Cyprus Presidential Commissioner, Photis Photiou, has stressed that the EU, the UN and the US administration`s contribution is substantive and decisive with a view to address the unacceptable and inhuman situation regarding the issue of missing persons in Cyprus.
Photiou who met on Monday with the President of the American Hellenic Institute (AHI) Nick Larigakis and Greek American university students, who are members of the Institute, elaborated on the problems which hinder progress in the issue of missing persons.
In particular, according to a press release he referred, among other things, to the relocation of remains, the dramatic decrease in finding remains during exhumations in the Turkish occupied areas of the island, and the need to examine and evaluate the Turkish army archives, stressing the responsibilities and obligations of Turkey which derive by the relevant European Court of Human Rights decisions.
He noted that without Turkey`s sincere and substantive cooperation there can be no progress “despite the efforts we are making at all levels.”
Photiou also elaborated on the issue of the Americans of Cypriot origin who went missing in Cyprus and well as to the US law voted in 1994 by the Congress on these cases, which, as he underlined constitutes one of the many examples of the tangible and substantive solidarity of the Diaspora in the US with Cyprus.
Moreover, Photiou informed the AHI delegation on the issues concerning the enclaved and about the violent and systematic destruction of the cultural and religious heritage in Cyprus` occupied areas.
He noted that the Republic of Cyprus is working systematically to protect and preserve its religious and cultural heritage.
Moreover, he praised the role of the Diaspora, particularly in the US, in promoting and supporting the positions of Cyprus.
On his part, Larigakis assured of the AHI`s and the students` interest and their will to offer any help to contribute to the efforts aiming at solving the humanitarian issue of missing persons.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37% of its territory. 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.