Nicosia, Cyprus. Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos urged citizens to take government travel warnings seriously and avoid high-risk destinations ahead of the Easter holidays. He said repatriation operations from affected areas will no longer be undertaken.
Warning against high-risk travel
Kombos said there is an increasing trend of travel to areas where official travel instructions are clear, adding that current developments underscore the risks. He stressed that “there are limits within which the state can help and assist.”
He said it was currently impossible to make safe predictions about developments in the wider region and urged citizens to closely follow the foreign ministry’s guidance. Kombos called on citizens to take seriously the travel instructions in force, especially those concerning areas where there is a clear risk.
Repatriation efforts will not be repeated
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. He added that responsibility lies with individual travellers who choose to move beyond the direction set by official travel guidelines.
Regional tensions and EU diplomacy
Kombos described regional tensions as “clearly extremely dangerous,” citing effects on the European Union’s economy, energy sector and overall security. He also called on the EU to advance diplomatic efforts in the conflict and said Cyprus is contributing, referring to his recent visits to Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
He said the visits reflect the level of Cyprus’ bilateral relations with the countries, which he described as being built through work, consistency and honesty.
Will you follow the foreign ministry’s travel instructions when planning trips to higher-risk destinations?
