Turkey has huge responsibilities over the issue of missing persons in Cyprus, Presidential Commissioner Photis Photiou said on Saturday. Speaking about the Cyprus issue, Photiou said that Turkish provocations and threats need to come to an end in order to facilitate the resumption of substantial negotiations.

He was addressing the funeral of Savvas Apostolides from Neo Chorio Kythreas, a Greek Cypriot who was killed during the 1974 Turkish invasion but was considered missing ever since.

Our aim is to determine the fate of all missing persons, the Presidential Commissioner said. “Turkey’s responsibilities over this issue are huge. They decline to provide evidence about the relocation of remains from the original burial places to other places that are still unknown. And this in order to hide the responsibilities for the mass executions of a large number of our compatriots who were detained” he added.

Photiou also referred to efforts for a Cyprus settlement and said that “it is imperative to end the unacceptable Turkish provocations and threats, in order to facilitate the way for the resumption of substantial negotiations.”

The aim is a Cyprus settlement which is in line with international law, EU principles and the acquis, as well as UN resolutions, he concluded.

The Republic of Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.