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The appointment of the United
Nations Secretary-General's envoy will go into effect as of the 1st of the
new year, said the President of the Republic, Mr Nikos Christodoulides,
today.
In statements to the Media, the
President of the Republic said that he agrees with certain decisions of the
European Council, such as Ukraine’s and some other countries’ EU course, but
he expressed his disagreement and concern about the way certain decisions
were taken, as well as about the fact that that it was not possible to reach
conclusions on the Middle East issue.
He added that "we
are sending a very wrong message to the region and that is why I spoke to
some of our partners in the Mediterranean countries so that we can start
preparing for the day after the war. Because if we do not start discussing
about this and if we do not agree on a framework and basic principles, I fear
that this situation will either be repeated or will continue.” President
Christodoulides noted that the EU has an obligation and a responsibility to
have a leading role in the region.
Responding to a question for
Cyprus’ proposal for the humanitarian maritime corridor for Gaza, he said
that there are developments to this end and that there may be some
announcements later today. He noted that an Israeli team has arrived in
Cyprus, and a new team is expected to arrive in the following days. He said:
“We are ready to send humanitarian aid as soon as there is green light from
Israel. The situation is tragic, especially for civilians.”
When asked regarding the
arrival of the UN Secretary-General's envoy for Cyprus, the President of the
Republic said, 'We are awaiting the Secretary-General's announcements. As far
as I have been informed, the appointment will go into effect on the first day
of the new year.” He noted that immediately after, the envoy will visit New
York to meet with the UN Secretary-General, and after that, he will travel to
Cyprus. Mr Christodoulides added, that considering his previous experience
with various envoys and advisors “the envoy should come to Cyprus not just
for 24 or 48 hours but should rather come here and spend time working with
us.” The President noted: “Of course the envoy will visit Ankara, London,
Athens, Brussels but should spend time in Cyprus so that conditions are
formed, through discussions, to reach the desired goal, which is the
resumption of talks, based on an agreed framework.”
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(ASP/NZ)
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