Excavation of a site in Famagusta where two Greek Cypriots are said to be buried will be requested by the Greek Cypriot side

The Commissioner of the Presidency, Fotis Fotiou, states in a written statement that he has asked the representative of the e / k side in the Commission of Inquiry for Missing Persons (CMP), for humanitarian reasons, to request the immediate excavation of a place where two Greek Cypriot missing persons are said to be buried. occupied Famagusta.

In his written statement, Mr. Fotiou states that "this is not the first time in recent years that information has been published about mass landfills in occupied Famagusta." "In any case, we had publicly expressed our strong concerns about the possibility of destroying the landfills, due to the works being carried out after the Turkish President's illegal visit to Famagusta," he added.

We had also requested, he states, "the immediate recording, mapping and protection of all areas located within the arbitrarily so-called military zone of the Turkish army so that their excavation can proceed without further delay."

Mr. Fotiou states that "the information that was published yesterday in the Turkish press and in the Greek media, highlights once again the serious problems created by the occupying power, which are an obstacle to the efforts to achieve progress."

He notes that the site, according to reports, may be located in a military zone and therefore, if this is the case, there is no direct access for the needs of research and exhumation. "Obtaining permission from the occupying army, according to the practice so far, is a time-consuming process, but it is based more on expediencies, tactics and impressions than on the substance, which is the unimpeded access for research and exhumations," he said.

"The second major issue highlighted by the published information is the need to study the records of the Turkish army, which has been and is our constant request for 10 years," he added. "In this case, the burial was done by Turkish soldiers following the instructions of their Commander. It is certain that the incident will be recorded in the records of the Turkish army in the report submitted to his superiors by the Commander of the Unit ", notes Mr. Fotiou.

"I have asked our Representative in the Commission of Inquiry into Missing Persons, for humanitarian reasons, to request the immediate excavation of the site," he added.

Mr. Fotiou reiterates that "our constant request to Turkey to finally cooperate effectively, with honesty and humanity in solving the problems that are an obstacle to achieving progress."

I am referring specifically, he adds, to the need to study the Turkish archives, to the unimpeded access for searches and exhumations in military zones, to the major issue of the deliberate movement of relics and the need to indicate the mass burial sites created by the Turkish army after the meditations. dead from the battlefields.