Cyprus is in a purely humanitarian position in the latest Iran-Israel conflict and stands by to play this role if necessary, said President Christodoulides in extensive comments on the on-going escalation and whether Nicosia is concerned.
‘The whole world is concerned’, Nikos Christodoulides said, noting that the National Security Council continues to coordinate daily, with the foreign minister also exchanging views with counterparts from many countries, ‘the most than anyone else’, he added.
Nicosia is also in frequent contact with the EU, with Brussels seeking an assessment of the situation from the member-state closest to the conflict.
‘We spoke both to Israel and Iran through the foreign minister, sending a clear message that the current situation cannot possibly lead to the solution of any differences’, the President stressed.
He further noted that de-escalation efforts are on-going with consultations continuing with regional players, the US and the EU and what primarily interest Nicosia ‘is to take all those actions that will prevent any danger to our country’.
Measures, are taken, he added, according to developments.
Nikos Christodoulides underlined London’s clear position that the British Bases were not used in any operations against Iran.
‘Cyprus is not in any way involved in the conflict’, he added. ‘Our role is purely humanitarian and we have activated the Estia plan if needed’.
He clarified that there had been no official requests to provide assistance on foreign nationals evacuations, but several countries have sounded out Nicosia.
