He is traveling by road to Doha from Riyadh, where Energy Minister Michalis Damianos was located, as Saudi Arabia’s airports have been closed following the Houthis’ double “strike” over the weekend.
Mr. Damianos was in the country, which affected his return flight to Cyprus; as a result, the minister traveled by road, from Doha at 6:00 a.m. and is expected to arrive at the airport around 1:00–1:30 a.m., as he stated while speaking on the Alpha News program.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
“This situation began on Saturday when we arrived in Bahrain, so we couldn’t fly from Bahrain, so we traveled by road, and now we’re returning to Doha,” Mr. Damianos said.
“It was an important three-day event—a key three days for Cyprus in the energy sector—which is why the various conferences here in Saudi Arabia proceeded as scheduled. There was a good turnout of ministers from around the world. We also proceeded with the signing of a memorandum of understanding with my counterpart here in Saudi Arabia on issues of cooperation and technical expertise—not only in hydrocarbons but more broadly in renewable energy, storage, interconnections, and so on.”
He expressed his unwavering solidarity with the people of Saudi Arabia for what they are going through these days.
“But it was important for us to be here as well, as part of this show of solidarity, and because in Saudi Arabia—particularly at the Energy Forum—it was business as usual so that things could move forward; the government was undeterred; we had to be here, we’ve moved forward with the signing, and now we’re returning.”
When asked if the attacks caused insecurity and fear, Mr. Damianos stated that he feels completely safe.
“In these countries, especially in Saudi Arabia, there is always a security detail for many and various reasons, so there is one today as well. We feel completely safe, I’d like to say. Certainly, since the attacks mostly take place at airports, it’s not something we feel—we can say we’ve experienced it—beyond a few alerts on our cell phones and some noise from rocks and drones. We can’t say that we felt any sense of insecurity at any point. That’s why things have been running as usual.”
