[PIO] The Speaker of the Parliament received the President of the Panhellenic Committee for the Relatives of the Missing

Thursday, July 20, 2023

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mrs.Anita Demetriou, received today the President of the Panhellenic Committee of Relatives of Undeclared POWs and Missing Persons, Mrs.Maria Kalbourtzi, who is in Cyprus to attend the commemoration of the black anniversaries of the Turkish invasion of 1974.

During the meeting, the Speaker of the Parliament stressed that the issue of establishing the fate of the missing persons is a priority and that all necessary steps must be taken and pressure must be exerted on Turkey to allow access to military archives and to provide reliable information leading to the establishment of the fate of the missing persons. Ms Demetriou noted that, within the framework of parliamentary diplomacy, the House of Representatives has taken an active role in raising the issue of the missing persons of Cyprus at European and international level. He made special reference to the intention of the House of Representatives to establish 29 October as the "National Day of Missing Persons of Cyprus".

Ms Kalbourtzi thanked Ms Demetriou for her unreserved and long-standing support to the relatives of the missing persons and stressed the urgent need to clarify the fate of the missing persons and, to this end, to highlight this humanitarian issue internationally.

Finally, it was agreed to strengthen cooperation through joint coordinated actions in this direction. The President of the Parliament informed Mrs. Kalbourtzi about the upcoming visit to Cyprus of the new Permanent Rapporteur of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs of the European Parliament on Missing Persons' Issues, Mrs. Isabel Santos.

(Text as sent by the House of Representatives)
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