The Cypriot Ambassador to Kuwait, Michael Mavros, said his country strongly condemns the unprecedented and deplorable acts of violence against immigrants that broke out in Cyprus in recent weeks and shocked Cypriot society, pointing out that the government of the Republic of Cyprus, all political parties and civil society as a whole condemned these unacceptable and shameful events.
The government is taking measures to prevent similar acts from occurring in the future, and several of those responsible for the violence have been arrested. He told the Al-Rai daily, that “Unfortunately, the aforementioned events led, among other things, to attacks against a small number of Kuwaiti tourists who happened to be near the site of the violent demonstrations, but they are now in good health, and they all wish to remain anonymous.” Their wish must be respected.”
He added, “We would like to apologize and express our sincere sympathy to the Kuwaiti citizens and their families who were affected by the events, and we assure them that Cyprus remains an open and hospitable country and that we will continue to welcome our traditional Arab friends.”
Cypriot Foreign Minister Constantius Combos met today with the Kuwaiti ambassador to the island, Abdullah Al-Kharafi, to condemn the attack on Kuwaiti tourists during the violence that followed an anti-immigrant demonstration in Limassol, the country’s second city.
Combos wrote on the X platform that the two diplomats held a “cordial and comprehensive meeting, during which the excellent level of bilateral relations was reaffirmed.”
“Foreign Minister Combos took advantage of this opportunity to condemn the recent unfortunate incident against tourists,” the ministry said, expressing his “wishes to visit Kuwait very soon.” Diplomat Kyriakos Kouros posted on the X platform on Sunday that a group of tourists left Cyprus immediately after it was attacked.
Kouros, who is the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, published a picture of a group of tourists at the airport, one of whom was sitting on a wheelchair, while his forearm was wrapped in a bandage.
It should be noted that the recent violence in Cyprus stems from the huge immigration challenge faced by Cyprus in recent years. Currently, Cyprus has the highest ratio of asylum seekers to citizens in the European Union, with asylum seekers and those granted international protection status accounting for more than 6 percent of the population of Cyprus and the competent authorities facing pressure from the constant influx of migrants.