Skip to main content

Cyprus receives requests to help evacuate Portugal, Slovakia citizens from Middle East

1 min Mena Today

Cyprus has received requests to assist in the evacuation of citizens of Portugal and Slovakia from the Middle East, Cypriot Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos said on Monday.

Cyprus Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos, Reuters/Yiannis Kourtoglou

Cyprus Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos, Reuters/Yiannis Kourtoglou

Cyprus has received requests to assist in the evacuation of citizens of Portugal and Slovakia from the Middle East, Cypriot Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos said on Monday.

“There are two active requests,” Kombos told reporters. “Obviously this very much depends on the access of their civilians to neighbouring countries by road.”

Last week, Cyprus activated a mechanism to assist in the evacuation of third-country nationals from the Middle East region if required.

Its airports operator Hermes has said that dozens of flights from the Middle East had been diverted to airports in Larnaca and Paphos after most airlines halted flights to and from Israel following the start of its conflict with Iran.

With Iranian missiles hitting residential areas in Israeli cities, many foreigners are seeking ways out of the country. Croatia's ambassador in Israel on Monday said 28 of its citizens expressed a wish to be evacuated.

Reporting by Michele Kambas

Related

Turkey

“Unfair”: Turkey slams EU report on its rule of law

Ankara rejected on Wednesday what it called the "prejudiced and unfair" stance of the European Union towards fundamental rights and the judiciary in Turkey, and regarding Cyprus, contained in the bloc's report on EU membership candidates.

Turkey

Turkish parliament to approve Saudi-Pakistan defence alliance

Turkey's parliament is set on Wednesday to ratify a defence pact with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan that includes a collective defence clause, committing NATO's second-largest army to Riyadh's defence as it faces attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis.

Hezbollah

Hezbollah and the Houthis: a denial few believe

Hezbollah on Wednesday rejected accusations that it had dispatched experts to Yemen to fight alongside the Houthis in their war against the internationally recognised government and Saudi Arabia. 

Subscribe to our newsletter

Mena banner 4

To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.

  • Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.