[MGSA-L] Cyprus: Rome exhibit on the ghost city of Famagusta

June Samaras june.samaras at gmail.com
Tue Oct 1 18:48:49 PDT 2013


http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/sections/culture/2013/10/01/Cyprus-Rome-exhibit-the-ghost-city-Famagusta_9391486.html

Cyprus: Rome exhibit on the ghost city of Famagusta

Turkey's chance to show good will, says mayor in exile
01 OCTOBER, 18:49

 ROME, OCTOBER 1 - In a European Union country is a ghost city, one part of
it occupied by a foreign army and the other sealed off to the world: it's
called Famagusta, on the island of Cyprus.

The city has been thus divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded the
northern part of the island on the pretext of an attempted coup by Greek
nationalists and created the so-called Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus,
which is not recognized by anyone except Turkey itself.

When Turkish troops began shelling the city, its 36,000 Greek-Cypriot
citizens fled their neighborhood, the Varosha quarter. This was fenced off
by the Turkish army immediately after being captured, and still remains in
that state today.

An exhibition titled 'Famagusta, the European Ghost City' at Rome's Pietro
Canonica Museum tells the story of the divided city through photos
documenting its urban life up until 1974, and the decadence of the Varosha
quarter since the occupation. A number of UN resolutions dedicated to the
city encircled by massive Venetian Qattrocento walls have called for
Varosha to be unsealed and for its original residents and homeowners to be
able to return to their properties, which are now empty and falling into
ruin. Famagusta's Greek-Cypriot mayor-in-exile Alexis Galanos is in Rome
for the show. He explains why Famagusta, one-fifth of which is currently
occupied by Turkish troops, could be a great opportunity for Turkey in
terms of its European ambitions.

''Famagusta is a special case. There are UN resolutions for the return of
its inhabitants, and there is also a road map, which we support: it
involves letting international experts inspect the sealed off quarter, come
up with stages for it to be reopened, reopening the port under EU
supervision, and finally the return of the population. In exchange, we will
reopen the key negotiation chapters for Turkey's adhesion to the EU.''
''Famagusta, remember, is a humanitarian problem'', added the mayor, who is
voted in by his fellow Greek-Cypriots in exile. The original inhabitants
''are not seeking revenge and they want Turkey to join the EU. A Turkish
military withdrawal from Famagusta would be a good will gesture. It would
also be the first time Turkish troops withdraw from territory they invaded
in 1974'', Galanos concluded. The exhibition is on view through October 2.
(ANSAmed).


-- 
June Samaras
2020 Old Station Rd
Streetsville,Ontario
Canada L5M 2V1
Tel : 905-542-1877
E-mail : june.samaras at gmail.com
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