Cyprus is facing on Wednesday a crucial battle for the implementation of the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights on behalf of Turkey, in the framework of the Council of Europe`s Committee of Ministers meeting, in Strasbourg.
Among the issues at stake is the progress made concerning the issue of missing persons in Cyprus, amid concerns voiced by their relatives, that Turkey is trying to give a somehow ideal impression of its efforts, which they say is not very accurate.
The meeting takes place at the Ministers’ Deputies level, the permanent representatives of the 47 member states of the CoE. It starts today and will go on until Thursday, while CNA learns that the crucial issue for Cyprus will be discussed in a meeting tomorrow.
The Committee of Ministers, who`s chairmanship is currently held by Bosnia and Herzegovina, is the executive arm of the CoE and, among other things, is responsible for examining the implementation of judgments and decisions by the ECHR, while exerting political pressure to this end.
Ahead of the meeting, the World Federation of Organisations of Missing Persons` Relatives of Cyprus has sent recently a letter to the Committee of Ministers, expressing disappointment for “the purposeful delay observed on the part of Turkey in fulfilling its obligations to take substantive compliance measures to end the violation of the human rights of the missing persons of Cyprus and their relatives”.
The letter, signed by the presidents of organisations from Cyprus, Greece and the UK, further asks the Committee of Ministers to assist in the restoration of their basic human rights. “We rest our hopes on your efforts to ensure that we will finally be justified” it is added.
Nicos Serghides, the President of the Organisation of Relatives of Missing Persons in Cyprus, has stated that having the Committee of Ministers monitoring the issue, provides an additional leverage towards Turkey, forcing it to cooperate.
Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency, Serghides said that the Turkish delegation in the CoE is trying to present an image of Ankara`s almost full compliance with the Court`s decisions, which, he said, is not entirely true.
In particular, Serghides said that Turkey continues to hamper the work of the Committee of Missing Persons, for example by not disclosing pieces of information it possesses or by not allowing free access to research and excavation teams in military zones in the Turkish-occupied areas of Cyprus. Moreover, Ankara does not share information on locations, where bones were transferred after being exhumed from their original burial point.
The President of the organisation notes a lack of sincere intention to cooperate on behalf of Turkey, while adding that only a few permissions were given for excavations in military areas. From 25 request, only 3-4 cases were granted access, Serghides said, citing other problems as well, like time-consuming procedures.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied its northern third. 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 the remains of missing persons to their relatives
