FAST-food giant McDonald’s did not sanction a visit to the north last week by its Turkish franchisee, the company’s Cyprus operation said yesterday.
McDonald’s Cyprus announced, in a paid advertisement in the local press, that the company’s representative in Ankara had no right to open a franchise in the north.
The company stated that the franchise for McDonald’s in Cyprus belonged to the company Family Restaurants Andreou & Co Ltd, which holds the exclusive rights to develop the McDonald’s brand all over the island, according to its contract with McDonald’s International.
“McDonald’s International states clearly and categorically that the visit by the Turkish representative to the north was not in his capacity as a representative of McDonald’s International,” the advertisement said.
Ten businessmen representing American companies in Turkey travelled to the north a week ago on a US government-backed visit as part of a campaign to end the isolation of the Turkish Cypriots. The Cyprus government was incensed that the delegation was accompanied by an official from the US embassy in Ankara, who was going to enter the island through occupied Tymbou airport.
It emerged later that all of the ‘American’ businessmen were in fact Turks and than many had gone to the north of their own initiative and without the knowledge of their international head offices.
One was the McDonald’s representative in Ankara, which resulted in headlines in the Turkish Cypriot press saying McDonald’s would be opening up in the north.
“There were a lot of calls from Greek Cypriots all over the world,” said Renos Andreou, a representative of McDonald’s in Cyprus.
“We received emails from Australia, Canada, US and England. They were protesting about the so-called decision of the McDonald’s corporation to open up restaurants in the north of Cyprus, which is far from the truth.
Andreou confirmed that the visit was the act of individual businessmen from Turkey acting on their own initiative. They would have no right to open a McDonald’s in the north, and McDonald’s was unaware of the visit, Andreou added.
“When we contacted McDonald’s International they categorically denied any involvement and reiterated that Andreou was the official franchisee of Cyprus and he has the right to develop the whole island of Cyprus,” he said. “No one else can possibly open a restaurant in the north of Cyprus and most probably they (the Turkish businessmen) didn’t know the procedures. It was mainly the Turkish press that said McDonald’s was involved.”
