ALARM FOR THE MEETING OF EU HEADS OF STATE AND DRACONIAN SECURITY MEASURES - ROADS WILL BE CLOSED AND AREAS OF NICOSIA AND AYIA NAPA WILL BE PARALYZED - 23/24 APRIL - Filenews 22/4 by Michalis Chatzivasilis
The security measures that the Police will take in the context of the Informal Meeting of the Heads of State of the EU, which will take place on Thursday and Friday, April 23-24 at the Ayia Napa Marina and the Conference Center respectively, will be unprecedented.
The Police have already drawn up a plan for the safe arrival, accommodation and transition from the hotels to the places where the meetings will take place. Hotels have been mobilized in Nicosia and Limassol and the security measures will be draconian, since several leaders of EU countries and four leaders of countries in the region will come to Cyprus to participate in the European Council.
According to the plan drawn up, members of the Special Anti-Terrorist Platoon of the MMAD will be placed from tomorrow afternoon in the hotels in which the European leaders will stay and control every move. The measures will be particularly increased during the movements of high-ranking guests accompanied by armed members of the Police, including members of the MMAD, the Traffic Police and other services.
In the accommodation areas and in those where meetings will be held, thorough searches will be carried out, all entrants and staff will be checked. Measures will also be taken from the air, with the Police helicopter flying wherever necessary, so that the authorities can have eyes from above.
A Crisis Management Center will operate at the Police Headquarters to report all incidents so that they can be handled immediately, while both the Cyprus Intelligence Service and the members of the Crime Prevention Unit will have a special role to prevent any actions. The National Guard will take similar measures regarding the protection of foreign leaders from the air.
In Nicosia, on Friday, during a meeting at the Conference Center, Aglantzias Avenue will be closed. Specifically, from the lights of the Aluminium Tower to the roundabout of Akadimias, it will be closed from 07:30 to 18:00. Also, the roads from the two hotels where the foreign delegations will stay will be constantly monitored and traffic will be paralyzed when the delegations pass.
The same will happen on Thursday during the meeting of European leaders at Ayia Napa Marina. The Police will close part of Agia Thekla Avenue as well as adjacent streets from 16:00-23:00. There will also be measures on the Larnaca - Limassol, Larnaca - Nicosia highways but also Limassol - Ayia Napa and Limassol - Nicosia.
It is expected that the Presidential Palace will also be at the center of the meetings, when similar measures will be taken during the transition of leaders for meetings with the President of the Republic.
