VAROSHA, (Cyprus): Turkish troops Thursday reopened parts of a Cyprus seaside resort that became a ghost town amid war in 1974, sparking controversy days ahead of an election in the breakaway Turkish north.

The move at the long-deserted holiday paradise of Varosha threatened to further inflame tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean, where Turkey has been engaged in a bitter maritime disputes with Greece and Cyprus.

Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades slammed the move as a "flagrant violation of international law and the resolutions of the UN Security Council" while its close ally Greece warned it would raise the issue with EU partners.

As the gates were opened for the first time in decades, with troops guarding the site, scores of visitors streamed in taking smartphone pictures of a city seemingly frozen in time, with trees and bushes growing from abandoned cafes, shops and houses.