"Amalthea", an initiative of Cyprus to send humanitarian aid to Gaza, is continuing as normal, President Nikos Christodoulides said on Thursday evening. President Christodoulides was replying to a question on the matter upon his arrival at an event in Nicosia. "Off course it is continuing", he said and recalled that yesterday he had a very good meeting, as he put it, with US Senators who visited Cyprus and praised the Republic of Cyprus' role on the specific matter. Invited to comment on a letter by 50 British MPs published in UK media who call for direct flights between the UK and the Turkish occupied areas, the President replied that such efforts, particularly coming from British MPs who have been illegally granted property in the occupied areas as has emerged, are well known. Britain, President Christodoulides said, is a UN Security Council permanent member, it is a guarantor power in Cyprus and under absolutely no circumstances could it go ahead with actions which are contrary to the same resolutions it has voted in favour of as a member of the UN Security Council. Asked to comment on statements by the Turkish Energy Minister about drills in the Eastern Mediterranean, he said he would not comment, adding that it may be that certain people are trying to create a negative climate. An effort is underway by UN Secretary General's personal envoy, he noted, adding that for such serous matters it is necessary to act responsibly and to handle things via the diplomatic channels making the most of all the tools we have at our disposal, and in particular where the EU is concerned, pointing out that "we are here and we will deal with them." Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres appointed María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar of Colombia as his personal envo y for Cyprus, to assume a Good Offices role on his behalf and search for common ground on the way forward in the Cyprus issue. Source: Cyprus News Agency