Brussels: The European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) is set to discuss the pressing issue of missing persons in Cyprus on Tuesday in Brussels. This discussion follows a proposal by Cypriot MEP Loucas Fourlas and LIBE Standing Rapporteur Fran§ois-Xavier Bellamy, who have been advocating for attention on this humanitarian concern.
According to Cyprus News Agency, the agenda for the meeting includes an exchange of views focusing on the families of missing persons from both the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities and the implementation of EU funding for reconciliation projects. Participants in the exchange will include Bellamy, Giulia Bertezzolo, Head of Unit of Cyprus Settlement Support, and representatives from organizations representing relatives of missing persons from both communities, such as Charita Mantoles and Erbay Akansoy.
The LIBE Committee has emphasized its commitment to monitoring the situation of missing persons in Cyprus. This debate is seen as a vital opportunity to revisit the issue and highlight the ongoing humanitarian challenges.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, following the invasion and occupation of 37% of its territory by Turkish troops. The division has left the fate of hundreds of individuals unresolved. A Committee on Missing Persons was established through an agreement between the leaders of the two communities, tasked with exhuming, identifying, and returning the remains of 492 Turkish Cypriots and 1,510 Greek Cypriots who disappeared during the inter-communal conflicts of 1963-1964 and 1974.
As per the latest data published on the CMP website by May 31, 2025, out of 2,002 missing persons, 1,707 have been exhumed, and 1,054 identified. Among the Greek Cypriot missing, 758 remains have been located and identified, while 752 remain unaccounted for. For the Turkish Cypriot missing, 296 remains have been identified, leaving 196 still missing.
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