Exhibition goes on despite Turkish objections

A CYPRIOT photo exhibition in Brussels, which was being threatened with closure after complaints over the use of the term “Turkish Invasion” in the brochure, will go ahead as planned it was announced yesterday.

The exhibition, entitled “Promotion of cultural values through the protection of cultural heritage” was scheduled to be displayed from the November 15 at the Committee of Regions (CoR), by a delegation from the Union of Cyprus Municipalities.

However, the CoR received several complaints, reportedly from Turks and not Turkish Cypriots, about the terminology used in the literature.

The complainers also objected to the distribution of flyers which contained the same text, but which they claim had not been submitted for CoR approval.

Kyenia’s municipal secretary Irene Kokoti said yesterday “We have now received an official reply (from the committee of regions) that the exhibition will continue as planned.”

The announcement follows an earlier decision by CoR to close the exhibition today if it were found that the phrase “Turkish invasion” was not included in the official language of the European Union.

CoR allowed the exhibition to continue yesterday after they confirmed this was an approved term.

However, the exhibition has not been entirely without setbacks. CoR Secretary-General Gerhard Stahl cancelled his welcoming speech at the exhibition’s opening ceremony. The delegation considered it “unjustifiable”, but reluctantly chose to withdraw their flyers.

The reasons for this were stated in a letter to the Stahl and CoR President Mercedes Bresso, written by Kato Polemidia Mayor George Georgiou.

Georgious wrote: “As you know, the official reason that was initially given to the organisers …. was that the organisers had not submitted the exhibited material for approval to the relevant CoR services…  Our opinion is that since the CoR has approved the exhibited material, there is no valid reason for asking the organisers to bring it down.”

The exhibition will now remain open until the November 26.

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