Cyprus sends €200,000 in humanitarian aid to Lebanon

Nicosia, Cyprus. The Cypriot government has sent around €200,000 worth of humanitarian aid to Lebanon, the foreign ministry said on Monday. The shipment of 31 containers has arrived at the port of Beirut.

Aid shipment

The containers, which departed from the port of Limassol last week, contained pharmaceuticals and consumables, according to the foreign ministry.

The latest delivery brings the total value of humanitarian aid provided by the Cypriot government to Lebanon this year to €840,000.

Scholarships

The ministry also announced that, from next month, the Cypriot government will offer scholarships to Lebanese citizens.

The scholarships will cover short-term seminars and training courses, as well as longer-term higher education programmes in Cyprus.

Bilateral relations

The aid shipments follow a strengthening of relations between Cyprus and Lebanon since Joseph Aoun was elected Lebanon’s president in January last year.

President Nikos Christodoulides visited Lebanon the day after Aoun’s election, becoming the first foreign leader to meet him as president.

Aoun visited Cyprus in July last year, when he said Cyprus had always supported Lebanon and referred to the countries’ geographical proximity and common interests and challenges.

Christodoulides described Aoun’s visit as substantial, symbolic and historic, saying it demonstrated the close bonds of friendship and cooperation between the two countries.