Statements by the President of the Republic

“We are in contact with Israel and we are working on some final arrangements,” the President of the Republic, Mr Nikos Christodoulides, said today, referring to the issue of the initiative to create a sea corridor for the provision of humanitarian aid to Gaza, noting that we will proceed to the implementation stage when we have all the information.

In his statements to journalists, when asked to comment on AKEL’s criticisms in relation to the content of the media reports on Cyprus, the President of the Republic replied, “I do not know if AKEL wants investigations to be done within a day. We certainly will not do such investigations. From the very start, I have said that no one is above the reputation of our country. We neither underestimate nor downgrade what has been brought to light. If AKEL wants to play pre-election games, it is its right; party politics, it can do what it wants. For us, I repeat, whatever has been brought to light will be investigated in a given timeline and the relevant investigations have already begun.”

Asked what is the next step in the issue concerning the Republic’s initiative to create a sea corridor to Gaza for the provision of humanitarian aid, the President of the Republic stated, “We are in contact with Israel, we are working on some final arrangements. We are in contact with the United Nations (UN); I spoke with the Secretary-General about the distribution of humanitarian aid to Gaza. We are in contact with our partners in the European Union (EU). Yesterday I discussed the issue with the German Chancellor, Mr Scholz, and we are moving towards the implementation stage when we have all the information.”

Asked if it is a matter of time, the President of the Republic said, “I would not say it is a matter of time, we should not set timelines. What is important is that the initiative of the Republic of Cyprus, which is recognised by the international community, has begun to be discussed very specifically οn technical details, and I think that, apart from showing our role in the region, this upgrades the EU’s role in the region – because the Republic of Cyprus is the member state in proximity to the region – and it sends a message about what we want to show in deeds and not in words, that we are a pillar of stability and security in the region.”

Finally, when inquired whether he asked Chancellor Scholz to convey a message to the Turkish President, the President of the Republic replied, “Our telephone conversation was certainly related to the Turkish President’s visit to Berlin.”

(GS)

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