Bambos Charalambous MP letter to Stephen Doughty for UK funding to Committee of Missing Persons in Cyprus”
Given the recent talks in Geneva, this funding would be an important confidence building measure that would demonstrate support for the talks.
“BAMBOS CHARALAMBOUS MP
Member of Parliament for Southgate and Wood Green
HOUSE •OF COMMONS
LONDON SWlA OAA
Stephen Doughty MP
Minister for Europe, North America and Overseas Territories Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
King Charles Street London
SW1A 2AH”
“25 March 2025
Re: UK funding to Committee of Missing Persons in Cyprus”
“Thank you for meeting with me in January to discuss the recent developments on the Cyprus problem.
As chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Cyprus, I welcome the renewed dialogue between the Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders in Geneva last week, of which you took part in as a representative of the UK and the confidence building measures that were agreed.
You may recall that I mentioned to you that one confidence building measure useful for the continued UN sponsored talks may be financial support for the Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus.
The Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) is a bi-communal body based on the Green Line near Nicosia, created in 1981 by Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders with support from the UN to recover, identify and return the remains of 2,002 missing persons from 1963-1974.
The humanitarian initiative to bring closure to both Greek and Turkish Cypriot families with the return of their loved ones has been largely successful. 1,051 missing persons (756 Greek Cypriot and 295 Turkish Cypriot) have been found, identified and returned to families. There are currently 951 missing persons still left to be found.
The CMP’s goal of bringing closure is an important part of building community cohesion in Cyprus, with both communities playing an active role, relying on tip-offs from locals and working with forensic teams and scientists to exhume and identify bodies.
The work of the CMP has been an excellent example of how confidence-building measures are vital in facilitating good dialogue between the Greek and Turkish Cypriot leadership and the normalisation of relations between communities. With the UK as a guarantor power, we have a crucial role in ensuring that there are effective confidence-building measures in place that work towards the ultimate goal of a bi zonal and bi-communal federal solution to the Cyprus problem. This is more urgent than ever as we look forward to continuing the momentum of these renewed talks, of
which the guarantor powers are also a part of.”
“Telephone Number 0207 219 3460 Twitter (X): bambosmp” “Email: bambos.charalambous.mp(cL>parliamenl.uk
Website: www.bambos.org.uk”
“I would like to highlight that the CMP last received a donation of £7,000 (€8,000) from the UK in April 2018 and £100,000 (€124,000) of funding in March 2017. In contrast, the CMP has recently received €2.6 million in a joint agreement between the European Commission and UNDP to continue supporting the CMP’s work in 2025. Our closest allies, including Germany, Ireland and Greece have also supported their work with funding in the last year.
Although the UK’s Ministry of Defence has provided in-kind funding in recent years to repair building structures of the laboratories, the UK has not provided direct funding to the CMP for the purpose of carrying out the work of locating missing persons.
The CMP’s annual operational budget has increased from € 3,55 million (2024) to
€4,14 million in 2025. In 2024, the CMP increased the number of excavation teams from seven to eight field teams which work across the island to find burial sites. The creation of a new field team was a recommendation of the two Cypriot leaders when they met at the CMP laboratory in July 2023.
The CMP faces pressures on its budget as long-term donors of humanitarian aid have indicated that due to other conflicts in the region such as Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and further afield in Ukraine, they are no longer able to support the CMP’s work in 2025.
In light of the above and as a way of supporting confidence building measures, I would like to explore with you the potential of the FCDO financially contributing towards the CMP’s work.
Funding from the UK will not only boost efforts to find the remaining missing persons but also signal a continued commitment to strengthening the long-standing relationship between the UK and Cyprus, as well as forming a part of this Government’s strong efforts to reset the relationship with our European friends.
Direct funding to the CMP could become a powerful confidence-building measure, particularly with the positive progress of the current talks. The Geneva meeting focused on confidence-building measures between the two communities, of which six measures were agreed upon. Therefore, CMP funding as a confidence-building measure is a practical way to demonstrate support for the ongoing talks and cooperation between the communities.
I look forward to hearing more about what the UK can do to support the work of the CMP.
Yours sincerely,
Bambos Charalambous MP”
