Nicosia: The Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus (CMP) has announced its appreciation for a significant donation from the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation, led by Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou. The foundation has donated excavating equipment valued at 45,000 euros to support the committee’s efforts in locating and identifying the remains of missing individuals, thus addressing long-standing uncertainties faced by affected families.
According to Cyprus News Agency, the CMP issued a press release highlighting the importance of this contribution to their ongoing program. The equipment will enhance the capacity of the committee’s operations, which aim to bring closure to families who have been uncertain about the fate of their loved ones for many years.
The geographical and political context of Cyprus plays a crucial role in the CMP’s mission. Cyprus has been divided since 1974 following a Turkish invasion that resulted in the occupation of 37% of the island’s territory. This division left hundreds of individuals
unaccounted for, prompting the establishment of the CMP. The committee was created through an agreement between the leaders of the two communities, with the goal of exhuming, identifying, and returning the remains of 492 Turkish Cypriots and 1,510 Greek Cypriots who went missing during the inter-communal conflicts of 1963-1964 and the events of 1974.
The CMP’s initiative, known as the Project on the Exhumation, Identification, and Return of Remains of Missing Persons in Cyprus, commenced in 2006 and receives co-funding from the European Union. As of now, the CMP has successfully identified 1,051 missing persons from both communities, marking significant progress in their humanitarian mission.