The Commissioner of the Presidency had a meeting today, at the Presidential Palace, with the newly elected Board of Directors of the Pancyprian Organization of Relatives, Deportees and Missing Persons and other relevant officials.
During the meeting, the problems and difficulties encountered in trying to resolve the tragedy of the missing persons were discussed. It was commonly agreed that the current situation poses serious risks to the further progress of our efforts, while at the same time it is a source of daily pain and anguish for the relatives who have been waiting for so many decades to be informed about the fate of their loved ones.
Indicative of the unacceptable situation that has been created is that for 2022, remains or part of remains have been identified for only four missing persons on the CMP lists. It was pointed out that time is acting against the families and efforts for effective investigation. It was also stressed that, unfortunately, no substantial progress is expected or can be made without the sincere cooperation of Turkey and without the occupying power taking the political and humanitarian decisions expected and required to resolve the problem.
Ways of utilizing the international community, especially the United Nations and the European Union, which are in a position to take initiatives and actions that can prove decisive and be the starting point for achieving progress, were also discussed. It was also pointed out that the international community cannot and must not continue to tolerate the contempt and arrogance shown by the occupying power towards the basic principles and values of human rights. In this context, the need was stressed for Turkey, without further tactics and obstacles, to proceed with the implementation of the 2001 and 2014 ECHR judgments, as well as other judgments handed down by the ECHR concerning individual appeals by families of missing persons.
Both the Commissioner for the Presidency and the members of the Committee of Relatives expressed their disappointment at the treatment received so far by the families of the missing persons by the international community, noting that the families of the missing persons in Cyprus expect and expect that they will finally receive the equal treatment and treatment to which they are entitled as the families of the missing persons in other regions of the world.
Finally, it was agreed that in view of the unacceptable and inhumane situation that has been created, it is urgent to take immediate and effective measures to reverse the unacceptable and inhumane methods of the occupying power to close the problem without clarifying the fate of all the missing persons. In this context, the ways of implementing the measures and initiatives both inside and outside Cyprus, which were decided at the enlarged meeting held last September in Athens with the aim of curbing Turkish intransigence for the benefit of the suffering families, were discussed.
(NΓ)
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