For decades, the Turkish army had kept the beach town of Varosha in Northern Cyprus fenced off and closed to the public—a symbol of the stalemate between the Turkish and Greek sides of the divided island. Greek Cypriots who fled the Turkish invasion of the northern part of the island in 1974 have never been allowed back to reclaim their property at the once-thriving resort. But as long as the area remained sealed off, they could dream of returning one day.
But earlier this month, hard-line Prime Minister Ersin Tatar of the National Unity Party announced—together with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan—that parts of the shoreline would be reopened. The following week, in a presidential election clouded by the Varosha decision, Tatar defeated the moderate incumbent, Mustafa Akinci.
