Under the title “An ‘inspection’ impasse on the halloumi/ hellim registration”, Turkish Cypriot daily Yeni Duzen (24.03.15) reports that while in Turkey some companies produce halloumi/ hellim under the name “hellim peyniri” (halloumi cheese), the Greek Cypriot administration in south Cyprus, (Translator’s note: as the Republic of Cyprus is referred) continues its initiatives to register it as a protected designation of origin (PDO) in the EU.
To the call of Cyprus Agriculture Minister Nicos Kouyialis for cooperation to designate halloumi as a PDO product for the benefit of all Cypriots, the self-styled minister of food, agriculture and energy, Onder Sennaroglu said that the way of solution, which envisages that the Greek Cypriot side will be the only authority on the issue of halloumi inspection and will also inspect the Turkish Cypriot producers, is unacceptable.
Sennaroglu accused the Greek Cypriot side of continuing to politicize the registration of halloumi, which is a joint culture and economic product of both communities. Noting that this approach is against the spirit of the Joint Declaration of February 11, 2014, Sennaroglu claimed that the Greek Cypriot side tries to enforce on the Turkish Cypriot halloumi producers its own solution and dominance by making the halloumi issue a dominance issue within the framework of the diplomatic war.
Sennaroglu noted that the Turkish Cypriot side supports the issue of halloumi registration to be resolved within the confidence building measures (CBMs), adding that a result reached with this understanding will encourage an understanding of partnership and will serve to reach an agreement in the island.
Responding to Kouyialis’ call for cooperation, the “chairman of the Turkish Cypriot chamber of industry” Ali Cirali said: “He made a call to the Turkish Cypriots for cooperation, but he did not mention on which issue he wants cooperation”. He added that the most important issue on the registration of halloumi as PDO is not the name whether it is halloumi or hellim but rather the inspection of the halloumi production.