Metsola due in Cyprus to see Gaza aid corridor works (updated)

European parliament president Roberta Metsola is set to visit Larnaca port to oversee works being conducted for the Amalthea humanitarian aid corridor to Gaza, government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said on Friday.

Letymbiotis said Metsola will visit Cyprus on Tuesday for a working visit.

She will visit the port with President Nikos Christodoulides at 11.45am to see all the work going into the Amalthea initiative.

Following their visit to the port, Metsola and Christodoulides will go to the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) in Larnaca.

“The working visit of the President of the European Parliament demonstrates once again the EU’s active interest in the Republic of Cyprus’ initiative, which enjoys international recognition and support, in which efforts continue to further increase the flow of humanitarian aid to the civilian population in Gaza,” Letymbiotis said.

Metsola is expected to arrive on April 1, when she will have a one-on-one meeting with the president.

Meanwhile, a second aid ship, the Jennifer, is expected to depart Larnaca on Saturday, tugging aid to Gaza.

The Jennifer will be accompanied by the Open Arms, the first vessel to have used the aid corridor, to help unload the aid.

Earlier on Friday, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said senior humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator for Gaza Sigrid Kaag would be in Israel this week.

Kaag will meet Israeli government officials to discuss proposals for streamlining the supply route from Egypt and continued operations of the Rafah crossing, as well as the maritime corridor from Cyprus.

“She stressed the critical importance of a predictable and massive increase in the volume of assistance,” he said, adding that Kaag also emphasised the need for a safe and secure operational environment for the UN and its humanitarian partners in Gaza.

Kaag will also visit Ramallah for meetings with the Palestinian Authority.