Cyprus proposes a maritime humanitarian corridor for Gaza
27/10/2023 9:19
President Christodoulides said that he has discussed with the Israeli Prime Minister and the Egyptian President the possibility of sending aid to Gaza by sea from the port of Limassol. Christodoulides was speaking upon his arrival to the summit of the European Council which began on Thursday afternoon in Brussels. Earlier, the President had referred to the creation of a "maritime humanitarian corridor" while arriving at the summit of the European People's Party.
In a statement upon his arrival to the European Council, President Christodoulides stressed that Cyprus is ready to assume the role it can have particularly when it comes to the evacuation of people from the region, adding that "we already have requests from several EU member states (and) the United States".
"The issue of humanitarian aid is of particular importance and I have shared with both the Prime Minister of Israel and the President of Egypt some ideas on how the Republic of Cyprus can help in providing uninterrupted humanitarian assistance," he added.
Responding to a question, Christodoulides said he discussed "a specific idea” with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi during his visits to the two countries, on whether "humanitarian aid can also be sent by sea from the Republic of Cyprus, from Limassol, to Gaza."
The position of the Republic of Cyprus, he stressed, is that “there must be unimpeded humanitarian aid to Gaza".
Asked to comment on recent statements by Turkish President Tayip Erdogan that Hamas is not a terrorist organisation, President Christodoulides replied that he hopes "that this will be heard in particular by the members of the European Council, the member states of the European Union and the United States".
"Because the statements made by the Turkish President are simply encouraging terrorism. It is nothing else," he added, noting that "there is no justification for terrorist acts."
He also stressed that "Hamas does not represent the Palestinians and in fact through such actions it attempts to undermine the Palestinian Authority itself."
A more active role for the EU
In his initial remarks, Christodoulides said he hoped that today's meeting "will be dominated by the debate on the Middle East, where the European Union must play a more active, a more prominent role, especially in the efforts to de-escalate the crisis."
He added that Cyprus, "as the EU member state that is adjacent to the region, as the state that maintains excellent relations with all the neighbouring states", would convey the message "on the one hand of the need for more active involvement of the European Union, but at the same time of the importance of de-escalation, a de-escalation that can only be achieved through diplomacy".
Christodoulides also made it clear that "terrorism cannot be accepted wherever it comes from, nor can the loss of civilian lives".
"The protection of the population is a prerequisite for progress. At the same time, the political process must be resumed, because it is only through the political process that a solution can be found," he stressed.
Migration
With regards to migration, Christodoulides noted that it is particularly important especially if the crisis extends to Lebanon. Migration "is something that we will discuss today, both separately, but also in the context of the review of the Multiannual Financial Framework", the President added, expressing the hope that the EU "will show more will and readiness to tackle this problem and to support front-line countries, including of course the Republic of Cyprus".
Finally, President Christodoulides announced that on Wednesday evening he was informed by the UN of the decision of the Secretary-General to proceed with the appointment of “a specific person who will be responsible for exploring the prospects for resuming the talks from where they were interrupted".
He added that the Republic of Cyprus gave its consent, and expressed the hope that the other parties will do so well, so that “the effort to resume the talks from where they were interrupted will bear fruit".
EPP summit
Earlier in the day, President Christodoulides participated in the regular meeting of the heads of state that are affiliated with the European People's Party. Christodoulides welcomed the fact that EPP President Manfred Weber convened an extraordinary teleconference of the EPP leaders on the situation in the Middle East on October 13th.
Recalling that Cyprus is the closest EU member state to the region and a country with excellent relations with neighbouring states, the President noted that he was conveying the message of the need for the EU to be more actively involved in efforts to de-escalate the crisis.
He underlined that terrorism cannot be accepted and stressed that loss of civilian lives cannot be accepted, and that the political peace process must resume as soon as possible.
Christodoulides added that Cyprus is ready to play a role, either in removing European citizens and citizens of other countries from the region, or in supporting efforts to send humanitarian aid through the creation of a maritime humanitarian corridor, an issue he discussed with President Sisi and Prime Minister Netanyahu.
At the same time, President Christodoulides added, as the European Union, we must support the countries in the region that are pillars of stability, in particular Egypt and Jordan, countries that have a major role in the de-escalation efforts.
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