The President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, has placed the issue of missing persons among the highest priorities of the state,” said the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Elikkos Elia, on Sunday, adding that “our goal is that no Cypriot remains missing”.
In a speech on behalf of the President of the Republic at the annual memorial service for the hero Christodoulos Fotiou Maouzis, held at the Church of Saint Demetrios in Anafotia, Larnaca district, Elia said that “the President of the Republic has from the outset placed the issue of missing persons among the highest priorities of the state. This humanitarian aspect of the Cyprus problem, the most tragic of all, has been repeatedly raised with the Turkish side, as well as with our European partners and heads of state internationally,” he noted.
Elia added that “we do not compromise, we inform, we pressure, we insist. We demand full access to archives and information held by Turkey, so that the Committee on Missing Persons can continue its substantive investigations”.
At the same time, he continued, “despite the divisive pursuits and unacceptable rhetoric about two states, the President of the Republic and the Greek Cypriot side remain firmly committed to pursuing a functional and viable solution to the Cyprus problem. The activation of the international community, the appointment of a Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Cyprus and a Special Envoy of the European Commission for Cyprus, are substantial achievements on the difficult path we are treading”, he added.
Our ultimate goal, stressed the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, “remains unwavering. A united state, without occupying troops and guarantoor powers, a Cyprus of peace, security and prosperity, for all its legitimate citizens, a European state, a pillar of stability in the Eastern Mediterranean”.
Referring to Maouzis, Elia said that in 2011, his remains were found in an ancient tomb in the Turkish Cypriot village of Bekyuju and identified using DNA methods. Only then did mother earth embrace him again, as he deserved, with the honours of a hero,” he said.
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 to their relatives the remains of 492 Turkish Cypriots and 1,510 Greek Cypriots, who went missing during the inter-communal fighting of 1963-1964 and in 1974.
According to statistical data published on the CMP website by June 30, 2025 out of 2002 missing persons 1,707 were exhumed and 1,054 were identified. Out of 1,510 Greek Cypriot missing persons 758 were identified and 752 are still missing. Out of 492 Turkish Cypriot missing persons 296 were identified and 196 are still missing.
The President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, has placed the issue of missing persons among the highest priorities of the state,” said the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Elikkos Elia, on Sunday, adding that “our goal is that no Cypriot remains missing”.
In a speech on behalf of the President of the Republic at the annual memorial service for the hero Christodoulos Fotiou Maouzis, held at the Church of Saint Demetrios in Anafotia, Larnaca district, Elia said that “the President of the Republic has from the outset placed the issue of missing persons among the highest priorities of the state. This humanitarian aspect of the Cyprus problem, the most tragic of all, has been repeatedly raised with the Turkish side, as well as with our European partners and heads of state internationally,” he noted.
Elia added that “we do not compromise, we inform, we pressure, we insist. We demand full access to archives and information held by Turkey, so that the Committee on Missing Persons can continue its substantive investigations”.
At the same time, he continued, “despite the divisive pursuits and unacceptable rhetoric about two states, the President of the Republic and the Greek Cypriot side remain firmly committed to pursuing a functional and viable solution to the Cyprus problem. The activation of the international community, the appointment of a Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Cyprus and a Special Envoy of the European Commission for Cyprus, are substantial achievements on the difficult path we are treading”, he added.
Our ultimate goal, stressed the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, “remains unwavering. A united state, without occupying troops and guarantoor powers, a Cyprus of peace, security and prosperity, for all its legitimate citizens, a European state, a pillar of stability in the Eastern Mediterranean”.
Referring to Maouzis, Elia said that in 2011, his remains were found in an ancient tomb in the Turkish Cypriot village of Bekyuju and identified using DNA methods. Only then did mother earth embrace him again, as he deserved, with the honours of a hero,” he said.
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 to their relatives the remains of 492 Turkish Cypriots and 1,510 Greek Cypriots, who went missing during the inter-communal fighting of 1963-1964 and in 1974.
According to statistical data published on the CMP website by June 30, 2025 out of 2002 missing persons 1,707 were exhumed and 1,054 were identified. Out of 1,510 Greek Cypriot missing persons 758 were identified and 752 are still missing. Out of 492 Turkish Cypriot missing persons 296 were identified and 196 are still missing.
