The Aphrodite Rally motor race will go ahead on routes outside the Paphos forest and Natura 2000 protected areas, the Cyprus automobile association confirmed on Saturday.

The association said that following consultations with the agriculture ministry, routes have been devised which circumvent protected areas, thus allowing the rally to go ahead as planned.

The change was made after complaints about the initial plans were voiced by non-governmental organisations and the ministry, with Paphos automobile association Marios Andreou having met Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou to discuss the matter.

As a result of that meeting, the rally’s start time was pushed back from 10.30am on Saturday to 4.30pm, while the route has been changed.

“These changes are focused on the fact that there will be high temperatures, but also because of some birds which live in the area. As such, the organisers decided to change the route and go outside the Natura 2000 areas, especially given that it is breeding season, to avoid creating problems for the environment,” Andreou told the Cyprus News Agency.

The rally is set to begin at 4.30pm on Saturday and end at 5.30pm on Sunday, starting and finishing at Yeroskipou square.

On Friday, non-governmental organisation Terra Cypria had called on the government to cancel the rally.
“Organising a rally in the main state forest of Paphos may bring about the involvement of the European Commission, while the Republic of Cyprus is facing an ongoing infringement procedure … with a visible risk of referring the ongoing infringement procedure to the EU court of justice,” it said.