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“We are in contact with Israel
and we are working on some final arrangements,” the President of the
Republic, Mr Nikos Christodoulides, said today, referring to the issue of the
initiative to create a sea corridor for the provision of humanitarian aid to
Gaza, noting that we will proceed to the implementation stage when we have
all the information.
In his statements to
journalists, when asked to comment on AKEL's criticisms in relation to the
content of the media reports on Cyprus, the President of the Republic
replied, “I do not know if AKEL wants investigations to be done within a day.
We certainly will not do such investigations. From the very start, I have
said that no one is above the reputation of our country. We neither
underestimate nor downgrade what has been brought to light. If AKEL wants to
play pre-election games, it is its right; party politics, it can do what it
wants. For us, I repeat, whatever has been brought to light will be
investigated in a given timeline and the relevant investigations have already
begun.”
Asked what is the next step in
the issue concerning the Republic's initiative to create a sea corridor to
Gaza for the provision of humanitarian aid, the President of the Republic
stated, “We are in contact with Israel, we are working on some final arrangements.
We are in contact with the United Nations (UN); I spoke with the
Secretary-General about the distribution of humanitarian aid to Gaza. We are
in contact with our partners in the European Union (EU). Yesterday I
discussed the issue with the German Chancellor, Mr Scholz, and we are moving
towards the implementation stage when we have all the information.”
Asked if it is a matter of
time, the President of the Republic said, “I would not say it is a matter of
time, we should not set timelines. What is important is that the initiative
of the Republic of Cyprus, which is recognised by the international community,
has begun to be discussed very specifically οn technical details, and I think
that, apart from showing our role in the region, this upgrades the EU’s role
in the region – because the Republic of Cyprus is the member state in
proximity to the region – and it sends a message about what we want to show
in deeds and not in words, that we are a pillar of stability and security in
the region.”
Finally, when inquired whether
he asked Chancellor Scholz to convey a message to the Turkish President, the
President of the Republic replied, “Our telephone conversation was certainly
related to the Turkish President's visit to Berlin.”
(GS)
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