Presidential Commissioner: Turkey bears enormous responsibilities on the Cyprus missing persons issue

The missing persons’ drama should finally end, said on Sunday Presidential Commissioner Photis Photiou and critcised Turkey for its enormous responsibilities.

Addressing the memorial service for the residents of Livadia village who fell during the Turkish invasion of 1974, he said that “after 47 years, this drama with 800 Greek Cypriots and Greeks still included in the sad list of missing persons cannot continue”.

The relatives of these people, he added, their parents and loved ones need to know what has happened to them. We owe them to do everything possible to ascertain the fate of all missing persons, exerting even greater pressure through the international community and condemn Turkey’s intransigent attitude, Photiou said.

He appealed once again, on behalf of the state and the Government, to those who know and can provide information that will facilitate investigations.

By honouring our heroes, we send the message once again to all that we continue the just struggle for an honourable, dignified and viable solution to the Cyprus problem.

Since the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, the fate of hundreds of people remains unknown.

A Committee on Missing Persons has been established, upon agreement between the leaders of the two communities, with the scope of exhuming, identifying and returning to their relatives the remains of 492 Turkish Cypriots and 1,510 Greek Cypriots, who went missing during the inter-communal fighting of 1963-1964 and in 1974. So far, the remains of 722 Greek Cypriots and 284 Turkish Cypriots were returned to their families. Since the beginning of the year, until May 2021, the remains of 12 individuals were identified and remains belonging to 6 people were exhumed in various excavations.