The attack on members of the NGO World Central Kitchen, who were transporting humanitarian aid to Gaza from the ship departing from Larnaca port, overshadowed yesterday’s visit by the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola.
This development has resulted in the current suspension of the humanitarian aid delivery programme, while the three ships have left Gaza.
At present, Nicosia is essentially waiting to see what decisions will be made regarding the continuation of the humanitarian corridor, as the Americans are already working on establishing a temporary pier.
The government’s position is that the initiative must remain alive, a sentiment conveyed yesterday by President Christodoulides to Roberta Metsola and also expressed in his statements to journalists.
When asked about it, he responded that the humanitarian corridor “Amalthea” will not be halted.
In any case, yesterday’s development is particularly negative overall, causing concern about the entire situation prevailing in the region.
Due to the deadly blow to the humanitarian mission, the schedule of yesterday’s visit also changed, with President Christodoulides and the President of the European Parliament heading directly to the Coordination Centre for Research and Rescue, where they made statements.
Condemning the events in Gaza, President Christodoulides said that the tragic events should not discourage us but rather double our efforts to send more aid to Gaza.
In his statements at the Coordination Centre for Research and Rescue, which they visited earlier, the President of the Republic said, among other things, that the World Central Kitchen is one of Cyprus’s main partners in the “Amalthea” initiative.
He expressed condolences to the organisation and to the families of the victims, calling for an in-depth investigation of the incident.
He added that “the tragic event should not discourage us but we should double our efforts to provide more assistance to the civilian population in Gaza.”
He further pointed out that “the EU must not be merely an observer of what is happening in the region, but we have a responsibility to act and to take initiatives with our partners to end the war and start a political process for a lasting solution based on the UN Security Council resolutions.”
He also said that Cyprus, as an EU member state closest to the Middle East region and has excellent relations with all its neighbours, aims to fulfil its moral obligation to alleviate the suffering of civilians in Gaza and is working towards this goal with its partners, the UN, the EU, the USA, the UAE, and others, emphasising that the safe distribution of aid is imperative and must be ensured.
“We have already dispatched the first two shipments with hundreds of tons of aid directly to Gaza, through our close cooperation with the UAE. Moreover, in collaboration with partners and interested parties, we are working to make assistance to Gaza more stable and predictable,” noted the President of the Republic, adding that the “Amalthea” Fund has been activated.
On her part, Metsola said, among other things, that Cyprus is the first gateway of Europe to the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, noting that what we see here with the “Amalthea” initiative “is exactly the translation of European values, solidarity, peace, united in our common humanity.”
She added that the situation in Gaza is desperate, noting that those working to provide humanitarian aid must be protected.
Metsola welcomed the “Amalthea” initiative, addressing President Christodoulides by saying, “We highly appreciate your leadership stance and your personal commitment to turning this initiative into success, into reality.”
She added that this leadership stance serves as an example for Europe and internationally, proving that there are no small and large leaderships and that ideas are not based on geography, as Cyprus demonstrates daily.
