The tragedy of the missing remains the most painful unresolved wound of 1974, President Nikos Christodoulides said through Labour Minister Marinos Mousiouttas at an event in Nicosia on Thursday.
The fate of every missing person remains an unwavering priority for President Nikos Christodoulides, Labour and Social Insurance Minister Marinos Mousiouttas said on Thursday during an event in Nicosia honouring the prisoners of war of 1974.
Speaking on the President’s behalf at the Day of Remembrance and Honour for the Prisoners of War of 1974, held at the 1974 Prisoners of War Park, Mousiouttas said the tragedy of the missing remained the most open and painful wound of the events of 1974.
He said the event was being held to remember and honour those who, during the summer of 1974, defended the freedom and territorial integrity of Cyprus in what he described as an unequal and betrayed battle against the Turkish invasion.
Mousiouttas said the state had a duty to stand by the families of those affected, support them in practice and not only in words, and recognise their sacrifice.
He said their resilience and patriotism served as a beacon for present and future generations, adding that efforts to end the occupation and reunify the country on the basis of international law and United Nations resolutions must continue until justice is restored.
Park as a place of remembrance
Forests Department Director Savvas Iezekiel said the park is located along the route taken by prisoners of war on the day they surrendered to the Turkish army.
He said the decision to rename the site the 1974 Prisoners of War Park was taken in full awareness of its significance, both as a place of remembrance and honour and as an environmentally important site in an area otherwise dominated by construction.
Iezekiel said efforts had been under way for several years to transform the area from a neglected construction site into a green oasis, with the Forests Department continuing to manage it as both a space for recreation and a biodiversity haven for the wider area.
Preserving the legacy of prisoners of war
Vassos Christou said a 2008 law granted certain benefits to prisoners of war and designated April 23 as a day of remembrance and honour for them.
He said the association had also established memorials at Ledra Palace and the former Hotel School, and had produced books and documentaries.
Those memorials, together with the park, would remain a legacy for future generations, he said, recalling the suffering, hardship and traumatic experiences of captivity, as well as what he described as a great betrayal against Cypriot Hellenism.
Progress on missing persons
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37 per cent of the island. The fate of hundreds of people remains unknown.
The Committee on Missing Persons, established by agreement between the leaders of the two communities, is mandated to exhume, identify and return to relatives the remains of 492 Turkish Cypriots and 1,510 Greek Cypriots who went missing during the intercommunal violence of 1963-1964 and in 1974.
According to figures published on the committee’s website as of February 28, 2026, of the 2,002 missing persons on its list, 1,714 had been exhumed and 1,065 identified.
Of the 1,510 Greek Cypriot missing persons, 764 had been identified and 746 remained missing. Of the 492 Turkish Cypriot missing persons, 301 had been identified and 191 remained missing.
Source: CNA