Head of Humanitarian Affairs for the missing persons and the enclaved, Anna Aristotelous, conveyed the commitment of the President of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, in ascertaining the fate of every single missing person, in spite of any difficulties and obstacles. This, she said, is a duty towards the heroes and their families. Aristotelous attended a funeral service for Toulis Elia in Marathos, Crete, after his remains were identified and were handed over back to his relatives, almost 50 years later. Aristotelous also noted that the remains of Toulis Elia were identified in 2005 and 2009. In coordination with his family, as well as with the Hellenic Army General Staff, the Republic of Cyprus organized the repatriation of the remains with a military aircraft, after an ceremony held in Cyprus, on May 30th 2024. Toulis Elia died on July 22nd 1974. The reserve officer was aboard a Noratlas aircraft, which was hit by friendly fire before landing in Cyprus, in the days following the 1974 Turkish invasion in Cy prus. Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37% of its territory. Since then, the fate of hundreds of people remains unknown. A Committee on Missing Persons has been established, upon agreement between the leaders of the two communities, with the scope of exhuming, identifying and returning to their relatives the remains of 492 Turkish Cypriots and 1,510 Greek Cypriots, who went missing during the inter-communal fighting of 1963-1964 and in 1974. Source: Cyprus News Agency
Menu