European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced she hoped that the Cyprus Maritime corridor will be launched either Saturday or Sunday while an initial pilot operation will be launched on Friday.
Speaking in a joint press conference with Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides, von der Leyen, who is visiting Cyprus, said the humanitarian situation in Gaza is dire, with innocent Palestinian families and children desperate for basic needs while Gaza is facing a humanitarian catastrophe.
She further said the Republic of Cyprus, the European Commission, the United Arab Emirates and the United States, supported by other critical partners, announce their intent to open a maritime corridor to deliver much-needed additional amounts of humanitarian assistance by sea.
Von der Leyen also praised Cyprus for always being a bridge between Europe and the Middle East and thanks to the Amalthea initiative, it is proving this historical role once again today.
In his remarks, President Christodoulides said the
war across the sea from Cyprus is not a regional crisis of limited concern or impact, adding that “a spillover of the crisis will be even more catastrophic, with profound consequences for the region and beyond.” “And we have a responsibility to act,” the President remarked.
He added that ‘what is unfolding before our eyes is a humanitarian tragedy.’
Von der Leyen said 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. 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 – EUR 250 million this year alone.’
However, she said 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, she noted.
That is why today, she added, ‘the Republic of Cyprus, the European Commission, the United Arab Emirates and the United States, of course supported by other critical partners, announce our intent to open a 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.’
Noting she is extremely grateful to President Christodoulides for his leadership in establishing the Amalthea initiative, Von der Leyen said she visited the different sites and 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 your relentless work to get this corridor up and running despite all the challenges is truly inspiring. We are now very close to the opening of the corridor, Saturday or Sunday. And I am very gla
d to see that an initial pilot operation will be launched today, thus it is the partnership that started today with the World Central Kitchen, whom I want to thank wholeheartedly for their tireless and so important work,’ the European Commission President said.
Furthermore, she said ‘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.’
She commended President Christodoulides, for serving as a mediator for all parties involved as well as the particular efforts of the President of the United Arab Emirate Mohamed bin Zayed to mobilise support to activate this corridor by securing the first of many shipments of goods to the people of North Gaza. At this point she called ‘on all the actors who have a role to play here, to help this corridor deliver on its potential. One thing is for sure, you can count on us.’
The EC president said ‘the maritime corridor can make a real difference to the plight of the Pal
estinian 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 air drops, if our humanitarian partners on the ground consider this effective’.
She further noted ‘our action does not stop there. We must also focus our attention, efforts and outreach on preventing an ignition of violence across the whole region’ and added that she is in regular contact with President El-Sisi of Egypt and King Abdullah of Jordan.
At this point, she said ‘the situation in the Red Sea is particularly concerning with maritime security deteriorating day after day and critical infrastructure damaged due to repeated Houthi attacks’ and for this reason the EU naval force Operation Aspides was launched with Europe ‘acting to ensure freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, working alongside our interna
tional partners’.
Von der Leyen also talked about the day after, adding ‘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’.
Thanking the people who work at the JRCC, she said they ‘play a central role in the Amalthea initiative.’
‘And I know that the people of Cyprus themselves know what suffering and loss can feel like. 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
‘, the EC president pledged.
On his part, Christodoulides welcomed Von der Leyen at the Joint Rescue and Coordination Centre, noting she is a ‘valuable partner and true friend of Cyprus.’
Noting that ‘Cyprus, our Union’s most south-eastern corner, stands as the lighthouse of the European Union in this important and challenging region’ and ‘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. Spillover of the crisis will be even more catastrophic, with profound consequences for the region and beyond. And we have a responsibility to act.’
President Christodoulides said 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’ and ‘it is blatantly clear that there is an urgent need to deliver aid to civilians as effectively as possible. The Cyprus maritime corr
idor 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 poignantly clear that we are at a point where we simply have to unlock all routes, President Christodoulides added.
He said that since last October ‘our team has been working tirelessly on elaborating the one-way maritime corridor to Gaza with Larnaca as its starting point’ as ‘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.’
Today, he said, ‘we stand united by a common vision to alleviate the humanitarian tragedy of the civilians in Gaza, here, at the JRCC, which constitutes an integral facility of the critical infrastructures in the Amalthea Plan’,
President Christodoulides also said with Von der Leyen they discussed ‘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’, adding they 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.’
Source: Cyprus News Agency