Families recover remains of 15 newly identified Greek soldiers killed in Cyprus in 1974

The remains of newly identified Greek soldiers who fought in Cyprus against invading Turkish troops almost half a century ago were returned to their families on Thursday.

Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides attended the funeral of the 15 Greek soldiers in the capital, Nicosia, before their remains were contained in coffins draped with the Greek flag.

Christodoulides said it was the least the state could do to honor and respect the memory of those who died.

Eight of the 15 soldiers will be reburied in Greece. The families of six others chose to have their remains reburied in a mass grave in the Cypriot capital, which is the country's main war monument. No family members of any of the soldiers have been found, according to state television.

Turkey invaded the country in July 1974, a week after supporters of union with Greece staged a coup backed by the country's then-ruling Greek junta.

The invasion led to an ethnic divide in Cyprus, with Turkish Cypriots subsequently declaring independence that is recognized only by Turkey, which still maintains more than 35,000 troops in the separatist north.

Of the 2,002 people who went missing in 1974 and the previous decade amid ethnic violence, the remains of 1,033 have been identified and returned to their families since the UN-led search effort began in earnest in 2006.

U.N. officials said that was the second-best success rate in the world, after the former Yugoslavia.

A total of 769 Greek Cypriots and 200 Turkish Cypriots remain missing and authorities say the passage of time poses a huge challenge.