Erdogan affords "unprecedented provocation" - with a picnic in a ghost town

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan provoked Cyprus and Greece by visiting the town of Varosha in Northern Cyprus.

Istanbul - Turkish President

has the

coastal settlement of Varosha

, which was once inhabited by

Visited Northern Cyprus and thus re-fueled the conflict over the divided Mediterranean island.

On Sunday

took part in an

event

he himself called a “

” in the district of the port city of Famagusta, which was still closed a few weeks ago.

Varosha

is in the territory of only from

recognized

(KKTC).

It is clear who the "real owners" of Varosha are, said

in a joint statement with

President Ersin Tatar in Varosha.

Erdogan is currently just as acutely at odds with Cyprus as it is with Greece.

Tables were set up under a pavilion on the beach, as can be seen on photos.

The

by the ultra-nationalist politician Devlet Bahceli, with whose party

Islamic-conservative AKP

has a government

alliance

in

.

The two were greeted by stormy and rainy weather.

Turkey / Cyprus: Erdogan calls for negotiations on a two-state solution

The President of the

in the south, Nikos Anastasiades, had already described

visit to the coastal settlement of Varosha on Saturday as an "unprecedented

".

He also accused

undermining efforts by the

(UN), which wants to initiate new negotiations to overcome the division of the Mediterranean island.

The seemingly harmless “

” is symbolic and

further

strains

, with which Ankara is already fighting over natural gas reserves in the Mediterranean.

From the point of view of the EU country

,

visit

to Varosha is a further step towards the final division of the island.

In a speech in

,

,

called for

talks on a two-state solution.

Cyprus

has been divided since 1974 after a

and a

.

In the north there is the

Turkish Republic of

,

which is only recognized by

; the Republic of

in the south has been an EU member since 2004.

A UN-controlled buffer zone, in which the status quo of 1974 is to be preserved, separates the two parts of the island.

Famagusta in the east of the island is a symbol of division.

When the Turkish tanks advanced on the city in August 1974, around 40,000 residents of the

had to leave their homes.

Turkey / Cyprus: Varosha - formerly a tourist stronghold, today a ghost town

was once

a popular seaside resort where US actress Elisabeth Taylor vacationed.

After the Turkish intervention, the former tourist stronghold was declared a restricted military area.

Since then, the area has resembled a ghost town.

Hotels and houses are falling into disrepair.

For

decades, the

demanding that the former residents of the

- almost all Greek

- be able to return to their city under the administration of the United Nations.

But despite international criticism, the

partially for the first time since 1974 in early October.

A large

has since been accessible to holidaymakers and locals.

suspects that Ankara and the hardliner Tatar will gradually open other parts of Famagusta after the beach and then open them for settlement - contrary to the resolutions of the UN Security Council.

Legal professionals in Nicosia see an elaborate scheme behind the actions.

Because only the beach was opened and not the

itself, from

the status quo was not changed after 1974.

In order to make the beach

accessible to

, essential changes had to be made in the

.

Two central streets were re-paved as part of the partial opening and lead through the city to the beach.

The

set up bicycle paths and planted trees.

The EU has repeatedly criticized this.

In a further step, bars, cafes and shops such as rental car companies and travel agencies could emerge - and ultimately hotels too.

That would be like a gradual settlement, so the criticism from Nicosia.

Turkey / Cyprus: United Nations want a federation of two equal countries

According to analysts, the government of

could

go even further

with the support of

and the former residents of Varosha

call for an application to get their property back or for compensation.

With that the

would

recognize

the

.

Anyone moving to Famagusta would also have to

live

under

.

The Greek Cypriots are likely to do both

hardly be ready.

+

Turkey / Cyprus: Erdogan is in the conflict for a two-state solution.

© Umit Bektas / dpa / Xinhua

The solution to the

is now a long way off.

The aim of the

is to form a federation of two politically equal countries - a

in the south and a

in the north.

The

side has so far called for the formation of a loose confederation with a weak central government.

troops should stay on the island.

With the election of the hardliner Tatars as president in October,

moved further from its original position anyway.

The new president - like

- advocates a two-state solution.

Erdogan recently had to struggle with serious domestic political problems - including the withdrawal of a close confidante.

(

)