Von der Leyen inspects Gaza aid efforts

The President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, is set to visit Cyprus on Friday with the backdrop of EU support for the Republic of Cyprus' initiative to create a humanitarian corridor to the Gaza Strip.

Ms. Von der Leyen is currently in Bucharest for the European People's Party (EPP) summit, where she arrived late Wednesday afternoon, accompanied by the President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides. It's noteworthy that Ms. Von der Leyen is the EPP's candidate for a second term as President of the European Commission.

Excellent call with @Christodulides

We discussed the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Swift action is needed.@EU_Commission will support the implementation of Cyprus' maritime corridor initiative

We applaud your leadership

Also discussed efforts to tackle migration challenges

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) March 4, 2024

The Israeli government will decide today whether to approve the dispatch of humanitarian aid (with the UAE participating in the aid procurement itself) to Gaza via Cyprus. If such approval is granted, a ship will transport the aid to Cyprus, where Israeli officials will inspect the cargo. In principle, the EU supports the endeavor, with President von der Leyen posting a relevant tweet on platform "X" three days ago after a discussion on the matter with President Christodoulides.

Well-informed sources inform "K" that on Friday, Ms. Von der Leyen will attend an event in Larnaca to inspect facilities and provide political support (noting the pre-election aspect within the EPP ahead of the upcoming European elections, as critics of Ms. Von der Leyen's candidacy have pointed out) for the Republic of Cyprus' efforts to establish a maritime humanitarian corridor from Cyprus. Given the uncertain situation regarding Gaza and the strained relations between Washington and Tel Aviv concerning humanitarian aid, there was a recent visit by an American official to Nicosia.

[This article was translated from its Greek original]