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Statements
by the President of the Republic and the President of the European Commission
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The maritime corridor for
providing humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza will probably be launched
next Sunday, the President of the European Commission, Ms Ursula von der
Leyen, said today, following her inspection of the relevant installations at
Larnaka port along with the President of the Republic, Mr Nikos
Christodoulides. Afterwards, both Presidents
visited the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) in Larnaka, where they
made remarks to the media. In his statement, the President of the Republic said: “I welcome you today in Cyprus, here at the Joint Rescue and Coordination Centre, as a valuable partner and true friend of Cyprus. Cyprus, our Union’s most
south-eastern corner, stands as the lighthouse of the European Union in this
important and challenging region. This is the unique perspective that Cyprus
brings to the European Union. The Middle East is also
Europe’s neighbourhood, and it is a crucial one where Europe’s role and
leadership are required. Dear Ursula, your presence is a
demonstration of this role and leadership. What happens in the Middle East
concerns us directly as Europeans. The war across the sea from Cyprus is not
a regional crisis of limited concern or impact. The spillover of the crisis
will be even more catastrophic, with profound consequences for the region and
beyond. And we have a responsibility to act. During the discussions with the
President, we spoke of our shared concern as regards the severely
deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza. What is unfolding before our
eyes is a humanitarian tragedy. It is blatantly clear that
there is an urgent need to deliver aid to civilians as effectively as
possible. The Cyprus maritime corridor aims at scaling up aid by
complementing other routes, that include the all-important Rafah crossing
from Egypt and the airdrops from Jordan. It is also clear that we are at
a point where we simply have to unlock all possible routes. Since last October, our team
has been working tirelessly on elaborating the one-way maritime corridor to
Gaza, with Larnaka as its starting point. We did it for no other reason than
our belief that, as the EU member at the heart of the region, Cyprus bears a
moral duty to do its utmost to assist in alleviating the humanitarian crisis,
leveraging its role and excellent relations with all countries in the region. Ursula, Madam President, you
were a staunch, vocal supporter of the Cyprus maritime corridor from the very
beginning. Thank you for your vision and leadership. Cyprus is deeply
appreciative of the full support by you personally, by the European Commission,
as well as that of the United Arab Emirates, the United States, and other
partners with whom we have been in intense consultations in the last weeks
and months. At the same time, UN Special
Coordinator and her important mandate to coordinate, increase, and
standardise the humanitarian assistance going into Gaza, are also important
elements in making the corridor a sustained, long-term maritime lifeline for
the civilians in Gaza. Today, we stand united by a
common vision to alleviate the humanitarian tragedy of the civilians in Gaza,
here, at the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre, which constitutes an integral
facility of the critical infrastructures in the Amalthea Plan. The other
critical facility in the Amalthea capsule is CYCLOPS, the Centre for Land,
Open Seas, and Port Security, established in close cooperation with the
United States. Here at the JRCC we also
monitor all sea traffic going in and out of Cyprus. As we have discussed, the
number of migrants from Syria and Lebanon have been consistently increasing
in recent months, which is deeply concerning for Cyprus. I look forward
to working with you on this Ursula, and just as we are doing today, to do so
in result-oriented manner. With the President, I also
discussed this morning our efforts to resume negotiations on the Cyprus
problem, in line with the relevant UNSCRs and EU law, values, and principles.
A solution to the Cyprus problem would have a resounding regional impact as well.
We agreed that the EU can be a driver for developments on the Cyprus
question. In this regard, we exchanged views on the state of play in
EU-Turkey relations, in which the Cyprus question is of course a core
component part. Dear Ursula, once again, it is
a great pleasure to host you and your team in Cyprus in order to deliver the
implementation of the Amalthea Initiative, of the maritime corridor for the
delivery of aid in Gaza. Our journey only just begins.” On her part, Mrs von der Leyen
said, among other things: “We are here because Palestinians, and in
particular those in Gaza, need all our help. The humanitarian situation in
Gaza is dire, with innocent Palestinian families and children desperate for
basic needs. Today we are facing a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, and we
stand by the innocent civilians in Palestine. This is why Europe is financing
a major humanitarian aid effort for Palestinians in Gaza and in the region –
€250 million this year alone – but the key challenge is to get the aid to the
people on the ground in Gaza. We know the difficulties faced at the land
borders in Gaza, be it through the Rafah border crossing or through the
Jordan Road corridor. And that is why today the Republic of Cyprus, the
European Commission, the United Arab Emirates and the United States, of
course supported by other critical partners, announced our intent to open the
maritime corridor to deliver much needed additional amounts of humanitarian
assistance by sea. Together, our nations intend to build on this model to
deliver significant additional aid by sea, so I am extremely grateful to you,
Mr. President, dear Nikos, and to the people of Cyprus, for your leadership
in establishing the Amalthea initiative. It was impressive to see and to
visit the different sites, how it is evolving, supplementing the efforts to
deliver significant additional aid. We are launching this Cyprus maritime
corridor together: Cyprus, the European Union, the United Arab Emirates, and
the United States. And it is your relentless work to get this corridor up and
running, despite all the challenges - and this is truly inspiring. We are now
very close to the opening of the corridor, hopefully this Sunday. And I'm
very glad to see that an initial pilot operation will be launched today.
Thus, it is the partnership that started it today with the World Central
Kitchen, whom I want to thank wholeheartedly for their tireless and so
important work. Cyprus has always been a bridge
between Europe and the Middle East and, thanks to the Amalthea initiative, it
is proving this historical role once again today. I welcome the leadership of
President Nikos Christodoulides by serving as a mediator for all parties
involved. And I would like to commend the
particular effort of the president of the United Arab Emirates, Mohammed bin
Zayed, to mobilise support to activate this corridor by securing the first of
many shipments of goods to the people of North Gaza. And I call on all the
actors who have a role to play here to help this (initiative) deliver on its
potential. One thing is for sure, you can count on us. The maritime corridor
can make a real difference in the plight of the Palestinian people. But, in
parallel, our efforts to provide assistance to Palestinians through all
possible routes, of course, will continue. As part of our EU humanitarian air
bridge operation, we have launched 41 flights carrying over 1.800 tonnes of
aid, and we will consider all other options, including airdrops if our
humanitarian partners on the ground consider this effective. But our action
does not stop there. We must also focus our attention, our efforts and
outreach on preventing an ignition of violence across the whole region. I am
in regular contact with president al-Sisi of Egypt and King Abdullah of
Jordan. The situation in the Red Sea is particularly concerning, with
maritime security deteriorating day after day and critical infrastructure
damaged due to the repeated Houthi attacks. This is why we have launched the
EU naval force operation Aspides. And I know that Cyprus has deployed two
naval officers for this mission, and we really thank you for that, Mr.
President. With Aspides, Europe is acting
to ensure freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, working alongside with our
international partners. Finally, a word on the day
after. We agree that we must start preparing today with a viable perspective,
and this perspective continues to lie in the two-state solution. This
requires an immediate humanitarian pause that would lead to a sustainable
ceasefire. It is clear that there can be no forced displacement of
Palestinians and no blockade of Gaza. But it is equally clear that Gaza
cannot be a safe haven for terrorists, and that we will keep on calling for
the immediate, unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas. Europe will continue to help
build momentum for this political horizon. So, thank you again, Mr.
President, dear Nikos, and I want to thank everyone working here at the JRCC.
You will play a central role in the Amalthea initiative. You are already
playing an important and central role overall in the region here, so
something comes on top of your responsibility. You embody Europe's solidarity
at its best. And I know that the people of Cyprus themselves know what
suffering and loss can feel like. And therefore, we in the European Union
stand by you, Mr. President, in your efforts to resume the peace talks for
the solution of the Cyprus question. Here, too, you can count on us for many
things”. (RM/AP/IA) |
