Cyprus ‘committed to ensuring peace’

The Republic of Cyprus is “committed to contributing to the effort to ensure stability and peace in the region”, Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas said on Wednesday.

He was speaking at the joint research and coordination centre (JRCC) in Larnaca at the start of the second phase of the Argonaut 2024 military exercises, which take place in the seas off Cyprus and involve eight different countries – Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, the United Kingdom, United States and Cyprus.

To this end, he expressed his “pride” in Cyprus for the planning and execution of the exercises.

“They contribute significantly to our preparation and readiness to deal with crisis incidents and emergency situations, as well as our ability to actively support humanitarian operations and initiatives taking place in the wider Eastern Mediterranean region,” he said.

He added that recent developments have “amply demonstrated the importance” of the Argonaut exercises, pointing to the repatriation of more than 3,500 citizens of 32 different countries from Sudan and Israel in April and October last year as examples.

“Lessons learned from real operations were used to improve the procedures described in the plans, while conducting exercises such as these allows us to evaluate in practice the modifications made to the plans and finalise the actions which should be implemented by all the services and agencies involved,” he said.

He added that the participation of the countries involved highlighted the importance of the exercise as well as the will of regional actors to contribute in efficient cooperation during humanitarian operations.

He said Cyprus “plays a key role” in this effort, “acting as a safe haven and as a coordination hub, providing infrastructure facilities and services.”

He added that the country’s “commitment to peace” has been proven by the Amalthea initiative, which he said “was proposed to the international community to help alleviate the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza”.

In addition, he made reference to the “huge increase in the number of migrants arriving in Cyprus by sailing from Lebanon to the southeastern coasts of the island”, adding that people are arriving “on a daily basis”.

“The Republic of Cyprus’ competent authorities are trying to respond to this difficult and demanding situation. Our system is operating at is limits and sometimes exceeds those limits,” he said.

He added that “almost ten per cent of the population of Cyprus consists of asylum seekers – the highest proportion in the European Union.”