Cyprus on Tuesday dispatched the first tranche of humanitarian aid to war-ravaged Ukraine, as a demonstration of “tangible solidarity” to the Ukrainian people, the Foreign Ministry said in a press release.
The humanitarian aid will be transported via cargo ship to Thessaloniki and then to Poland where the European Union has established a logistics hub of the Union Civil Protection Mechanism in cooperation with the Polish authorities.
According to the Ministry the first tranche involves 150 tonnes of humanitarian aid including 80 tonnes of food supplies (infant milk and food, flour, long life food), shelter equipment (sleeping bags, tents, blankets, biological toilets), 13 tonnes of medical supplies and medicines, 5000 pairs of shoes, 22500 liters of bottled water, electricity generator, personal hygiene kits and other civil protection and first aid equipment.
“The volume of humanitarian aid that has been gathered mainly through the individual contributions of citizens, is a tangible demonstration of solidarity by Cyprus to the Ukrainian people. Furthermore, part of the aid package has been offered or acquired through the initiative of the different services of the Government”, the Ministry added.
The aid was collected under the supervision of the Citizen’s Commissioner, in cooperation with other government services, such as the Civil Defence, the National Guard, the Ministry of Health and the Cyprus Port Authority.
The Ministry also said that the shipment of the aid was arranged by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and covered the freight costs through the Humanitarian Aid fund of the Ministry’s budget.
(CNA)
