The situation in the Middle East will be, among other issues, on the agenda of the MED9 Summit hosted in the coastal town of Paphos on Friday, with the government underlining the fact that Cyprus has a role to play as a pillar of stability and security in a volatile region.
Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis highlighted on Thursday the importance of Cyprus organizing the summit on the island, noting that the country is part of the solution to the region’s challenges and this is recognized internationally.
In statements to the media, Letymbiotis said that Cyprus is hosting the MED9 Summit “at a critical moment for the wider region and aims to contribute to the efforts made to de-escalate the crisis, but also to the more active and substantial involvement of the European Union in the area.”
Letymbiotis emphasized that Cyprus “demonstrated from the first moment its stabilizing role and its important humanitarian contribution, making the most of its excellent diplomatic relations with all the states of the region, as well as its status as an EU member state.”
He referred to the Amalthea project for providing humanitarian aid to Gaza, which was the result of close cooperation with regional, European partners and institutions. The Spokesperson also noted that Cyprus activated the Estia evacuation plan via which more than 2,400 citizens from more than 20 countries have arrived to Cyprus to date from Lebanon, the majority of whom have already departed for their final destination.
In his statements, the Spokesperson said that the leaders of Cyprus, France, Greece, Spain, Italy, Croatia, Malta, Slovenia, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Portugal and the President of the European Commission will attend the MED9 Summit as well as the King of Jordan, accepting an invitation addressed to him by the Cyprus President.
He said that his participation is particularly important, especially at this moment, as Jordan together with Cyprus and other states in the region are pillars of security and stability. The summit will begin with a discussion about EU-Jordan relations and cooperation.