Cyprus’ President Nicos Anastasiades stated that Turkey insists on withholding information concerning missing persons, while he also revealed that the Turkish government, in its effort to cover up its war crimes, had purposefully moved remains in order to render the work of the Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) more difficult.

This notwithstanding, at an event for missing persons the Cypriot President said that his government will insist and continue their efforts, adding that their goal is “to create a state that fully and completely abides by the principles and values of the UN and the EU, in which Cyprus is a full member”.

According to data posted on the CMP website, the remains of 637 Greek Cypriot missing persons and 210 Turkish Cypriot missing persons were identified and returned to their families until November 30, 2017. A total of 873 Greek Cypriots and 282 Turkish Cypriots are still missing.

A Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) was established, upon agreement between the leaders of the two communities, with the mission to exhume, identify and return the remains of missing persons to their relatives.

Regarding the continuation of talks between Cyprus and Turkey, Mr Anastasiades stressed the importance of adequate preparation. As he said, positions must be made known beforehand to avoid being once more faced with the Turkish intransigence at the last minute.

The Cypriot president also stated that he has notified the UN Secretary-General of the Greek Cypriot’s side willingness to return to the dialogue for a settlement as well as of Cyprus’ limits and the conditions that should be met in order for a new Conference on Cyprus to take place.

He also appealed to those who could influence Turkey, urging them to intervene for peace and stability in the region.

Source: thegreekobserver.com