Nicosia: Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides reaffirmed on Tuesday the Government's commitment to intensifying efforts to determine the fate of all missing persons in Cyprus. In a separate meeting, representatives of Turkish-occupied communities expressed their backing for renewed reunification talks ahead of a visit by UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, to the island, next week.
According to Cyprus News Agency, during his meeting with representatives of organisations of relatives of missing persons from Cyprus and Greece, President Christodoulides outlined initiatives being pursued at local, European, and international levels to advance investigations into one of the island's longest-standing humanitarian issues.
Presidential Commissioner Marios Hartsiotis stated that the government was stepping up efforts to establish the fate of all missing persons and confirmed that the issue would be raised by the President during the UN Secretary-General's upcoming visit to Cyprus.
Maria Kalbourtzi, President of the Panhellenic Committee of Parents and Relatives of Undeclared Prisoners and Missing Persons of the Cyprus Tragedy, welcomed progress in the identification of remains, including those subjected to chemical treatment, and said work was continuing to identify additional remains and return them to families. She also highlighted plans for a renewed international awareness campaign on the issue.
Pancyprian Organisation of Relatives of Missing Persons President Nikos Sergides stated that the organisations and the government had agreed on specific actions to promote the issue internationally, including through the European Parliament and the European Commission.
Earlier on Tuesday, representatives of the Committee of Occupied Communities from Famagusta, Nicosia, and Kyrenia also met with President Christodoulides, expressing support for his efforts to resume Cyprus peace negotiations on the basis of United Nations resolutions and European Union principles.
Committee Chairman Michalis Tziortas mentioned that members were briefed on the latest developments in the Cyprus problem and preparations for the UN chief's visit. He stressed that a continued deadlock was "the greatest danger" and called on political institutions, the Church, and all stakeholders to support efforts towards a comprehensive settlement.
The meeting also covered issues affecting displaced persons, including loss of use of occupied properties, place names, and confidence-building measures.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37% of its territory. Since then, 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.
According to statistical data published on the CMP website by June 30, 2026 out of 2002 missing persons 1,719 were exhumed and 1,075 were identified. Out of 1,510 Greek Cypriot missing persons 764 were identified and 746 are still missing. Out of 492 Turkish Cypriot missing persons 311 were identified and 181 are still missing.