The leader of the Greek Cypriot community, Mr. Nikos Christodoulides, and the leader of the Turkish Cypriot community, Mr. Tufan Erhürman, visited the Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus (CMP) this afternoon, accompanied by the Personal Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General on Cyprus, Ms. María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar, and Mr. Khassim Diagne, the SRSG and head of UNFICYP.
The visit highlighted the shared humanitarian priority of addressing the issue of missing persons and the ongoing importance of bicommunal cooperation in this field.
During the visit, the leaders and United Nations representatives received briefings from CMP officials on current progress, challenges, and ongoing identification efforts. Their joint presence underscored broad support for the Committee’s humanitarian mission and the recognition of its vital role in easing the longstanding pain and uncertainty faced by families of the missing across the island.
The Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus is a bi-communal body established in 1981 by the leaders of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities with the participation of the United Nations. Following the establishment of an agreed list of missing persons, the CMP’s objective is to recover, identify, and return to their families, the remains of 2002 persons (492 Turkish Cypriots and 1,510 Greek Cypriots) who went missing during the periods of 1963 to 1964 and 1974, as well as during the intervening period. For more information about the CMP, see CMP - COMMITEE ON MISSING PERSONS IN CYPRUS.
