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The Minister of Foreign
Affairs, Dr. Constantinos Kombos, hosted on March 13 U.S. Secretary of State
Antony J. Blinken; European Union Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez
Lenarčič; UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development
Affairs David Cameron; UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin
Zayed Al Nahyan; Qatar Minister of State Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh
Αl-Khulaifi and UN Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for
Gaza Sigrid Kaag for a virtual ministerial conference to advance planning to
open a maritime corridor to deliver much-needed additional humanitarian
assistance to Gaza by sea. The Ministers agreed that there is no substitute
to land routes via Egypt and Jordan and entry points from Israel into Gaza
for aid delivery at scale. The Ministers also agreed that opening Ashdod port
to humanitarian assistance would be a welcome and significant complement to
the corridor.
The Ministers committed to
continue their engagement and send senior officials to the Republic of Cyprus
during the week, starting March 18, for in-depth briefings on the activation
of the corridor, including U.S. military planning efforts to establish a
temporary pier able to receive significant quantities of humanitarian
assistance. Senior officials will also undertake consultations on the
possibility of establishing a common fund to support the maritime corridor,
and coordinate in-kind and financial contributions to its sustainment.
The Ministers reaffirmed that
this maritime corridor can—and must—be part of a sustained effort to increase
the flow of humanitarian aid and commercial commodities into Gaza through all
possible routes, including expanded land routes and continued aerial
delivery, working closely with Coordinator Sigrid Kaag, who is charged with
facilitating, coordinating, monitoring, and verifying the flow of aid into
Gaza under UN Security Council Resolution 2720. The Ministers underscored the
need for Israel to open additional crossings so that more aid can reach Gaza,
including the north, and to ease overall customs restrictions to facilitate
an increased flow of life-saving humanitarian assistance.
(MP/EP/MS)
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