Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides has expressed great concern about developments in Lebanon, where battles take place between the Lebanese army and Jihadist groups of the Islamic State, saying that there is an immediate risk for Cyprus if terrorists advance to the shores of the Mediterranean.
Kasoulides appealed to the international community, especially the EU, to actively assist Lebanon, saying that if terrorist groups reach the shores of the Eastern Mediterranean that would create an immediate danger to the safety of Cyprus.
The Minister, who was speaking at a press conference on Monday, said that Cyprus has decided to donate ammunition that can match specific types of weapons available to the Lebanese army, and noted that Cyprus` contribution could be an example for other countries, which have an arms industry, to assist Lebanon in the fight against the Jihadist threat.
“We expect that other countries will follow our example”, he said and recalled that there was an EU decision and an international conference in Rome to support the Lebanese army, which is “the symbol of the unity of the country”.
He stressed that due to its geographical position, the Republic of Cyprus is at the forefront and is the outpost of the EU in this turbulent region.
The Foreign Minister said the risk for Cyprus may seem to be remote at the moment, but he pointed out that governments do not operate on the basis of probabilities, they operate on the basis of possibilities “and the possibility is there”.
Replying to questions, he said that Cyprus has the duty to assist international efforts in the fight against the IS threat, noting that it is for this reason that Nicosia supports the actions that take place in the British Bases in Cyprus to stop the IS.
He added that Nicosia was asked and is providing facilities to France to support the fight against terrorism, by using the `Andreas Papandreou` air base, not for attacks, but for other support actions.
Replying to a question regarding information that the Turkish occupied areas of Cyprus (occupied by Turkish army since 1974) may be used by Jihadists to cross into the southern government controlled part of the coutnry, Kasoulides said there is no evidence of that but added that Cyprus is monitoring the situation and the security services are in close contact with services of other countries.
