The Turkish Cypriot Member of the Committee on Missing Persons, Gülden Plümer Küçük, has stated that the Turkish Cypriot side’s contributions and cooperation for the works of the committee are not reflected or acknowledged in the decisions of the Committee of the Ministers of the Council of Europe.
Gülden Plümer Küçük was speaking regarding the decision of the Committee of the Ministers of the Council of Europe in relation to unhindered access to military zones in the northern part of Cyprus.
Küçük stated that the decision had some deficiencies because contributions of the Turkish Cypriot side are not reflected in the decisions of the Committee of the Ministers of the Council of Europe for political reasons. Küçük emphasised that the cooperation of all parties is necessary for the effective working of the Committee.
Gülden Plümer Küçük emphasized that the Committee on Missing Persons has served many Turkish and Greek Cypriot families of missing persons with its project involving the excavation, identification, and the return of remains, which the Committee has carried out since 2006.
Within the framework of the works of the CMP, 56 excavation permits have been granted in the military zone in the TRNC since 2006. 30 of these permits were granted in the last three years.
During the course of its work, the Committee has found 1215 missing persons out of 2002 and identified 876 of them. As of 31 May 2018, 664 Greek Cypriot and 212 Turkish Cypriot missing persons were identified. 846 Greek Cypriots and 280 Turkish Cypriots who were declared missing have not yet been found.
