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The Commissioner for the Presidency, Mr Fotis Fotiou, met today at his office with the Representative of the European Commission in Cyprus, Ms Myrto Zambarta, as part of his briefing on issues related to his responsibilities.
During the meeting, the Commissioner briefed Mrs Zabarta on the difficulties and problems faced by our internally displaced persons, as well as on the actions and initiatives of his Office on issues concerning expatriates and religious groups.
The discussion then revolved around the tragedy of the missing persons and the suffering that their families have been experiencing on a daily basis for so many years. The situation, Mr Photiou said, is tragic and there is an urgent need to take immediate humanitarian initiatives for the benefit of the suffering families. The problems, he stressed, are many and complex. In recent years, there has been a dramatic decrease in the identification of remains during exhumations and a consequent decrease in the number of DNA identifications. Turkey should finally cooperate and indicate the sites where the dead were buried from the recoveries made from the battlefields, as well as the sites where the remains that were deliberately moved from the primary burial sites were reburied." Fotiou, stressing that "we consider it necessary to open the records of the Turkish army and remove the obstacles and restrictions that still exist on exhumations and searches in areas arbitrarily designated by the occupying army as military."
He added that "the role of the European Union, which is the main funder of the IEA programme, can prove to be decisive and essential."
He added that "the role of the European Union, which is the main funder of the IEA programme, can prove to be decisive and essential. The EU has the ability and capacity to take humanitarian initiatives both inside and outside Cyprus to make progress that will help end the pain and anguish of the families. We expect and anticipate that humanitarian initiatives on the part of the EU will be taken as soon as possible."
In conclusion, Fotiou expressed the thanks and gratitude of the Government and himself for the assistance and support so far in the efforts to resolve the tragedy of the missing persons and their families.
(PM/MG/SX)
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