The ultimate goal of humanitarian aid to the Palestinians in Gaza is to enable them to remain there, President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides said on the sidelines of the Epiphany celebrations held in Larnaca.

To a question about the “Amalthea” project and information that the Palestinian Foreign Minister will visit Cyprus, the President of the Republic said that “our efforts are continuing”.

“Let me clarify something because I saw something in relation to the Palestinian reaction, The Palestinians have been supportive of this effort from the beginning”, he said, noting that he had a meeting with the Palestinian Prime Minister in France when he was invited to participate in the Gaza Summit organised by the French President.

President Christodoulides further noted that “the concern of the Palestinians, of the international community, which we share, is that the population should not leave Gaza and we fully share this position”.

Therefore, he stressed, “the dispatch of any humanitarian aid does not in any way imply the removal of Palestinians from Gaza. Rather, the ultimate goal of humanitarian aid, apart from addressing the challenges that these people face, is for them to be able to remain in the region, because without humanitarian aid how can they continue to be there”.