President discusses situation in region, Gaza aid initiative during Cairo and Amman visits

The situation in the region, Cyprus’ initiative for a maritime humanitarian aid corridor, energy, and bilateral relations were some of the topics discussed by President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, during his official visits to Cairo and Amman, according to a written statement of Government Spokesperson, Konstantinos Letymbiotis.

Letymbiotis noted that President Christodoulides on 5 December visited Cairo, in Egypt, where he had a meeting with President, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, and later travelled to Amman, in Jordan, where he had a meeting with King Abdullah II, in the presence of the Crown Prince, while he later participated in a working lunch hosted by the King.

During the meeting between Presidents Christodoulides and el-Sisi, the situation in the region, “the common will and vision for de-escalation of the crisis, but also commitment to the pursuit of a political solution based on two states, as per the resolutions of the UN Security Council were mainly discussed”, the Spokesperson said. President Christodoulides referred to Egypt’s “decisive role” in this direction, both in terms of the political dimension of the issue and in the context of providing humanitarian aid to the civilians of the Gaza Strip, he added.

In addition, Letymbiotis said, President Christodoulides discussed with President el-Sisi ways to increase humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, to address the humanitarian crisis.

According to the Government Spokesperson, in the context of a more general coordination for the delivery of additional humanitarian aid, President Christodoulides referred to specific aspects of the initiative of the Republic of Cyprus for a maritime corridor for the uninterrupted provision of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza and about the expressed intention of a number of states to contribute to the implementation of the maritime corridor and to send humanitarian aid to Cyprus as part of the trial implementation of the initiative.

In addition, President Christodoulides discussed with his Egyptian counterpart the two countries’ energy plans regarding the utilisation of the natural gas discovered in the Cypriot EEZ, renewable energy sources and electricity interconnection, according to Letymbiotis’ statement. Furthermore, he added, the President of the Republic “assured his counterpart” of Cyprus’ continuous support on the strengthening of EU's relations with Egypt.

“The two leaders confirmed the excellent bilateral relations of the two countries, the intention to convene a tripartite Cyprus-Egypt-Greece Summit, but also to hold the next Cyprus-Egypt Intergovernmental Summit in Cyprus in 2024 in order to achieve the common goals that have been set,” the Spokesperson said.

Letymbiotis continued noting that, during the visit of the President of the Republic to Amman, where he had a meeting with King Abdullah II, in the presence of the Crown Prince, the two leaders “discussed extensively the developments in our region and exchanged views regarding the international efforts to revitalise the Middle East peace process.”

The Government Spokesperson also noted that President Christodoulides “thoroughly discussed” with King Abdullah the Cypriot initiative for a maritime humanitarian aid corridor, “for which the King of Jordan has publicly expressed his support.”

“The President of the Republic and King Abdullah II agreed to remain in continuous contact to promote the implementation of the initiative, but also as regards the efforts for de-escalation and encouragement for the creation of a political horizon, based on a two-state solution,” Letymbiotis said.

He added that they also jointly stressed, the importance of respecting the status of the holy places of worship in Jerusalem, under Jordan’s guardianship.

(Source: CNA)