Demetriou calls resolving Cyprus missing persons cases an unfulfilled debt

Nicosia, Cyprus. House president Annita Demetriou said determining the fate of every person missing since the Turkish invasion of 1974 remains an “unfulfilled debt” to their families and to Cyprus.

She made the remarks on Monday during a meeting with a delegation from the Greek missing persons committee, stressing that efforts must continue until every case is resolved.

Continued efforts

Demetriou said annual commemorations were not only memorial events but also reminders of the collective responsibility to support relatives of those still missing.

She said gradual progress was being made, highlighting that “a crime was committed that remains unsolved” while bringing families closer to answers they have awaited for decades.

“The missing are not just numbers,” Demetriou said, adding that they represented families still waiting for the opportunity to honour their loved ones.

She said greater cooperation and political will could help keep the issue high on the public agenda until families received the justice they sought.

Greek committee delegation

Greek missing persons committee president Maria Kalbourtzi thanked Demetriou for her continued support, saying cooperation with the House of Representatives had produced “small and slow, but substantial” progress.

Kalbourtzi also welcomed Demetriou’s initiative to promote the establishment of a day of remembrance for the missing in the Greek parliament, describing it as a positive step.

She said greater awareness was needed in Greece about the humanitarian issue involving missing Greek and Cypriot people, adding that the lack of public knowledge remained “deeply concerning”.

Kalbourtzi is in Cyprus to attend commemorative events marking the anniversary of the 1974 Turkish invasion.