Nicosia: The State must support every effort aimed at ascertaining the fate of the missing, strengthen the procedures for investigation, exhumation, and identification, and keep this issue firmly among the priorities of public policy, said Defense Minister Vasilis Palmas, in his speech on behalf of the President of the Republic, during the memorial service and prayer held on Tuesday at the Makedonitissa Tomb - a military cemetery and war memorial in Nicosia - as part of the 41st Marathon of Love for the Missing. Representatives of organizations of relatives of missing persons in Cyprus and Greece, as well as of the Archdiocese, were in attendance.
According to Cyprus News Agency, this year marks 52 years since the dark anniversary of the 1974 Turkish invasion, 'an event that indelibly marked the history of the Republic of Cyprus and shaped the modern course of our country.'
The issue of the missing persons holds a special place in this unresolved historical matter, he noted, adding that beginning in the 1960s, during the intercommunal conflicts, and continuing through the hostilities of 1974, hundreds of our fellow citizens were recorded as missing.
'Faced with this reality, the State has a duty to stand firmly by their side. It must support every effort aimed at ascertaining the fate of the missing persons, strengthen the procedures for investigation, exhumation, and identification, and keep the issue firmly among the priorities of public policy. At the same time, the international community must encourage cooperation among all parties involved, so that answers can be provided where silence has prevailed for decades,' he emphasized.
'Determining the fate of the missing is an act of justice toward the families, while simultaneously promoting a culture of respect for human dignity. Today's event reminds us once again that the issue of the missing does not belong to the past. It remains a present-day issue that requires public awareness and collective action,' the Minister underlined.
In his address on behalf of Archbishop Georgios of Cyprus, Bishop Gregorios of Mesaoria assured that "the Church of Cyprus will continue to strive to ascertain the fate of our last missing person, as well as to bring about peace and justice in this martyred land. We will not cease to support the continuation of the work of the Committee on Missing Persons for the exhumation and identification of the remains of those of our missing persons who have been killed.'
'In this way, we hope to heal the unspeakable pain and the long-standing anguish and uncertainty of dozens of families in our country. We reiterate once again that the resolution of the Cyprus problem depends on resolving the issue of our missing persons,' he concluded.
For his part, the President of the Pancyprian Organization of Relatives of Undeclared Prisoners and Missing Persons, Nikos Sergides, said that today, 52 years later, we are still searching for hundreds of missing persons.
"We have a duty to change this inhumane and unacceptable situation, which is the result of a negative and intransigent attitude on the part of Turkey, as well as a provocative tolerance on the part of the international community. For us, this is a national imperative toward our heroes and our history, but also a moral and legal obligation toward internationally recognized human rights,' he noted.
'Let today's 41st Marathon of Love for the Missing serve as a catalyst for all of us to reaffirm once again our unwavering determination to continue our humanitarian struggle, until the fate of every missing person and all the missing persons of Cyprus is ascertained,' he concluded.
Finally, the President of the Panhellenic Committee of Relatives of Undeclared Prisoners and Missing Persons of the Cyprus Tragedy, Maria Kalbourtzi, called for yet another effort to inform and raise awareness among citizens and states, at the European and international levels, to join forces with the relatives of the missing from Greece and Cyprus, so that the obvious becomes reality and an end is put to the long-standing search and the suffering of the families of the missing.
'We call once again on Turkey to cooperate substantively with the CMP, to provide all necessary information and access so that its work may be facilitated and yield the expected results. We call on the relevant authorities and the broader international community to hold Turkey accountable and exert the necessary pressure to ensure its cooperation in effectively investigating the fate of the missing persons,' she stressed.
She also called on the governments of Greece and Cyprus to engage in vigorous diplomatic efforts on this issue in decision-making centers.
'Cooperation between the two governments, Greece and Cyprus, is of paramount importance for the success of our common goal. Continuous mutual information-sharing and immediate, unreserved cooperation at the level of competent agencies and bodies is required. In this context, the exchange of experiences and resources, and the examination of every file held by both sides that may assist in determining the fate of the missing persons, is an absolute priority and necessity,' she added.
'Any delay slows down our efforts and facilitates Turkey's maneuvering to avoid fulfilling its obligations, its unwillingness to cooperate, and its attempt to close our humanitarian case,' concluded Kalbourtzi.
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 February 28, 2026 out of 2002 missing persons 1,714 were exhumed and 1,065 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 301 were identified and 191 are still missing.