The removal of the pier by the Americans does not affect the continuation of the Amalthea initiative to any extent, Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis said on Friday, noting that alternative ways of delivering humanitarian aid to the civilian population in Gaza are already in the initiative’s planning.
In his statements at the Presidential Palace following the Cabinet meeting, and asked whether the decision of the Americans to remove the pier that had been constructed for the transfer of humanitarian aid to Gaza by ships, affects the Amalthea project, Letymbiotis said that “it does not affect to any extent as far as the continuation of the Amalthea initiative is concerned.”
“Amalthea continues as normal,” he noted.
He recalled that from the very first moment when the plan for the implementation of the Amalthea sea corridor was drawn up, “the intention of the US Government to build a pier was not at that time in our minds.” The construction of a pier, he added, came after the first implementat
ion of the initiative and noted that the duration of the pier’s operation was not the same as that of the initiative.
“Already, alternative ways of delivering humanitarian aid to the civilian population in Gaza are in the initiative’s planning,” he added.
Letymbiotis also noted that, even before the construction of the pier, and during periods when some technical problems occurred, humanitarian aid continued to reach the civilian population in Gaza. “And this effort continues,” he said.
He described as “very indicative” the fact that the self-diagnostic mobile machine was received yesterday from Italy, under the European Civil Protection Mechanism.
“And this demonstrates the acceleration, the effort to further strengthen the procedures, and with exactly the same commitment and with the support of the international partners Amalthea is continuing as normal,” he noted.
The Spokesperson noted that the amounts of humanitarian aid reaching the civilian population in Gaza have increased rapidly recently, “and
we will try to continue to increase at the same pace, precisely because the catalytic contribution that our initiative has made to the very great needs of the civilian population is recognized.”
According to CNA sources, the Cypriot authorities are in consultations with the parties directly involved for the optimal use of the Ashdod Port in Israel and the subsequent transfer of aid through the nearest land transit points.
Already, according to the same information, a number of routes to Ashdod have been carried out lately, transporting humanitarian aid from Cyprus with Gaza as final destination.
Source: Cyprus News Agency