Cyprus is functioning normally despite the ongoing Middle East conflict, but the broader regional situation is escalating and unlikely to end soon, Foreign Minister Konstantinos Kombos said in an interview with ERTnews.
“Schools and universities are open, the private and public sectors are operating normally, and the number of flights arriving and departing from Cyprus is almost back to the levels that were in place before the initial attack on Iran,” Kombos said.
He was clear, however, that the government was not being complacent. “We have a duty and obligation to act preventively and protectively. Anyone in our position would do the same. In reality, we had a drone attack on the British base, which is very significant. There was also an attempted attack which was intercepted far from the Republic of Cyprus. Those are the two facts. The rest are alerts sounding within an information framework,” he said.
Kombos described the response from Greece and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis as extremely important — not only in substance but also in symbolic terms, given the fraternal relationship between the two countries. He also cited practical assistance from France, Italy and Spain.
“We are operating protectively within an excellent cooperation framework with the countries that rushed to assist us, and to whom we owe the expression of our gratitude once again,” he said. He added that “the forecast for the broader region is that this situation will not be resolved soon. It is a particularly escalating situation that is causing serious concern.”
He reiterated that “we have a duty to act with protection and the security of the Republic of Cyprus in mind, without giving the impression that we are living in a state of war.”
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