Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI), as the national coordinator of Enterprise Europe Network (EEN), has intervened to remove promoting materials used in the framework of InterFood Eurasia 2026 expo, in Smyrna referring to the illegal entity in the Turkish occupied areas of the island and has welcomed corrective measures taken by the European Commission and relevant European actors.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.
An illegal breakaway entity declared independence unilaterally, on November 15, 1983, in the areas under Turkish occupation, an action condemned by the UN Security Council and the international community as legally null and void.
In a press release, CCCI expresses its satisfaction over the immediate response and steps taken which guarantee the reliability and integrity of actions implemented in the context of European programmes and reconfirm respect to the legal and political framework of the EU and its member states.
In particular, in the expo's promotional material a map had initially been used in which Cyprus was presented with a reference to the illegal entity as "KKTC".
CCCI Secretary General Philokypros Roussounides immediately contacted the European Commission and relevant EEN actors expressing his concern over the use of terminology and images which are not in line with the EU positions and international law. In a letter to the European Commission he asked the immediate withdrawal of the said material and its replacement with the proper reference to the Republic of Cyprus.
The European Commission replied that the matter was looked into immediately in cooperation with the relevant Turkish consortium. A B2B Matchmaking Event was removed from the official activities calendar of the EEN while the specific event will not longer be a network activity and will receive no funding, CCCI said.
The matter has been forwarded to the European Commission's relevant services responsible for EU-Turkish relations and monitoring relevant EU policies vis-à-vis Turkey for further relevant actions, it added.
In a statement, Roussounides welcomed the European Commission's and relevant European actors' "response as well as the steps taken to guarantee compliance with the EU legal and political framework".
"This response confirms the importance of respect in the fundamental principles of the EU and of international law in all actions implemented under the aegis of European institutions", he noted.
CNA/AAG/EPH/GV/2026
ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY