Kornos, Cyprus. President Nikos Christodoulides said he will press Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman to permit excavations at suspected missing persons burial sites in military areas in the north during a meeting this week with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
He said he would again request access to areas controlled by the Turkish military where information indicates possible burial sites.
Request for access
Speaking at a memorial event in Kornos on Sunday, Christodoulides said he had submitted the requests in writing during all his meetings with Erhurman.
“If they really want a confidence building measure, the simplest, easiest confidence building measure is to allow excavations to be carried out in all these areas,” he said.
Christodoulides said he hoped the issue would receive a response during the joint meeting with Guterres and Erhurman.
Ongoing investigations
Excavations are under way in Agia, Assia, Yerolakkos, Lapithos, Exometochi and Livadia, he said. Another 120 locations remain on the list for investigation, including sites within military areas.
Christodoulides described resolving the fate of the missing as a humanitarian obligation, telling relatives that “our conscience will never rest if we do not ascertain the fate of our last missing person.”
Missing persons figures
The president said Turkey continues to deny access to military archives that could help establish the fate of those still unaccounted for.
Of the 1,619 Greek Cypriots listed as missing following the 1974 invasion, 764 have been identified, while 746 remain missing. Of the 81 missing Greek servicemen, 19 have been identified.
