Turkish half – where it is known as hellim – and Greek side submit joint application hailed as symbol of hope

Divisions in Cyprus represent one of Europe’s most intractable ethnic problems but an unlikely source of hope has emerged in the form of cooked cheese.

On the Turkish north-eastern half of the island it is known as hellim, on the south-western Greek side as halloumi. But whatever you call it, Cypriots’ shared love of the chewy and salty cheese – usually served grilled or griddled – has succeeded in uniting an island where years of mediation have failed.

A joint application from both sides to grant it the same protected status as champagne or Parma ham, meaning only cheese produced on Cyprus could be called halloumi or hellim, was published by the EU on Tuesday, which hailed it as a symbol of hope on an island which has been separated by a buffer zone since Turkish troops invaded in 1974 after Greece ordered a coup.

The president of the European commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, said the joint cheese application shows “the commitment of both communities of Cyprus to work together on projects unifying the whole island”.



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He added: “The common understanding reached around this application is highly symbolic and it confirms the willingness of the two parties to work together with the help of the commission to build confidence with concrete measures.”

Juncker also praised the leaders of both sides – Mustafa Akıncı, the recently elected Turkish Cypriot leader and his Greek Cypriot counterpart, Nicos Anastasiades.

Juncker said: “I would like to commend and pay tribute to the two leaders for their efforts that make possible this outcome … Halloumi/Hellim cheese symbolises the shared heritage of the island of Cyprus. It is a tradition which has linked the communities living here for centuries.”

In a statement the EU suggested it would approve the application subject to changes to the trading regulations across the green line that divides the island.