Practical ways of providing assistance to people who have fled Ukraine due to the war were discussed during a meeting between the Minister of Interior Mr. Nikos Nouris and the Ambassador of Ukraine in Cyprus Mr. Ruslan Nimchynskyi. We are a tested people, the Interior Minister stressed, and we will offer the Ukrainian people our hospitality.
After the meeting, the Interior Minister, in statements to journalists, expressed to the Ukrainian Ambassador the support of the Government "both on a political and humanitarian level for what is happening in Ukraine". I have explained in detail, he said, "the way of assistance that the Government of Cyprus has decided, which will be put before the Council of Ministers next Tuesday for formalization."
He said that by agreement, they have established a communication link between the Ukrainian Embassy, the Ministry of Interior and Department of Population and Migration, in order to inform each other and solve various problems.
He noted that there are several problems that need the attention and assistance of the Ukrainian embassy, especially "arrival issues concerning people who may arrive in our country without the necessary supporting documents".
After conveying, through the Ambassador of Ukraine, the sympathy of the Cyprus Government and the Cypriot people to Ukraine and its people for the sad events taking place, the Minister wished that "the war would soon end, that the human drama and the crisis Ukraine is facing would come to an end and that the situation would return to normality".
The Ambassador of Ukraine Mr. Nimchynskyi said that he had a constructive meeting with the Minister, stressing that it was important to hear once again the support from the Government of the Republic of Cyprus to Ukraine.
Not only were words spoken, he stressed, but it has been put on the table how practically they can help Ukrainians who are in Cyprus or who will come to seek refuge, from the war in Ukraine.
Today's meeting, the Ambassador noted, is proof that the Government of Cyprus and its people stand by Ukraine in these extremely difficult days in its history.
He reported that 24-hour coordination had been agreed between the relevant services of the Government and the Embassy of Ukraine in Cyprus, so that there could be an immediate response to incidents where assistance should be provided. He noted that he considered cooperation important in order to solve the problems of Ukrainians in emergency situations.
He thanked the Government for its support and the Cypriot citizens for their support to the country of Ukraine and its people.
Asked by a journalist about the estimated number of Ukrainians in Cyprus and how practically they will be helped, the Interior Minister said that it is important to ascertain the exact number of Ukrainians in Cyprus. He informed that "the requests in the direction of the Ukrainian embassy are much less than the numbers we have given". He explained that the figures he has were based on the arrivals of Ukrainians, saying that many of them may either be staying with relatives or have business relations
Mr. Nouris described the meeting as constructive because, he said, "the message was given that the requests actually from the embassy's side seem to be much less than what we initially estimated, based on the numbers."
Referring to the practical issues, he said he has explained to the ambassador that each ministry has been assigned its own sector "to stand by these people either in terms of housing, in terms of food, in terms of health care subsidy policy, but also in terms of education."
He informed that the Ambassador had already had a meeting with the Minister of Education on the issues of children and the support they can receive from the education side.
He noted that procedures have been wheeled out, saying that "the biggest problem is not what we in Cyprus will manage". "We will manage it, and we will manage it well, because we are also a tested people and we will offer the Ukrainian people our hospitality so that they can find their feet," the minister said. The problem, he continued, is in Ukraine and "I hope that this war will end soon and the situation will return to normal."
Asked about the people from Ukraine who are expected to apply for temporary protection in Cyprus, the ambassador said that many Ukrainians are in dire straits and are trying to find a way to escape. He explained that men are staying behind in Ukraine to fight the enemy and women with children are trying to find shelter. He noted that as soon as the situation allows it, they will wish to return to Ukraine.
He said that the humanitarian situation in many European countries is getting stronger and stronger, while the number of Ukrainians in Poland, Hungary, in the Czech Republic is growing.[/B] He added that they must be ready to welcome the Ukrainians here and that is why during the meeting they have exchanged with the Minister in detail what can be offered.
He expressed hope that soon they will be able to reach an agreement with Russia to stop the massive bombing of civilians and populated areas. He said he had confirmed to the Minister that the Ukrainian Embassy would be ready with simplified procedures to assist.
Asked about the situation in Ukraine and the consultations between the two sides, the Ukrainian Ambassador said that the military was doing its best to deal with the enemy and once the time was right, there would be a settlement in terms of ending the war. He stressed that the most important thing is for Russia to stop killing Ukrainians and bombing cities, referring to the city of Mariupol, with its large Greek community, in which 90% of the infrastructure has been destroyed.
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