The Turkish Cypriot member of the Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus (CMP) Hakkı Müftüzade stated that the recent news reports claiming that Türkiye was preventing efforts to locate missing persons did not reflect the truth.

Müftüzade reminded that the Republic of Türkiye has been providing all kinds of support to the Committee since the beginning of its operations in Cyprus.

Speaking to the TAK news agency, the Turkish Cypriot member of the Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus Hakkı Müftüzade evaluated the latest statements made by the Greek Cypriot Administration’s Humanitarian Affairs Commissioner Fotis Fotiou.

Referring to the press release made by the United Nations on July 31, 1997 calling for the leaders of the two communities not to politicize the issue of missing persons, Müftüzade noted that despite this decision, such attempts on part of the Greek Cypriot side had not come to an end.

Pointing out that reports claiming that Türkiye was preventing the missing persons from being found did not reflect the truth, Müftüzade said that contrary to what was being said, Türkiye has been providing extensive support since the CMP started operating in Cyprus.

Stating that the support provided by Türkiye could be seen when looking at the statistics on the CMP’s website, Müftüzade said, “The support provided by Türkiye within the borders of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), and which were effective in locating many missing persons cannot be denied.”

Also touching upon the work taking place in the military zones, Müftüzade stated that they had speeded up their efforts.

He added had that the committee’s requests had been met quickly and that they did not encounter any problems.

Müftüzade added that in addition to the ongoing excavation work in military zones, preparations were underway for excavations at 2 new sites in the fenced-off city of Maraş-Derinya.

The Turkish Cypriot CMP member recalled an earlier interview where he had pointed out that a great number of Turkish Cypriots had gone missing from 1963-64 mainly at checkpoints and hospitals.

He said that the Greek Cypriot side should share and make records available.

“The police archive records of the Greek Cypriot Administration should come to light and this issue regarding the fate of our missing persons should be seriously addressed and examined,” said Müftüzade.