The humanitarian needs are there in Gaza and the Amalthea initiative will continue, reassured on Tuesday President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides.
In a press conference with the European Parliament President, Roberta Metsola, following their visit to the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) in Larnaka, President Christodoulides said the tragic events should make all redouble efforts for more aid to flow into Gaza.
On her part, Metsola also condemned the fatal attack on the WCK convoy, which resulted to the death of seven people, adding that the European Parliament will keep pushing for a cease fire and the return of all hostages. She also underlined that there can be no prospect of peace, security, stability and prosperity for Gaza as long as Hamas operates with impunity.
In his remarks, President Christodoulides condemned the killings of the seven humanitarian aid workers working for World Central Kitchen in Gaza trying to deliver desperately needed assistance. He said the ‘WCK is one of our cru
cial partners in sending much needed humanitarian assistance to Gaza and on implementing the Amalthea Initiative. I express our sincere condolences to the WCK and the countries which have lost their citizens and we call for an immediate and complete investigation of this incident’.
President Christodoulides said that the tragic events of last night prove once again that ‘this is not a regional crisis of limited concern or impact. Its effects reverberate across the region and impact Europe in crucial areas, such as security and migration’.
He noted that the tragic events should not discourage us. ‘We must double down on our efforts to provide more assistance as the needs dramatically escalate. We should also not overlook what has been achieved so far and what it is possible when we persevere in doing what is right; what is necessary’, he said, adding that ‘we have a responsibility to act, and we should be an integral part of initiatives, together with our partners, to put an end in the war and start a politi
cal process for a lasting solution, based on relevant UNSC resolutions’.
President Christodoulides noted that safe delivery and distribution of humanitarian assistance is a must. It is our obligation as international community to scale up our efforts to ensure increased deliveries of much-needed aid, and underscore in the strongest of terms that humanitarian aid workers must have full protection in conducting their essential efforts in providing food and humanitarian assistance, he added.
He repeated that the Amalthea initiative ‘is not a substitute to other routes, namely the all-important land routes and the air drops. It is complementary to them, with the sole purpose being to increase the provision of assistance by sea, and to mutually reinforce all pathways, for sustained delivery of humanitarian assistance to those in need,’ he noted.
President Christodoulides said he briefed the EP President on ‘our continued efforts to resume negotiations on the Cyprus problem, including my recent meeting with the
UNSG in Brussels. We’ll have another European Council in two weeks, where EU-Turkey relations will be discussed. We are ready for progress on this file, in a step-by-step approach, provided that Turkey engages constructively on all aspects of EU-Turkey relations, including of course the Cyprus problem and the resumption of talks based on UN Security Council resolutions which is an essential component of the relationship between Brussels and Ankara,’ he added.
On the issue of migration, he said that ‘the number of Syrian migrants coming from Lebanon has been consistently increasing in recent weeks, which is deeply concerning’.
President Christodoulides emphasized that he fully understands the challenges Lebanon is facing, ‘but exporting migrants to Cyprus should not be the answer and cannot be accepted. Towards that end, the EU should also stand by Cyprus in tangible ways,’ he added.
On the upcoming June European elections, Christodoulides welcomed Metsola’s initiative to visit EU member-states in order to
motivate people, especially Europe’s youth, to vote. ‘This year, when in Cyprus we celebrate the 20th anniversary of our EU accession, increased interest and participation to the European elections is a timely test for all of us, and a personal bet for me, and we must rise to the occasion,” he added.
In her remarks, the EP President described Cyprus as ‘Europe’s primary gateway to the Middle East, Asia and Africa’ and said that what is happening in Cyprus ‘is a precise translation of our European values, solidarity, peace. United in our defence of our common humanity’.
Noting that the ‘situation on the ground remains desperate’ in Gaza, Metsola said that ‘too many innocent people have died’ and that ‘we must use all our resources to get answers, to bring in more relief. Humanitarian organisations like World Central Kitchen must be protected’, she stressed.
Praising President Christodoulides for his ‘leadership and personal commitment’ to make the Amalthea project ‘a tangible success, a reality’, Metsola sa
id ‘our approach is to get more help into Gaza, save innocent lives, and advance the need for a two-state solution that gives Palestinians a true perspective while giving Israel security’.
She said ‘the European Parliament will keep pushing, as we have been doing for months, for a cease fire. We will keep seeking the return of the remaining hostages. We will continue to emphasise that there can be no prospect of peace, security, stability and prosperity for Gaza as long as Hamas operates with impunity’.
At the same time she noted that ‘we will continue to advocate for a settlement that empowers peaceful, legitimate Palestinian leadership and one that ensures lasting stability in the region’.
On the Cyprus problem, Metsola reassured President Christodoulides that ‘you have the full support of the European Parliament to find a way forward under the UN plan. And your personal commitment and leadership on this is very much appreciated’.
On the issue of migration she said next week a ‘big unprecedented legisla
tive package that will hopefully go through the European Parliament’ that was asked from citizens, including from Cyprus in 2019 ‘will be able to answer both in the short and medium term, but also hopefully in the longer term, the individual national challenges that countries such as yours are facing with regards to migration’.
Regarding the European Parliament elections, she said we are only two months away and this ‘is the reason why I’m also here, is that your vote, your voice matters. Do not let anyone else decide for you. This election is way too important for that. The next few years will be decisive for Europe and for both sides of our Mediterranean. And I am confident that European citizens in Cyprus, in every member state, will respond,’ she stressed.
Asked if last night’s tragic event is a setback for the Amalthea initiative since WCK already announced its decision to pause all its activities, President Christodoulides said the government is in contact with the WCK and that ‘the humanitarian needs
are there and the Amalthea initiative will continue’.
Noting that the government is in contact with the United States as it is preparing the pier in Gaza, he said probably before the end of the month, ‘we will be in a position to have more humanitarian assistance sent to Gaza’.
Asked how the EP will respond to the tragic events and whether there should be more decisive actions towards protecting humanitarian aid workers and people on the ground, President Metsola replied ‘absolutely’, adding that there will be a plenary of the EP in the next few days and that ‘the European Parliament has since the very beginning of the conflict, not shied away from being the first institution to call for a cease fire and the return of all hostages’.
She also said that during her talks with the United Nations Secretary-General, discussions centred around how ‘we as a European Parliament can continue, to call not only with language, but also in pushing our country’s leadership in order to speak to all the actors in the regio
n, in order for there to be a cease fire, the hostilities must stop’.
Metsola said that what happened “is just the last instalment of yet another tragedy that can only increase as the days go by. The situation is extremely desperate’, she concluded.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres appointed María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar of Columbia as his personal envoy for Cyprus, to assume a Good Offices role on his behalf and search for common ground on the way forward in the Cyprus issue.
Source: Cyprus News Agency