The crisis in the Middle East highlights Cyprus’ strategic role in the region as a country of stability and a capable partner for supporting humanitarian operations, Defence Minister Michalis Giorgallas has said.

The Minister, who attended on Tuesday the final phase of the “IRIS-2023” drill, also stressed that there is no foreign soldier in Cyprus, whose mission is to participate in the military operations, adding that there are partners from other countries who will take on the burden of helping the Republic of Cyprus remove their own citizens from the war zones.

Asked about Cyprus’ preparedness level in the light of the developments in the region, Giorgallas said that Cyprus has taken all necessary security measures, and said that the crisis in the Middle East “highlights once again the important role, the strategic role that Cyprus has in the region, mainly as a place or a country of stability, security, a capable partner for  humanitarian operations”.

It is widely accepted by all those who have citizens in the Middle East that Cyprus is essentially their partner, that will help them remove their own citizens from the war zone, he continued.

Therefore, he noted, the role of Cyprus at the moment is of a humanitarian nature adding that  they have taken all the necessary measures  to ensure the security of the Republic of Cyprus.

Asked to comment on reports that various friendly countries are stationed in Cyprus with a role in the wider region, the Minister stressed that “there is no soldier in Cyprus whose mission is to take part in the war  as it develops in the Middle East. “In Cyprus there are partners from other countries, who will take on the burden of helping the Republic of Cyprus to evacuate their own citizens from the war zones,” he explained.

Replying to a reporter’s comment who said that reliable media refer to commandos stationed in Cyprus, the Minister replied that in the event that the situation worsens and commercial flights or commercial ship routes stop, then the removal of citizens will be done with the help of military means.

Therefore, he added, “we wait to see how the situation develops, but I underline that in Cyprus there is no soldier whose mission is to participate in the military operations that are being carried out at the moment.”