In the next twenty-four hours, the ship will depart from Larnaca for the implementation of humanitarian aid to Gaza, the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulidis, said this evening. attending the Philological Memorial of the hero Evagoras Pallikaridis in the event hall of the 1st Lyceum Ethnarch Makarios III in Paphos.

Asked if there is anything newer in relation to the humanitarian corridor and the Amalthea project President Christodoulidis expressed his satisfaction first and foremost for the fact that an initiative that started in October, with persistence, is receiving this international recognition. He noted that “we had a very specific plan that I presented at the conference that took place in Paris.”

“I would like to inform you that in the next twenty-four hours the ship will depart from Larnaca, I cannot say the specific time for security reasons, you understand,” said President Christodoulidis, noting that “on the one hand, we are in constant contact with the states that supported this the initiative – you have also seen the relevant announcement – at the same time I am happy because after yesterday’s press conference with the President of the European Commission, we are receiving phone calls from heads of state or government or Foreign Ministers to express to us their desire to participate in this initiative, an initiative that is done for humanitarian purposes”.

Christodoulidis also said that the Republic of Cyprus, as a member state of the European Union, maintains excellent relations in the region with all neighboring states and tries within its capabilities to contribute to addressing such challenges.

“I consider it a development – always modestly and humbly – what we say that our country can, yes, be a core of security and stability in the wider area of ​​the eastern Mediterranean, an area of ​​particular geostrategic importance, but I want to repeat it, always modestly and humbly”, said the President of the Republic.

Cypriot Foreign Ministry: Optimism that Operation “Amalthia” to send humanitarian aid to Gaza will be activated at the weekend

Optimism that the “Amalthia” operation will be activated this weekend to send humanitarian aid to Gaza, Foreign Minister Konstantinos Kobos expressed to the Cyprus News Agency (CYPE).

In his statements to KYPE, Mr. Kombos said that the planning is for this weekend but there are some issues that still need to be clarified. As we get closer to the time, we have to be sure that the data is OK, he said, adding that “there is an optimism that the weekend will be the activation.”

The view, he added, is that this should be done as quickly as possible but the aim is “not to let speed affect efficiency, and have a balance”.

Asked if the pilot sailing went ahead yesterday, the Foreign Minister said that we are talking about the same thing, the first sailing that will activate (the plan) and “as long as there is no problem, mainly on the other side, which of course is not our responsibility, as Cyprus, that nothing happens in the area, and if this happens without a problem, then we consider that it has started, we are ready for a second and third mission”.

Asked about the assurances given by the Israelis, Dr. Kobos said, “look, very easily an incident can happen, the world because of the situation it is in, can move to help.” “There can be malicious action by some,” he said, “there are too many things that whoever says it’s okay can’t be predicted.”

“It is an operational issue on the ground. As far as the ship goes, during the journey, when it approaches, when it arrives, when it unloads, it has a lot of evidence, so no one can tell you that there is no problem because it is in a war zone that we are moving,” he noted.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs added that what is important from our point of view is that we have responsibility and control over our mechanism. Beyond that, the rest of the parties, there is the alliance in a way within which “everyone has a role, a responsibility, according to the capabilities they have”.

He noted that no one is under the illusion that they can control the situation. “There are various issues, so we are saying that the window is this weekend as long as there is no upheaval, like any episode, either in Gaza or in Israel or on the border with Lebanon that causes unrest that you perceive will affect, even the weather can cause a problem. This is the situation at the moment,” he said.