Canada and Cyprus forge evacuation pact amid Middle East crisis

An agreement between the Government of Canada and the Government of the Republic of Cyprus concerning Emergency Evacuation Operations, via the territory of the Republic of Cyprus was made on August 6th. The agreement concerns evacuations when a danger to the life and health of persons in the Middle East area emerges as a consequence of the deteriorating crisis situation caused by the ongoing hostilities in Gaza and Israel.

The agreement, between Cyprus' Minister of Foreign Affairs, Constantinos Kombos and his counterpart Mélanie Joly, is published in a Canadian Government website.

In his letter to Joly, which after accepted is described as "the agreement", Kombos describes the terms and procedures to be followed in the event that Canada wishes to evacuate people from the Middle East through Cyprus, "when a danger to the life and health of persons in the Middle East area emerges as a consequence of the deteriorating crisis situation caused by the ongoing hostilities in Gaza and Israel."

Moreover, he further proposes, in due course and when time allows it, the initiation of negotiations between the countries, for the conclusion of a more comprehensive agreement on the evacuation of civilians, since this has been the practice of the Republic of Cyprus since early 2020.

In her reply, the Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs accepts Kombos' terms regarding this agreement and takes note of his proposal for Canada and Cyprus to enter into negotiations, at a future date and when circumstances permit, on a more comprehensive agreement on the evacuation of civilians.

"The Agreement is yet another potent illustration of the strong friendship and solidarity that has united our countries and our people for decades. I am deeply grateful for your generous hospitality during my visit in May and wish once again, on behalf of the Government of Canada, to thank the Government and the people of Cyprus for their unwavering support in these challenging times," she notes.

The AFP reported on Tuesday that the Canadian Armed Forces have proactively transferred contingency resources to Cyprus to be able to evacuate Canadians in the event of a complete disruption of commercial flights.

As reported, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday called on his country's citizens to leave Lebanon "immediately", referring to an "extremely dangerous situation" in the Middle East region.

Some 20,000 Canadians are in Lebanon, the authorities estimate. In late June, the Canadian government had stressed that it was discouraging travel to the country, citing the "volatile and unpredictable" situation.