The Cyprus Tourism Organization services have been alarmed by the detection of the deadly strain of bird flu in the occupied territories of northern Cyprus.

According to StockWatch sources, the news have traveled all around the world and the CTO is highly concerned about the issue, since the reports on “Northern Cyprus” do not disengage the free areas. The CTO management has already launched a campaign in Europe to avert any negative repercussions on tourist arrivals to the free part of Cyprus.

Meanwhile the Cyprus government has taken all the necessary measures to prevent the transfer of flu in the free areas, while EU experts arrived in the Republic last night and have contacts with the competent authorities. The experts are expected to cross into the occupied territories today to have similar contacts with the T/C and ascertain whether the T/C measures fall under the general action plan against the flu.

It is worth noting that many questions have been raised with regard to the delays in the dispatch of sample from the occupied areas to Turkey and from Turkey to the EU laboratories.

“We knew that the T/C found out about this on January 12 and the samples had been sent to Turkey on January 20, which is 8 days later. This 8-day delay is completely unjustified”, Agriculture Minister said.