The foreign ministry on Tuesday warned Cypriot citizens to “avoid all travel” to Syria as the civil war in the country reignites.
The ministry said it is “closely monitoring the deterioration of the situation” in Syria as “the security situation in the country may deteriorate further without warning”.
It also said that all Cypriots wishing to leave Syria are “strongly encouraged to do so by road via Lebanon, where commercial flights to Cyprus are available.
“In addition, Cypriot citizens in Syria are advised to avoid travel to areas where there are hostilities, as well as all gatherings and demonstrations, and to remain vigilant,” it added.
It also said that Cypriots in Syria should “closely monitor developments and information from international and local media, avoid unnecessary travel and apply maximum security measures”.
In case of emergency, Cypriots in Syria are invited to contact Cyprus’ embassy in Damascus. The embassy can also be contacted by telephone at (+963) 11 3344794, Sunday to Thursday between 8am and 3.30pm, or by email at [email protected].
The warning was issued a day after the ministry called for the “utmost restraint” from the warring parties in Syria.
It said it has “persistently supported United Nations Security Council resolution 2254”, which was adopted in December 2015 and calls for a ceasefire and a political settlement to the Syrian civil war.
“We call for the utmost restraint and that international humanitarian law is fully respected, especially as regards civilians, including minority groups,” it added.
The war in Syria is opening up on multiple fronts, with fighters from a United States-backed, Kurdish-led coalition fighting government forces in the northeast of the country on Tuesday, after the government had lost the country’s second city Aleppo to rebel forces last week.
The drastic deterioration of the war in Syria and the Cypriot government’s acknowledgement of the fact comes at the end of a year in which the goal of having parts of Syria declared as safe to return migrants had been one of the flagship policiesof Cyprus’ government this year.
This aim was struck down by the European Court of Justice in October, with a ruling finding that the designation of a third country as a safe country of origin must cover the country’s entire territory, thus precluding situations akin to that which Cyprus had been seeking.
