The increased security measures in place in Cyprus due to the crisis in the Middle East and the implementation of the national plan “Estia” for the evacuation of foreign nationals from the region, were the two issues Justice and Public Order Minister Anna Koukkides – Prokopiou briefed her EU counterparts, on Thursday. Speaking after the first day of an EU Council, in Luxembourg, the Minister said that developments in the Middle East were the main subject discussed during the meeting. “Security measures taken by other EU countries, were discussed and I referred to the increased security measures taken by the government of the Republic from the very start,” she noted. Another matter discussed, Koukkides – Prokopiou added, was tensions in the public discourse and demonstrations, pointing that that “I stressed that Cyprus is an important transit spot where people trying to leave Israel for their own reasons are being hosted.” She added that we have activated the ‘Estia’ plan and we are hosting a great number of Israeli citizens, who usually also hold another nationality. The Republic of Cyprus is very effective until now, despite having to deal with a large number of people, she said, adding that “it is our responsibility to make sure that they arrive safely to their destination but also to ensure that they are safe while they are in the Republic’s territory, because they may constitute a target.” She also said that during the meeting the importance of cooperation and exchange of good practices at European level was evident.
Source: Cyprus News Agency