The government on Thursday again sought to distance itself from the upcoming meeting in Cyprus of the Gaza Executive Board, with Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos stressing that the island is merely the venue for the gathering.

The Executive Board will hold a two-day summit in Cyprus next week – on June 30 and July 1.

“We are not organising, we are not co-organising, we are not participating in the discussions that will take place,” Kombos said, recalling that the Republic of Cyprus has observer status with regard to the Board of Peace, only in what has to do exclusively with Gaza.

“So this is an initiative undertaken by the organisers. We happen to know some of them, we have frequent contacts. We have submitted our proposals regarding how things are progressing in Gaza, both in the humanitarian field and in reconstruction.”

But he added that during any bilateral meetings with some of the members of this Executive Board, “our proposals will undoubtedly be discussed.”

Cyprus’ chief diplomat said that due to the conflict in the Persian Gulf, there has been a significant delay in progress regarding both financing and the implementation of specific projects in Gaza.

He welcomed the fact that there is now renewed interest in the issue.

Kombos confirmed that the Gaza Executive Board will discuss the issue of financing, among others.

Asked if Cyprus could potentially become the “hub” for the reconstruction of Gaza, the minister demurred, saying that at this stage, one must keep in mind that the effort is resuming.

On whether Cyprus could turn from observer into a member of the Gaza Board of Peace, Kombos called this “idle speculation”.

He added: “We are not a member, let alone a permanent member. We decided to participate as observers in the part that concerns the activity of the Board of Peace regarding Gaza, which is also based on the UN Security Council”.

The minister also recalled that during the session held in Washington, regarding the observers and Gaza, the majority of EU member states, including the European Commission, were present.

“Therefore, we are not walking a lonely path on this issue. We follow and comply with and align ourselves with the majority trend, given our geography and our profile in the context of exercising foreign policy,” he noted.

Asked whether the transfer of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip continues, Kombos said it is, noting that there was another shipment sent relatively recently, including medical equipment and incubators for infants. There is already a next shipment ready for departure.

Members of the Gaza Executive Board include US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, former British prime minister Sir Tony Blair, Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan, Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Trump’s Iran envoy Steve Witkoff.

The Financial Times reported recently that the Board of Peace fund is empty; despite $17 billion (€15 billion) in pledges, the organisation is stuck in limbo with no money flowing to projects in Gaza.