The President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, issued a written statement on the Day of the Missing.
As the President notes, today’s Day of the Missing is a day of remembrance and national responsibility. It is a day to honor all those who remain missing as a result of the Turkish invasion of 1974, as well as those who went missing during the Turkish insurgency of 1963–1964.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
Here is his written statement in its entirety:
Today’s Day of the Missing is a day of remembrance and national responsibility. A day to honor all those who remain missing as a result of the 1974 Turkish invasion, as well as those who went missing during the Turkish insurgency of 1963–1964.
We stand respectfully alongside their families, who for decades have endured the anguish of uncertainty and rightfully await answers regarding their loved ones.
For the Republic of Cyprus, the issue of the Missing Persons is first and foremost a humanitarian one, and our efforts will continue until the fate of even our last Missing Person has been determined.
Within this framework, we provide substantial support for the work of the Committee on Missing Persons, offering every form of institutional, technical, and financial assistance. At the same time, we are intensifying our efforts to collect, evaluate, and utilize testimonies and archives; to expedite exhumations and identifications; and to provide families with meaningful updates.
At the international level, we are making the issue of the Missing Persons a priority, and it is a topic of discussion in every meeting with the Turkish Cypriot leadership, Turkey, the United Nations, the European Union, and the international community.
Our position is clear and specific: Full and unconditional access to the archives of the Turkish army and any other relevant agency. Hand over all information regarding burial sites, the transfer of remains, and military operations. Facilitation of investigations and exhumations in military zones and other areas where access is currently restricted, and substantive cooperation with the CMP and the relevant international organizations.
At the same time, support for the families of the Missing remains our ongoing obligation. As a government, we will continue to address the social, economic, and other challenges they face with sensitivity and consistency, through targeted policies and ongoing dialogue with their organizations. It is precisely within this framework that the Cabinet’s decision was made to provide care to the parents and spouses of missing persons and those killed in action, without any financial criteria.
Taking today’s occasion as a starting point, I call once again on Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot side to respond substantively to the issue of providing information held by the Turkish military and granting access to potential burial sites.
Today we renew our pledge that we will not settle for oblivion and will not accept inaction. The truth about every Missing Person is an essential prerequisite for justice, reconciliation, and a sustainable peace in our homeland. Until documented answers are provided for everyone, our efforts will continue unabated. We owe this to the children and the surviving parents and relatives of the missing persons. Above all, however, we owe it to the parents—the mothers and fathers—who passed away while grieving the absence of their children.
