The Director of Veterinary Services, Christodoulos Pipis, denies the allegations about the refusal of the authorities of the Republic of Cyprus to provide assistance to the ship named “Elbeik”, which transports 1,776 cattle from Spain to Libya, is anchored by 15 is allowed to approach the port of Libya, but also in any port of another country, due to bluetongue disease caused by the animals.
Asked about this by KYPE, Mr. Pipis said that he contacted his Spanish counterpart to investigate reports that the ship will return to Spain and after Friday afternoon received a response from Spain that there was no impact from the captain of the ship. to the Spanish competent authorities for the voyage of the ship back to Spain.
Rejecting allegations of refusal to provide assistance, he said that the competent Cypriot authorities, through the United Nations, had requested that access be provided so that veterinary services could board the ship and investigate the situation with the animals and the response of the occupying regime. was to approach the ship by sea without any facilities from the occupied.
The occupation regime also opposed the ship sailing in a port controlled by the Republic. Regarding this position of the occupation regime, Mr. Pipis clarified that the Cypriot authorities can not force the captain of the ship to go to any port.
He also pointed out that it is very possible that the captain does not want to move the ship to a port controlled by the Republic of Cyprus because he knows that in addition to the violation of animal welfare regulations, he will face issues of access to a closed port of the Republic. and will be arrested.
He reiterated that “we did not refuse to go on board to find out exactly the situation with the animals, to gain the same perception and then to be able to inform the European Commission, the competent authorities of the EU Member States and the competent authorities of the neighboring countries. », But the occupation regime raises obstacles.
Commenting on reports that the ship will return to Spain, he said he had contacted his Spanish counterpart to find out if the ship's captain had contacted the Spanish authorities to announce his intention to sail back to Spain and transport the animals back. and stated that the answer he received from Spain was that there was no communication of the captain with the Spanish authorities for the return of the ship to Spain.
The Party for Animals
However, the Animal Party said in a statement that “it has been informed by the Turkish Cypriot media that the trapped cattle on the Elbaeik ship, outside the occupied port of Famagusta, are already fed.”
“40 tons of feed and 50 balls of hay were delivered,” he said.
“As for the evolution and for what will be born and the fate of the cattle”, he concludes, “so far there is no evolution and we expect who or who will finally make any move to save these animals that for two months they travel around the Mediterranean and from country to country “.
Source: KYPE
A ship with thousands of animals is parked off the occupied Famagusta
