AKEL C.C. Press Office, 5^th November 2019, Nicosia

An AKEL delegation, headed byAKEL MP Skevi Koukouma and AKEL MEPGiorgos Georgiou,today metthe Pancyprian Association of Undeclared Prisoners and Missing Persons, as well as Mr. Leonidas Pantelides, member of the Committee on Missing Persons (CMP).

During the meeting, a briefing was madeabout the progress of the CMP's identification program, but also the demandsput forth bythe relatives of the missing persons as regards the procedures and effectiveness of the investigations.

The AKEL delegation briefed on the efforts that are underway in the European Parliament to provide further support to the CMP’s work, as well as about the initiative AKEL will undertake for the appointment again of a rapporteur from the European Parliament, who will be responsible for monitoring developments onthe missing persons issue in Cyprus. As AKEL, we believe that the presence of a European observer can act as a catalyst for pressure to be exerted on Turkey to provide the information we need about the graves of our missing persons.

Particular reference was also made to AKEL's concerns over the course of the identification program because, as it is well known, the passage of time is working against our efforts. It was stressed thatto achieve greater efficiency, it is imperative to:

1. Utilizeevery technological means that can support and enhance the work of the CMP.
2. Strengthen the CMP with researchers so they can utilisenew information immediately, as well as past information to be reexamined.
3. A mass campaign should be conducted, making use of the mass and social media to gather information.

Forty-five years are too much for the questions of the relatives of our missing people to remain unanswered. As AKEL, we shall continue the strugglecontinuously until all information is given about the circumstances under which our people, both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, were lost.