The volatile situation in Sudan, despite the current ceasefire, is of great concern, both for the humanitarian conditions in the country and for the consequences it may have at the regional level.
This is an issue which was also addressed by the Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg on Monday. The situation in Sudan was discussed as a priority, with the conclusion that respect for international humanitarian law is essential, as is the absolute priority to have European citizens, including Cypriots, released.
To this end, Cyprus, through its cooperation and close relations with other countries in the region, demonstrated from the very first moment its readiness to contribute to this effort. That is, to provide the necessary facilities for the temporary accommodation of civilians evacuated from Sudan.
Yesterday, I called the Ministerial Group on Crisis Management, which decided to activate the National ESIA Plan.
Since yesterday, the "Zenon" Coordination Centre is fully operational, with the assistance of all relevant services of the State.
Late last night I visited the "Zenon" Centre and noted the readiness of the relevant services of the Republic of Cyprus. We are ready to provide humanitarian, consular and medical assistance to the evacuated Sudanese civilians arriving in Cyprus.
Cyprus acts as a stopover for civilians before they go to their countries of origin, which act as their final destination countries. It is confirmed that in such cases, Cyprus is a Safe Harbour in the region.
For information, a total of six (6) flights were expected today. As of yesterday until this hour, a total of five (5) flights have arrived with 391 passengers. Two (2) flights have already departed with 281 passengers with a final destination in the United Kingdom. In addition, two (2) more flights to the United Kingdom are expected to depart within the day, carrying the majority of the passengers who have arrived in Cyprus.
From the first moment the crisis broke out, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs activated all the crisis response mechanisms at its disposal.
In addition, our Embassy in Cairo with accreditation in Khartoum, and the Honorary Consul there played an essential role in locating the people of Cypriot origin, thus making their evacuation possible. The Crisis Management Centre at the Ministry, as well as our Diplomatic Missions on the ground, always in conjunction with other departments of the Ministry, were instrumental in this effort.
Our first concern was, and is, the evacuation of the citizens of the Republic of Cyprus and their families.
So far, as you know, eleven (11) persons of Cypriot origin have been evacuated. Ten (10) arrived in Cyprus in the early morning hours and one person was transferred to the city of Aqaba in Jordan on 25 April by a Dutch evacuation flight. We are awaiting the arrival of four (4) more people in Cyprus, while seven (7) people have been travelling by bus to Egypt since yesterday. It is noted that one person who was initially included in the list of Cypriots who wished to be evacuated from Sudan, chose to stay in the country.
Such emergency situations demonstrate that cooperation is the only way out.
I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere thanks to the friendly Foreign Ministers with whom we have been in contact recently and who have helped us to finally succeed in bringing back to Cyprus the Cypriot citizens and their families. I am referring to the Foreign Minister of the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, France, Greece, Jordan, Egypt, as well as the EU High Representative Josep Borrell.
Our country, because of its location and its infrastructure, can play an essential role in such crisis situations. It did so in 2006 with the evacuation of civilians from Lebanon. We will continue to work there and where necessary in coordination with our friendly countries and partners.
(MF/NG)
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