreign minister, Ioannis Kasoulides and the mayor and the municipal council of Famagusta, in Deryneia.

Fassino will also attend meetings with the UN Special Representative in Cyprus, Colin Stewart, and the head of the European Commission in Cyprus, Myrto Zambartas.

A PACE press release said that Fassino will also travel to the “northern part of the island” to meet with representatives of the Turkish Cypriot community and visit Varosha.

Turkish Cypriot leader, Ersin Tatar, announced in July 2021 a partial lifting of the military status in Varosha.

On October 8, 2020, the Turkish side opened part of the fenced area of Varosha, following an announcement made in Ankara on October 6.

Both the UN Secretary-General and the EU expressed concern, while the UN Security Council called for the reversal of this course of action.

In his latest report to the Security Council, UN Secretary-General Guterres underlined the importance of adhering fully to UN resolutions, underscoring that the position of the United Nations on this matter “remains unchanged.”