President Christodoulides on Thursday presented Cyprus’ initiative to create a maritime corridor facilitating the provision of humanitarian aid to Gaza during the Paris International Conference on Humanitarian Aid.
According to a written statement by Government Spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis, the International Conference was attended by approximately 80 countries, international organisations and world leaders.
Both during his intervention at the Conference and during his bilateral contacts, the President presented the initiative of the Republic for the creation of a sea corridor through Cyprus, for the uninterrupted and safe delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza. More specifically, the President made a detailed presentation of the “Amalthea” initiative of the Republic of Cyprus and referred to the initiative’s five stages, Letymbiotis noted.
Nicosia’s initiative, as well as its specific aspects, President Christodoulides said, have been discussed at length in the last four weeks in the context of his contacts with the President of Egypt, the King of Jordan, the Prime Minister of Israel and also during the contacts held by the Cypriot Minister of Foreign Affairs, Constantinos Kombos, during his recent visits to Jordan and Ramallah, as well as with other counterparts in the region.
The Republic of Cyprus, President Christodoulides said, is in constant contact, at all levels, with Israel, Egypt, the Palestinian Authority, the United Arab Emirates, EU member states and EU institutions as well as the United Nations, whose contribution is deemed as decisive for the implementation and success of the initiative.
Letymbiotis said in his written statement that the initiative received significant support at the Conference, especially from the President of France, the President of the European Commission, the President of the European Council, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belgium, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Croatia, Prince Rashid of Jordan and the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who expressed the readiness of Greece to provide naval means for the transfer of aid from Cyprus to Gaza.
Furthermore, the Cypriot President held prior to the conference, a telephone conversation with the Dutch Prime Minister who expressed the readiness of The Netherlands to assist the Cyprus initiative in a concrete way.
Presenting in detail the “Amalthea” initiative of the Republic of Cyprus and referring to its five stages, the President said that the first stage will be the transportation and collection of humanitarian aid in Cyprus and the second stage concerns the inspection and storage of the humanitarian aid that will be received in Cyprus. The third stage, he added, will be to load and inspect the humanitarian aid on the ships from a port in Cyprus, possibly the one in Larnaka, the fourth stage will be the inspection of the route through a safe maritime corridor and the fifth and final stage concerns the unloading, and the distribution of the humanitarian aid to the civilian population of Gaza.
President Christodoulides said that a specific implementation plan for the initiative has already been prepared with immediate, mid-term and long-term solutions and technical arrangements.
Noting that the initiative of the Republic of Cyprus constitutes a feasible proposal that can contribute to addressing the humanitarian crisis, he said that the immediate proximity of Cyprus, as a state of the region, since it is only 210 nautical miles away from Gaza, contributes to the implementation of this initiative.
He also underlined the longstanding excellent relations that Cyprus maintains with the states of the region, as well as its credibility as an EU member state, saying that those factors can strengthen the implementation and success of the initiative.
The President of the Republic invited the participants in the conference to contribute to the implementation of this comprehensive proposal that aims at saving human lives, in the same way as Amalthea, who nourished and gave life, according to Greek Mythology.
President Christodoulides said that alongside the efforts to provide humanitarian aid, there is a need to remain committed to reviving the political prospects to reach a two-state solution, in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions.
According to Letymbiotis, the President of the Republic held, in the framework of the conference, bilateral meetings with the Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Ibrahim Shtayyeh, the Jordanian Prince Rashid bin Hassan and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) Commissioner Philippe Lazzarini.
President Christodoulides flies on Thursday from Paris to Athens, where he will attend later a working dinner in the context of the 1st Cyprus-Greece Intergovernmental Summit.
Meanwhile, the Government Spokesman wrote on his account on platform ‘X’ that active diplomacy, Cyprus’ geographical position and the excellent diplomatic relations with the states of the region, are essential components for strengthening the Cyprus initiative for Gaza.
Noting that the President of the Republic was presenting at the Paris Conference the Initiative of Cyprus to create a maritime corridor through Cyprus for the uninterrupted, safe distribution of humanitarian aid to Gaza, the Spokesman said that “active diplomacy, the utilization of the geographical position of our country, our credibility as a member state of the EU and the excellent diplomatic relations with the states of the region are essential components for strengthening and shielding the initiative”.
(Source: Cyprus News Agency)
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