Christodoulides again proposes returning Varosha to its residents and opening Famagusta port under EU supervision

President of the Republic of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides has once again put forward the so-called “Famagusta proposal”: the closed-off district of Maraş (Varosha) would be placed under UN administration, with its lawful residents returning, while Famagusta port would be opened under the supervision of the European Commission.

According to the Cypriot publication Philenews, Christodoulides sees the initiative as a confidence-building measure that could help break the deadlock in efforts to resume full-scale negotiations on the Cyprus issue.

The proposal is based on a plan drawn up in 2006, when Finland held the EU Presidency. It envisaged that Varosha would first come under UN administration, after which its lawful residents would return. The second part of the plan was for Famagusta port to operate under the supervision of the European Commission.

The Finnish plan also included a reciprocal condition: Turkey was to lift restrictions on vessels flying the flag of the Republic of Cyprus entering Turkish ports and on aircraft in Turkish airspace. Ankara rejected the initiative at the time, and the planned meetings at technical and political levels were cancelled. Finland also hoped the plan would help break the deadlock in Turkey’s EU accession negotiations.

The proposal comes amid tensions surrounding the Turkish research vessel Oruç Reis. On 1 October, Turkey issued a NAVTEX—a navigational warning—for surveys in waters between its southern coast and Northern Cyprus. The work is related to a gas pipeline plan and will continue until the end of October.