Nicosia: The Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) has reaffirmed its dedication to resolving the fate of individuals listed as missing, pledging to continue its work until all cases are ascertained.
According to Cyprus News Agency, during a press conference on Monday, the three members of CMP-Greek Cypriot Leonidas Pantelides, Turkish Cypriot Hakki Muftuzade, and Third Member Pierre Gentile-outlined their strategy for 2025-2030. They also recalled the achievements under the previous strategy. Since 2006, the CMP has exhumed 1,707 remains, with 1,054 of the 2,002 individuals listed as missing since the events of 1963/64 and 1974 being identified.
The CMP expressed a strong belief in its capability to solve a substantial number of cases, aiming to bring closure to many families in the coming years. The committee acknowledges the urgency of its mission, as many families and witnesses are aging, and some have already passed away. Regular consultations with partners and internal discussions highlighted the need for increased efficiency and cost-effectiveness to enhance recovery and identification processes, objectives which are embedded in the new strategy.
Pierre Gentile emphasized the committee’s vision of improving efficiency and cost-effectiveness in all operational areas, aiming to expedite the project and provide timely answers to families.
Challenges remain, including imprecise burial site locations, relocation of remains, complex burial patterns, health and safety risks for CMP teams, unidentified remains, and a deficit in funding. However, the CMP sees positive outcomes from the previous strategy, such as testing new technology, developing new procedures, and forming new partnerships.
Addressing the committee’s longevity, Pantelides stated that they will persist until the last missing person’s fate is established, calling it a matter of principle. He highlighted the potential for CMP to remain operational even if the political situation changes, suggesting the need for it to adapt if a unified federal government emerges.
Pantelides acknowledged the difficulty in locating all missing persons, citing disturbances of graves, development over grave sites, and other challenges. Despite this, Muftuzade expressed optimism, noting the use of new technology and the arrival of two professors to test these technologies, which may help access difficult areas.
Muftuzade described the committee’s work as challenging yet sacred, emphasizing the importance of shielding their work from politicization and adhering to their main objective-returning remains to families and contributing to Confidence Building Measures (CBM).
The CMP remains hopeful as they approach the task of locating more remains. Addressing rumors of prisoners still alive in Turkey, Muftuzade clarified that the Red Cross reported all prisoners taken to Turkey have returned. Both Muftuzade and Gentile affirmed there is no credible information suggesting anyone remains imprisoned.
Pantelides stressed that CMP operates based on information, committing to investigate any reports of missing individuals being alive. The committee’s focus is solely on locating missing persons, not on assigning responsibility.
Despite the impossibility of the task, Pantelides highlighted the CMP’s success in collaboration between the two communities. Regarding military restrictions in the occupied north, Muftuzade mentioned a standing agreement that allows excavations in ten military sites annually.
Pantelides confirmed that the CMP continues to receive information via its hotline, underscoring the ongoing nature of their search efforts. Cyprus remains divided since 1974, with the fate of hundreds still unknown. The CMP was established to exhume, identify, and return the remains of 492 Turkish Cypriots and 1,510 Greek Cypriots who went missing during the conflicts of 1963-1964 and 1974.