Take immediate action to send a deterrent message to the US that will have the power to discourage the president Erdogan to proceed to the opening of Varosion, the senators ask Bob Menendez and Chris Van Hollen by the president Joe Biden.
The letter from the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee was sent in view of her upcoming visit of President Erdogan to Cyprus on the occasion of the 47th anniversary of the Turkish invasion.
According to the APE, US senators advise the White House to take a grid of initiatives, which will include the threat of sanctions and will be able to put pressure on Turkey in both bilateral as well as in multilateral level.
In particular, Mr Menendez expresses his concern about the attempt to overthrow the UN Security Council resolutions and effort expansion of the Turkish military presence in occupied Cyprus.
He therefore asked President Biden to state them clearly concequenses what Turkey will be called upon to face if it continues to insist on these actions:
“President Erdogan’s plan to visit Turkish-occupied Cyprus on July 20, the anniversary of Turkey’s illegal invasion of Cyprus, will only aggravate an unacceptable situation. We urge you to work with the EU to make it clear in advance that any attempt by Turkey to support the resettlement or opening of Varos will be met with multilateral sanctions. You have rightly focused US foreign policy on the principles of human rights and the rule of law. “Any attempt by President Erdogan and Turkey to resettle or reopen Varos will be a grave violation of these principles.”
The senators also reminded that both the UN and the EU have condemned Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s actions to open the Varos coastline. As they emphasize, in fact, such multilateral statements raise the base, on which the US can rely to deepen its cooperation with the UN and the EU to ensure that Turkey remains accountable.
“In response (to President Erdogan’s actions), the UN Security Council issued a Presidential Declaration calling on Turkey to cease its activities and reaffirm Resolution 550 (1984), which”Considers unacceptable the efforts to relocate people to any part of Varos except its inhabitants and calls for the transfer of this area to the United Nations”.
The European Union also increased its pressure on Erdogan by issuing a statement on 11 December 2020, in which publicly denounces Turkey’s unilateral actions in Varos. “With Turkey’s activities continuing unabated, the EU reaffirmed its position and called for full respect for UN Security Council resolutions in a statement issued on June 25, 2021,” the senators said in a letter.
In addition, the head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee blames reluctance in Turkey to find a sustainable solution that will be able to withstand the test of time.
In this light, it links the violations in Varosia to a broader framework of behavior, which aims to undermine the prospects for the reunification of Cyprus on the basis of a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation.
In particular, the letter lists a number of Turkish actions moving along this line, which include:
- The Turkish obstacles that were put to the progress of the talks of the informal UN 5 + 1 meeting for the reunification of Cyprus.
- The proposal of the Turkish Cypriots for the establishment of two states in Cyprus in the most recent round of talks held in Geneva. These talks were the first to take place after the collapse of negotiations in 2017.
- The creation of a base of unmanned aircraft at the airport of Lefkonikos, which is located in the area of the occupied territories.
The letter concludes that a clear statement from the US and the EU should prevent President Erdogan from continuing to violate UN Security Council resolutions and the rule of law, while also thanking President Biden for the long-term support in Cyprus.
The letter is signed by, among others, powerful names of the Senate, such as the senators Jin Sahin, Marco Rubio, Chris Koons, Dick Derbin, Jack Reed , Cory Booker, Ed Markey, Seron Brown and Ron Weiden.
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