Cyprus Defence Minister Charalambos Petrides assured that the struggle to ascertain the fate of the missing persons will continue until the end, without ignoring the insurmountable obstacles since Turkey power refuses to contribute to efforts to resolve this humanitarian problem.
Speaking at the memorial service of the people of Trahoni, Kythrea who were executed in cold blood or fell while fighting during the advancing Turkish troops in 1974, Petrides said the relatives of the missing are being tormented for 48 years as they still do not know the fate of their loved ones.
He paid tribute to the 19 Trahoni residents who were killed and the 15 who are still missing, with their village receiving the most destructive blow in the second phase of the Turkish invasion. Old people, priests and mothers with their children were cold bloodily killed by the Turks. “The uncivilised invaders showed no sign of humanity or shame as they killed women, children and infants,” the Minister said.
Despite the suffering and pain and continued occupation, we have a duty to stand up and walk on the difficult path of virtue and maintain hope for an acceptable and viable solution to the Cyprus problem, Petrides noted.
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.
Source: Cyprus News Agency