The US is working to deliver much-needed humanitarian aid to Gaza through any available route, including the sea lane from Larnaca, said US Ambassador to Cyprus, Julie Fisher.
Ambassador Fisher met with the President of the Republic, Nicos Anastasiades, on Wednesday and praised, in her statements, the role of the Cypriot Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the authorities at the port of Larnaca in facilitating the humanitarian corridor.
The Ambassador said that she had a broad and thorough discussion with the President, and the US-Cyprus relations “are truly at a level we have never seen before.”
“We are doing so much together to support stability in the Eastern Mediterranean, so much to deliver humanitarian assistance to Gaza, we are working together on law enforcement, through military channels, we are collaborating very closely to bring Cypriots and Americans together. We have such a broad and rich agenda, and it is a great pleasure for me to be back here again this morning (at the Presidential Palace) to discuss this agenda in detail,” she remarked.
In response to a question about when the pier being constructed by the Americans would be ready to be moved to Gaza to deliver aid, Ambassador Fisher said that they are in the final stages, but the sea conditions do not currently allow for its relocation. She expressed hope that this would happen as soon as possible so that the platform could be moved into position.
She mentioned that a lot of work is also being done at the port of Larnaca to prepare the humanitarian aid and palletise the food supplies, adding that she wanted to commend the incredible leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the port authorities, and others who worked even during the holiday weekend to ensure that the humanitarian aid and food, desperately needed in Gaza, would be delivered as soon as possible.
When asked if the aid shipments from Cyprus via ship would be regular, the Ambassador replied that they want to utilise this route and any other available channel, whether through crossing points or the sea lane, for as long as there is a need ‘to feed the hungry people.’
Additionally, the Government Spokesperson, Konstantinos Letymbiotis, stated, in response to a question about the construction of the floating platform, that it has been completed and is awaiting relocation to its designated site as soon as weather conditions permit.
“The loading of cargo onto an American ship docked in Larnaca is also nearing completion, and once the platform is in place in Gaza, this stage of the initiative can commence,” he added.
Read more:
