President of the Republic of Cyprus Nicos Christodoulides took part in the signing ceremony of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip on Monday, October 13, in Sharm el-Sheikh (Egypt) at the invitation of the United States and Egypt.
The ceremony was attended by 23 states and three international organizations, including the European Union, the League of Arab States and the UN. Among the participating countries are the USA, Egypt, Qatar, Jordan, Cyprus, Greece, Turkey, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy, India, Iran, Japan and others.
Christodoulides noted that Cyprus' invitation reflects recognition of its role in the region and contribution to humanitarian initiatives, especially within the framework of the Amalthea Humanitarian Sea Corridor, organized with the participation of the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.
“I view this invitation as recognition of the role of the Republic of Cyprus in the region, recognition of what we have done during this period and as an indication of what the international community expects of us,” the president said.
Christodoulides stressed that Cyprus intends to actively participate in the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, presenting a corresponding plan at the summit.
“We want Cypriot companies to participate in the reconstruction of Gaza. The Republic of Cyprus is ready to play a key role in ensuring the security and verification of humanitarian supplies through the CYCLOPS center in Larnaca,” he added.
The President thanked Donald Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi for the invitation and emphasized the importance of international coordination to ensure peace and stability in the region.
According to government spokesman Konstantinos Letimbiotis, the summit began with a reception of the leaders by the Egyptian President. At 15:00 an official photo session took place, and at 15:05 the Sharm el-Sheikh Agreement to end the war in Gaza was signed.
The presidents of Egypt and the United States also spoke at the ceremony, and participants included the leaders of Qatar, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Greece, Germany, France, Italy, India, Pakistan and Indonesia.
Christodoulides was accompanied by Foreign Minister Konstantinos Kombos, government spokesman, Deputy Minister for European Affairs Marilena Rauna, Director of the Presidential Diplomatic Office Doros Venezis and representatives of the Foreign Ministry.
On October 13, Hamas fulfilled one of the clauses of the agreement and released all living hostages; on this historic day, President Trump personally flew to Israel.
Officially, the war in the Gaza Strip is over and has entered a ceasefire. Hamas released the hostages without staging loud PR campaigns; they calmly handed them over in two groups to representatives of the Red Cross in the sector, who handed the hostages over to representatives of the Israeli army.
Source: in-cyprus.philenews.com
