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Foreign Minister Konstantinos Kombos made the following statement today:
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, since last Friday, has activated the National ESTIA Plan, in case there should be evacuations from the region. So far we have not received any formal request in this regard. Nevertheless, all the necessary preparatory actions have been taken so that in the event that it would be necessary we would be ready. Secondly, yesterday, after the closure of airspace from Jordan and then from Lebanon, we had four flights arriving in Cyprus at Larnaca airport. A total of 704 passengers, who today departed on two flights to Lebanon, to Beirut and one of the flights to Jordan. The next, the fourth flight, is expected to depart later. There were 101 Jordanian citizens on these flights, who were provided with all necessary facilities until they were able to depart for their destination. Thirdly, we have been in direct contact with colleagues, with counterparts at this time, discussing and exchanging views and information on the situation, a situation which is particularly worrying, as you can see. Our position is clear that anything that could lead to a flare-up and an extension of the crisis must be avoided. We call for restraint and, in an already tense situation, what is happening is particularly problematic. Therefore, we are and remain in contact with colleagues, discussing what is taking shape. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and all the services of the State in general are in an active state of preparation in order to be able to cope, without of course meaning that the situations are dependent on us. Everything in our power. The messages that need to be sent in the directions that need to be sent are being sent and will continue to be sent in the coming period."
In response to a reporter's question about how he assesses the possibility of Cyprus' involvement, Kobos said: "The Republic of Cyprus will not, under any circumstances, engage in any operation or action that is of an aggressive nature against anyone. Moreover, the Republic of Cyprus is geographically at the heart of this situation. We are under no illusion whatsoever that we can chart the political path to deal with this situation that has developed. But we do have the ability to be able to communicate with the actors to convey the messages of concern that we have, the restraint that we are asking for, in order to have a state of affairs as close to normalcy as possible. With regard to the British bases, we, our side, have had and continue to have constant communication with the British Foreign Secretary, but you understand that this communication takes place when events are already underway. When this operation was launched, we were informed about what was happening, and there are public statements by the British, which refer to the nature of the actions they took. I am not going to comment on behalf of the British. I think they are self-evident in the statements and explanations that are given. But it must be clear and absolutely clear that they are not subject to the approval of the Republic of Cyprus for these or similar activities. They cannot, however, in any case be identified with the Republic of Cyprus and its policy. This is a message which we repeatedly emphasize because we consider it to be of the utmost importance."
Asked whether British bases could be targeted, Mr. Kombos replied. Even if I had such information, it would be completely wrong of me to comment on it publicly. I don't have that kind of information or intelligence, and I don't think these are matters about which we should be prejudging, anticipating developments or possibilities that we would all be addressing. In any case, what we are emphasizing is that it is to be done, it must be done in a way that leads to de-escalation. What you are describing leads to a situation of absolute inflammation and, therefore, is something that the Republic of Cyprus can in no way but argue against and [AGAINST] anything that will lead to such an escalation."
In response to a question about a possible extension of the situation, Kobos said: "The concern of the international community at the moment is that there should not be a continuation of what has started because any continuation, precisely, leads to an escalation that can drive things out of control. These are not our concerns alone, they are concerns of the wider international community. We therefore call for and send a message of absolute restraint. This is the message of the international community. You have seen the statements on the part of the European Union, whose position, of course, we share at all levels, with regard to everything that has happened in the last few hours."
(MS/EATH)
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