Yesterday, the Cypriot President visited Lebanon and had meetings with the government and the parliament of the country, focusing exclusively on the escalation of illegal immigration phenomenon, with boats heading towards the shores of Cyprus.
President Christodoulides was accompanied by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Interior, the government spokesperson, the Chief of Police, the National Security Advisor, and the Chief of the National Guard.
The officials accompanying Mr. Christodoulides conveyed to Lebanese officials information and data related to security issues of the Republic of Cyprus, as it appears that members of Hezbollah and other extremist Islamic organizations affiliated with Iran and the country’s secret services have infiltrated among the illegal immigrants and refugees from Syria.
In the past, agents acting on behalf of Iran and Hezbollah members preparing terrorist acts against Israeli interests in Cyprus have been identified.
Due to the tension in the region and Israel’s strikes on Iranian targets in Syria, there are obvious reasons for concern in Nicosia, so as not to become an arena of confrontation between Iran and Israel.
Beyond the risk of terrorist actions, there is a serious problem with the arrivals of illegal immigrants by boats from Lebanon despite the agreement between Brussels-Beirut and the bilateral agreement between Cyprus and Lebanon.
The Republic of Cyprus is at the limits of its capacity to accommodate other migrants as its infrastructure is overstretched. President Christodoulides raised this issue in a meeting in Athens with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, so that the EU contributes to the control of its external borders in the Cyprus region and also puts pressure on Lebanon, to which it provides significant funding for hosting refugees from Syria.
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Yesterday, Nikos Christodoulides secured commitments from Beirut for better and more thorough control of maritime borders to prevent the activities of networks transporting people to Cyprus.
Today, President Christodoulides, in his statements, did not rule out the possibility of a new visit to Lebanon, along with the President of the European Commission. As he said, “We agreed on some things yesterday during my meetings, especially with the Prime Minister of the country (Lebanon), following what I discussed with the President of the Commission. We are in contact, I informed them about the results of my discussions after my return from Lebanon, and I do not exclude the possibility of visiting Lebanon again soon with the President of the Commission. We agreed on some things. What is important is the implementation of all that we agreed upon.”
Operation “Amalthea” for Gaza
In response to a question about Operation “Amalthea,” for providing humanitarian aid to Gaza, the President of the Republic of Cyprus said, “preparations are underway, yesterday we had a visit here from the competent Minister of the United Arab Emirates, so that all that was agreed during the meeting of senior officials that took place in Cyprus, with the participation of almost 40 countries, proceeds. It would be ideal to have a ceasefire, but even if there is no ceasefire, the need for humanitarian aid is there, and I believe that the key is the completion of the work being done by the USA. I expect these works to be completed in the coming days, something that will give new impetus to the initiative of the Republic of Cyprus, as well as to the mission of humanitarian aid.”
