10. TURKISH STATES AND COMMUNITIES CONGRESS’ FINAL
COMMUNIQUE: ISOLATIONS ON THE TRNC SHOULD BE LIFTED
The
10th Turkish States and Communities Congress ended with the
issuing of a final communiqué. The Congress started on 18
September in Antalya and also attended by TRNC delegation headed
by President Mehmet Ali Talat.
In the final
communiqué announced by Turkish State Minister Beþir Atalay,
Turkish states and communities were called to develop and
strengthen their solidarity and unity in the international
platforms, improve their economic development and welfare,
deepen their cultural ties, to make the existing joint studies
and projects more effective and pave the way for new cooperation
areas which can be implemented within short and medium term.
Within the framework of the recommendations, it was
stated that while the Turkish states and communities are
increasing their concern and sensitivity towards each others’
problems, referring to the TRNC, the Congress called for taking
concrete steps immediately towards lifting the political,
economic, cultural and sports isolations on the TRNC, making
mutual visits between the representatives of Turkish states and
communities and the TRNC and institutionalizing the existing
relations on a legal basis in the short term.
Greek Cypriot
daily Politis and other Greek Cypriot dailies reported that 44
people known to be dead were listed as “missing”. It was
reported that during the previous day’s session of the case
filed against the Greek Cypriot administration by the family of
Hristofis Pasias, who died during 1974 Peace Operation but
listed as “missing” by the Greek Cypriot administration, it was
revealed that other 44 people like Pasias who were known to be
dead, were listed as “missing”.
According to Politis, although the Greek Cypriot
National Guard’s General Staff acquired the death certificates,
transfer and burial certificates of the people died during 1974
Peace Operation, it announced them as “missing”.
Politis pointed out that Fifth Regiment Commander
lieutenant Ioannis Papasavvas who is also in charge of missing
persons issue and served in the First Staff Bureau between
2000-2003, gave a testimony during the previous day’s session
and presented the documents to the court regarding the deaths of
other 44 people.
Stating that while all the documents indicating that 44 people
died and buried in Lakadamia cemetery were prepared between 23
July and 18 August 1974, Politis reported that it was revealed
that despite the fact that the Greek Cypriot National Guard’s
General Staff knew that these people were dead and buried since
1974, kept this information as a secret.
Politis reporting that the exhumations in Lakadamia Military
Cemetery started in 1999, 25 years after 1974 Peace Operation,
wrote that if the documents acquired by Greek Cypriot National
Guard were evaluated earlier, the pains of many of the missing
persons’ relatives could have ended long time ago.
