Cyprus reaffirms it won't facilitate aggression against any country

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
21 Jun 2024 02:26

Cyprus reaffirms that it has not and will not facilitate any aggressive action or attack against any country following the message of caution by Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.

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Cyprus government spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis in an address following Hezbollah's cautioning on June 19, 2024. (Social media)

Cyprus reiterated once again that it will not be involved, through its infrastructure or territory, in the event of a confrontation involving Lebanon, emphasizing that it has not and will not facilitate any aggressive action or attack against any country.

In two recorded statements, on Thursday evening, the Cypriot government spokesperson, Konstantinos Letymbiotis, in both English and Greek, stated that "Cyprus is a champion of conflict resolution through peaceful means and dialogue in line with international law and the UN Charter."

Regarding Lebanon specifically, Letymbiotis highlighted the well-known excellent relations between the two countries, noting that the Cypriot president visited Lebanon twice in the past three months, leading the process of launching a €1 billion EU financial assistance package to support stability in Lebanon.

The spokesperson then reaffirmed that "Cyprus is not part of the problem," pointing out that "as it is widely acknowledged, its diplomatic footprint is part of the solution."

Any public allegations that refer to an involvement of Cyprus through its infrastructure or its territory in the event of a confrontation that relates to Lebanon are totally groundless. Cyprus has never facilitated and will not facilitate any aggressive action or attack against… pic.twitter.com/3wswnGqAym
— Κυβερνητικός Εκπρόσωπος Κωνσταντίνος Λετυμπιώτης (@SpokespersonCY) June 20, 2024

Earlier, on Thursday morning, at 8:27 am local time, the spokesperson also made similar statements. Lympiotis confirmed that his country "is not involved" and "will not participate" in any wars, emphasizing that the Republic of Cyprus has excellent relations with Lebanon.

The government spokesperson shared a statement on social media from Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, emphasizing that “no country will be granted permission to conduct military operations through Cyprus.” He indicated that all negotiations with Lebanon will occur at a diplomatic level.

In turn, Israeli Channel 10 reported that there was some panic in Cyprus yesterday due to threats from Hezbollah's Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.

Η Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία δεν εμπλέκεται με κανένα τρόπο στις πολεμικές συρράξεις και δεν είναι μέρος του προβλήματος. Αντίθετα, μέσα από συγκεκριμένες ενέργειες αποδεικνύουμε στην πράξη ότι είμαστε μέρος της λύσης.

Και ο ρόλος μας αυτός, όπως εκδηλώνεται, για παράδειγμα, μέσα από…
— President of the Republic of Cyprus (@PresidentCYP) June 20, 2024

It is worth noting that the Cypriot president confirmed on Wednesday, following Sayyed Nasrallah’s speech, that Cyprus "does not participate in conflicts, and is part of the solution, not part of the problem."

This announcement comes after Sayyed Nasrallah warned the Cypriot government about allowing its airports and bases to be used by the Israeli occupation. "The Cypriot government should be warned that opening its airports and bases to the enemy to target Lebanon means it has become part of the war."