More Lebanon evacuees arrive in Cyprus

Gov’t grabs opportunity to promote business

A total of 50 Cypriots and other nationals arrived at Larnaca airport on Sunday on board an Olympic Airways aircraft carrying passengers fleeing from Lebanon, via Damascus in Syria.

A Cypriot Foreign Ministry official told the Cyprus News Agency that the evacuees consisted of 40 Cypriots, one Swede, one Spaniard, four Lebanese, one German, two Lithuanians and two Americans, adding that all 50 persons are well.

The aircraft continued its trip to carry 80 Greeks and other nationals to Athens.

Other evacuations have taken place. On Sunday an Olympic Airways jet transferred 27 people to Cyprus, of which 22 were Cypriots.

Under a French initiative to evacuate all European citizens, a cruise ship chartered by the French government was expected to help evacuate citizens from Lebanon on Sunday.

Five Italian military C-130 transferred Italian and other European citizens from Lebanon to Cyprus overnight on Saturday.

The US State Department announced that it has been working with the US Defence Department on how they will transport US citizens to Cyprus, from where they will embark on commercial flights for onward travel.

The Cypriot government said it would issue special visas to Lebanese citizens who live in Europe and wish to come to Cyprus to be near their country.

Meanwhile, Cyprus has declared its readiness to assist all citizens. “Cyprus is prepared to assist every foreign citizen trapped in Lebanon. We will provide every possible assistance and all necessary accommodation to assist all European citizens and other nationals,” Cypriot Government Spokesman Christodoulos Pashiardis said on Sunday.

However, not missing the opportunity to push Cyprus’ commercial interests and desire to become a regional hub for commerce, the Spokesman added “Cyprus, an EU member state will prove to be a safe destination and an effective communication hub between Europe, Middle East and Africa.”