A meeting of the Ministerial Crisis Management Team was held on Friday, in light of the developments in the region and following the activation of the ESTIA Plan. It was convened by the Minister of Foreign Affairs,Constantinos Kombos.
A press release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said the Ministerial Team reviewed the procedures for activating the Special National Plan ESTIA for the reception and repatriation of foreign citizens from areas in crisis.
Additionally, the Team reviewed the situation following the closure of the airspace in the region by various states and the diversion of flights to Cyprus.
The Team is composed of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Defence, Vasilis Palmas, the Minister of Interior, Constantinos Ioannou, and the Minister of Justice and Public Order, Marios Hartsiotis. The meeting also included the Minister of Transport, Communications and Works, Alexis Vafeades, the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Kostas Koumis, the Government Spokesman, Konstantinos Letymbiotis, the Chief of Police, Themistos Arnaoutis, and the Commander of the National Guard, Georgios Tsitsikostas.
The Ministerial Team was informed that 29 flights have been diverted to Cyprus, of which 20 landed at Larnaca Airport and 9 at Paphos Airport. A total of 2,427 passengers disembarked, 979 at Larnaca and 1,448 at Paphos.
It is noted that the Crisis Management Team of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and representatives of other involved agencies are in ongoing contact and communication to coordinate the management of the developments.
In further said the Special National Plan ESTIA, is the National Action Plan of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus, activated in emergency or crisis situations to enable the safe evacuation of citizens from nearby crisis areas (such as the broader Middle East region) via Cyprus. Israel launched a wave of strikes against Iranian military and nuclear sites overnight. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has warned Israel that it “must expect severe punishment” following the “crime” of attacking Iran and killing several top-level military commanders and six nuclear scientists.
