Cyprus Mail 9 February 2023 - by Nikolaos Prakas
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| The Cypriot rescue team that was set to depart for Turkey |
A Cypriot rescue team that had been greenlighted to go to Turkey on Thursday is now being grounded by Ankara, who is set to announce that they do not need anymore missions to deal with the fallout of the devastating earthquakes in the southern part of the country.
Speaking to Ant1, Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides said that the Cypriot team, which was set to be made up of 15 rescue workers, a doctor, and a nurse, had difficulties finding a way to get Turkey from Larnaca, and that they had agreed to have a Romanian plane transport them.
“However, at the last minute, they [the Romanian aircraft team] said they cannot take us, as, according to our information, Turkey will release an announcement stating they do not need anymore help,” Kasoulides said.
He quipped that Turkey wants to show the rest of the world that they are self-sufficient.
Earlier, the rescue team’s spokesman Panayiotis Liasides said that the team was set to remain in Turkey for seven days, and that replacement crews would be on call if needed.
“We are waiting for the European Civil Protection Mechanism, which coordinates all efforts with local authorities, to tell us whether they will need us for more days,” he said.
Around 17,000 people have died as a result of the earthquakes that rocked southern Turkey and Syria, while thousands more are displaced.
