AKEL on Cyprus Missing Persons Day
AKEL C.C. Press Office, 29th October 2019, Nicosia
This day 45 years ago, 29th October 1974, Turkey’s occupation army released the last prisoners of war. Today’s Missing Persons of Cyprus Remembrance Day is a reminder that for decades hundreds of families of our compatriots are continuing the search for the fate of their children, parents, brothers and sisters. The drama of the missing persons is a constant reminder of the invasion and occupation, of the chauvinist crimes committed against the Cypriot people as a whole. It is also a constant reminder of the magnitude of the treachery committed against our homeland.
The ongoing refusal of Turkey and the occupying army to truly co-operate in the effort to verify the fate of the missing persons is the first and main reason for the stagnation observed on the matter. If Turkey opens up its archives then it will be possible in a short period of time to proceed to the identification of the overwhelming majority of our missing persons. At the same time, the passage of time objectively increases obstacles and difficulties.
AKEL supports the efforts to determine the fate of all the missing persons, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. Of the 1,510 Greek Cypriot missing persons, 815 are still missing, while of the 492 Turkish Cypriot missing, only 265 have been identified. This is a humanitarian duty and moral obligation towards the families of all Cypriots who have lost the trace of their beloved ones, for answers to be given on the case of each and every missing person.
AKEL will continue to raise the issue of the Missing Persons in Cyprus, Europe and beyond more widely. It will continue to work in the European Parliament for the financial support provided towards the work of the Committee of Missing Persons to continue, for the appointment again of a European Parliament Special Rapporteur on the Missing Persons of Cyprus and for substantial international pressure to be exerted on the occupying power.
The need to turn a page in History and move forward passes through the truth about all the tragic cases of the missing persons in Cyprus, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. This will make a huge contribution to the efforts for the reconciliation of the two communities, so we can move forward to the future, with knowledge and an awareness of the past.
