Efforts underway to resume Amalthea aid corridor to Gaza

Cyprus is in talks with “all involved parties” as part of its efforts to resume the maritime aid corridor to Gaza, while donations are already coming into the Amalthea fund, Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos said on Thursday.

During a press conference reviewing the ministry’s efforts over the past year, Kombos highlighted the $15 million donation to the Amalthea fund by the UAE.

“The Amalthea fund is structured on the basis of international standards, with transparency and strong accountability.”

The primary objective of the fund is to manage all purchases and services related to the maritime humanitarian corridor to Gaza, Kombos specified. It will be overseen by a council comprising a management unit, an implementing agency, and an audit body.

Its purpose is to secure purchases, waterborne assets and services for the corridor’s operation, he underlined. It will also be used to develop existing infrastructure in Cyprus and secure equipment which, he clarified, with remain within the Republic.

“All of this is going to involve government contributions,” he underlined.

According to Kombos, once the platform in Gaza that the US is preparing is fully operational, “over 1,500 tonnes a week (of aid) are expected and this can be increased.”

A realistic timeframe would be around May 1 for the US to be wrapped, he specified.

He also said that in the past year the US Secretary of State, the head of the CIA, the head of the Office of the National Security Council, the Director of the Office of the US Secretary of State have visited Cyprus.

Meetings and contacts were held at the level of Assistant Secretary of State by at least two officials, Kombos added. This is indicative of the frequency of contacts and the “importance attached to this relationship by both sides.”