UAE, Cyprus Leaders Forge Maritime Corridor For Gaza Aid Delivery

President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan engaged in a significant telephone conversation with His Excellency Nikos Christodoulides, President of the Republic of Cyprus. The dialogue centered around the strengthening of bilateral ties and a thorough review of the latest regional developments, with a particular focus on the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the Gaza Strip.

The discussion brought to light the collaborative initiative involving the UAE, Cyprus, the European Commission, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States. This initiative aims to activate a maritime corridor for delivering urgently needed aid to mitigate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. This plan is an extension of the Amalthea Initiative by Cyprus, proposing a secure method for transporting aid by sea from Cyprus directly to Gaza. This effort is part of broader attempts to establish a maritime aid delivery corridor.

Collaboration with Sigrid Kaag, the Senior United Nations Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs and Reconstruction in Gaza, is crucial. Kaag's role involves facilitating, coordinating, and verifying the flow of aid into Gaza, ensuring that assistance reaches those in need efficiently and effectively.

His Highness emphasized the urgent need for establishing direct humanitarian corridors—by land, sea, and air—to facilitate uninterrupted aid delivery to Gaza. He highlighted the critical importance of implementing protective measures for these corridors and empowering humanitarian organizations to perform their duties effectively. Such steps are vital to prevent any further exacerbation of the suffering faced by Gaza's residents.

Moreover, His Highness underscored the necessity of amplifying regional and international efforts towards a comprehensive and fair peace process. He pointed out that such efforts should aim at ensuring stability in the region based on the two-state solution. His Highness reaffirmed the UAE's support for all endeavors and initiatives directed towards achieving this goal.

This conversation underscores a shared commitment between the UAE and Cyprus towards addressing immediate humanitarian needs in Gaza and working towards long-term peace and stability in the region. The establishment of a maritime aid corridor represents a significant step forward in international cooperation for humanitarian assistance.

With inputs from WAM