Resolving the fate of missing persons is not only a legal obligation under international humanitarian law, but a moral imperative and a precondition for peace, the Permanent Representative of Cyprus to the United Nations, Ambassador Maria Michael, said on Thursday. In her intervention during a discussion at the UN Security Council, in New York, about a resolution on missing persons in armed conflict, the Ambassador also said that Turkey “failed to take measures to prevent disappearances during its illegal invasion of the island and continues to this day to refuse accountability or to provide families with information.” She was referring to Turkey’s 1974 illegal invasion and occupation ever since of the northern part of the Republic of Cyprus.
During the discussion, Greece’s Permanent Representative, Ambassador Evangelos Sekeris, said the Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus (CMP) must be supported to end the suffering of families. Turkey’s Permanent Representative, Ambassador Ahmet Yildiz while addressing the meeting, spoke of “baseless allegations” about the nature of the Cyprus issue on the part of the “Greek Cypriot administration” – as he called the government of the Republic of Cyprus. Taking the floor for a second time, Ambassador Sekeris urged Member States “to refer to other Member States by their constitutional name at the United Nations.”
Turkey, whose troops occupy Cyprus’ northern part since they invaded in 1974, is the only UN member state not to recognize the Republic of Cyprus.
The United Nations Security Council convened on Thursday to assess the implementation of Resolution 2474 (2019), which concerns missing persons due to armed conflict, following a request by the United Kingdom and the United States.
During her intervention, Ambassador Michael thanked the Greek Presidency of the Council for convening the session on “an issue of deep humanitarian and moral significance” and underlined that Resolution 2474 is historic, as it is “the first Security Council resolution devoted exclusively to missing persons in armed conflict.” She noted that its significance goes beyond humanitarian law, addressing issues of “reconciliation, post-conflict recovery, and lasting peace.”
She said the resolution was a response to the vast but often overlooked tragedy of people who go missing during wars, where “the voices of those lost in the chaos of war and the anguish of their families go unheard.”
Referring to the intercommunal violence in the 1960s and the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus, she noted that “over 2,000 individuals – Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots, and nationals of countries represented at this table – disappeared,” and said that Turkey “failed to take measures to prevent disappearances during its illegal invasion of the island and continues to this day to refuse accountability or to provide families with information.”
She also noted Turkey’s refusal to allow access to military archives and burial sites, thus obstructing the work of the CMP. The CMP, she went on, made progress “but the work is far from over.”
The Republic of Cyprus continues exhumations in areas under its control and shares all relevant information with the CMP, she added.
Ambassador Michael called on Turkey “to adopt and sustain a proactive approach in providing the CMP with all necessary information, assistance, and cooperation to locate and identify the missing, ensuring immediate, unhindered, uninterrupted, and continuous access to all areas in the occupied part of Cyprus, including military zones, and to provide the CMP with all information in its possession, particularly from military archives.”
While highlighting the need for action, she said that the passage of time must not be used as an excuse for inaction.
She said moreover that Resolution 2474 is vital for building trust and reconciliation, but warned that “trust cannot be built on silence” and “reconciliation cannot be achieved when families are deprived of the right to know the fate of their loved ones.”
“Cyprus is a test of our collective will to uphold the dignity of victims and to heal the wounds of conflict through truth and accountability,” said Cyprus’ Permanent Representative, calling on the Council to ensure that Resolution 2474 becomes “a living tool of hope and healing.”
“We urge this Council to continue calling for the full implementation of Resolution 2474 in Cyprus and elsewhere, and to recognize that resolving the fate of the missing is not only a legal obligation under international humanitarian law, but a moral imperative and a precondition for peace. Every name recovered, every person identified does not only give closure to the family, it reaffirms our common humanity” she stressed.
Greece’s Permanent Representative, said from his part that Resolution 2474 marks a milestone in collective efforts to address the plight of missing persons in armed conflicts and underlined Greece’s full support for the UN’s work through the establishment of missing persons commissions.
Ambassador Evangelos Sekeris said that the CMP must be supported to end the suffering of families and underlined that the international community should not lose sight in cases such as those in Kuwait, Syria, Ukraine, and the occupied Palestinian territories.
He also praised the vital role of the ICRC in locating and identifying the missing, supporting families, and restoring family links.
Turkey’s Permanent Representative, said in his intervention that missing persons concern “a humanitarian issue affecting both sides, Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots,” and that “it should not be politicized or presented as an issue affecting only Greek Cypriots.”
Stating his country’s support to the CMP, Ambassador Yildiz claimed that the Turkish Cypriot side, “one of the two sides in the CMP” – as he put it – had been excluded from the Security Council session.
Moreover, he claimed that the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus was “legitimate and justified” and spoke of “baseless allegations” about the nature of the Cyprus issue on the part of the “Greek Cypriot administration” – as he called the internationally recognised government of the Republic of Cyprus.
In response to the Turkish reference, Greece’s Permanent Representative urged Member States “to refer to other Member States by their constitutional name at the United Nations.” The remark by Ambassador Sekeris was made under his national capacity.
The interventions followed a briefing to the Security Council by Assistant Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Mohamed Khaled Khiari, who expressed deep concern over the continued increase in missing persons from armed conflicts and the persistent lack of accountability in many cases.
Khiari cited the CMP in Cyprus as an example of how disappearances dating back decades still affect entire communities, and praised the cooperation between Greek and Turkish Cypriots and the public endorsement of the Committee by their leaders this past April, emphasizing that “such initiatives contribute to creating a conducive climate for the peaceful resolution of the Cyprus issue.”
In conclusion, Khiari emphasized the urgent need for full implementation of Resolution 2474 and reaffirmed the UN’s commitment to support all stakeholders, including through the Secretary-General’s good offices. According to the ICRC, over 56,000 new cases of missing persons were registered in 2024 – the largest single-year increase in two decades – bringing the total under investigation to 255,000. This surge, it is noted, is attributed to three factors, the explosion of armed conflicts (over 120 globally), systematic violations of international humanitarian law, and the failure of peace processes to resolve long-standing cases.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results due to Turkish intransigence. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.
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 April 30, 2025 out of 2002 missing persons 1,704 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.