We have not yet fulfilled our duty towards the missing persons due to the intransigence of Turkey, which persistently refuses to cooperate with good will and sincerity in the effort to establish the fate of every missing person, said Presidential Commissioner Photis Photiou on Saturday, on the occasion of the decoration of the Christmas Tree for the Missing Persons at the old Nicosia Town Hall.
The decoration of the tree with the photos of the missing persons symbolizes the responsibilities of Turkey and the ongoing drama of the relatives, Photiou said, adding that many of them have passed away with all the pain and anguish and without any answers to the questions about their beloved ones.
He added that the tree also symbolizes the reluctance of the international community to make a meaningful contribution to solving an entirely humanitarian issue that causes so much pain to the relatives.
“Turkey should finally respond positively to the appeals made. It should allow unrestricted exhumations in the occupied areas, provide clear answers on the deliberate and violent removal of the remains of the missing from their original burial sites and allow the researchers access to the archives of the occupation army, as it is obliged to do by the international conventions to which it is a signatory,” he said.
“On the occasion of today’s anniversary of the International Human Rights Day, we call on the world’s powers, the United Nations, the European Union, to take initiatives and stand with us in our struggle to curb Turkish intransigence and end the tragedy of the missing persons”, stressed Photiou.
The Mayor of Nicosia, Constantinos Yiorkadjis, said that during these holidays everyone seeks the warmth of their family and the embrace of those they love, adding that there are many of our fellow citizens who cannot experience this important feeling and for this reason the fate of the missing must be ascertained in order to end this torturous uncertainty with which they have been living for so many decades.
We do not forget our missing persons, we do not forget that for 48 years the human rights of the missing persons and their relatives have been blatantly violated, said the President of the Pancyprian Organization of Relatives of Undeclared Prisoners and Missing Persons, Nikos Sergides, stressing that the relatives of the missing persons will continue their humanitarian struggle regardless of the time and the obstacles that interfere until the fate of each missing person is determined.
Source: Cyprus News Agency