The presidential candidate for the 2023 Cyprus elections Mr Achilleas Demetriades is currently in London to participate in a series of events, organised by expatriate Cypriots, in the UK.
On Tuesday, March 22nd, Mr Demetriades was the key-note speaker at an event, hosted by the “Hellenic Centre”, in London, during which he briefed a wide audience, in English, on the latest developments with regard to the fenced off area of Varosha.
Following that, he gave a lecture on the same topic, in Greek, at the premises of the “Greek Cypriot Brotherhood”, in north London, briefing the audience on the most recent developments.
In his presentation, Mr Demetriades referred specifically to claims put forward by EVKAF (Turkish Cypriot religious endowment foundation) that Varosha belongs to the Foundation, saying these are simply not true. He explained that in 1960 a compromise agreement was reached between the British government and the Turkish Cypriot leadership, which received 1.5 million pounds as compensation and relinquished all rights on EVKAF properties.
He also stressed that the fenced off town of Varosha has a special status, according to UN Security Council resolutions 550 and 789. Today, he continued, a pilot case, relating to the property of a Varosha Greek Cypriot refugee, is still pending, demanding restitution and compensation for loss of use.
EVKAF is claiming to be an interested party in this case, a claim which Mr Demetriades has described as “not having any merit.”
