Nicosia: Presidential Commissioner Marios Hartsiotis and the Head of the UNDP Office in Cyprus, Jakhongir Khaydarov, co-signed a £380,000 funding agreement on Monday at the Presidential Palace to support the Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus (CMP) and its operations in 2026.
According to Cyprus News Agency, this year's contribution brings the Republic of Cyprus' total financial support to the CMP since 2005 to £4.77 million. The funding aims to assist the committee's efforts in locating, exhuming, identifying, and returning the remains of missing persons to their families.
Hartsiotis expressed his approval of the agreement, emphasizing that it reinforces the CMP's humanitarian efforts. He highlighted the issue of missing persons as a government priority and reaffirmed Cyprus' commitment to supporting the committee until all missing individuals are identified.
The statement revealed that 1,069 missing persons from both communities in Cyprus have been identified and returned to their families so far. The Republic of Cyprus is determined to continue supporting the CMP and its humanitarian mission.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974 following the Turkish invasion and occupation of 37% of its territory, leaving the fate of many people unknown. The Committee on Missing Persons was established through an agreement between community leaders to locate and return the remains of 492 Turkish Cypriots and 1,510 Greek Cypriots who disappeared during the conflicts of 1963-1964 and 1974.