NO. 81
Washington, DC—The American Hellenic Institute (AHI) commends, the co-chairs of the Congressional Hellenic Caucus, U.S. Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) and U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), along with U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH), who wrote to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urging him to fully implement United Nations resolutions regarding Varosha, as well urging the imposition of multilateral sanctions on Turkey. The House members sent the September 13, 2021 letter, ahead of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly. It had nineteen signatories total.
According to AHI President Nick Larigakis, although the United Nations Security Council has issued statements criticizing Turkey’s attempts to change the status of Varosha, including a United Nations Security Council Presidential Statement on July 23, no actions have been taken to stop Turkey’s actions.
“The severity of the threat that Turkey poses to Cyprus is the highest it has been in 47 years, when it first invaded the island,” President Larigakis said. “As such, the United States and the international community need to take substantive steps to deter and contain Turkey’s aggression towards Cyprus, including their efforts to change the status of Varosha. Unfortunately, while the United Nations has issued statements critical of Turkey, which are warranted, the United Nations has not imposed any punitive measures on Turkey, such as sanctions.”
He added, “Furthermore, the United Nations often references previous United Nations resolutions on Cyprus which authorize the United Nations to assert its jurisdiction over Varosha should Turkey attempt to change its status. However, the United Nations has not presented any plan to actually implement these resolutions. We commend the Hellenic Caucus leadership, Congressman Pappas, and all the signatories of the letter for sending a clear message to the United Nations that words are not sufficient, and that substantive measures need to be taken.”