Foreign ministry warns against travel to high-risk countries
Citizens have been urged to take government travel warnings seriously and avoid travelling to high-risk countries, with Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos warning on Friday that repatriation efforts will no longer be undertaken.
“There is an increasing trend of travel to areas for which the travel instructions are clear, and we are all seeing what is happening in general,” he said.
Ahead of the Easter holidays, Kombos called on citizens to exercise caution when travelling, stressing that “there are limits within which the state can help and assist.”
He said it was currently impossible to make safe predictions regarding developments in the wider region and urged citizens to closely follow the ministry’s guidance.
“Therefore, I want to advise and ask our fellow citizens to take seriously the travel instructions that are in force and to follow them, especially when they concern areas where there is clearly a risk,” he said.
Referring to previous government operations to repatriate citizens from areas affected by developments in the Middle East, Kombos said such efforts “cannot and will not” be repeated, citing the difficulty of the operations.
“The issue lies with the individual responsibility of each traveller who chooses to move beyond the direction set by our travel guidelines,” he added.
He described regional tensions as “clearly extremely dangerous”, noting their impact on the European Union’s economy, energy sector and overall security.
Kombos also called on the EU to advance diplomatic efforts in the conflict, adding that Cyprus is contributing in this regard. He referred to his recent visits to Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
“These visits, especially during this period, reflect the excellent level of our bilateral relations with the countries I mentioned above, relations which are built with work, consistency and honesty,” he said.
Asked whether Cyprus could act as a mediator or host for potential talks related to Lebanon, Kombos said it was too early to comment, though he did not rule out the possibility.
“It is a situation that we are observing and monitoring very closely, together with friendly countries and the European Union, but there is nothing more specific to mention,” he said.
The foreign ministry has issued more than 30 active travel warnings for countries linked to tensions involving Iran, urging citizens to avoid travel and to leave immediately if already there. These include Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Palestine and Israel.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus, taking into consideration the current security situation, advises Cypriot citizens against all travel to Israel and Gaza, as well as to the Nablus and Jenin regions of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem,” the ministry said on its website.