Cyprus Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos said Friday that hopefully in the next few days announcements will be made for humanitarian aid to Gaza via the Amalthea plan set up by the island authorities in 2024.
In statements to the press following a meeting he had in Nicosia with Minister for European and International Affairs of Austria Beate Meinl-Reisinger, Cyprus’ Foreign Minister said that we have been ready to start in an operational level but things were put on hold because of the latest events.
“Now that we have the ceasefire, we are having a fresh look at the arrangements, our organisational planning has proceeded up to the final point of making the decision. We are missing certain elements right now, because of the time that has passed and the opportunity that we missed because of what happened, but we are ready,” he noted.
“We are willing always in cooperation with the United Nations and with approved entities from the United Nations and hopefully in the next few days we would be in a position to have some kind of an announcement”, he said.
Kombos said that the authorities have concentrated quantities of aid that are exceeding 1,200 tonnes as we speak, adding that there is an opportunity also for the European Union in terms of offering a supplementary route into Gaza.
“This is not an exclusive kind of arrangement. We are doing our bit in the broader context of things,” he said.
Kombos said that during their meeting they agreed about the need for an immediate ceasefire and the release of the hostages, and also about, the exclusion of Hamas from the political future of Gaza.
“And, it’s also important that we keep the horizon open at the political level for the two states for this solution. We agree that the humanitarian situation is unbearable and unacceptable, and that we should be taking all the necessary steps to making sure that we improve this situation as soon as possible,” he added.
He condemned once again the terrorist attack against a Greek Orhtodox church in Damascus calling on the Syrian authorities to take all of those collective measures in terms of ensuring accountability and ensuring the effective protection for Christians and for all Syrians in the country.
As regards the Iran-Israel crisis he said that Cyprus encourages the EU , as part of the three plus one scheme, to play its role and make sure that this is projected publicly, as well. “We need to make a much better job in explaining what actually the EU has been doing,” he pointed out.
Kombos referred to the role of Cyprus in evacuating foreign citizens and Israelis via “Estia” national plan and about the repatriation of 53 Cyprus nationals from Iran and Israel in extremely difficult and tricky conditions. He said that more than 3,000 foreign citizens were evacuated through Cyprus.
He also noted that the EU and all the member states should be more active in terms of engaging in a constructive dialogue as regards the quantities of aid going into Gaza.
Regarding the bilateral relations he described them as excellent, adding that we have a long history of friendly relations and a very bright future and a very open horizon in front of us.
Kombos spoke of the progress in areas such as trade, investments and tourism adding that there is room for cooperation in culture, migration and defense.
He said that he briefed the Austrian Minister about the upcoming Cyprus EU Presidency in the first half of 2026 and the fact that Cyprus wants to leave its mark in terms of shifting a bit the focus of the EU towards the region.
“And with everything that’s been happening in the region, I believe that, we are in a good position to showcase that Cyprus could be acting as a bridge between the Union and the wider Middle East. And this makes a lot of sense in terms of crisis management, in terms of crisis prevention, in terms of migration, but also in terms of free trade agreements and arrangements and also connectivity projects,” he said.
About the Cyprus issue he said they spoke about the contribution of Austrians to UNFICYP and he expressed his gratitude for the principled stance of Austria for solution exclusively within the context of bizonal, bicommunal federation, with political equality as prescribed by the UN Security Council resolutions.
Invited to comment on the handling of migration and the progress the authorities made and if this could be used as a model for other member states, Kombos said there are specific circumstances affecting each destination in terms of migration flows.
“And you cannot have a model that fits in every kind of different scenario. And of course, migration involves controlling borders. So, we have been doing what every country has been doing, in terms of crises and always within the parameters provided by international law and international conventions,” he noted.
He said that there is a steady decrease in terms of flows but this is not in any way comforting because changes could take place and you need to be vigilant.
The Austrian Minister in her statements expressed gratitude for Cyprus’ role in evacuating foreign citizens and praised its stance in times of crisis. “You are a kind of lighthouse towards the Middle East. Every crisis affects you immediately,” she said.
She said that more than 100 Austrians from Iran and 300 from Israel returned home safely via Larnaka.
Referring to the crisis in the Middle East in general and the situation with Iran she said that diplomacy is the key.
“Solving the situation and trying to de-escalate it is the key. And this is exactly what we also talked about regarding, of course, Israel and Iran and the International Agency of Atomic Energy,” Meinl-Reisinger said.
She also pointed out that in order to reach a solution through dialogue, you need to see the situation on the ground.
“You cannot stay solely in Brussels. I cannot just give press statements,” the Austrian Minister said.
She said that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is just unbearable and we need to work with the Israeli government and other actors in the region to find a suitable plan for aid to reach the people.
About Ukraine she said that there is a commitment to further support the country adding also that now is the time to to put pressure on Russia as well for a ceasefire.
She said that there is room to cooperate further bilaterally in the area of migration , adding that they agree on the need of a new approach in the European Union,, based on solidarity.
About the Cyprus issue the Austrian Minister noted that they support a united, federal Cyprus, pointing out “there cannot be any ideas about a two state solution here”. She spoke of the contribution of Austria to UNFICYP with more than 17,000 soldiers over the years.
She also praised the fact that Cyprus EU Presidency will focus in EU relations and role in the region.
