London: ITV Studios, a company owned by British television broadcaster ITV, has issued an apology after references to 'Turkish' and 'Greek' sides of Cyprus during the Thursday 6th August episode of Coronation Street. The apology comes after the National Federation of Cypriots in the UK sent a letter of complaint to ITV CEO Dame Carolyn Julia McCall earlier this month.
According to Cyprus News Agency, the Federation noted in an announcement that ITV Studios 'apologise that the language used was imprecise and has caused upset to the Cypriot community.' They added that the script 'was not intended to imply equivalency between the legitimate Republic of Cyprus and the territory claimed unilaterally by Turkey.'
ITV Studios also committed to avoiding future misrepresentations of the Cyprus issue and promised to 'pass your thoughts on to the editorial team at Coronation Street and we will be sure to be alert to these sensitivities and will avoid imprecision of this type in future.'
The letter of complaint from the National Federation of Cypriots in the UK highlighted the hurt caused to UK Cypriot viewers. The letter notes that many in the community 'are one of or descend from the 200,000 refugees who were forcibly evicted from their homes and communities in what is now occupied Cyprus, leaving for the sake of theirs and their loved ones' safety.'
The Federation's letter also stated that, in line with international law, the Republic of Cyprus is the only internationally recognised state on the island. It emphasized that the 'United Nations Security Council resolution 541 declared a breakaway state of 'northern Cyprus' to be 'legally invalid' and resolution 550 strongly condemned secessionist activities in the occupied area of Cyprus and urged UN Member states not to 'facilitate' any acts of secession.'
The Federation underlined that Turkey has illegally occupied the Republic of Cyprus since it invaded the island in 1974. Nine years later, in 1983, the occupation regime in the northern part of Cyprus made its illegal 'Unilateral Declaration of Independence.' To this day, no nation-state aside from Turkey recognizes the occupation regime.