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- Ελληνικά
The President of the Republic Mr.Nicos Christodoulides chaired a meeting of the National Council at the Presidential Palace today. Constantinos Letibiotis told reporters that "the President of the Republic informed the political leaders about the situation in our region after the terrorist attacks against Israel.
What was discussed, the exchange of views between the political leadership, is the humanitarian role that our country has been playing in recent days - already, we have so far 26 requests from 26 countries and we are responding to the maximum extent we can - but also the exchange of views on what we are interested in, the situation in the region and how it may evolve in the coming days and how it may affect our country."
Asked about these requests, the Spokesman said that they involve transportation from Cyprus "as a transit station, for foreign nationals who wish to leave the Gaza Strip or Israel and be able to go to their countries."
Asked about these requests, the Spokesman said that "the Hestia project is working, it is fully manageable, we are able to respond to the maximum extent possible and this can be seen through the process itself. So far 447 people have departed and about 600 have arrived to date."
In response to a question, he said that "the data is constantly being assessed by both the National Security Council and the authorities in our country. There is something happening in our region that in the last decade at least we have seen a normalization, despite the occasional crises to a lesser extent. We are now seeing a geopolitical diversification that we have to watch closely and we are watching all scenarios closely. The next few days will be critical. What the President has conveyed, and this is what will be discussed at tomorrow's extraordinary European Council, is that the priority is to protect civilians, not to have further loss of civilians on all sides and how this crisis can be de-escalated as soon as possible."
Asked whether Cyprus can handle a massive influx of civilians, under the weight of the migration issue, the Spokesperson said that "already, the burden that our country has taken on in terms of migration flows is unbearable. At the moment, based on the geographical data on the ground, migration does not seem to be one of the first immediate risks, but I repeat that we are assessing all the data as they evolve day by day, hour by hour on how we can respond."
Asked whether there will be economic consequences of the war, the Spokesman said that "already, the President of the Republic has informed the members of the National Council, a first assessment has been made as to the economic consequences, both immediate and medium-term. It is a study that will have to be constantly updated, constantly monitored."
Asked whether the Government's plan regarding the immediate measures discussed before the crisis in the region would be affected, the Spokesman said that "it will be a factor that will have to be taken seriously."
Asked if there was concern about further inflation, the Spokesman said that "concerns about inflation are ongoing. Recent events will certainly affect it to some extent, more or less, we will have to see. Depending on the outcome of the next few days. We as the Government and the President's economic staff are focused on being able to monitor developments in time to be prepared to make decisions in time to shield our economy."
Asked to refer to the increased presence of military forces in the seas of Cyprus, the Spokesman said that "the fact that Cyprus enjoys recognition as a pillar of stability in the region is something that we and the international community understand. What we are focusing on is to remain stable in the long-standing relations that we have with the countries of the region and this is something that the President of the Republic has highlighted to Mr Netanyahu yesterday, but also with the countries of the West, with the EU, and to remain the pillar of stability in the region, the stable committed country that does not deviate from its long-standing positions on issues that either relate to UN resolutions or the provision of humanitarian assistance."
Regarding the President's conversation with the Prime Minister of Israel, the Spokesman said that "the President expressed to the Prime Minister of Israel his willingness and intention to contribute in whatever way he can, as the member state closest to the region and which has excellent relations with most of the states in the region, in whatever way he can contribute positively. The President of the Republic will also raise this issue tomorrow at the European Council."
Asked if there is any news regarding the appointment of the UN Secretary General's envoy for the Cyprus problem, the Spokesman said that "we have seen reports these days that do not correspond to reality. There is no such information either from us or from the UN. What we are saying is that we are in contact with the UN, our consent has been sought, we have certainly replied in the affirmative, it was one of our own recommendations to the UN Secretary General, and we believe that the appointment of an envoy by the UN Secretary General as soon as possible will be a very important development."
(PM/NG/SX)
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