Brussels: The Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment of Cyprus, Maria Panayiotou, has engaged in discussions with European Commissioner for Health, Olivér Várhelyi, and European Commissioner for Agriculture, Christophe Hansen, concerning the foot and mouth disease outbreak. These talks took place on the sidelines of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Brussels. The Minister disclosed to CNA that she had requested financial aid and immediate commencement of vaccination, receiving affirmative responses from both Commissioners. According to Cyprus News Agency, the Minister's conversation with Commissioner Várhelyi was particularly focused on facilitating the process of vaccine transportation to Cyprus. 'I asked for the process of transporting vaccines to Cyprus to begin immediately, and he responded positively. He promised that the process would start from tomorrow [Tuesday]. In fact, he will also be in Cyprus within the week for another purpose, and we will combine the two,' said Panay iotou. She highlighted the urgency of beginning vaccinations within the week and expressed confidence that the vaccines would start arriving the next day. In response to questions from the CNA regarding the vaccines previously sent to Turkish-occupied areas, the Minister clarified, 'when I specifically asked the Commissioner what capacity you have to provide us with vaccines, he told us that 500,000 vaccines are available for us.' This indicated that the batch currently available from the Commission would be allocated to Cyprus. The Minister emphasized the necessity of close collaboration with the European Commission. She underscored that from the onset, there was coordination with the Commission through veterinary services and through the meeting, ensuring the timely arrival of vaccines. During her meeting with Commissioner Hansen, Panayiotou addressed two primary areas. Firstly, they agreed to discuss the issue in the next Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting due to its relevance to multiple EU cou ntries facing similar challenges. Secondly, she mentioned a focus on Crisis Management Tools during the informal meeting of Agriculture Ministers, highlighting the broader crisis management framework needed for dealing with diseases and natural disasters.