Northern Cyprus, Macedonia appear on map in calendars for Greek police


The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) was mentioned as a country in a map printed in calendars distributed among Greek police officers, the police said in a statement Thursday.

An investigation into the matter was opened, the statement said, adding that the calendars were printed by a private company.

The map of the region in the planners included Northern Cyprus, a country Greece does not recognize, and the name "Macedonia," which Athens also does not recognize, arguing it implies appropriation of Greek heritage.

An immediate recall of all the calendars was ordered following the discovery, police said.

The island of Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when a Greek Cypriot coup took place after decades of violence against the island's Turkish community and Ankara's intervention as a guarantor power. It has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent years, including the latest initiative in Switzerland under the auspices of guarantor countries Turkey, Greece and the U.K. that collapsed in 2017.

In June, neighbors Greece and Macedonia struck a deal that would see the former Yugoslav country be renamed as the Republic of North Macedonia, bringing a decades-old dispute with Athens closer to being resolved.