Members of GC, TC parties jointly visit missing persons lab

Leaders and representatives from Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot political parties have expressed their “unwavering support” for the continuation of the work of the Committee on Missing Persons (CMP).

Under the auspices of the Slovak Embassy, politicians from both sides on Monday jointly visited the CMP anthropological laboratory. According to a joint communiqué, the activity aimed to underline the importance of the CMP.

Representatives of all parties said they firmly believe in the humanitarian mandate of the CMP to bring closure to thousands of affected families, through the return of the remains of their missing relatives ending their profound suffering.

“The CMP, established in 1981 by an agreement between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities, under the auspices of the United Nations, remains a vital institution dedicated to the search, identification, and return of missing persons to their families, a crucial avenue for healing, closure, and the restoration of human dignity to those affected,’’ the parties stated.

“Families of the missing have the right to know the fate of their loved ones.  CMP’s mission and positive contribution to humanitarian imperative, reconciliation and peacebuilding, international obligations, financial commitment, awareness and advocacy, aligns with our shared commitment to truth, justice, and reconciliation on the island,” the statement added.

Participants urged all relevant stakeholders to provide the necessary funding and resources to ensure the conclusion of the CMP’s work and support the fostering of cross-communal trust and reconciliation.

The visit comes in the wake of an announcement last week that Germany and other countries are poised to withdraw their funding for the organisation, saying Cyprus did not qualify for humanitarian aid because it was not a “poor country”.

Currently, 80 per cent of the CMP’s funding was from the EU, while the remaining 20 per cent had to be found from other sources.

Meanwhile, last Saturday President Nikos Christodoulides said he had written to both Tatar and the UN Secretary-general Antonio Guterres requesting that he and Tatar conduct a joint visit to the CMP lab.

Lawyer Achilleas Demetriades told the Cyprus Mail it was a good move, and that it could be the first step to establish a bicommunal truth commission on the island.