The Republic of Cyprus is sending almost three tons of medicines and consumables to Lebanon. The aid will be transported by air to Beirut on Friday.
The aid was gathered after the Cypriot Foreign Ministry was informed by the Lebanese authorities of the serious needs of the medical system.
Lebanese Ambassador to Cyprus, Claude El Hajal, who visited the gathering point of the aid at Larnaca airport told the media that Lebanon regards Cyprus as an ally and the country’s voice in the European Union.
Present at the delivery of the humanitarian aid were the MFA Permanent Secretary, Andreas Kakouris, and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Christina Yiannaki.
El Hajal expressed gratitude to the Government of Cyprus and President Nikos Christodoulides for their support and medical assistance to Lebanon. The request was granted immediately, she said.
“For us, Cyprus is not only a neighbouring, friendly country, for many Lebanese, it’s home away from home,” the ambassador said. “At these difficult
times, you know who your friends are, and we consider Cyprus as an ally for us, our voice in the EU, our neighbour, our friend, and our support.”
She pointed out that ‘the Israeli aggression against Lebanon has intensified since September 23′, noting that “we have more than 10,000 attacks until now, more than 2,000 people are killed, more than 10,000 people are injured, and more than 1 million people are displaced.”
On his part, Kakouris said that Cyprus’ contribution to humanitarian aid in areas in crisis “is a key parameter of our foreign policy”, adding that “this applies much more in our immediate neighbourhood and especially in relation to the challenges currently facing the friendly country of Lebanon and its people”.
Yiannaki said that recent health crises have demonstrated the cross-border nature of public health.
Source: Cyprus News Agency