Interior Minister: Progress Needed in Missing Persons Investigations

Minister of Interior Konstantinos Ioannou emphasized the urgent need for substantial progress in the investigations to locate missing persons in Cyprus. The statement was made at the opening of the photographic exhibition by Christoforos Skarparis titled "Digging for Peace", in Strovolos.

The Minister stated that the Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) has reached a deadlock due to Turkey's unwillingness to cooperate. He also stressed that the issue of missing persons is primarily a human rights issue and that the Government is exerting pressure to ascertain their fate.

He also referred to the work of the CMP, which since 1981 has located the remains of 1,709 people and identified 1,058 Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot missing persons. Today, 944 of our compatriots are still missing. The Minister expressed the state's support for the work of the CMP.