The Greek Cypriot side must remain focused on the basis of Cyprus negotiations as agreed between the two communities and as it is stated in the relevant UN resolutions, otherwise there will be partition of the island, government spokesman Stephanos Stephanou has said.

Speaking Sunday at a memorial service for a man who was missing since the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974 and whose remains have been identified through the DNA method, Stephanou said that Ankara and the Turkish Cypriot side are taking advantage of the current unproductive period in the direct talks on the Cyprus problem with a view to legalize the partition of the island, stressing that partition will be disastrous for the country and its people.

He also reassured of the government’s commitment and intense efforts in order for the Turkish side to change its intransigent stance at the negotiations, something that will lead to the termination of the Turkish occupation and the reunification of the country.

“If the negotiations start from a new basis, or if the process of the talks changes, the Turkish side will have the perfect alibi to eradicate the basis for a solution and to bring the issue of partition to the table, something that will lead to new adventures and new risks for our people”, he noted.

Stephanou said that a solution to the Cyprus problem will create conditions for peace, security and prosperity for all.

The spokesman also referred to the identification process for the missing people in Cyprus, reassuring that the government will continue to support the project of the Committee on Missing Persons and will continue its efforts so that the remains of all missing persons are returned to their families.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. As a result of the invasion, 1619 Greek-Cypriots were listed as missing, most of whom soldiers or reservists, who were captured in the battlefield.

Among them, however, were many civilians, women and children, arrested by the Turkish invasion troops and Turkish-Cypriot paramilitary groups, within the area controlled by the Turkish army after the end of hostilities and far away from the battlefield. Many of those missing were last seen alive in the hands of the Turkish military. A further 41 more cases of Greek Cypriot missing persons have been recently added. These cases concern the period between 1963-1964, when inter-communal fighting broke out but none of them has been identified yet.

The number of Turkish Cypriot missing since 1974 and 1963/64 stands at 503.

According the latest figures released in July 2012, the remains of 330 missing individuals – 264 Greek Cypriots and 66 Turkish Cypriots – have been returned to their families for proper burial.

The two communities in Cyprus-the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot-are engaged in UN-backed negotiations since 2008 with the aim to reunife the island under a federal roof.