Nicosia: Presidential Commissioner Marios Hartsiotis travels to Athens on Tuesday for an official visit, on the occasion of the launch of the process to identify the remains that had previously been exposed to chemical substances and which mainly concern Greek nationals who have been missing or who fell in the 1974 events, a press release from the Commissioner's Office said. It added that, more broadly, the issue of Greek nationals who remain missing has entered a crucial phase.
According to Cyprus News Agency, during his visit, the Presidential Commissioner will hold a series of meetings and contacts, including with Greece's Deputy Minister of National Defence, Athanasios Davakis, the Chief of the Hellenic Army General Staff, as well as other relevant government officials. The discussions will focus on the progress of the identification process, the coordination of the next scientific and administrative steps, as well as further strengthening cooperation between the Republic of Cyprus and the Hellenic Republic on issues concerning Greek nationals who remain missing and those who fell in the 1974 events.
It is stressed that the Republic of Cyprus continues, with consistency and determination, its efforts to establish the fate of missing persons and to identify the remains of those who fell or remain missing, with absolute respect for them and their families. The Presidential Commissioner will be accompanied by Professor of Genetics and Head of the Missing Persons Identification Programme, Dr Marios Kariolou. Hartsiotis will conclude his visit on July 30.
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.