Leaders and representatives from Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot political parties participating in the bi-communal dialogue, under the auspices of the Slovak Embassy, expressed their ‘unwavering support’ for the continuation of Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) operations until the last missing person is identified. Politicians form both sides of the divide, jointly visited on Monday the anthropological laboratory of CMP. According to a joint communique, the activity aims to underline the importance of the CMP for both communities, to express appreciation and acknowledgement of CMP’ s hard humanitarian work and to reveal the unwavering support of all parties for the continuation of CMP’s operations until the last missing person is identified. ‘The CMP, established in 1981 by an agreement between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities, under the auspices of the United Nations, remains a vital institution dedicated to the search, identification, and return of missing persons to their families, a crucial avenue for healing, closure, and the restoration of human dignity to those affected”, the parties point out. The representatives of all political parties in Cyprus, add that they firmly believe in the humanitarian mandate of CMP to bring closure to thousands of affected families, through the return of the remains of their missing relatives ending their profound suffering. ‘Families of the missing have the right to know the fate of their loved ones. CMP’s mission and positive contribution to humanitarian imperative, reconciliation and peacebuilding, international obligations, financial commitment, awareness and advocacy, aligns with our shared commitment to truth, justice, and reconciliation on the island’, it is noted. The parties urge all relevant stakeholders including international organisations to join them in their commitment to ensuring the CMP’s effectiveness until the last missing person is recovered. They urge them to provide the necessary funding and resources to ensure the conclusive operations of the CMP and the necessary support to the Organization’s role to foster trust and reconciliation between the two communities, healing wounds of the past and building prospects for the future, as well as to fulfil international obligations based on human rights standards and international conventions, thus upholding the principles of justice. Finally, they reaffirm their shared vision for a reconciled and peaceful Cyprus, where the rights and dignity of all citizens are respected. Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.
Source: Cyprus News Agency