The Commissioner for the Presidency, Mr Fotis Fotiou, held a meeting today at his office with the Slovak Ambassador to Cyprus, Mr Martin Bezák, on issues related to his responsibilities.
The Commissioner informed the Ambassador about the tragedy of the missing persons and their relatives, which unfortunately has been going on for almost half a century and causes so much pain and suffering to hundreds of families of our compatriots, who are waiting for answers about the fate of their loved ones.
He also enumerated the problems that hinder progress, such as the movement of remains, the dramatic decrease in their identification during exhumations in the occupied areas, the need to study and evaluate the records of the Turkish army, as well as others, pointing out the responsibilities and obligations of the occupying power, as they stem from the relevant decisions of the European Court of Human Rights in 2001 and 2014.
This tragic situation that has been created, the Commissioner pointed out, is entirely due to the refusal of the occupying power to cooperate in resolving the humanitarian aspect of the problem and its inhumane and unacceptable policy. A policy based on tactics and political expediency and a brutal disregard for the universal principles and values of civilised humanity and human rights.
We expect the international community, the European Union, the United Nations to exert the appropriate pressure on Turkey to cooperate and provide the information needed to resolve this humanitarian issue, Mr. Fotiou said.
The Commissioner then referred to the issues of the Diaspora and the organized Diaspora of Cyprus abroad, stressing that we still have a Cyprus abroad.
Mr. Photios also referred to the possibility of cooperation with Slovakia on these issues, as this cooperation can provide multiple benefits for both countries and further strengthen Cyprus-Slovakia relations.
Finally, the Commissioner expressed his and the Government's thanks to the Slovak Government for its support and assistance in the framework of the Permanent Representatives Committee of the Council of Europe, as well as for Slovakia's long-standing participation in UNFICYP and for the financial assistance to the ICRC.
(PM/NG/IC)
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