Cyprus continues to act as a reliable, useful and active partner of the international community at an extremely difficult humanitarian juncture, government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said on Thursday. Speaking to journalists at the Presidential Palace during his regular media briefing, Letymbiotis said a new humanitarian aid shipment weighing 900 tonnes in total was being carried out by Cyprus for Gaza, as part of the continuation of the Amalthea initiative.
Aid delivered in two stages
The aid is being transported in two consignments, Letymbiotis said. The first 600 tonnes had already arrived earlier on Thursday, he said, with a second transfer to follow, bringing the total load of this shipment to 900 tonnes.
The consignment includes medicines, medical equipment, hygiene items, food and shelter equipment, Letymbiotis said, describing it as aid that responds to the immediate and real needs of the civilian population. Letymbiotis told reporters that the aid is shipped to the port of Ashdod in Israel before being transferred onward by land into Gaza.
International coordination
The shipment is being carried out in cooperation with the United Nations, the United Arab Emirates, states, international organisations and humanitarian bodies, Letymbiotis said, under the relevant UN supervisory mechanism and with the necessary operational coordination.
The Amalthea initiative is no longer just a Cypriot undertaking, he said, but has developed into an internationally used humanitarian mechanism involving states, UN agencies and international humanitarian bodies. "As the Republic of Cyprus, we have developed a comprehensive and reliable system of humanitarian support that covers the entire chain, from the collection and storage of aid to inspection, monitoring, operational coordination and its safe departure towards Gaza," he said.
More than 37,000 tonnes delivered to date
Letymbiotis said more than 37,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid have so far been sent and delivered through the maritime humanitarian corridor. This, he said, is the real, measurable footprint of the initiative.
Cyprus is not confining itself to the role of observer, Letymbiotis said, adding that the country is converting its geographical position, the relationships of trust it has built and its international credibility into a genuine capacity to offer help. "With actions and measurable results. Not with words and slogans," he said.
He said this was the role Cyprus wants for itself in the region, that of a country which does not merely describe stability and cooperation but turns them into action.
