Valletta's sister European Capital of Culture, Leeuwarden-Fryslân 2018, has decided not to send any more official representatives to Valletta, as long as the organisation Valletta2018 (V18) "does not distance itself from their offensive tone which refers, most notably, to the relatives of the murdered journalist, Daphne Caruana Galazia."

Cultural Capitals always come in pairs.

The Leeuwarden-Fryslân 2018 (LF2018) Foundation has decided not to send any official representatives to Valletta, as long as the organisation Malta-Valletta2018 (V18) "does not distance itself from their offensive tone which refers, most notably, to the relatives of the murdered journalist, Daphne Caruana Galazia."

LF2018 has said that it will also send no more official invitations to Malta-Valletta2018 (V18) until further notice.

"LF2018 believes that V18 representatives have put the values of a European Capital of Culture under pressure as a result of the way in which the V18 organisation has presented itself in the (social) media regarding the slain journalist. The projects within the Valletta2018 collaboration programme will continue to be supported; the cultural dialogue therefore remains in place as far as LF2018 is concerned."

"The artistic managers remain completely free in their decisions regarding the form and content they want to give to their projects. The decision by LF2018 to temporarily freeze administrative contacts was taken after broad consultation at both national and European level, and after various signals were given to the organisation of V18," a statement by Tjeerd van Bekkum, CEO Leeuwarden-Friesland European Capital of Culture 2018, read.

"Meanwhile, the V18 organisation has been informed of our decision. As long as the V18 organisation fails to distance itself from the offensive tone which particularly relates to the relatives of the murdered journalist Daphne Caruana Galazia, the decision remains in place. The ideology of a European Capital of Culture should not be discredited. It is our responsibility, as well as that of other European Capitals of Culture, to defend these values."

In an earlier statement, shared on the website www.2018.nl (published on 17th April 2018), and through various other outlets, LF2018 has already stated that every attack on artistic freedom, freedom of the press and freedom of expression is reprehensible; "these hard-won freedoms also form the basis for a democratic constitutional state."