Concerning the missing persons in Cyprus following the Turkish invasion of 1974

Written declaration No. 820 | Doc. 16231 | 19 August 2025

Signatories:

Mr Nicos TORNARITIS, Cyprus, EPP/CD ; Ms Dora BAKOYANNIS, Greece, EPP/CD ; Mr Marek BOROWSKI, Poland, EPP/CD ; Mr Christophe BRICO, Monaco, EPP/CD ; Ms Maria-Nefeli CHATZIIOANNIDOU, Greece, EPP/CD ; Mr Benjamin DALLE, Belgium, EPP/CD ; Mr Constantinos EFSTATHIOU, Cyprus, SOC ; Ms Christiana EROTOKRITOU, Cyprus, SOC ; Mr Gerardo GIOVAGNOLI, San Marino, SOC ; Ms Hripsime GRIGORYAN, Armenia, SOC ; Mr Pablo HISPÁN, Spain, EPP/CD ; Ms Nina KASIMATI, Greece, UEL ; Ms Elvira KOVÁCS, Serbia, EPP/CD ; Ms Carmen LEYTE, Spain, EPP/CD ; Mr Dimitrios MANTZOS, Greece, SOC ; Mr Aleksandar MIRKOVIĆ, Serbia, EPP/CD ; Ms Octavie MODERT, Luxembourg, EPP/CD ; Mr Ioannis OIKONOMOU, Greece, EPP/CD ; Ms Biljana PANTIĆ PILJA, Serbia, EPP/CD ; Mr George PAPANDREOU, Greece, SOC ; Mr Marko PAVIĆ, Croatia, EPP/CD ; Mr Gonzalo ROBLES, Spain, EPP/CD ; Ms Dunja SIMONOVIĆ BRATIĆ, Serbia, SOC ; Ms Elena-Simona SPĂTARU, Romania, ALDE ; Mr Georgios STAMATIS, Greece, EPP/CD ; Ms Maria SYRENGELA, Greece, EPP/CD ; Mr Vladimir VARDANYAN, Armenia, EPP/CD ; Ms Albana VOKSHI, Albania, EPP/CD ; Ms Sandra ZAMPA, Italy, SOC

This written declaration does not reflect the position of the Assembly; only of those members that have signed it. It will not be considered further by the Assembly.

We, the undersigned, declare the following:

We express deep concern that, 51 years after the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, hundreds of Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot families continue to live in anguish and uncertainty regarding the fate of their missing relatives.

We emphasise that the issue of missing persons constitutes an ongoing violation of human rights, including the right to life, the right to family life, and the prohibition of inhuman and degrading treatment.

We recall the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights, in particular Cyprus v. Turkey (2001), which found that Türkiye’s failure to conduct effective investigations constituted a continuing violation of the European Convention on Human Rights (ETS No. 5).

We urge Türkiye to provide full and unhindered access to military archives and restricted areas in the occupied part of Cyprus.

We call for enhanced co-operation of the Parties with the Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus (CMP), ensuring the provision of adequate resources, transparency, and political support to accelerate the process of locating, identifying, and returning remains to the families.

We insist that truth, accountability and reconciliation in Cyprus are central to the ascertainment of the fate of missing persons, and urge the Parliamentary Assembly to maintain the issue high on the agenda.