Nicosia, Mar 22 (Representative) Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres have discussed the humanitarian sea corridor to the Gaza Strip and the Cyprus dispute, the Cypriot Press and Information Office has said. The meeting took place on Thursday on the sidelines of the European Council in Brussels after the UN secretary-general’s working lunch with the EU leaders. “Christodoulides briefed the UN secretary-general on the ongoing Cypriot initiative Amalthea and the meeting held today in Cyprus with the participation of 36 states, international organisations, and non-governmental organizations. The Cypriot president said the sea corridor is an additional option for the delivery of humanitarian aid, and Cyprus seeks to further strengthen and intensify the humanitarian assistance mission,” the office said in a statement. Christodoulides thanked Guterres for supporting the initiative, the office said, adding that the UN secretary-general recognised the importance of the initiative and expressed the United Nations’ support for any other humanitarian aid route.
The European Union will allocate 70 million euros ($75.8 million) to a fund being set up for humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip, the office quoted Christodoulides as saying on the sidelines of the EU summit. The president added that “the Prime Minister of the Netherlands [Mark Rutte] has already told me that his country will provide 10 million euros” and that “many countries have shown interest in the establishment and operation of this fund.” The Cypriot president also expressed to the secretary general his satisfaction with the appointment of Maria Angela Holguin Cuellar as his personal envoy on Cyprus and emphasized that his commitment to the efforts to resume the negotiations between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots since they were interrupted in Crans-Montana remains unchanged. The president also noted the constructive attitude that Cyprus continues to show in creating an appropriate, positive climate conducive to the resumption of negotiations. Christodoulidis recalled Cyprus’ proposal for greater involvement of the EU and support for UN efforts to resume negotiations by reaching a mutually beneficial state of affairs, the statement said.
“The Cypriot President expressed the conviction that all the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot issues can be resolved at the negotiating table within the agreed framework of a bizonal, bicommunal federation based on political equality,” the statement read.Guterres reaffirmed his commitment to efforts to resume negotiations, the statement said.In November 2023, Christodoulides unveiled details of his plan to establish a sea corridor for direct humanitarian aid shipments to the Gaza Strip. The Amalthea initiative provides for sending humanitarian aid by sea from the Cypriot city of Larnaca to the Gaza Strip. The first ship carrying 200 tonnes of humanitarian aid as part of the initiative left Larnaca earlier in March, and the second ship with 500 tonnes of aid is being prepared for the journey. Cyprus has been de facto divided into Greek and Turkish parts since 1974. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was declared in 1983 with Turkey’s backing. Negotiations on the reunification of Cyprus have been underway almost from the moment of its partition. Efforts are underway to restart talks between the Greek and Turkish parts of Cyprus following the latest unsuccessful round of talks in the Swiss town of Crans-Montana in 2017.